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16 QUESTIONS TO WARM UP BEFORE WRITING COPY

A list of questions to consider before writing copy.

CPC INFLATION: HOW FAST ARE GOOGLE ADS COSTS RISING?

CPC inflation is real, but its magnitude depends on the data source: Google's official stats suggest muted increases, while account-level data reveals double-digit annual growth in sectors like legal and travel. WordStream's industry benchmarks, adjusted for anomalies, show that 52% of sectors now experience CPC growth exceeding the 4.24% US inflation rate.

YOUTUBE'S CROSS-PLATFORM TAKEOVER IS PUTTING PRESSURE ON CREATORS

YouTube's push into connected TV and Shorts is forcing creators to manage both high-cost, long-form “TV-style” content and less-monetizable short-form videos. YouTube now dominates TV viewership and is leaning into episodic formats. Creators say Shorts boost reach, but don't deliver strong revenue or deep audience bonds. Brands like Jones Road are treating YouTube more like a storytelling platform than a profit driver, often needing sponsors to fund production. Meanwhile, competition from TV networks and costly production is squeezing creators trying to keep up across formats.

OPENAI'S REPORTEDLY EXPLORING ITS OWN AI-BASED SOCIAL NETWORK

OpenAI is reportedly developing a social media app potentially integrated with ChatGPT centered around image generation. The app could help OpenAI collect real-time content, similar to Musk's xAI-Grok setup with X.

ANSWER ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (AEO) IS THE NEW SEO

Instead of targeting individual keywords, AEO focuses on clusters of related questions with similar intent, creating pages that address hundreds of them at once. Like traditional SEO, only a small percentage of strategies drive meaningful impact. The emphasis should be on testing, validating, and reproducing high-performing tactics rather than wasting time on technical audits or vanity metrics. With AI chat interfaces now displaying links and driving traffic, brands can influence these answers if they focus on product-related questions, create content that fills key gaps, and optimize for visibility in citations used by LLMs.

STEAL THESE BRILLIANT GROWTH TACTICS

This article shows how startups are experimenting across pricing, onboarding, user engagement, and GTM roles. Lovable's “Launched” platform creates a loop of user-generated content and product exposure by embedding editing CTAs in community-submitted apps. FirmPilot defines the emerging “GTM Engineer” role to drive sales-assisted growth through automation, experimentation, and buyer journey optimization. Decagon introduced dual pricing options (per conversation or per resolution) to align AI agent costs with perceived value.

THE SMART REDDIT ANSWER ENGINE

Reddit Answers lets users instantly receive summarized human opinions from Reddit discussions, acting as a supplement to traditional search engines. The tool presents smart overviews of popular Reddit threads alongside direct links, making sentiment mining fast and structured.

MAGICPOST

MagicPost is an AI LinkedIn post generator. It can turn URLs into LinkedIn posts, select post types for each use, and edit and optimize generated posts. It also has a scheduling tool for future posts, along with analytics to track engagement.

NO ONE CARES: WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM LIQUID DEATH'S UK DEMISE

Liquid Death's exit from the UK was not a branding failure but a move driven by reduced margins after shifting manufacturing to the US. Despite generating over $2M in its first year with minimal marketing, the brand lacked the local foundation it had in the US. Entering retail without established demand weakened its impact. Branding alone was not enough. Product, pricing, placement, and promotion all matter. Brands should be built for real consumers, not for industry buzz or creative recognition alone.

ATTIO'S AI STRATEGY

Attio positions itself as the first truly AI-native CRM, branding its platform as an intelligent command center rather than a passive data tool. It differentiates from legacy CRMs by embedding AI into its core architecture, enabling fluid, context-rich automation across workflows. By combining structured CRM data with unstructured inputs like calls and emails, it delivers a level of contextual intelligence that reinforces its role as the operational heart of GTM teams. Attio's focus on seamless, delightful user experiences—through features like self-naming workflows and smart email handling—strengthens its identity as a product built for the modern, AI-powered era.

5 B2B MARKETING CAMPAIGNS THAT DROVE 5K+ LEADS

The pros and cons of creating B2B cheat sheets, playbooks, masterclasses, and marketing assessments.

