TLDR MARKETING 2025-10-30

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NEWS CREATORS EMERGING AS WINNERS IN BATTLE FOR ATTENTION

News creators are becoming key players in the news ecosystem, gaining audience attention even in markets with strong legacy media. A Reuters survey across 24 countries found that 48% of adults under 35 who use social media prefer news creators over mainstream outlets, while 79% use social media weekly for news. A Muck Rack study showed that one-third of journalists are now creator journalists, though 40% earn no income from their self-published work and 78% have fewer than 10,000 subscribers. As traditional newsrooms shrink, creators are filling gaps in coverage and reshaping how audiences consume and engage with news.

WHAT'S WORKING IN GTM RIGHT NOW

85% of enterprise sellers still rely on spreadsheets, with only 5% using CRM. Companies use an average of 5 core GTM channels plus 5.5 experiments. Common channels include LinkedIn (66%), SEO (53%), and warm outbound (48%). AI search and intent-based outbound are growing fastest at 51% and 45%. Early-stage companies succeed with founder-led channels, mature companies with scalable channels like conferences and paid ads. AI tools like ChatGPT are widely used, but impact is mostly in outbound, market intelligence, and content marketing. Emerging tools like Clay, Lovable, and n8n help teams run technical workflows and intent-driven campaigns.

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO MANAGE SOCIAL MEDIA AT BEST WESTERN

Best Western runs its social strategy almost entirely through creators, with 90% of content coming from influencer collaborations. A two-person team manages over 100 creators a year who feature nearly 300 hotels through story-driven posts that spotlight local owners and authentic hospitality. They focus on long-term relationships, giving creators creative freedom to tell real travel stories. All outreach and content management are handled in-house to keep the tone consistent across platforms.

WHY A LOWER CTR CAN BE BETTER FOR YOUR PPC CAMPAIGNS

Click-through rate alone is not a reliable measure of PPC success. Ads with lower CTRs often yield higher conversion volume and better ROI when evaluated using metrics like conversions per impression or revenue per impression. This approach helps advertisers focus on qualified traffic rather than volume. For B2B brands, refining ad copy to filter out consumer clicks is especially critical to maintain budget efficiency and lead quality.

full 2026 State of the Website report

HOW TO: BUILD A CONTENT AUDIT ASSISTANT WITH SCREAMINGFROG AND AI

A guide to building a content audit system with ScreamingFrog, Claude, Zapier MCP, and Google Analytics to identify opportunities to improve existing website content. AI cannot perform a full audit but can support human analysis by combining data from crawls, performance metrics, and SEO tools to highlight underperforming pages. The process involves setting up a structured workflow connecting these tools through Zapier, running site crawls, exporting data to Google Sheets, and using AI prompts to find content improvement opportunities. AI should be treated as an assistant rather than a practitioner. It requires continuous refinement to produce reliable results.

DEMO VIDEO OF MARKETING GENIE (5 MINUTE VIDEO)

Marketing Genie is an AI-powered marketing assistant from Fractionally Labs that helps startups and small businesses automate their GTM efforts. It turns a single input like an idea or website into meetings, content, partnerships, and revenue by combining automation with the expertise of more than 350 fractional CMOs and executives. This demo shows how Genie researches audiences and competitors, crafts offers, and automates campaigns so founders can grow faster.

MARKETING ATTRIBUTION IS A LIE

Marketing attribution often gives a false sense of understanding and has led to a decline in creativity across the industry. Overreliance on last-click attribution misguides companies into overfunding performance channels like Google while neglecting brand awareness and demand creation. Methods such as “How Did You Hear About Us” surveys and Media Mix Modeling provide more reliable insights, but no system can fully explain human decision-making. The best marketing blends data with creativity, intuition, and a deep understanding of customers rather than relying solely on dashboards and metrics.

THE CREATOR-AUDIENCE FIT PLAYBOOK

The concept of creator-audience fit is focused on the idea that consistent engagement is earned through relevance, not just reach. Establishing fit involves studying audience behavior in digital spaces, capturing their language, and building content formats that reflect their current needs or interests. This playbook outlines how to avoid generic or outdated content by clearly identifying what not to produce and refining content direction through recurring feedback loops.

WHY HORROR IS BIG BUSINESS FOR MARKETERS

Horror fandoms offer both seasonal reach and year-round commercial value. Horror fans are highly discerning and respond best to content that feels authentic to the genre. Seasonal audiences drive spikes during October, but the core fanbase engages year-round through initiatives like Halfway to Halloween. Forced integrations are quickly rejected. Success comes when collaborations feel organic, such as leveraging horror iconography or fan-led lore.

5 BRAND VOICE ARCHETYPES

Most brands should use a conversational voice that is confident and human, rather than chasing chaotic styles.

7 THINGS B2B MARKETERS ARE GETTING WRONG ABOUT LINKEDIN

Treat LinkedIn like a social platform by sharing content that aligns organic, paid, and employee efforts.

JUDGE SIDES WITH ONLINE PUBLISHERS IN GOOGLE AD TECH ANTITRUST CASE

The ruling adopts findings from a prior DOJ case, easing the path for publishers to seek damages by establishing Google's monopoly power and unlawful conduct.