[📸 Lee Simpson - left to right: Lia Haberman, RJ Larese, Monica Khan, Phil Ranta]
Btw, if you haven’t already, please take the 2026 ICYMI Predictions Survey of the platforms and content formats you think will be most relevant next year. I’ll share the responses in early November.
Take the ICYMI 2026 Survey!!
Plus: Community might just be the word for the year for 2025. Watch for a bonus newsletter on Monday featuring insights from the people running social for your favorite community apps.
Instagram is rolling out stricter teen account settings
Instagram announced the winners of its 2025 Rings award in a 26 slide (!) Carousel
Facebook Marketplace launched a creator-led social series called Project Marketplace
Threads now supports group chats for up to 50 people
YouTube is expanding Voice Replies, which lets creators reply to comments with voice memos
Shopping Report: Close to half of Gen Z feel more loyal towards brands that they shop based on YouTube creator recommendations
Pinterest now allows users to block AI content
Netflix will stream a curated selection of Spotify’s top video podcasts
Substack is beta testing “drip campaign” emails
Industry Voices: How TikTok, YouTube, Netflix, Dove, Ring, Beekman 1802 and more are thinking about creator marketing
Gen Alpha Report: Expect more Tumblr-era curation instead of constant creation on social
Instagram announced Teen Accounts would be guided by PG-13 movie ratings - meaning teens will see the kind of content they’d expect to see in a PG-13 movie. There’s also a new, stricter setting called ‘Limited Content,’ which will filter even more content from the Teen Account experience.
Adam Mosseri announced Instagram’s 2025 Rings winners in a jumbo sized Carousel (Did anyone else notice it was 26 slides?! Which makes me think Instagram could probably turn on half the features we want tomorrow). The list includes 25 global creators awarded for taking “creative risks” — everyone from beauty pro Golloria, film director omgAdrian to food-fluencer briancantstopeating. They’ll each get a gold-animated ring around their profile photo and get to choose a custom background color for their IG profiles.
Facebook is bringing back job listings through a dedicated tab in Marketplace — focusing on local entry-level, trade, and service industry employment opportunities. (Marketplace really is doing the most for this platform.)
Facebook Marketplace launched a creator-led social series called Project Marketplace, a Project Runway-inspired mini-series. Episode 2 of Project Marketplace just dropped and it’s Y2K nostalgia-tinged
Threads now supports group chats for up to 50 people. You’ll be able to share text posts, videos, GIFs, and emojis within the chat.
YouTube released a report on The Evolving World of Shopping on YouTube. The shopping ecosystem revolves around creators, content formats (they found haul videos date back to 2007!) and communities — with 43% of 14- to 24-year-olds agreeing that they feel more loyal towards brands that they shop based on YouTube creator recommendations.
YouTube is expanding creators’ access to Voice Replies, which lets creators reply to comments with voice memos. Other updates announced as part of Creator Insider’s updates this week include expanded course creation, visual updates to the platform, group product tagging, and shared channel insights.
Chicken Shop Date’s Amelia Dimoldenberg shared 8 tips for launching a YouTube account on the platform’s blog.
YouTube will roll out mental health and wellbeing content in a dedicated space specifically for teens. For content to be included in the it needs to be evidence-based, teen-centric and engaging.
TikTok published a blog post about the tools in its AI ecosystem and how to take advantage of automation in marketing campaigns.
TikTok and Instacart partnered to offer CPG advertisers access to Instacart’s data for targeting and measurement, calling it an end-to-end integration.
Substack is beta testing “drip campaigns” or automated email sequences on web — something that has been more commonly associated with email marketing platforms than newsletter or micro blogging platforms. To see if it’s available for your newsletter, go to your publication dashboard → Settings → Emails → Drip Campaigns.
Spotify and Netflix partnered to bring a curated selection of Spotify’s top video podcasts to the streaming platform. Netflix will show video versions of 16 podcasts on sports, culture, and true crime.
[Creator Brooke Monk at CreatorIQ Connect]
Day one at CreatorIQ Connect kicked off with a big energy shift — and a clear message from CreatorIQ CMO Brit Starr: “The thing that connects us is our conviction that creators are the new business imperative”
Speakers from Netflix, Dove, Ring, Beekman 1802, and more shared how they’re redefining what success looks like in the creator economy — shifting focus from follower counts to engagement, sentiment, and authentic fit.