INSTEAD OF A SOUVENIR, KIMPTON HOTELS' GUESTS TAKE HOME TINY TATTOOS

Kimpton's collaboration with Tiny Zaps embeds local culture into body art, linking hospitality with personalized memory-making.

TIKTOK WILL LET ITS USER COMMUNITY ADD CONTEXT TO SENSATIONAL POSTS

Unlike fact-checking tools that remove content, TikTok Footnotes offers crowdsourced context without affecting eligibility for monetization.

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TEMU'S US AD SPEND CRATERS AMID ESCALATING TRADE WAR WITH CHINA

As U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods rise to 125%, Temu has halted nearly all ad spend, with Google Shopping impressions falling from 40-50% in early April to 0% by April 12. Social activity also dried up, including a full stop in TikTok sponsorships. The drop created a temporary inventory surplus, but few brands are rushing in due to economic uncertainty and shifting budgets.

THE 2025 AI INDEX REPORT

The 2025 edition of Stanford's AI Index Report found that AI is increasingly embedded in everyday life. AI performance is improving rapidly, with benchmark scores rising by up to 67.3 percentage points in one year and language models sometimes outperforming humans in coding tasks. Business investment in AI reached $109.1 billion in the U.S. alone, and 78% of organizations now use AI, up from 55% in 2023. The U.S. leads in model output, but China is closing the quality gap while dominating in publications and patents. Governments are increasing regulation and investment, but global optimism and education access remain uneven.

DOES EVERY MARKETING CHANNEL *ACTUALLY* SUCK RIGHT NOW?

Marketing in 2025 is harder but not hopeless. Big, traditional channels like SEO and ads are saturated, but still useful when approached strategically. Emerging “little channels” like community and influencer marketing are becoming more scalable thanks to new tools. Success now depends on strong products and standout marketing—differentiation is key. Human-centered, creative, and trust-based marketing is rising in value, and teams need to stay nimble, make focused bets, and avoid one-size-fits-all playbooks.

DARK COLORS MAKE PRODUCTS SEEM MORE EFFECTIVE

Darker packaging makes products seem stronger and more effective, leading to higher purchase interest. In experiments, 65% preferred a darker anti-hair loss shampoo, judging it 12.3% better, and were 6.9% more likely to buy other personal care items with dark packaging. However, dark colors also raise concerns about side effects, which can reduce purchase intent, especially for sensitive products. Lighter packaging is better when safety is a key concern, such as for children's medicines or skincare for sensitive users.

VECTOR'S TOP-PERFORMING LINKEDIN AD

Vector's ad combines a hook, a pain point-focused headline, results-based UI screenshot, mascot, and CTA. Behind the scenes, it targets high-intent contacts identified by Vector, boosting both ad performance and budget efficiency.

VIDCLUE

Vidclue is a video idea library categorized by interactive engagement, educational explainers, industry insights, and comedy sketches. Click on the “shuffle” icon to get a video prompt, film your own take, and repeat the process to practice, batch content, and explore new angles.

STORYARB'S COFOUNDER'S FAVORITE MARKETING TOOLS

A go-to list of favorite marketing tools across different categories. It includes GrowthPair for offshore hiring, Distro for content creation, Typefully for social media, and Gumloop for automation.

UX NEEDS A BIGGER JOB - STARTING WITH EVERYONE

UX in D2C marketing needs to move beyond efficiency to reflect the diversity of users, integrating accessibility and emotional resonance into every touchpoint. When brands ignore users with disabilities or those less familiar with tech, they lose potential revenue and loyalty. Great UX means syncing every touchpoint, from personalized emails to checkout flows, into a cohesive and inclusive experience. Designing for the edges, like one-handed navigation or high-contrast visuals, improves the experience for everyone and turns usability into real impact.

GENAI: PROMPTING A BETTER MARKETING STRATEGY

AI is projected to drive 95% of customer interactions by the end of 2025. Prompts are emerging as the strategic bridge between human intent and AI execution. Marketers are already leveraging prompt engineering to enable hyper-personalization at scale, automate campaign generation, and maintain consistency across channels. Some successful examples include L'Oréal's GenAI lab generating customized recommendations, Airbnb improving CTRs by 30% through personalized itineraries, and Sephora increasing skincare sales by 35% using AI-driven skin analysis.

