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After adding a Voice Assistant feature to the iPhone app, Perplexity is now available in WhatsApp. Working just like any other chat, you can use the Perplexity chatbot without an account or any setup. Simply send it your questions, and the Perplexity AI model will reply to you. It has access to the internet, too, so it can provide the latest information, generate images, and more. How chatting Perplexity on WhatsApp worksUsing Perplexity on WhatsApp doesn't require a Perplexity account, and as it stands, there isn't even a way to link your Perplexity account to WhatsApp. This is nice for easy setup, but also, your chats won't sync to your account. To start talking to Perplexity, start a new chat with the following number: +1 (833) 436-3285. Tap the Plus button to start a new chat, search for this number, and tap the Chat button next to Perplexity to get started. Perplexity's WhatsApp replies are quite fast, but they are short and to the point. Don't expect full functionality, with tools like Deep Research, here. How to chat with Perplexity and generate images on WhatsApp Credit: Khamosh Pathak Once you've started your chat with Perplexity, it's as simple as typing out your questions and waiting for a response. Perplexity's AI is quite fast, coming back with responses in just a couple of seconds. And it supports voice notes too, so you can record a voice note as a question, it will transcribe it, and then promptly get back to you. You can even ask it to generate images, or to edit an image. Perplexity is really trying to make the whole "make this person bald" thing happen. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. A nice touch here is that Perplexity includes links and sources in its responses, and shares generated images directly in the chat, making them easy to save and forward (ChatGPT, for some weird reason, shares a link to the image instead). Credit: Khamosh Pathak Perplexity can also accept forwarded messages as input, so you can use Perplexity AI to fact-check that weird forward from your uncle that you already know is a scam. How Perplexity's WhatsApp integration compares with ChatGPT's Credit: Khamosh Pathak ChatGPT is also available on WhatsApp, for free, and just like Perplexity, it uses the latest available models and is connected to the web. Unlike Perplexity, though, it has an option to link your phone number to your account, so all your chats from WhatsApp can show up in your ChatGPT app as well (something Perplexity doesn't offer). Its responses can also be a bit more detailed than Perplexity's, in my experience, including tables and other added context. Still, it's a shame that you have to click a link to see your images. Good for quick questionsIn my testing, I found Perplexity's WhatsApp bot to be best at short queries. As it stands right now, Perplexity AI's responses on WhatsApp are limited to just a couple of sentences, even if you ask a detailed question, so if you want anything deeper, it's best to switch to the Perplexity app or try texting ChatGPT instead. Although, these might just be growing pains for Perplexity, which had to take its WhatApp bot down for a couple of hours around launch thanks to unexpected demand. View the full article

Many industry insiders and cinephiles alike predicted that Joel Souza’s Rust would simply remain unfinished, that its only legacies would be the tragic death of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, which occurred on set, and the complicated legal proceedings that followed. However, despite Souza’s own misgivings, he completed the project. The Western film will see a limited U. S. release on roughly 150 screens beginning today (Friday, May 2) thanks to Falling Forward Films. Souza has been making the press rounds to explain this decision, which he says the Hutchins family supports, despite her mother making comments to the contrary. Here’s a recap of the tragic events and a look at why filmmakers have decided to release it now. What happened on the set of ‘Rust’? According to Vanity Fair, Souza—who both wrote and directed Rust—first got the idea for the film in 2019 when driving around with his two sons. He worried about what would happen to them if he weren’t around to raise them. He could not have known how close that would be to coming true. When speaking to the Guardian, he mused, “I wish I never wrote the damn movie.” Souza’s regret stems from a series of “bad decisions” that led to a prop gun—held by actor Alec Baldwin—discharging a live round on, October 19, 2021, outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. Baldwin maintains that he did not pull the trigger, while a forensic report found otherwise. The bullet that killed Hutchins went through her chest and lodged in Souza’s shoulder, inches away from his spine. He recovered, but has said that the joint still acts up, a physical reminder of the trauma of that day. How did the legal fallout impact the film? There were many debates over who exactly was responsible for the loss of life. Assistant director Dave Halls took a plea deal after failing to check the prop, resulting in six months of probation. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who served as the film’s prop armorer, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2024. The same year, charges against Baldwin for involuntary manslaughter were dismissed due to evidence being mishandled, as Reuters reported. Souza was never prosecuted. Why is ‘Rust’ being released now? At the time of the tragic events, only half of the movie was completed. Even Souza had doubts about finishing it but says he ultimately wanted to share Hutchins’s final work with the world. “We worked very closely together,” Souza explained to Vanity Fair. “The work she was doing was her best work, and for it to just vanish . . .” After initially speaking out against the producers of the project, Hutchins’s husband, Matthew, reached a settlement and joined as an executive producer in 2022. Another reason Souza wanted to complete the film was so Hutchins’s son Andros could see his mom’s work. Filming resumed on April 20, 2023. Bianca Cline stepped in as cinematographer to help finish Hutchins’s vision. Souza not only dedicated the movie to Hutchins but also gave her second billing, which is not a standard industry practice. Souza maintains that the family wanted the film finished. However, Hutchins’s mother, Olga Solovey, has taken issue with Baldwin’s actions after her daughter’s death. She reportedly refused to attend the film’s 2024 premiere at the Camerimage Film Festival. “Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death,” Solovey revealed in a statement to Deadline last year. Given that Rust is only getting a limited release in a reported 150 theaters, it is unlikely that ticket sales will amount to a big profit. (A typical movie opens in around 2,000 to 4,000 theaters.) It is also being simultaneously released on streaming services Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Fandango at Home thanks to Decal Releasing. According to reporting from the New York Times, this is to maximize profits, which are going to Hutchins’s husband and son as part of the settlement. What is ‘Rust’ about? In a bitterly ironic turn of events, the plot of the film centers on an accidental shooting. Lucas Hollister, played by Patrick Scott McDermott, believes he is shooting a wolf that is threatening his home, but the bullet from his rifle instead kills a neighboring rancher. Because Lucas and the rancher had a disagreement, no one believes it was not intentional. The young boy is imprisoned until his grandfather, Harland Rust, played by Baldwin breaks him out. The parallels to real life are not lost on Souza. “The movie is about what it’s about: the consequences of violence,” he explained to the Guardian. “There’s a real anti-gun aspect to it.” While Rust might not be a commercial success, the larger conversation it continues to spark about safety and accountability could be its greatest legacy. View the full article

You might be used to AI chatbots answering your questions with a few sentences or even paragraphs, but how about multipage reports? With Deep Research, that's exactly what the likes of ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are doing, utilizing their large language models alongside web searches and reasoning capabilities to become research assistants of sorts. A Deep Research query takes time (anything between five minutes to 30 minutes, depending on what you ask), but comes back to you with a detailed report on any subject you can ask about, including complex things like niche market research or scientific mysteries. Even better, all three major Deep Research AI providers now have free tiers. Though, let's be honest, most of us aren't performing scientific research on a day to day basis. So, how can these Deep Research tools help you? How Deep Research worksDeep Research combines the power of the open web, large language models, and new reasoning models. When you type in your prompt, it will first use a reasoning model to figure out what you're really asking. At this point, the AI chatbot might even come back to you with clarifying questions and prepare a research plan all on its own. You are free to reply with answers and edit the research plan, but this is usually optional. Once the research begins, you can follow along with what the AI is up to using a sidebar (or separate tab, if you're using Perplexity). Here, you can see the searches the AI is making, documents it's scanning, and information it's collating. As I mentioned above, detailed reports take up to 30 minutes, but that's only true if you're asking something really complicated. In my testing, I found that all three tools generate results in 5-10 minutes, spinning out reports that are still detailed and a couple of pages long. When should you use Deep Research?The best way to use Deep Research tools is when you can't find something on Google yourself, or you don't want to spend the time going through five different articles to distill the basics about a topic. I've personally used these Deep Research tools to find a spare part code for my car that Google just wouldn't tell me. I've also used them to research a company's share price outlook, and to learn new things about the handpan, a musical instrument I can't stop obsessing over. If you want quick answers, a regular Search in a AI chatbot is, of course, going to be better. And if you're working on a client pitch and you need a market research for five different competitors, you might want to spring for the paid version of whatever Deep Research tool you're using. But for anything in between, it's worth knowing how to use their lightweight alternatives. How to use Deep Research tools in ChatGPT, Gemini, and PerplexityAll three competing major AI chatbots have their own Deep Research tools that work in roughly the same fashion. I'll go into detail below, but in general, you start with a prompt, as detailed as you can make it, click the Deep Research button below the prompt, and then send out your query. You can also upload documents, spreadsheets, and images as added context. Credit: Khamosh Pathak The limits of free Deep Research Credit: Khamosh Pathak The free versions of Deep Research tools are limited. Perplexity and Gemini provide the same quality of Deep Research reports to free users as they do paid plans, but they limit the usage. Perplexity is the most generous, though, with a daily limit system. Perplexity doesn't specify its limits exactly, but it will show you how many Deep Research queries you have left in a day. In my testing, I've been able to make three Deep Research queries per day. You can upgrade to the $20 per month plan to remove all limits. Gemini limits free users to 5 searches a month, and Gemini Advanced users can generate up to 20 reports a month on the $20 per month plan. ChatGPT has the most complex structure. Free users get access to five monthly searches using ChatGPT's lightweight model, which doesn't generate full-length reports. Still, in my experience, this free model is enough for regular day-to-day searches. ChatGPT's $20/month Plus plan increases the limits to 10 queries a month using the full-fledged Deep Research model and 15 using the lightweight one. How I tested ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity's Deep Research toolsI tested the Deep Research features on all three platforms using the same three prompts. The first was to create a beginner-friendly guide on learning the handpan, the second was to research a company's stock outlook in the market, and the third was to find a part number for a spare wheel screw cover for my car. The last one was something that I just couldn't figure out myself using Google. ChatGPT Deep Research: To the point and robustI found ChatGPT's Deep Research to be the most direct and robust. The reports that ChatGPT generates are easy to read, and importantly, contain the information you asked for and nothing else. ChatGPT always asks follow up questions whenever you make a Deep Research query. This can feel tiresome (it did for me), but it clearly works, and you can tell ChatGPT to proceed without follow up answers from you, if you want. Credit: Khamosh Pathak I saw this in both the report for the handpan and the stock research. However, ChatGPT is perhaps not the best at finding shopping links yet. While it did find me the right car part and highlighted it right at the top, it failed to find a link for buying the part in India, where I'm based (but it did find sellers in the US and Europe). Credit: Khamosh Pathak Gemini Deep Research: Contextual, but wordyWhen it comes to Deep Research, Gemini has two strengths: The ability to edit planned research, and access to other Google products. When you give Gemini a Deep Research prompt, it first goes out and creates a research plan. It will then show you a glimpse of this plan, and you can then edit it if you need to (just approve it if you don't need to make any edits). Unlike ChatGPT, Gemini doesn't ask you clarifying questions, instead focusing on using its integrations with your Google account for wide-level thinking. This being Google, it will include researching relevant information from around your hometown, for instance. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Gemini's Deep Research feature integrates with Google Search, too. Basically, when you use Deep Research, you're essentially asking the AI to perform multiple Google Searches for you. It can even take into account your browsing history (though, only if you want it to). Credit: Khamosh Pathak But Gemini's downside is that it's a bit too wordy, and its default research plan is often too broad in scope. It might be best to edit a research plan to make it more specific. I saw this in my test about finding a a number for my car part, where it spent multiple paragraphs talking about spare wheel covers instead of directly pointing out the part number I asked for (something that both ChatGPT and Perplexity do better). The upside is that Gemini integrates Deep Research directly into its Audio Overviews feature, though, so you can easily generate a short podcast episode based on your report. Perplexity: Fast and made for web searchPerplexity's Deep Research tool is fast. It's the fastest at coming back with a Deep Research report, sometimes giving me answers in just two minutes or so. It does quite well with shopping links, and shopping research. And it's a one-click affair. Perplexity doesn't ask any follow up questions, nor does it ask you to approve its research plan like Gemini does. It just goes and does its thing. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Currently, Perplexity is adept at integrating web searches into its research, perhaps even better than Gemini is. But its speed comes at a cost. In my testing, I found Perplexity's Deep Research reports to be lacking in detail, even though there were a lot of sources attached to the report. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Which Deep Research tool is right for you?All three free Deep Research tools have their uses, but some are better suited to certain tasks than others. Based on my research and testing, this is what I've found: ChatGPT's Deep Research documents are the most robust while staying concise, although they suffer a bit when it comes to finding specific links online. Gemini's Deep Research reports are the most detail-oriented, although they tend to be too verbose, and sometimes unnecessarily long. Perplexity's Deep Research tool is the fastest, giving me results in mere minutes. While the research it generates is not often factually wrong, it is lacking in detail or depth when compared to ChatGPT or Gemini. View the full article