Day two featured a conversation between me and my fellow panelist: Phil Ranta, Monica Khan, and RJ Larese about the trends, challenges and opportunities within the creator economy.
Our predictions and hot takes for 2026:
AI will drastically transform influencer marketing jobs
Expect more IRL creator experiences
Micro dramas apps won’t happen. Creators will simply use TikTok, Shorts, and Reels for short-form storytelling
We’ll see more B2B and B2C creator campaigns on LinkedIn.
The recurring theme over two days? Listening. Listening to creators, to communities, and to the data.
Two days. 1,300 leaders. 70 speakers across beauty, media, fashion, technology, entertainment. And one clear takeaway: creator marketing has matured.
#1 factor in choosing creators: brand suitability
98% of brands repurpose creator content across other channels
94% or organizations say creator content delivers better ROI than digital ads
98% of users trust YouTube creators most for recommendations
40% YoY growth in TikTok search activity
Teams use an average of 3 tools to vet creators
Campaigns now run across 5 platforms on average
Each campaign involves an average 61 people
“Something that I hear a lot is ‘tapping in.’ And we think about it a little bit differently at Dove. When we’re thinking about community, we don’t think about tapping in, because that almost signals an extraction or a depletion. We really think about looking at the community, listening to the community, engaging the community, and then providing a solution if it makes sense.”
“We all know that social proof is so integral into how we as consumers are reacting to a piece of content. For us, those comments that say, “Now I’m going to go buy a Ring.” Or, “I’ve had this, I just need to install it. I’m going to go do that today.” Those are such powerful indicators to us that the message is resonating. We’re working with the right people. They’re helping amplify exactly what we need to amplify.”
“Where do we go big with creators versus pulling back? Fewer, bigger bets. So we can really rally around the moments that make the most sense for creators. We also think about creators in fueling the fire of conversation. How can we be quicker at getting on conversations and going out to creators?”
“Brand experiences drive brand love. We all know this. People are craving that IRL experience, with brands, with influencers, with celebrities. If you’re able to do that in the right way, you can really drive amplification, added value and excitement across the board for your campaign.”
“The idea of a creator-first approach is shifting from seeing creators as a channel or the end of the campaign moment — when you have the brief, you already have the product, you already know the audience and you already know what you want to do — and bringing creators into every part of the journey.”
“Performance metrics don’t always make it back to the Creator, and so they’re often left in a position where they can’t advocate for themselves and the metrics that they’ve driven. Make sure that the data flows back to them so that they can advocate for their next job.”
*I’ll share some more gems about Dove studying Crumbl’s fandom to design a viral partnership and Beekman 1802 building a “Kindness Crew” to turn empathy into engagement in the end of the month recap newsletter.
As much as I want to, I can’t share all 71 slides of the Decoding Gen Alpha report (via Methods + Mastery) but here’s an interesting look Gen Alpha’s attitudes toward social media:
Gen Alpha is still online — but their focus is shifting. Instead of public sharing and meeting new people, they’re spending more time consuming content.
One major reason: Sharenting. After years of parents posting every milestone online, Gen Alpha is pushing back with a strong aversion to oversharing.
As a result, multi-profile living will become the norm. Expect teens to have a curated Public account, an Alt for close friends, and a Ghost account for anonymous scrolling.
Other trends to watch:
Connection > Clout. Follower counts are fading; time spent in group chats and DMs matters more.
Reposts over originality. Think Tumblr-era curation instead of constant creation.
Privacy sells. Apps are leaning into “zero data” and “ephemeral by design” messaging.
The Best Instagram Content Format for Any Account Size - ICYMI
TikTok insiders and creators worry its powerful algorithm could lose its magic after a sale - Business Insider
Roblox is now live on the Samsung Galaxy Store and the new Xbox Ally handhelds - Roblox
TikTok ranked number one for teens’ favorite app with 46% reporting it as their top choice, followed by Instagram (31%) and Snapchat (14%) - Piper Sandler Teen Survey
A new wave of social media apps provide hope in a doomscrolling world -TechCrunch
The 50 hottest influencers on the planet — a subjective list - Hollywood Reporter
Why influencers suddenly love Facebook. (no joke.) “It’s my biggest source of income” - Hollywood Reporter
The creator economy has outgrown social media and the shift was on full display at Advertising Week New York - AdAge
Ragebait is everywhere. Should marketers lean in? (I’m quoted here and, spoiler alert, the answer is no!) - Marketing Brew