10 LINKEDIN ADS THAT DON'T LOOK LIKE ADS

LinkedIn ads that look like Slack chats, DM convos, and Google search results.

TIKTOK TAKES ON GOOGLE MAPS BY SURFACING REVIEWS IN THE COMMENTS TAB

TikTok now shows location-based reviews in a “Reviews” tab on some videos with ratings, photos, and links to reviewer profiles.

YOUTUBE EXPANDS ‘HYPE' PROGRAM, PROVIDES ADVICE AHEAD OF MID-ROLL AD CHANGES

Starting in May, YouTube will automatically insert mid-roll ads into “natural break points” in both new and existing videos.

GENERATION ZEITGEIST - TAKING THE SOCIAL PULSE OF GEN Z

Gen Z makes up one-third of the global population and has already surpassed boomers in earning power by age 25 in the US. They use social media to communicate, explore culture, and discover products. 67% share videos from Meta platforms with others and 78% say video is their top way to discover brands. 71% are open to AI-generated replies from businesses and expect fast, personalized interactions. They prefer short-form, niche video and actively shape their feeds.

SNAPCHAT STUDY REVEALS THE NEW TRINITY RESHAPING TRAVEL PURCHASES IN 2025

Consumers are moving away from traditional search methods, with 72% using them less. They're now relying on AI and AR to personalize travel experiences. Social media platforms are now the primary source of travel inspiration, with 73% of travelers learning about destinations on these platforms. Recommendations from friends, family, and creators are highly influential, with Snapchat users more likely to book travel through creator-shared links.

14 SAAS RENEWAL EMAIL TEMPLATES YOU CAN STEAL

SaaS renewal emails prevent churn, failed payments, and surprise charges. They remind users of product value, upsell or downgrade plans, and maintain customer trust. Automated reminders sent days or weeks before renewal can reduce user drop-off, especially for annual plans where surprise charges can trigger cancellations. Personalizing these emails and including options like one-click renewals, plan upgrades, or small discounts can improve retention.

6 SECTIONS OF A GOOD LINKEDIN CAROUSEL

For LinkedIn carousels, use 1080x1350px slides (10–15 total), focus on one clear topic, and write simply. Start with a bold cover, add context with real examples, break down one specific problem or process, show results with proof, recap key takeaways, and end with a CTA. Use tools like Canva or Figma, write at a 5th-grade level, and structure your content using the “How I…” format to keep it relatable and actionable.

LINK BUILDING TRENDS REPORT

61% of organizations manage link building in-house, but only 29% consider their efforts successful. Over 50% expect budget increases, but only 12% find it easy to get more funding. Most teams focus on content pages, not sales or product pages. Only 40% feel confident in their reporting, and benchmarking remains underused. Many still operate without a clear strategy or long-term plan, with pressure to show results in under 6 months.

LINKEDIN LAUNCHES NEW MINI-SITE OF POSTING TIPS

LinkedIn video is delivering 1.4X more interactions than other content types. The platform has released a new mini-site featuring content strategy tips, video guidelines, and best practices for creators. The site breaks down post fundamentals and links to additional training to help professionals better tailor their content.

WHY DOES B2B SAAS MARKETING FEEL LIKE THE GRAVEYARD OF GOOD IDEAS?

VC-backed B2B SaaS companies often undermine brand marketing by prioritizing short-term growth and ROI over long-term brand-building. This leads to internal contradictions and underfunded efforts. Brand work relies on emotional resonance and consistent storytelling, which doesn't align with VC incentives focused on speed and quick investor returns. This misalignment makes it difficult for marketers to thrive, not because of a lack of skill, but because they're working in a structure that doesn't support the value they bring.

LLMS DON'T REWARD ORIGINALITY, THEY FLATTEN IT

Originality isn't rewarded until it's repeated in AI-first search. Unique ideas must gain traction across multiple sources before LLMs recognize or surface them. Without clear labeling, plain-language definitions, and off-site mentions, even strong concepts risk invisibility in zero-click summaries.