Big Four accountant says factors behind delayed 2022 accounts remainView the full article

With a more volatile electorate, all parties need to adapt to face down populismView the full article

Vacation rental platform Airbnb on Thursday forecast second-quarter revenue largely below Wall Street estimates and signaled softening demand in the U.S. as an erratic trade policy hammers consumer sentiment and sparks worries over growth. Shares of the company fell more than 6% after the bell, set to add to the year-to-date decline of about 7%. The company expects second-quarter revenue between $2.99 billion and $3.05 billion, the midpoint of which is below analysts’ estimates of $3.04 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Over the last two months, Delta Airlines warned travel demand has “largely stalled”, while hotel operator Hilton indicated travelers were in a “wait-and see” mode, as President Donald The President’s on-again off-again tariffs take a toll. Airbnb Chief Financial Officer Ellie Mertz said on an earnings call that guests were booking trips closer to the check-in date, indicating that the booking window was growing shorter. Booking window refers to the number of days between the reservation date and actual arrival and a shorter booking window points towards increased consumer uncertainty and caution in travel spending. Nights and experiences booked during the first quarter rose 8% to 143.1 million on a global basis. Excluding North America, bookings were up 11% from a year earlier. The U.S. comprises a vast majority of the San Francisco-based company’s North America business, which contributes about 30% to nights booked on its platform. Airbnb said it expects average daily rate, or the rental revenue earned for an occupied room per day, to remain flat in the second quarter and core profit margin to be slightly down from a year earlier. It also expects moderation in the year-over-year growth rate of the nights booked in the current quarter from the first. Total revenue for the first quarter rose 6% to $2.27 billion, compared to analysts’ estimates of $2.26 billion. However, net income slumped 41.7% to $154 million due to higher headcount, write-downs of certain historical investments in privately held companies and lower interest income. —Aishwarya Jain, Reuters View the full article

Industry payrolls wavered in a tepid buying season in which total employment has been better than expected given government cuts. View the full article

Home ownership is receding further out of reach for most Americans as elevated mortgage rates and rising prices stretch the limits of what buyers can afford. A homebuyer now needs to earn at least $114,000 a year to afford a $431,250 home—the national median listing price in April, according to data released Thursday by Realtor.com The analysis assumes that a homebuyer will make a 20% down payment, finance the rest of the purchase with a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, and that the buyer’s housing costs won’t exceed 30% of their gross monthly income—an often-used barometer of housing affordability. Based off the latest U.S. median home listing price, homebuyers need to earn $47,000 more a year to afford a home than they would have just six years ago. Back then, the median U.S. home listing price was $314,950, and the average rate on a 30-year mortgage hovered around 4.1%. This week, the rate averaged 6.76%. The annual income required to afford a median-priced U.S. home first crossed into the six figures in May 2022 and hasn’t dropped below that level since. Median household income was about $80,600 annually in 2023, according to the U.S. Census bureau. In several metro areas, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Boston, the annual income needed to afford a median-priced home tops $200,000. In San Jose, it’s more than $370,000. Rock-bottom mortgage rates turbocharged the housing market during the pandemic, fueling bidding wars for homes that pushed up sale prices sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars above a seller initial asking price. U.S. home prices soared more than 50% between 2019 and 2024. The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from their pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell last year to their lowest level in nearly 30 years. In March, they posted their largest monthly drop since November 2022. It’s not all bad news for prospective homebuyers. Home prices are rising much more slowly than during the pandemic housing market frenzy. The national median sales price of a previously occupied U.S. home rose 2.7% in March from a year earlier to $403,700, an all-time high for March, but the smallest annual increase since August. In April, the median price of a home listed for sale rose only 0.3% from a year earlier, according to Realtor.com. Buyers who can afford current mortgage rates have a wider selection of properties now than a year ago. Active listings—a tally that encompasses all homes on the market except those pending a finalized sale—surged 30.6% last month from a year earlier, according to Realtor.com. Home listings jumped between 67.6% and 70.1% in San Diego, San Jose and Washington D.C. As properties take longer to sell, more sellers are reducing their asking price. Some 18% of listings had their price reduced last month, according to Realtor.com. “Sellers are becoming more flexible on pricing, underscored by the price reductions we’re seeing, and while higher mortgage rates are certainly weighing on demand, the silver lining is that the market is starting to rebalance,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. “This could create opportunities for buyers who are prepared.” —Alex Veiga, AP Business Writer View the full article

European Union privacy watchdogs fined TikTok 530 million euros ($600 million) on Friday after a four-year investigation found that the video-sharing app’s data transfers to China breached strict data privacy rules in the EU. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission also sanctioned TikTok for not being transparent with users about where their personal data was being sent and it ordered the company to comply with the rules within six months. The Irish national watchdog serves as TikTok’s lead data privacy regulator in the 27-nation EU because the company’s European headquarters is based in Dublin. “TikTok failed to verify, guarantee and demonstrate that the personal data of (European) users, remotely accessed by staff in China, was afforded a level of protection essentially equivalent to that guaranteed within the EU,” Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said in a statement. TikTok said it disagreed with the decision and plans to appeal. The company said in a blog post that the decision focuses on a “select period” ending in May 2023, before it embarked on a data localization project called Project Clover that involved building three data centers in Europe. “The facts are that Project Clover has some of the most stringent data protections anywhere in the industry, including unprecedented independent oversight by NCC Group, a leading European cybersecurity firm,” said Christine Grahn, TikTok’s European head of public policy and government relations. “The decision fails to fully consider these considerable data security measures.” TikTok, whose parent company ByteDance is based in China, has been under scrutiny in Europe over how it handles personal information of its users amid concerns from Western officials that it poses a security risk over user data sent to China. In 2023, the Irish watchdog also fined the company hundreds of millions of euros in a separate child privacy investigation. The Irish watchdog said its investigation found that TikTok failed to address “potential access by Chinese authorities” to European users’ personal data under Chinese laws on anti-terrorism, counter-espionage, cybersecurity and national intelligence that were identified as “materially diverging” from EU standards. Grahn said TikTok has “has never received a request for European user data from the Chinese authorities, and has never provided European user data to them.” Under the EU rules, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, European user data can only be transferred outside of the bloc if there are safeguards in place to ensure the same level of protection. Grahn said TikTok strongly disagreed with the Irish regulator’s argument that it didn’t carry out “necessary assessments” for data transfers, saying it sought advice from law firms and experts. She said TikTok was being “singled out” even though it uses the “same legal mechanisms” that thousands of other companies in Europe does and its approach is “in line” with EU rules. The investigation, which opened in September 2021, also found that TikTok’s privacy policy at the time did not name third countries, including China, where user data was transferred. The watchdog said the policy, which has since been updated, failed to explain that data processing involved “remote access to personal data stored in Singapore and the United States by personnel based in China.” TikTok faces further scrutiny from the Irish regulator, which said that the company had provided inaccurate information to throughout the inquiry by saying that it didn’t store European user data on Chinese servers. It wasn’t until April that it informed the regulator that it discovered in February that some data had in fact been stored on Chinese servers. Doyle said that the watchdog is taking the recent developments “very seriously” and “considering what further regulatory action may be warranted.” —Kelvin Chan, AP Business Writer View the full article

