TLDR MARKETING 2025-12-17

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SOCIAL MEDIA PREDICTIONS 2026

Social media and branding will focus on tastemaking and radical personalization next year. Brands will adopt “spam” accounts to share unpolished, slow content. Creators will take real ownership in brands as Chief Creative Officers or shareholders. Immersive third spaces like cafes and pop-ups will build community. A revival of 2016-style moodboard aesthetics, updated for Gen Z, will emphasize maximalist individuality and nostalgia. Brands that let people co-create, remix, and play with personalized experiences will thrive.

COMPANIES ARE DESPERATELY SEEKING ‘STORYTELLERS'

Corporate America is hiring more storytellers to shape brand narratives across blogs, podcasts, social media, and events. There is a shift from traditional media to direct audience engagement. These roles go beyond copywriting, blending communication, marketing, and real-world experiences to connect with customers, investors, and employees. Demand for storytellers has doubled on LinkedIn, with companies seeking authenticity and human relatability as audiences grow wary of AI-generated content. Brands now prioritize original content creation internally to maintain control over their messaging.

HOW TO BE COMPETENT VS FUN ON SOCIALS

Follower growth depends on whether the audience wants information or entertainment. When people seek information, balanced content builds credibility and drives follows, as Yelp accounts with 3 to 4 star ratings gained up to 105.5% more followers than overly positive ones and up to 500% more than consistently negative ones. When people seek entertainment, highly positive content performs best and drives up to 116.3% more followers on average. Brands focused on sales should match tone to intent, since friendly and genuine content converts better even when credibility signals like verification are present.

6 PIECES OF ADVICE TO BUILDING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND ON LI

Building a personal brand on LinkedIn is about owning your story, not your job. Start by commenting thoughtfully on others' posts to leverage existing audiences, then mix personal and work stories in your own posts to show vulnerability. Capture ideas as they come to avoid writing cold, and use tools to simplify content creation. Be approachable and relatable rather than overly polished. Make sure your profile reflects your personality and story. Consistency matters more than perfection.

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HOW TO AUDIT E-E-A-T AT SCALE WITH SCREAMING FROG AND OPENAI API

A process and set of prompts to audit E-E-A-T at scale using Screaming Frog and the OpenAI API. It's designed to score content quality across multiple dimensions. The process runs multiple AI prompts per page to score authorship, citations, effort, originality, intent, writing quality, and subjective quality, then analyzes averages in Sheets or Excel to find patterns. A real blog audit showed strong authorship and intent at about 9 out of 10, but weaker citation quality and content effort near 5 out of 10. The method is best for high-value pages and when followed by AI pattern analysis for prioritization.

ADOBE FIREFLY NOW SUPPORTS PROMPT-BASED VIDEO EDITING, ADDS MORE THIRD-PARTY MODELS

Adobe is expanding Firefly's capabilities with a new video editor that allows prompt-based adjustments to color, elements, and camera angles without regenerating the full video. This update introduces a timeline view and integrates third-party models like Topaz Astra for upscaling and FLUX.2 for image generation.

COMBATING THE CONSUMER ‘JOY DEFICIT' THIS SEASON

Holiday campaigns need to reflect the reality that most shoppers are financially stressed and price-conscious. Brands are seeing stronger results from early sales, resale options, and emotionally resonant messages instead of pressure-heavy promotions. Highlighting group activities over individual gifts and bundling affordable luxuries can help shoppers feel joy without overspending. Consumers are highly sensitive to pricing tricks, so clear value and trust are more important than urgency this season.

IF YOU QUIT SOCIAL MEDIA, WILL YOU READ MORE BOOKS?

Quitting social media may free time, but it won't automatically make people read more books. Social platforms shape reading habits by connecting users with tailored content. It fosters focused exploration and helps discover niche interests. Reddit, TikTok, and Substack can expose readers to books they wouldn't otherwise find, though they may also reinforce filter bubbles. While in-person book clubs offer richer intellectual engagement, social media enables personalized learning, making the effects on literacy complex and nuanced.

WHY 2026 COULD BE THE YEAR OF ANTI-AI MARKETING

Brands that can prove their content is human-made may gain an edge in 2026. As AI-generated media saturates every channel, consumer trust is showing cracks. Companies like iHeartMedia and Apple TV are already marketing “made by humans” as a premium feature. The shift creates opportunities for campaigns that emphasize transparency and creative authorship, especially as pushback against AI deepens in culture and public spaces.

AI PROMPT FOR “TRACK CHANGES”

A templated prompt to track copy changes on ChatGPT or Copilot.

7 TIPS FOR CREATING “PURPLE COW” AD CREATIVE