WHAT THE BEST ADS OF THE 2000S REVEAL ABOUT AMERICAN CULTURE

In the 2000s, advertising often referenced fine art, like Ellen DeGeneres' Botticelli-inspired poster or Scion's Damien Hirst homage. Jim Heimann, editor of All-American Ads of the 2000s, believes the rise of digital ads led to a drop in creativity, replacing visually bold print with simpler, cheaper formats. His book explores how tech, sexuality, and cultural shifts shaped that decade's campaigns. Heimann also questions how AI, economic shifts, and political changes will affect the future of ad-making.

THE HISTORY OF AUTOMOBILE LOGOS

A timeline of the evolution of automobile logos.

THE RISE OF "UGLY" BRANDING

Ugly branding uses raw, chaotic design to stand out in a sea of polished visuals.

HOW TO TRACK CHATGPT TRAFFIC IN GA4

Create custom reports by filtering the traffic to include “Session source/Medium” containing ”gpt”.

HOTTEST BRAND ACTIVATIONS FROM COACHELLA 2025

Photos of brand activations at Coachella from Pinterest, Sol de Janeiro, and Poppi.

HOW TARIFFS ARE RESHAPING MARKETING IN THE US

Tariffs have raised costs and slowed sales, forcing US brands to work with smaller marketing budgets and higher performance demands. Retail sales are expected to grow 2.7-3.7% this year, with 94% of advertisers anticipating 6-10% budget cuts. Marketing teams are adopting agile, performance-based strategies using real-time data and modular campaigns.

META VS. THE FTC: THE BLOCKBUSTER ANTITRUST TRIAL KICKS OFF

More than a decade after acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp, Meta is facing a trial that could force it to divest both. The FTC argues these deals consolidated Meta's dominance by eliminating potential rivals in a narrowly defined personal social networking space. Meta counters that it competes broadly with platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and iMessage, making the market definition itself a central issue.

HOW TO REPURPOSE YOUR CONTENT WITH AI

Start by identifying evergreen, high-performing content from the past 6-12 months, such as guides or how-tos. Use AI to break it into key themes, match them to relevant audiences and pain points, and suggest tailored approaches for each segment. It can also recommend the best platforms and formats, like videos for urban dog owners or carousels for instructional content.

6 STANDOUT INFLUENCER MARKETING CAMPAIGNS THAT FOOD & BEVERAGE BRANDS NAILED

Brands are moving from mega influencers to a mix of nano, micro, and macro creators across TikTok and Instagram. El Pollo Loco reached 46.7M impressions with 20 creators, while SiuKay's challenge drew 2M views and 190K engagements. Garage Beermixes saw 86% purchase intent from 445K viewers. Voilà saw an 8x order jump, and NotCo gained 300K followers and 65M impressions in two months.

7 PROVEN UPSELLING POP-UP TECHNIQUES THAT WON'T DRIVE SHOPPERS AWAY

49% of US shoppers expect personalized product recommendations. Pop-ups triggered immediately after a customer adds an item to cart or browses related products convert better when personalized using survey insights and purchasing history data. Tactics include using high-resolution product images, tailoring copy to highlight benefits over features, and creating urgency through limited-time language.

HOW TO HIRE GREAT MARKETERS

Instead of chasing "unicorn" hires, founders should split marketing into 2 roles: a part-time strategic architect and a full-time execution-focused builder. Companies should also form advisory groups, build freelancer networks, and create power-user councils. Reduce dependency on any one person and prioritize repeatable processes.

META ADS UNDERRATED FEATURE: WEB & APP CAMPAIGNS

FROM ZERO TO HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS: LESSONS IN COURAGEOUS MARKETING

Gong used bright visuals, a bulldog mascot, and regional Super Bowl ads promoted early on LinkedIn to stand out. It bought short Times Square billboard slots, regional Wall Street Journal ads, and virtual placements, then amplified them through social media and employee networks to appear larger than it was. This low-cost strategy drove record pipeline and strong brand recall. Gong also targeted content to long-term buyers, aligned closely with sales, and focused on standout event marketing to grow.

WHY SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE ECONOMY?

Macro shifts are happening faster and affecting customer behavior, budgets, and risk tolerance. With AI driving rapid change and a recession looming, teams must reprioritize for value, not velocity. Focus on retention, ROI-driven messaging, and features that solve immediate needs. Collaborate with finance and GTM teams, reassess pricing strategies, and plan with longer time horizons. Strategic awareness is now essential, not optional.