Key Takeaways Understand the Cake Business: Gain knowledge about culinary and entrepreneurial aspects by researching market viability and customer preferences to establish a strong foundation for your cake business. Identify Your Niche: Define your specialty, whether it be custom wedding cakes, birthday cakes, or unique offerings like cupcakes, to differentiate your brand and cater to specific target audiences. Develop a Solid Business Plan: Create a detailed business plan outlining your objectives, target audience, sales strategies, and financial projections to guide your cake business’s growth. Comply with Legal Requirements: Familiarize yourself with the necessary licenses and permits, and choose a suitable legal structure to protect your venture and ensure compliance with local food production regulations. Master Baking Skills and Quality Ingredients: Hone your baking and decoration techniques while sourcing fresh, high-quality ingredients to enhance the flavor and presentation of your cakes. Implement Effective Marketing Strategies: Build a strong online presence and engage with your community to enhance visibility and attract customers through social media, networking, and a professional website. Starting a cake business can be a deliciously rewarding venture. If you’ve got a passion for baking and a flair for creativity, turning that hobby into a profitable enterprise might be your next big step. Imagine transforming your kitchen into a thriving bakery where your sweet creations bring joy to customers and celebrations alike. But where do you begin? From perfecting your recipes to understanding the business side of things, launching a cake business involves several key steps. With the right guidance and a sprinkle of determination, you can turn your love for baking into a successful career. Let’s dive into the essentials of starting your cake business and making your dreams come true. Understanding the Cake Business Starting a cake business involves understanding both the culinary and entrepreneurial aspects. Gain insights into market viability and establish a solid foundation for your venture. Market Research and Trends Conducting market research is essential for your cake business. Analyze current trends in flavors, decoration styles, and customer preferences. Look into local competitors to determine their offerings and pricing strategies. Use surveys and online research to identify gaps in the market. Successful cake businesses often capitalize on seasonal trends and dietary preferences such as gluten-free or vegan options. Stay informed about emerging market trends to adapt your business model accordingly. Identifying Your Niche Identifying your niche sets your cake business apart. Decide whether to focus on custom cakes for weddings, birthday cakes, or specialty products like cupcakes and cake pops. Consider your target audience and what unique offerings you can provide. Tailoring your products to specific themes or dietary needs can enhance customer acquisition. For instance, if you enjoy creating elaborate wedding cakes, make that your focus. Defining your niche not only helps in product development but also strengthens your branding efforts. Setting Up Your Business Starting a cake business requires careful planning and strategic decisions. Focus on solid foundations to boost your chance of success. Business Plan Development Developing a business plan is essential for defining your objectives. Outline your business model, including target audience and sales strategies. Conduct market research to understand customer preferences and competition. Establish measurable business goals to guide your growth strategy, like increasing customer acquisition and revenue within specific timeframes. Your plan should include financial projections concerning expenses, profit margins, and funding options. This document can also serve as a pitch for potential investors, like angel investors or venture capitalists, if you seek additional resources. Legal Requirements and Licensing Understanding the legal requirements of starting a cake business is crucial. Choose a legal structure that fits your needs, whether it’s a sole proprietorship, LLC, or corporation. Each structure has different implications for taxes, liability, and administrative responsibilities. Obtain necessary licenses and permits, which may include health permits and business registration. Consult legal advice for intellectual property protections, such as trademarks for your brand. Ensure compliance with local regulations around food production and sales. Proper licensing safeguards your venture and builds trust with customers, enhancing your branding efforts. Baking Your Cakes Baking your cakes forms the foundation of your cake business. Focus on honing your skills and selecting the right products to offer. Essential Skills and Techniques Mastering essential baking skills sets you apart as an entrepreneur in the cake industry. Invest time in learning various baking techniques. You can attend specialized baking classes or workshops to refine your craft. Seek mentorship from experienced bakers who can provide valuable insights and guidance. Practice consistently to perfect your recipes and achieve the desired texture and flavor. Understanding cake decoration techniques is also vital; these enhance your product appeal and contribute to your branding efforts. Use precise measurements with tools like kitchen scales to ensure consistent results, crucial for maintaining quality. Sourcing Quality Ingredients Sourcing quality ingredients directly impacts the flavor and presentation of your cakes. Establish relationships with reputable suppliers who provide fresh, high-quality products. Prioritize local ingredients when possible to promote sustainability and support your community, which can strengthen your marketing story. Research potential suppliers and compare prices to identify the best-fit for your budget and business model. Being selective about your ingredients improves product quality, encourages customer acquisition, and helps build a loyal customer base. Consider obtaining certifications for organic or specialty ingredients, as these can enhance your brand’s credibility and attract specific target audiences. Marketing Your Cake Business Effective marketing strategies significantly enhance your cake business’s visibility and customer base. Focus on establishing your brand by utilizing various marketing channels tailored to your target audience. Building an Online Presence Create a professional website that serves as a digital storefront. Your website should include essential features like an e-commerce component to facilitate online orders, a gallery showcasing your cake designs, and an easy-to-navigate layout. Utilize SEO techniques to improve your website’s search engine ranking, enabling potential customers to find you more easily. Engage on social media platforms to share photos of your creations, connect with customers, and promote special offers. Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook can effectively showcase your cakes, while email marketing helps maintain communication with your audience and drive repeat sales. Networking and Community Engagement Build relationships with local businesses and industry professionals. Collaborating with event planners, caterers, and local cafes can expand your reach and create new sales opportunities. Attend community events to showcase your cakes and connect with potential customers. Joining business networking groups or local entrepreneur meetups can provide valuable mentorship and support. Leverage these connections to gain insights into market trends and effective marketing strategies while fostering partnerships that enhance customer acquisition and brand recognition in your community. Managing Your Finances Managing your finances effectively is crucial for running a successful cake business. Proper financial management involves budgeting, tracking expenses, and understanding revenue streams. This foundation helps in making informed decisions and achieving business goals. Budgeting and Pricing Strategies Creating a budget offers a clear financial roadmap for your cake business. Cover regular expenses such as rent, utilities, ingredients, wages, marketing, and maintenance. This budget helps determine the revenue required to sustain operations and reach profit margins. Set competitive prices based on costs, market research, and target audience willingness to pay. Use a pricing strategy that reflects product quality and uniqueness. For example, premium pricing can attract customers seeking high-end cakes, while competitive pricing may appeal to budget-conscious consumers. Tracking Expenses and Revenue Tracking expenses and revenue is essential for cash flow management. Utilize accounting software or simple spreadsheets to log all transactions. Regularly reviewing this data helps identify trends and areas for improvement. Calculate your profit margin by deducting total expenses from total revenue. This allows you to see where adjustments can enhance profitability. Understanding your sales funnel also aids in refining your marketing strategies and increasing customer acquisition. Establishing a clear system for tracking finances sets a solid groundwork for future growth, ensuring your cake business remains sustainable and profitable. Conclusion Starting a cake business can be a fulfilling journey that allows you to share your passion for baking with the world. By mastering your craft and understanding the business side, you’re setting the stage for success. Remember to keep your offerings unique and tailored to your target market. Focus on building a strong online presence and engaging with your community to attract loyal customers. With careful planning and effective financial management, you can turn your baking dreams into a thriving enterprise. Embrace the challenges and celebrate the victories as you create delicious memories for your customers. Your cake business awaits, so get started today! Frequently Asked Questions What are the benefits of starting a cake business? Starting a cake business allows you to turn your passion for baking into a profitable career. It provides the opportunity to express creativity, connect with customers, and enjoy the satisfaction of making events special. Additionally, it can offer flexibility in your work schedule, allowing you to balance personal and professional commitments. How do I know if my cake business will be successful? Success in a cake business largely depends on understanding your market. Conduct thorough research to identify trends, customer preferences, and competition. Tailoring your offerings to a specific niche and continually improving your recipes can better your chances of success. What skills do I need to start a cake business? Essential skills for a cake business include mastering baking techniques, recipe development, and decorating methods. Additionally, understanding basic marketing, financial management, and customer service skills is crucial for running the business effectively. Is there a specific niche I should focus on? Identifying a niche can help differentiate your cake business from competitors. Consider specializing in custom cakes for events, dietary-specific options (such as gluten-free), or unique flavor profiles. Tailoring your offerings to meet specific customer needs can attract a loyal clientele. What legal requirements do I need to consider? Starting a cake business requires compliance with local health regulations and obtaining the necessary licenses and permits. Check with your local government for specific requirements, as this ensures legal operation and builds customer trust. How can I effectively market my cake business? Effective marketing strategies include building a professional online presence with a website and engaging on social media platforms. Showcase your cake designs, utilize SEO for better visibility, and maintain customer communication through email marketing to enhance your reach. What are the financial basics for managing a cake business? Managing finances involves budgeting, tracking expenses, and understanding your revenue streams. Create a budget to cover regular expenses, determine pricing strategies based on market research, and establish a tracking system to maintain healthy cash flow and ensure profitability. How can I improve the quality of my cakes? Improving cake quality starts with mastering essential baking techniques and investing in quality ingredients. Build relationships with reliable suppliers and prioritize local or organic products to enhance flavor. Consistent practice and seeking mentorship can also elevate your baking skills. Image Via Envato This article, "How to Start a Cake Business and Turn Your Baking Passion into Profit" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Key Takeaways Understand the Cake Business: Gain knowledge about culinary and entrepreneurial aspects by researching market viability and customer preferences to establish a strong foundation for your cake business. Identify Your Niche: Define your specialty, whether it be custom wedding cakes, birthday cakes, or unique offerings like cupcakes, to differentiate your brand and cater to specific target audiences. Develop a Solid Business Plan: Create a detailed business plan outlining your objectives, target audience, sales strategies, and financial projections to guide your cake business’s growth. Comply with Legal Requirements: Familiarize yourself with the necessary licenses and permits, and choose a suitable legal structure to protect your venture and ensure compliance with local food production regulations. Master Baking Skills and Quality Ingredients: Hone your baking and decoration techniques while sourcing fresh, high-quality ingredients to enhance the flavor and presentation of your cakes. Implement Effective Marketing Strategies: Build a strong online presence and engage with your community to enhance visibility and attract customers through social media, networking, and a professional