Latest Digital / Social Media Marketing News & Insights

​Presented by Neal Schaffer​

In this week's newsletter:

• Creators could earn up to $3,000 a month with Meta’s Creator Fast Track Program
• Are you producing content that only you can produce?
• WordStream tested 50 SEO questions across five AI tools—and found 13% of all answers were wrong or misleading.

Hey Reader,

My podcast editor said something last week that stopped me cold:

"The cuts are noticeable and not as clean as when I do them. Sometimes it feels rushed — like too much space is cut between the words for my taste."

He was talking about AI-edited audio. And he was right.

Here's the backstory: After nearly a month in Japan and a week in London, I came back to a podcasting workflow that was broken. Not just rusty from travel — structurally broken. My people, tools, and process weren't properly aligned.

So I did what I always recommend: I sat down with AI (Claude, specifically) and had a real conversation. Not vibe coding. Not building elaborate automations. Just talking through my workflow, adding context, and pressure-testing ideas — exactly the kind of strategic AI use I cover in Maximizing LinkedIn for Business Growth.

Through that process, I rebuilt my entire podcast creation and promotion system — improving quality, getting more out of Riverside (my go-to for podcast recording), and even mapping out what to outsource on Upwork and how to vet candidates for it.

Then came the real question: If AI can edit my podcast audio for the YouTube version automatically, do I even need a human editor for the audio podcast?

I chose human. The quality gap was real enough to matter.

But here's why I'm telling you this: every one of us is going to face this exact decision across our marketing. Where does AI handle it well enough? Where does "well enough" cost you something you care about?

I'd genuinely love to hear if you've hit a moment like this — reply and tell me. Now, on to this week's updates!

Please note: Some links in this newsletter are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, I may earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you.

This Week's Podcast Episode

​From Funnels To Pinballs: A Human-First Framework For Building Brand Trust In The Age Of AI​

Phil Treagus-Evans built his agency Giraffe Social on a powerful idea: human-first marketing is the antidote to AI-generated sameness. In this episode, he shares his EMPATH framework for truly understanding customers, explains why he believes funnels are a lie (and replaces them with his Pinball Method), and draws the line on AI use in marketing. His take on employee advocacy? If it's forced, it's not advocacy—it's "employee hostage." A refreshing conversation about keeping marketing human.

This Week's News

Facebook Will Pay TikTok And YouTube Creators Up To $3,000 A Month To Post Reels On Its Platform - Meta's new Creator Fast Track program pays TikTok and YouTube creators up to $3,000/month for three months to post Reels on Facebook. The backdrop: Facebook paid a record $3 billion to creators in 2025, up 35% year-over-year, with 60% going to Reels. What makes this different from other platforms? Facebook monetizes almost everything—text, photos, Stories, not just video. For creators weighing yet another platform, it's a no-downside trial run with guaranteed income. The Next Web​

Meta Rolls Out Manus AI Assistance Tools For Marketers - Meta is integrating Manus AI agents across Ads Manager, Instagram Creator Marketplace, and WhatsApp Business following its January acquisition. The tools analyze ad performance, evaluate creator-audience alignment, and even draft client responses from WhatsApp voice notes. The promise? AI agents working in the background to streamline workflows without switching between apps. The caveat? These tools still require human oversight to avoid costly mistakes. Worth watching as Meta bets big on AI-powered marketing automation. Social Media Today​

We Analyzed 8,566 Keywords Across 14 SaaS Domains To Measure Reddit’s Impact On B2B Search… Here’s What We Found - Foundation's analysis of 8,566 keywords across 14 SaaS domains confirms what many marketers feared: Reddit outranks every vendor simultaneously on 50–66% of shared keywords in most B2B verticals. The kicker? 77% of Reddit's winning search volume comes from generic category terms, not review queries. But one vertical fights back—proving that education-first content strategy is the antidote. If Reddit is outranking you, the data says it's a content problem, not an algorithm problem. Start building your moat. Foundation Inc.​

This Week's Sponsor

​The Growth Engine For Enterprises​

Search has changed. Your decision process doesn't have to. Connect SEO and AI-driven discovery in one platform — and turn visibility into clear priorities and measurable growth. Semrush One is where you track, optimize, and win — everywhere customers search. One connected solution for Google, AI search + GEO. One plan, built for teams big and small.

More News

What Is Prompt Tracking? [Tips And Workflows To Do It On A Budget] - Moz's Crystal Carter tackles one of AI search's most practical challenges: prompt tracking on a budget. She walks through how to use GA4 to identify which LLMs your audience actually uses, validate competitors through entity signals, and aggressively prune prompts that create false positives. The key insight? Non-branded prompts—where AI recommends brands naturally—are where the real visibility measurement happens. Treat prompt tracking like CRO, not keyword research, and test with a hypothesis. Moz.com​

The Content Moat Is Dead. The Context Moat Is What Survives - Duane Forrester argues that if AI can summarize your content without citing you, your content moat is already gone. The new defensibility? A "context moat"—original research, proprietary data, and expert analysis that AI systems must cite because no alternative exists. Adding statistics to content improved AI visibility by 41% in one peer-reviewed study. The provocative question for your next budget cycle: are you producing content that only you can produce? Start with one proprietary benchmark and build from there. Search Engine Journal​

How To Use TikTok’s Verified Business Account Features And Local Feed - TikTok expert Keenya Kelly reveals three game-changers for marketers: verified business accounts with auto-populated lead forms and map directions, a Local Feed that surfaces your content to nearby users based on GPS, and new AI tools that generate product videos without being on camera. Her geo-targeting test in Houston proved the Local Feed works—nearly every commenter lived in the exact suburb she tagged. Essential reading if you're selling products or driving local foot traffic on TikTok. Social Media Examiner​

Can You Trust What AI Tells You About SEO? We Tested It! - WordStream tested 50 SEO questions across five AI tools—and found 13% of all answers were wrong or misleading. Meta AI scored worst at 16% inaccuracy, while three tools couldn't provide reliable keyword data at all. The most striking gap? Every tool underestimated how often AI Overviews appear on Google (actually ~55%, but estimates ranged as low as 15%). Use AI as a brainstorming starting point for SEO, but always cross-check—because a B+ accuracy rate still means real mistakes. WordStream​

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The Ultimate Guide: How To Create A YouTube Channel From Start To Finish [2026] - In this ultimate guide, I walk you through every step of creating a YouTube channel in 2026—from strategic planning and branding to content creation and monetization. Starting is free and takes under 10 minutes, but success requires strategy. I cover niche selection, equipment at every budget, YouTube SEO, and the Partner Program's two-tier path to earning. YouTube has paid creators over $100 billion since 2021. Here's your complete blueprint to join them. Neal Schaffer​

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