website. Starting a cake business can be a deliciously rewarding venture. If you’ve got a passion for baking and a flair for creativity, turning that hobby into a profitable enterprise might be your next big step. Imagine transforming your kitchen into a thriving bakery where your sweet creations bring joy to customers and celebrations alike. But where do you begin? From perfecting your recipes to understanding the business side of things, launching a cake business involves several key steps. With the right guidance and a sprinkle of determination, you can turn your love for baking into a successful career. Let’s dive into the essentials of starting your cake business and making your dreams come true. Understanding the Cake Business Starting a cake business involves understanding both the culinary and entrepreneurial aspects. Gain insights into market viability and establish a solid foundation for your venture. Market Research and Trends Conducting market research is essential for your cake business. Analyze current trends in flavors, decoration styles, and customer preferences. Look into local competitors to determine their offerings and pricing strategies. Use surveys and online research to identify gaps in the market. Successful cake businesses often capitalize on seasonal trends and dietary preferences such as gluten-free or vegan options. Stay informed about emerging market trends to adapt your business model accordingly. Identifying Your Niche Identifying your niche sets your cake business apart. Decide whether to focus on custom cakes for weddings, birthday cakes, or specialty products like cupcakes and cake pops. Consider your target audience and what unique offerings you can provide. Tailoring your products to specific themes or dietary needs can enhance customer acquisition. For instance, if you enjoy creating elaborate wedding cakes, make that your focus. Defining your niche not only helps in product development but also strengthens your branding efforts. Setting Up Your Business Starting a cake business requires careful planning and strategic decisions. Focus on solid foundations to boost your chance of success. Business Plan Development Developing a business plan is essential for defining your objectives. Outline your business model, including target audience and sales strategies. Conduct market research to understand customer preferences and competition. Establish measurable business goals to guide your growth strategy, like increasing customer acquisition and revenue within specific timeframes. Your plan should include financial projections concerning expenses, profit margins, and funding options. This document can also serve as a pitch for potential investors, like angel investors or venture capitalists, if you seek additional resources. Legal Requirements and Licensing Understanding the legal requirements of starting a cake business is crucial. Choose a legal structure that fits your needs, whether it’s a sole proprietorship, LLC, or corporation. Each structure has different implications for taxes, liability, and administrative responsibilities. Obtain necessary licenses and permits, which may include health permits and business registration. Consult legal advice for intellectual property protections, such as trademarks for your brand. Ensure compliance with local regulations around food production and sales. Proper licensing safeguards your venture and builds trust with customers, enhancing your branding efforts. Baking Your Cakes Baking your cakes forms the foundation of your cake business. Focus on honing your skills and selecting the right products to offer. Essential Skills and Techniques Mastering essential baking skills sets you apart as an entrepreneur in the cake industry. Invest time in learning various baking techniques. You can attend specialized baking classes or workshops to refine your craft. Seek mentorship from experienced bakers who can provide valuable insights and guidance. Practice consistently to perfect your recipes and achieve the desired texture and flavor. Understanding cake decoration techniques is also vital; these enhance your product appeal and contribute to your branding efforts. Use precise measurements with tools like kitchen scales to ensure consistent results, crucial for maintaining quality. Sourcing Quality Ingredients Sourcing quality ingredients directly impacts the flavor and presentation of your cakes. Establish relationships with reputable suppliers who provide fresh, high-quality products. Prioritize local ingredients when possible to promote sustainability and support your community, which can strengthen your marketing story. Research potential suppliers and compare prices to identify the best-fit for your budget and business model. Being selective about your ingredients improves product quality, encourages customer acquisition, and helps build a loyal customer base. Consider obtaining certifications for organic or specialty ingredients, as these can enhance your brand’s credibility and attract specific target audiences. Marketing Your Cake Business Effective marketing strategies significantly enhance your cake business’s visibility and customer base. Focus on establishing your brand by utilizing various marketing channels tailored to your target audience. Building an Online Presence Create a professional website that serves as a digital storefront. Your website should include essential features like an e-commerce component to facilitate online orders, a gallery showcasing your cake designs, and an easy-to-navigate layout. Utilize SEO techniques to improve your website’s search engine ranking, enabling potential customers to find you more easily. Engage on social media platforms to share photos of your creations, connect with customers, and promote special offers. Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook can effectively showcase your cakes, while email marketing helps maintain communication with your audience and drive repeat sales. Networking and Community Engagement Build relationships with local businesses and industry professionals. Collaborating with event planners, caterers, and local cafes can expand your reach and create new sales opportunities. Attend community events to showcase your cakes and connect with potential customers. Joining business networking groups or local entrepreneur meetups can provide valuable mentorship and support. Leverage these connections to gain insights into market trends and effective marketing strategies while fostering partnerships that enhance customer acquisition and brand recognition in your community. Managing Your Finances Managing your finances effectively is crucial for running a successful cake business. Proper financial management involves budgeting, tracking expenses, and understanding revenue streams. This foundation helps in making informed decisions and achieving business goals. Budgeting and Pricing Strategies Creating a budget offers a clear financial roadmap for your cake business. Cover regular expenses such as rent, utilities, ingredients, wages, marketing, and maintenance. This budget helps determine the revenue required to sustain operations and reach profit margins. Set competitive prices based on costs, market research, and target audience willingness to pay. Use a pricing strategy that reflects product quality and uniqueness. For example, premium pricing can attract customers seeking high-end cakes, while competitive pricing may appeal to budget-conscious consumers. Tracking Expenses and Revenue Tracking expenses and revenue is essential for cash flow management. Utilize accounting software or simple spreadsheets to log all transactions. Regularly reviewing this data helps identify trends and areas for improvement. Calculate your profit margin by deducting total expenses from total revenue. This allows you to see where adjustments can enhance profitability. Understanding your sales funnel also aids in refining your marketing strategies and increasing customer acquisition. Establishing a clear system for tracking finances sets a solid groundwork for future growth, ensuring your cake business remains sustainable and profitable. Conclusion Starting a cake business can be a fulfilling journey that allows you to share your passion for baking with the world. By mastering your craft and understanding the business side, you’re setting the stage for success. Remember to keep your offerings unique and tailored to your target market. Focus on building a strong online presence and engaging with your community to attract loyal customers. With careful planning and effective financial management, you can turn your baking dreams into a thriving enterprise. Embrace the challenges and celebrate the victories as you create delicious memories for your customers. Your cake business awaits, so get started today! Frequently Asked Questions What are the benefits of starting a cake business? Starting a cake business allows you to turn your passion for baking into a profitable career. It provides the opportunity to express creativity, connect with customers, and enjoy the satisfaction of making events special. Additionally, it can offer flexibility in your work schedule, allowing you to balance personal and professional commitments. How do I know if my cake business will be successful? Success in a cake business largely depends on understanding your market. Conduct thorough research to identify trends, customer preferences, and competition. Tailoring your offerings to a specific niche and continually improving your recipes can better your chances of success. What skills do I need to start a cake business? Essential skills for a cake business include mastering baking techniques, recipe development, and decorating methods. Additionally, understanding basic marketing, financial management, and customer service skills is crucial for running the business effectively. Is there a specific niche I should focus on? Identifying a niche can help differentiate your cake business from competitors. Consider specializing in custom cakes for events, dietary-specific options (such as gluten-free), or unique flavor profiles. Tailoring your offerings to meet specific customer needs can attract a loyal clientele. What legal requirements do I need to consider? Starting a cake business requires compliance with local health regulations and obtaining the necessary licenses and permits. Check with your local government for specific requirements, as this ensures legal operation and builds customer trust. How can I effectively market my cake business? Effective marketing strategies include building a professional online presence with a website and engaging on social media platforms. Showcase your cake designs, utilize SEO for better visibility, and maintain customer communication through email marketing to enhance your reach. What are the financial basics for managing a cake business? Managing finances involves budgeting, tracking expenses, and understanding your revenue streams. Create a budget to cover regular expenses, determine pricing strategies based on market research, and establish a tracking system to maintain healthy cash flow and ensure profitability. How can I improve the quality of my cakes? Improving cake quality starts with mastering essential baking techniques and investing in quality ingredients. Build relationships with reliable suppliers and prioritize local or organic products to enhance flavor. Consistent practice and seeking mentorship can also elevate your baking skills. Image Via Envato This article, "How to Start a Cake Business and Turn Your Baking Passion into Profit" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If your TV is stuck in the past and you’ve been itching to modernize your setup without going all in on a new screen, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen) is currently $29.99, down from $49.99. It's compact—roughly the size of a flash drive—and comes with a short HDMI extender in case your TV’s ports are not easily accessible. Setup’s a breeze, though it still uses micro USB for power, which feels a little dated in 2025. But once it’s tucked behind your screen and plugged into the wall (which it should be—TV USB ports are often too weak), you can pretty much forget about it. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen, 2023) $29.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $49.99 Save $20.00 Get Deal Get Deal $29.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $49.99 Save $20.00 Performance is where this model earns its stripes (like PCMag's "Best Media Hub of the Year 2023"). The 1.7GHz processor and 2GB of RAM keep things moving smoothly, even when juggling heavy apps like Netflix and Prime Video. There’s Wi-Fi 6 support, too, which will benefit crowded households where every device is fighting for bandwidth. Granted, you need a Wi-Fi 6 router to actually see the benefits, but if your setup supports it, this stick delivers. Xbox Game Pass streaming also works here, which is impressive for something that looks like a chunky USB stick, and it supports Bluetooth headphones and gamepads, so you can sneak in some late-night gaming without waking the house. As for the interface, it’s unmistakably Amazon-first. Prime Video content is front and center, but nearly every major streaming app—Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, YouTube, Apple TV, Tubi, and more—is here and runs well. Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support mean this can actually handle high-end streaming setups if you’ve got the hardware, notes this PCMag review. Voice search via the Alexa button feels smarter this time, even letting you search by quotes or scene types, like “action movies with car chases,” which is genuinely useful when your brain blanks on titles. It's still missing AirPlay or Google Cast, which is a letdown if you're big into mirroring. But if you mostly want a fast, 4K-capable streamer with a solid remote and access to every service under the sun, this Fire TV Stick 4K is hard to argue against. View the full article

Comments by US president signal further escalation in his attacks on American universitiesView the full article

Apple shares fell nearly 3% in premarket trade on Friday after the iPhone maker trimmed its share buyback program and CEO Tim Cook warned of additional tariff-related costs of about $900 million this quarter amid a raging Sino-U.S. trade war. The Cupertino, California-based company that makes over 90% of its products in China said it plans to shift production of iPhones to India to minimize the impact of President Donald The President’s trade war. “It looks like Apple is progressing faster than expected with its move to shift production of US phones into the region (India),” said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. Analysts at Wedbush echoed this view, referring to India as Apple’s “life raft supply chain” as the company navigates through tariff turbulence. Cook outlined how Apple has started to build up a stockpile of products so that the majority of its devices sold in the U.S. this quarter will not come from China. “Tim Cook did his best to reassure investors on last night’s earnings call, but many likely came away still wanting more clarity about what lies beyond June,” Matt said, adding that the $900 million hit to profit turned out to be smaller than many had feared. Apple, which has been grappling with increased competition in key market China from rivals like Huawei due to slower rollouts of AI features, was already in troubled waters before the tariffs hit. “The question for investors is what can replace China for Apple? This is not an easy question to answer and could threaten the long-term trajectory of Apple’s growth plan,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB. Despite electronics being exempted from U.S. President Donald The President’s slew of import tariffs so far, Washington has signaled that some levies could be imposed in the coming weeks. Big Tech peers Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta Platforms beat quarterly estimates aided by artificial intelligence, while Amazon.com’s cloud revenue growth fell short of revenue expectations. These results were in stark contrast to dour forecasts from consumer electronics companies that are more exposed to tightening consumer budgets — chipmakers Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, and Intel. Apple shares lost about 15% so far this year. That compares with a 2.3% fall in Meta, and a nearly 1% rise in Microsoft. Apple’s 12-month forward price-to-earnings ratio is 27.63, compared with Microsoft’s 28.64 and Meta’s 21.48. (This story has been corrected to add ‘premarket trade’ in paragraph 1) —Kanchana Chakravarty and Lucy Raitano, Reuters View the full article

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Scams often fit with the old adage: "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the FBI are warning consumers about several similar-sounding scams that involve the promise of discounted services—ranging from utilities to health insurance—that end with fraudsters stealing your money and you having nothing to show for it. Here's how scammers are ripping people off, and how to protect yourself. How discounted services scams workOne iteration of this scam type begins with a robocall from someone who claims to be from a utility company (like AT&T or Comcast Xfinity) that offers phone, TV, or internet services. As the FTC alert describes, the scammer promises a 40 to 50% discount on future bills, bundles, or product purchases, but only if you act fast and pay up front. They'll ask you to purchase a gift card and provide them with the number—and they may also request your utility account information. A public service announcement from the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center describes a similar scam involving discount medical insurance. In this scheme, fraudsters reach out via unsolicited calls, texts, or emails and pretend to represent legitimate health insurance providers. They may pressure targets to sign up for a new plan at a discounted rate that's available only for a limited time or promise free services. Once victims purchase a plan, they are unable to cancel it, receive refunds, or use the supposed benefits upon receiving costly medical or dental bills they believed were covered. How to protect yourselfAs with many scams, there are a few telltale signs that the promise of discounted services is fake, including a stranger contacting you out of the blue trying to sell you something, the sense of urgency to act now or lose the opportunity, and the demand to pay right away (especially with a gift card). To avoid becoming a victim, don't make any quick decisions. End the conversation, and contact the company that's supposedly offering the deal to confirm whether it's real. Only use phone numbers and websites you search for directly—do not click links or call back numbers you're sent in messages. Never pay anything up front. If you are targeted for discounted medical insurance, research the company through your state insurance commissioner and the Better Business Bureau to check whether it's reputable and licensed in your state. Confirm that your providers accept the plan, and read any policy documents carefully before signing. If you don't receive any documents, it's almost certainly a fraud. View the full article

Figures indicate labour market resilience despite The President administration’s deep cuts to federal workforceView the full article

SharkNinja has announced the voluntary recall of more than 1.8 million units of Foodi multi-function pressure cookers after more than 100 reports of burn injuries—many of them serious. Here’s what you need to know about the SharkNinja pressure cooker recall. What’s happened? On May 1, home appliance company SharkNinja issued a recall for some of its SharkNinja pressure cookers, according to a notice posted on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website. The recall covers more than 1.8 million units of SharkNinja’s Foodi OP300 Series Multi-Function Pressure Cookers. The recall was issued after the company received 106 reports of burn injuries from people interacting with the cookers. The company has discovered that the pressure-cooking lids of the recalled units can be opened while the cooker is pressurized. This could result in “burn injuries from hot contents” in the cooker, according to the company’s recall notice. In addition to the cooking units themselves, SharkNinja is also recalling lid replacements for the units that were sold separately. What pressure cooker is being recalled? SharkNinja says the recall covers the “Ninja”-brand “Foodi” OP300-series Pressure Cookers/TenderCrisp Air. The following model numbers of that series are being recalled: OP300 OP300C OP301 OP301A OP301C OP302 OP302BRN OP302HAQ OP302HB OP302HCN OP302HW OP305 OP305CO OP305CCO OP350CO In addition to the models above, the OP300 lid replacement with the SKU 111FY300 has also been recalled. How many SharkNinja OP300-series units are affected? According to the notice posted on the CPSC website, about 1,846,400 units are being recalled, as well as about 184,240 that were sold in Canada. Where were the recalled units sold? According to the CPSC, the recalled pressure cookers were sold at some of the largest retailers nationwide. They were sold in both physical retail stores and online. The physical retail stores where the recalled units were sold at include: Walmart Costco Sam’s Club Amazon Target The recalled pressure cookers were also sold online at: Ninjakitchen.com walmart.com costco.com samsclub.com amazon.com target.com The recalled units were sold from January 2019 through March 2025. Each unit retailed for around $200. Have the recalled products injured anyone? Unfortunately, yes. SharkNinja says that it has received 106 reports of burn injuries involving the recalled products. Even worse, more than 50 of those injuries included second- or third-degree burns to a person’s body or face. What should I do if I have a recalled product? If you have the recalled pressure cooker or lid, you should immediately stop using the pressure cooker and ensure that no one else who has access to the pressure cooker uses it. You should then fill out the Ninja OP300 Series Recall form here. Once you’ve submitted the form, SharkNinja will send you a replacement lid. You should also dispose of your current faulty lid. You can view the full CPSC recall notice here, as well as SharkNinja’s full FAQ on the recall here. View the full article

Key Takeaways User Engagement: Encourage user-generated content and actively engage with your audience to foster community and trust across your social media platforms. Creative Campaigns: Implement unique campaign ideas such as hashtag challenges and storytelling through video content to captivate your audience and improve brand visibility. Leverage Influencers: Collaborate with influencers who align with your brand to extend your reach and introduce your products to new potential customers. Data-Driven Decisions: Regularly monitor social media analytics to understand audience behavior and optimize campaigns, ensuring ongoing engagement and improved performance. Content Consistency: Develop a content calendar to maintain consistent messaging and timely responses to trends, enhancing your overall social media strategy. Embrace Community Management: Foster meaningful interactions and address customer feedback promptly to build a loyal community around your brand. In today’s digital landscape, social media isn’t just a platform for sharing updates; it’s a powerful tool for brands to connect with their audience. With billions of users scrolling through their feeds daily, crafting a compelling social media campaign can set you apart from the competition. Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, innovative campaign ideas can elevate your brand’s visibility and engagement. Overview of Social Media Campaign Ideas You can leverage various social media campaign ideas tailored for small businesses to enhance your online presence and connect with your audience. Here are key concepts to consider: User-Generated Content Encourage your customers to create content related to your brand. Showcase their posts on your profiles to foster community and trust. Influencer Marketing Partner with influencers who align with your brand voice. Collaborating with them can amplify your reach and introduce your products to new audiences. Hashtag Campaigns Create a memorable hashtag to promote specific marketing campaigns. Use it across social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter to categorize content and boost engagement. Storytelling Through Video Content Utilize video content to share your brand story. Engaging narratives on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Stories can captivate viewers and drive social media engagement. Content Calendar Development Plan your posts with a content calendar. This strategy ensures consistent messaging and allows for timely responses to social media trends. Community Management Actively engage with your social media followers. Respond to comments and messages, and participate in online conversations to strengthen customer interaction. Social Media Ads Implement targeted paid ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Focus on audience targeting to increase brand awareness and drive conversions. Facebook Groups Creation Establish a group for your customers. This platform creates a dedicated community for discussions, feedback, and shared experiences. Social Media Analytics Monitoring Regularly review your social media analytics. Understanding metrics like engagement rate and reach can help optimize your campaigns for better performance. Content Sharing Share valuable content related to your industry. This approach positions your business as a knowledgeable resource, enhancing credibility and attracting new followers. By integrating these social media campaign ideas into your strategy, you can foster organic growth and improve brand consistency across your digital platforms. Each idea aligns with the goal of maximizing engagement and boosting your small business’s overall social media performance. Creative Campaign Ideas for Different Platforms Engaging effectively across social media platforms enhances your brand visibility and builds a loyal customer base. Here are tailored campaign ideas for various platforms you can implement for your small business. Instagram Campaign Ideas Utilize Hashtags and User-Generated Content (UGC): Create a branded hashtag to encourage UGC, just like Apple with its #ShotOniPhone campaign, which has gathered 29.6 million posts. This strategy promotes community engagement and can enhance your brand’s storytelling through authentic content shared by real customers. Leverage Instagram Stories and Reels: Share visually appealing stories or videos about your products or customer experiences. For instance, Adidas’s “Originals” campaign effectively used short films and Reels to narrate valuable brand stories, improving audience engagement and brand awareness. Facebook Campaign Ideas Build a Facebook Group: Create a space for discussions around your brand and industry. Engage your audience with exclusive content and direct interactions. This can foster a more robust community connection and improve customer interaction. Run Targeted Social Media Ads: Focus on audience targeting to reach potential customers effectively. Using paid ads can significantly increase your online presence and drive traffic to your products or services. Experiment with different types of ad formats to see what resonates best with your audience. Twitter Campaign Ideas Engage with Twitter Chats: Participate in or host Twitter chats relevant to your industry. This strategy increases your visibility and positions you as an expert, helping you attract more followers and engage with your community. Utilize Polls and Questions: Generate interactions by asking questions or running polls that invite feedback. These tweets encourage participation and strengthen your brand voice, while also allowing you to gather valuable insights into customer preferences. Incorporating these campaign ideas into your social media strategy can enhance your business’s engagement, visibility, and growth. Focus on building authentic connections with your audience through storytelling, UGC, and engaging social media tools across various platforms. Strategies for Successful Social Media Campaigns To build effective social media campaigns, focus on engaging your audience and utilizing analytics. These strategies enhance brand awareness and improve your overall social media marketing efforts. Engaging Your Audience Engage your audience by consistently creating valuable content that resonates with them. Tailor social media posts to reflect your brand voice and encourage user-generated content. Use engaging formats like video content, Instagram Stories, and Facebook Live to connect on a deeper level. Implement audience targeting techniques to reach specific demographics across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Foster community management by interacting with your followers and responding to customer feedback. Create a content calendar to maintain brand consistency and ensure timely posting. Leverage social media trends to keep your content fresh and relevant. Utilizing Analytics Utilize social media analytics tools to monitor your campaign’s performance. Track engagement rates, organic reach, and audience interactions to understand what’s working and what needs improvement. Analyze data from your social media ads and posts across different platforms, including LinkedIn and Twitter. Use these insights to refine your social media strategy, enhancing your online presence and maximizing your social media ROI. By observing trends and patterns, you can adjust your approach, ensuring ongoing engagement and growth for your small business. Case Studies of Successful Social Media Campaigns Spotify Wrapped Personalization and Shareability: Spotify’s “Wrapped” campaign shows how personalized content drives social media engagement. It leverages user data to create annual summaries of listening habits, presented in eye-catching graphics that are easily shareable. In 2022, over 156 million users interacted with their Wrapped summaries, resulting in over 400 million tweets and posts in just the first three days of its launch. Small businesses can adopt similar strategies by customizing content for their audiences to enhance brand awareness. Creating Rituals: The annual timing of Spotify Wrapped establishes a sense of ritual, making it a highly anticipated event. Small businesses can use similar tactics, creating seasonal campaigns that encourage customer participation and anticipation. Encouraging Sharing: By crafting shareable content, Spotify promotes viral success. Small business social media strategies can include campaigns that motivate followers to share their experiences, leveraging user-generated content to strengthen community ties and broaden reach. ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Raising Awareness: The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge effectively utilized social media to raise awareness and funds for ALS research. Participants filmed themselves pouring ice water over their heads, then challenged others to do the same. This simple, fun campaign engaged millions, with over 17 million videos shared on Facebook. Your small business can benefit from creating challenges that resonate with your audience, driving engagement through fun interactions. Incorporating Hashtags: The campaign employed the hashtag #IceBucketChallenge, which helped unify posts across platforms. Small businesses should consider developing unique hashtags for their campaigns to boost visibility and engagement rates. Starbucks #RedCupContest Encouraging User-Generated Content: Starbucks initiated the #RedCupContest, inviting customers to share images of their holiday-themed cups. This campaign encouraged community interaction and highlighted customer creativity. Small businesses can implement similar contests, prompting customers to share their own content related to your brand, fostering organic growth. Leveraging Social Media Platforms: Starbucks effectively used Instagram and Twitter for this campaign, reaching diverse audiences. Your social media strategy should include multi-platform engagement, targeting followers on the platforms they frequent the most, be it Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign Authentic Storytelling: Dove’s Real Beauty campaign featured real women instead of models, promoting body positivity. This strategy resonated with many consumers, enhancing brand loyalty. Small businesses can harness storytelling to showcase genuine customer experiences, fostering strong connections with your audience. Influencer Partnerships: Dove collaborated with influencers to amplify the campaign’s reach. Small businesses should consider influencer marketing to tap into new audiences and enhance credibility within various social media platforms. Airbnb’s #WeAccept Campaign Social Responsibility Engagement: Airbnb’s #WeAccept campaign promoted inclusivity and diversity, aligning the brand with a social cause. Small businesses can adopt a similar approach by participating in social issues that resonate with their customer base, establishing a deeper emotional connection through your social media posts. Video Content Utilization: The campaign heavily featured video content, enhancing storytelling and driving engagement. Small businesses should use video effectively, showcasing products, services, and customer testimonials to increase engagement on platforms like Instagram Stories or Facebook. By analyzing successful campaigns, you can glean insights applicable to your business, optimizing your social media strategy to foster growth, engagement, and brand awareness. Tips for Implementing Your Campaign Ideas Create Engaging and Relevant Content: Develop content that resonates with your audience. Focus on storytelling through various formats like video content and social media posts. For instance, use engaging visuals and narratives similar to Airbnb’s “Live There” campaign, which highlights unique local experiences. Utilize User-Generated Content: Encourage your audience to create and share content about your brand. For example, ask customers to share selfies with your products using a branded hashtag. User-generated content boosts authenticity and strengthens community ties. Include Calls-to-Action (CTAs): Incorporate clear CTAs in your social media posts to drive engagement and encourage specific actions. Effective CTAs can significantly increase engagement rates, guiding customers toward desired actions like visiting your website or making a purchase. Leverage Social Media Tools: Use social media analytics and scheduling tools to optimize your social media strategy. Monitor engagement rates and analyze which posts perform best to refine your content calendar. Consistently tracking data helps improve your online presence. Utilize Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with relevant influencers to reach a broader audience. Influencer marketing enhances brand awareness and can lead to more organic reach. Ensure that the influencers align with your brand voice for authenticity. Engage in Community Management: Actively manage customer interactions across platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Respond to comments and feedback promptly, fostering a sense of community. Utilizing Facebook Groups can further enhance engagement and deepen customer relationships. Stay Current with Social Media Trends: Monitor social media trends to keep your content fresh and relevant. Adapt your strategy according to platform-specific trends on Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn, ensuring you maintain brand consistency across all social media channels. Optimize Paid Social Ads: If using paid ads, focus on audience targeting to maximize the effectiveness of your campaigns. Tailor your social media ads based on demographic insights to improve your return on investment (ROI). Utilizing these tips can enhance your social media campaigns, increase engagement, and foster organic growth for your small business. Conclusion Implementing innovative social media campaign ideas can transform your brand’s online presence. By focusing on engagement and authenticity you can create meaningful connections with your audience. Utilize user-generated content and collaborate with influencers to extend your reach. Don’t forget the power of storytelling through videos and consistent messaging via a content calendar. Regularly analyze your campaign performance to refine your strategies and stay ahead of trends. Remember that every interaction counts in building a loyal community. With the right approach your small business can thrive in the competitive landscape of social media. Embrace these strategies and watch your brand flourish. Frequently Asked Questions What is the role of social media for brands today? Social media serves as a crucial platform for brands to connect and engage with their audience. Given the vast number of active users, effective social media campaigns enable brands to stand out, enhance visibility, and interact meaningfully with consumers. How can small businesses boost their social media presence? Small businesses can improve their social media presence by using targeted campaigns, encouraging user-generated content, partnering with influencers, and creating engaging hashtag campaigns that resonate with their audience, helping them build community trust. What are some effective social media campaign ideas? Effective campaign ideas include user-generated content, storytelling through videos, Facebook groups for customer engagement, and targeted ads. These strategies foster connection, boost engagement, and enhance brand visibility across various platforms. Why is audience engagement important in social media marketing? Audience engagement is essential as it helps brands build relationships, gain trust, and promote loyalty. Engaged audiences are more likely to share content, participate in campaigns, and contribute to organic growth, enhancing brand visibility. How can analytics improve social media strategies? Using analytics allows businesses to track engagement rates, monitor the performance of campaigns, and understand audience preferences. This data helps refine strategies, ensuring content resonates more effectively with the target audience. What is the significance of user-generated content? User-generated content encourages community involvement and trust, as it showcases real customer experiences. By sharing this content, brands can leverage authenticity, foster a sense of belonging, and enhance overall engagement. How can businesses utilize Instagram effectively? Businesses can use Instagram effectively by employing hashtags, sharing user-generated content, and utilizing Instagram Stories and Reels. This enhances storytelling and helps brands connect visually with their audience, driving engagement. What are some successful social media campaign examples? Notable examples include Spotify’s “Wrapped,” which personalizes user experiences, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge for raising awareness, and Starbucks’ #RedCupContest that encourages community participation through user-generated content. These campaigns highlight creativity and engagement. Why is storytelling important in social media campaigns? Storytelling creates emotional connections with audiences. By sharing authentic stories through visuals or videos, brands can humanize their message, making it relatable and memorable, thus fostering stronger engagement and brand loyalty. What tips can help improve social media campaigns? To enhance social media campaigns, businesses should focus on creating relevant, engaging content, utilize clear calls-to-action, leverage social media tools for analytics, collaborate with influencers, and actively manage community interactions for stronger relationships. Image Via Envato This article, "Innovative Social Media Campaign Ideas to Boost Engagement and Brand Visibility" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Key Takeaways User Engagement: Encourage user-generated content and actively engage with your audience to foster community and trust across your social media platforms. Creative Campaigns: Implement unique campaign ideas such as hashtag challenges and storytelling through video content to captivate your audience and improve brand visibility. Leverage Influencers: Collaborate with influencers who align with your brand to extend your reach and introduce your products to new potential customers. Data-Driven Decisions: Regularly monitor social media analytics to understand audience behavior and optimize campaigns, ensuring ongoing engagement and improved performance. Content Consistency: Develop a content calendar to maintain consistent messaging and timely responses to trends, enhancing your overall social media strategy. Embrace Community Management: Foster meaningful interactions and address customer feedback promptly to build a loyal community around your brand. In today’s digital landscape, social media isn’t just a platform for sharing updates; it’s a powerful tool for brands to connect with their audience. With billions of users scrolling through their feeds daily, crafting a compelling social media campaign can set you apart from the competition. Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, innovative campaign ideas can elevate your brand’s visibility and engagement. Overview of Social Media Campaign Ideas You can leverage various social media campaign ideas tailored for small businesses to enhance your online presence and connect with your audience. Here are key concepts to consider: User-Generated Content Encourage your customers to create content related to your brand. Showcase their posts on your profiles to foster community and trust. Influencer Marketing Partner with influencers who align with your brand voice. Collaborating with them can amplify your reach and introduce your products to new audiences. Hashtag Campaigns Create a memorable hashtag to promote specific marketing campaigns. Use it across social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter to categorize content and boost engagement. Storytelling Through Video Content Utilize video content to share your brand story. Engaging narratives on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Stories can captivate viewers and drive social media engagement. Content Calendar Development Plan your posts with a content calendar. This strategy ensures consistent messaging and allows for timely responses to social media trends. Community Management Actively engage with your social media followers. Respond to comments and messages, and participate in online conversations to strengthen customer interaction. Social Media Ads Implement targeted paid ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Focus on audience targeting to increase brand awareness and drive conversions. Facebook Groups Creation Establish a group for your customers. This platform creates a dedicated community for discussions, feedback, and shared experiences. Social Media Analytics Monitoring Regularly review your social media analytics. Understanding metrics like engagement rate and reach can help optimize your campaigns for better performance. Content Sharing Share valuable content related to your industry. This approach positions your business as a knowledgeable resource, enhancing credibility and attracting new followers. By integrating these social media campaign ideas into your strategy, you can foster organic growth and improve brand consistency across your digital platforms. Each idea aligns with the goal of maximizing engagement and boosting your small business’s overall social media performance. Creative Campaign Ideas for Different Platforms Engaging effectively across social media platforms enhances your brand visibility and builds a loyal customer base. Here are tailored campaign ideas for various platforms you can implement for your small business. Instagram Campaign Ideas Utilize Hashtags and User-Generated Content (UGC): Create a branded hashtag to encourage UGC, just like Apple with its #ShotOniPhone campaign, which has gathered 29.6 million posts. This strategy promotes community engagement and can enhance your brand’s storytelling through authentic content shared by real customers. Leverage Instagram Stories and Reels: Share visually appealing stories or videos about your products or customer experiences. For instance, Adidas’s “Originals” campaign effectively used short films and Reels to narrate valuable brand stories, improving audience engagement and brand awareness. Facebook Campaign Ideas Build a Facebook Group: Create a space for discussions around your brand and industry. Engage your audience with exclusive content and direct interactions. This can foster a more robust community connection and improve customer interaction. Run Targeted Social Media Ads: Focus on audience targeting to reach potential customers effectively. Using paid ads can significantly increase your online presence and drive traffic to your products or services. Experiment with different types of ad formats to see what resonates best with your audience. Twitter Campaign Ideas Engage with Twitter Chats: Participate in or host Twitter chats relevant to your industry. This strategy increases your visibility and positions you as an expert, helping you attract more followers and engage with your community. Utilize Polls and Questions: Generate interactions by asking questions or running polls that invite feedback. These tweets encourage participation and strengthen your brand voice, while also allowing you to gather valuable insights into customer preferences. Incorporating these campaign ideas into your social media strategy can enhance your business’s engagement, visibility, and growth. Focus on building authentic connections with your audience through storytelling, UGC, and engaging social media tools across various platforms. Strategies for Successful Social Media Campaigns To build effective social media campaigns, focus on engaging your audience and utilizing analytics. These strategies enhance brand awareness and improve your overall social media marketing efforts. Engaging Your Audience Engage your audience by consistently creating valuable content that resonates with them. Tailor social media posts to reflect your brand voice and encourage user-generated content. Use engaging formats like video content, Instagram Stories, and Facebook Live to connect on a deeper level. Implement audience targeting techniques to reach specific demographics across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Foster community management by interacting with your followers and responding to customer feedback. Create a content calendar to maintain brand consistency and ensure timely posting. Leverage social media trends to keep your content fresh and relevant. Utilizing Analytics Utilize social media analytics tools to monitor your campaign’s performance. Track engagement rates, organic reach, and audience interactions to understand what’s working and what needs improvement. Analyze data from your social media ads and posts across different platforms, including LinkedIn and Twitter. Use these insights to refine your social media strategy, enhancing your online presence and maximizing your social media ROI. By observing trends and patterns, you can adjust your approach, ensuring ongoing engagement and growth for your small business. Case Studies of Successful Social Media Campaigns Spotify Wrapped Personalization and Shareability: Spotify’s “Wrapped” campaign shows how personalized content drives social media engagement. It leverages user data to create annual summaries of listening habits, presented in eye-catching graphics that are easily shareable. In 2022, over 156 million users interacted with their Wrapped summaries, resulting in over 400 million tweets and posts in just the first three days of its launch. Small businesses can adopt similar strategies by customizing content for their audiences to enhance brand awareness. Creating Rituals: The annual timing of Spotify Wrapped establishes a sense of ritual, making it a highly anticipated event. Small businesses can use similar tactics, creating seasonal campaigns that encourage customer participation and anticipation. Encouraging Sharing: By crafting shareable content, Spotify promotes viral success. Small business social media strategies can include campaigns that motivate followers to share their experiences, leveraging user-generated content to strengthen community ties and broaden reach. ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Raising Awareness: The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge effectively utilized social media to raise awareness and funds for ALS research. Participants filmed themselves pouring ice water over their heads, then challenged others to do the same. This simple, fun campaign engaged millions, with over 17 million videos shared on Facebook. Your small business can benefit from creating challenges that resonate with your audience, driving engagement through fun interactions. Incorporating Hashtags: The campaign employed the hashtag #IceBucketChallenge, which helped unify posts across platforms. Small businesses should consider developing unique hashtags for their campaigns to boost visibility and engagement rates. Starbucks #RedCupContest Encouraging User-Generated Content: Starbucks initiated the #RedCupContest, inviting customers to share images of their holiday-themed cups. This campaign encouraged community interaction and highlighted customer creativity. Small businesses can implement similar contests, prompting customers to share their own content related to your brand, fostering organic growth. Leveraging Social Media Platforms: Starbucks effectively used Instagram and Twitter for this campaign, reaching diverse audiences. Your social media strategy should include multi-platform engagement, targeting followers on the platforms they frequent the most, be it Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign Authentic Storytelling: Dove’s Real Beauty campaign featured real women instead of models, promoting body positivity. This strategy resonated with many consumers, enhancing brand loyalty. Small businesses can harness storytelling to showcase genuine customer experiences, fostering strong connections with your audience. Influencer Partnerships: Dove collaborated with influencers to amplify the campaign’s reach. Small businesses should consider influencer marketing to tap into new audiences and enhance credibility within various social media platforms. Airbnb’s #WeAccept Campaign Social Responsibility Engagement: Airbnb’s #WeAccept campaign promoted inclusivity and diversity, aligning the brand with a social cause. Small businesses can adopt a similar approach by participating in social issues that resonate with their customer base, establishing a deeper emotional connection through your social media posts. Video Content Utilization: The campaign heavily featured video content, enhancing storytelling and driving engagement. Small businesses should use video effectively, showcasing products, services, and customer testimonials to increase engagement on platforms like Instagram Stories or Facebook. By analyzing successful campaigns, you can glean insights applicable to your business, optimizing your social media strategy to foster growth, engagement, and brand awareness. Tips for Implementing Your Campaign Ideas Create Engaging and Relevant Content: Develop content that resonates with your audience. Focus on storytelling through various formats like video content and social media posts. For instance, use engaging visuals and narratives similar to Airbnb’s “Live There” campaign, which highlights unique local experiences. Utilize User-Generated Content: Encourage your audience to create and share content about your brand. For example, ask customers to share selfies with your products using a branded hashtag. User-generated content boosts authenticity and strengthens community ties. Include Calls-to-Action (CTAs): Incorporate clear CTAs in your social media posts to drive engagement and encourage specific actions. Effective CTAs can significantly increase engagement rates, guiding customers toward desired actions like visiting your website or making a purchase. Leverage Social Media Tools: Use social media analytics and scheduling tools to optimize your social media strategy. Monitor engagement rates and analyze which posts perform best to refine your content calendar. Consistently tracking data helps improve your online presence. Utilize Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with relevant influencers to reach a broader audience. Influencer marketing enhances brand awareness and can lead to more organic reach. Ensure that the influencers align with your brand voice for authenticity. Engage in Community Management: Actively manage customer interactions across platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Respond to comments and feedback promptly, fostering a sense of community. Utilizing Facebook Groups can further enhance engagement and deepen customer relationships. Stay Current with Social Media Trends: Monitor social media trends to keep your content fresh and relevant. Adapt your strategy according to platform-specific trends on Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn, ensuring you maintain brand consistency across all social media channels. Optimize Paid Social Ads: If using paid ads, focus on audience targeting to maximize the effectiveness of your campaigns. Tailor your social media ads based on demographic insights to improve your return on investment (ROI). Utilizing these tips can enhance your social media campaigns, increase engagement, and foster organic growth for your small business. Conclusion Implementing innovative social media campaign ideas can transform your brand’s online presence. By focusing on engagement and authenticity you can create meaningful connections with your audience. Utilize user-generated content and collaborate with influencers to extend your reach. Don’t forget the power of storytelling through videos and consistent messaging via a content calendar. Regularly analyze your campaign performance to refine your strategies and stay ahead of trends. Remember that every interaction counts in building a loyal community. With the right approach your small business can thrive in the competitive landscape of social media. Embrace these strategies and watch your brand flourish. Frequently Asked Questions What is the role of social media for brands today? Social media serves as a crucial platform for brands to connect and engage with their audience. Given the vast number of active users, effective social media campaigns enable brands to stand out, enhance visibility, and interact meaningfully with consumers. How can small businesses boost their social media presence? Small businesses can improve their social media presence by using targeted campaigns, encouraging user-generated content, partnering with influencers, and creating engaging hashtag campaigns that resonate with their audience, helping them build community trust. What are some effective social media campaign ideas? Effective campaign ideas include user-generated content, storytelling through videos, Facebook groups for customer engagement, and targeted ads. These strategies foster connection, boost engagement, and enhance brand visibility across various platforms. Why is audience engagement important in social media marketing? Audience engagement is essential as it helps brands build relationships, gain trust, and promote loyalty. Engaged audiences are more likely to share content, participate in campaigns, and contribute to organic growth, enhancing brand visibility. How can analytics improve social media strategies? Using analytics allows businesses to track engagement rates, monitor the performance of campaigns, and understand audience preferences. This data helps refine strategies, ensuring content resonates more effectively with the target audience. What is the significance of user-generated content? User-generated content encourages community involvement and trust, as it showcases real customer experiences. By sharing this content, brands can leverage authenticity, foster a sense of belonging, and enhance overall engagement. How can businesses utilize Instagram effectively? Businesses can use Instagram effectively by employing hashtags, sharing user-generated content, and utilizing Instagram Stories and Reels. This enhances storytelling and helps brands connect visually with their audience, driving engagement. What are some successful social media campaign examples? Notable examples include Spotify’s “Wrapped,” which personalizes user experiences, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge for raising awareness, and Starbucks’ #RedCupContest that encourages community participation through user-generated content. These campaigns highlight creativity and engagement. Why is storytelling important in social media campaigns? Storytelling creates emotional connections with audiences. By sharing authentic stories through visuals or videos, brands can humanize their message, making it relatable and memorable, thus fostering stronger engagement and brand loyalty. What tips can help improve social media campaigns? To enhance social media campaigns, businesses should focus on creating relevant, engaging content, utilize clear calls-to-action, leverage social media tools for analytics, collaborate with influencers, and actively manage community interactions for stronger relationships. Image Via Envato This article, "Innovative Social Media Campaign Ideas to Boost Engagement and Brand Visibility" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The era of subway gate jumping could soon be over. By this fall, 20 stations across the New York City subway system will begin testing new gate systems that aim to make it all but impossible for someone to get through the gate to the subway platform without paying a fare. This week, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced the planned piloting of four gate control systems as part of its effort to crack down on fare evasion in the subway system. The four systems will be installed in five stations each across the MTA’s subway network to test their effectiveness. In contrast to the conventional turnstile gates seen in many subway stations, the MTA’s subway gates pilots are generally larger and more akin to sliding or swinging doors, making them more difficult to climb over or sneak under. Provided by vendors Conduent, Cubic, Scheidt & Bachmann, and STraffic, some may be familiar from other transit systems around the world, or security areas in airports. These off-the-shelf gate systems are vying for their chunk of the $1.1 billion the MTA has budgeted for improving fare gates at 150 stations over the next five years. The MTA’s subway gate pilot program is a calculated investment, which the agency sees as a way of increasing revenue and improving service. About 40% of the MTA’s operating budget comes from fares and tolls, and it sees reducing gate jumping as a way of bumping that number even higher. Previous investments seems to have worked. The agency reports that “multiple anti-fare evasion strategies” have helped total fare revenue rise to $5 billion in 2024, an increase of $322 million from the year before. “We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal—including increased enforcement efforts and new infrastructure—to prevent fare evasion, hold perpetrators accountable and keep these numbers trending in the right direction,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul in a statement. How will the new gates work? These approaches vary from station to station. About 200 stations have implemented guards to monitor gates, and the MTA reports that fare evasion is down 36% in these stations. Some turnstiles have even been retrofitted with “sleeves” and “fins”—add-on attachments that make them harder to climb on and over. Turnstiles are also being retrofitting to prevent “backcocking,” or pulling them back just enough to create space for some people to squeeze through. Adapting the existing infrastructure has contributed to the reduction in fare evasion, but the MTA sees an opportunity to do more with its new gate pilot program. “For the last two years, we’ve been attacking fare and toll evasion from all angles —hardening the system against fare beaters, simplifying fare payment, raising awareness about discounted fares and, yes, doing more enforcement,” says MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “Now those efforts are yielding positive results that will grow even more with the new modern fare gates that are coming.” View the full article

Shares in US company tumble as launch of latest version of best-selling game is delayedView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. When I wrote my review of the Whoop 4.0, I kept it to the basics—how the strap looks, works, and charges, and what activities it can track. Today, I’m going to dive in to all the metrics Whoop reports, and give a reality check on what’s most useful and what isn’t worth paying attention to. I'll leave out the activity tracking features here, since I covered them in more depth in the review. (Bottom line: I love the way it tracks how hard your workouts are—strength workouts included—but it's not going to replace a true fitness watch for most people.) WHOOP 4.0 with 12 Month Subscription – Wearable Health, Fitness & Activity Tracker $239.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Get Deal Get Deal $239.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg I don’t wear the Whoop band as regularly as I do the Oura ring, for which I was able to give a four-year retrospective. But to research both this article and my updated review, I’ve been wearing the Whoop for about the last six weeks, tracking my workouts and sleep regularly. So here’s a deeper dive into what it’s actually like to wear the Whoop strap long-term, using it to judge and guide your habits and performance. A typical day with Whoop Credit: Beth Skwarecki Let me take you through a typical day. I’m wearing the Whoop band on either my wrist or upper arm, and it’s probably been a few days since I last charged it. (I get about five days on a charge.) I made sure I had it on when I went to bed. If I look at my Whoop app first thing in the morning, it will sometimes tell me that it’s still “processing” my sleep, and there’s a button I can press to “end sleep” and get my recovery results. The Whoop app will show you a survey called your “journal” the first time you open the app each day. I’ll talk more about the journal in a section below. Let’s say you’ve already filled out your journal, and you’re looking at the main app. From the home screen, I can see: My recovery at the top, color coded. Green is good, and you get that if your recovery is 66% or better. Yellow is OK (34% and up), and red is poor. Today, I have a yellow recovery, at 48%. (For the month of April, I got 19 green recoveries, 9 yellow, 0 red, and on two nights I forgot to wear the strap to bed.) Some notes about things I should pay attention to. Today it says that my HRV is lower than usual, which might be because of my hard workout yesterday. The health monitor, which tells me whether my respiratory rate, blood oxygen, resting heart rate, HRV, and skin temperature are within my normal ranges. Today, all five are within range. The stress monitor, which I guess tells me how stressed I am. I don’t find this useful. A "daily outlook" button I can press. This starts a conversation with Whoop Coach—more about that in a minute. Today’s timeline, showing when I slept. As I do other activities, like workouts, they’ll show up here. Recommendations for tonight’s sleep, including a recommended bedtime. After this, there is a scorecard for my current “plan” (more about that below), and a dashboard with the individual metrics I might care about, like heart rate variability (HRV) and a count of my steps so far today, a feature that’s still in beta. Along the top of the screen, I can select tabs that are specifically for Sleep, Recovery, or Strain. The Strain tab is interesting, since it gives a recommended Strain level for the day. Today, for example, it suggests that I take on a “moderate” level of Strain, between 8.9 and 12.9. You get most of your Strain from exercise, and a little from everyday activity like walking around. As I write this, I haven’t done any workouts or left the house, and I’m at 2.7 Strain just from a morning of sitting around. The Whoop Coach can help you plan your day—but don’t ask it to get too specific.Let’s return to that Daily Outlook button. Tap that, and you’ll be launched into a conversation with Whoop Coach, an AI chatbot. This is probably the only AI bot I converse with on the regular, because it does a decent job of explaining the app’s metrics and recommends workouts for the day. Today it compliments me on completing a running workout yesterday, and tells me my workout schedule has been consistent, with 162 minutes in active heart rate zones so far this week. It then describes a few trends in my metrics, including that my resting heart rate has improved over the past few weeks, but that my recovery today is lower than my usual. Then comes the fun part. It makes recommendations for workouts to do today, and habits to focus on. It tells me to aim for three liters of water today (that’s a little bit more than my usual) with plenty of fruits and vegetables. And for a workout, I can meet my recommended Strain score with something that is low impact to “support recovery,” since my heart rate and HRV suggested I may need a bit of a rest. Credit: Beth Skwarecki The Whoop Coach suggests three workouts to choose from, based on the kinds of activities it knows I like to do. They include a 30-minute run, mostly in zones 1 and 2, or an 80-minute weightlifting workout at a low-medium intensity. I can tap a button at the bottom of each workout that says “Commit,” and doing this will add it to my timeline for the day. I can do the workout later by just tapping that button, and it will start the activity timer for me. I love that it can recommend these workouts for me, since otherwise “get 8.9 Strain” is an inscrutable instruction. Unfortunately, the little graphic showing time in heart rate zones is all you get. I’ve asked the Whoop Coach if it could time me through those intervals, perhaps beeping when it’s time to switch from one zone to another, but it doesn’t have that functionality. It does offer a specific workout plan that I could punch into a workout timer app of my choice—in theory. The Whoop Coach, like many AI chatbots, cannot do math and can’t make sense of its own output. I asked it for specific intervals for the 30-minute run it recommended, and instead it gave me three different workouts I could try, none of them adding up to 30 minutes. I asked again for a 30-minute workout that meets my strain for the day, and it gave me a “30-minute run plan” that adds up to 25 minutes, and does not include any zone 2. It helpfully provides this as a card with a “commit” button, but the workout on the card is different still—a 28-minute workout, with three minutes in zone 2, and none of the numbers adding up to what the bot wrote to me in the text of our conversation. You can see the screenshots above. Sometimes, after enough back-and-forth, the AI can provide something useful. But it’s just not good enough to rely on for workout ideas. I found that the best way to use it is to see what it recommends, then use that as a sort of vague guidance if I have flexibility in my training program or my real-life plans for the day. For example, I have a hard 45-minute running workout planned today, but based on Whoop’s feedback I might see if I can swap that with an easy run that is scheduled for later in the week. How to use Whoop’s sleep metrics and features Credit: Beth Skwarecki Whoop gives you so many sleep metrics, it can be hard to know where to start. I see two major, useful features here: the report of how long you slept compared to how much sleep you needed, and the smart alarms that you can set in any of a variety of ways. On your Sleep tab, you’ll get a score for your sleep “performance,” comparing the amount of sleep you got to the amount it calculates you needed. Today I slept more than I needed, which doesn’t match with how I felt groggily dragging myself out of bed. The timing seems right, though—I was extra tired yesterday so I both got to bed early and slept a little late. I think it’s a fool’s errand to worry about how “accurate” sleep tracking is, since no wearable is truly accurate, but most of them are good enough. But for a comparison, the total sleep time is usually similar to what Oura reports, and the sleep phases are often more-or-less in the same ballpark. Here’s what I get today: Light sleep: 5:02 (Oura: 5:22) Deep sleep: 2:36 (Oura: 1:41) REM sleep: 1:46 (Oura: 1:37) Total: 9:18 (Oura 9:22) Total sleep matters more than the other numbers, in my book. Increase your total sleep and you’re likely to sleep better. (I have data backing this up from my long-term Oura trends—total sleep correlates closely with other metrics and scores of sleep quality.) Whoop also tracks your “sleep debt,” or how much sleep you needed but didn’t get. Six times in the past month I’ve had a “high” sleep debt of 45 minutes or more. Nine times it was moderate (30 to 45 minutes), and 14 times it was 30 minutes or less. Sleep coach and smart alarmsOne of Whoop’s most intriguing features is the sleep coach, which can advise you when to go to bed, and even help you decide when your alarm should go off. (It’s also one of the most hidden features. Tap on the “tonight’s sleep” card on your overview screen.) From this screen, called the Sleep Planner, you can choose whether you want to “reach my sleep need” (making up any sleep debt, as needed); “improve my sleep,” which will recommend times that help you to be more consistent in your sleep schedule; or “reach my weekly plan goal,” which I’ll say more about below. And then, there’s a second set of preferences. When you try to set an alarm, the app will ask if you’d like to wake up at an exact time, or when you’ve met your sleep goal for the night, or as soon as you’re “in the green.” That last one refers to a 66% or better recovery, which may not be ideal, but should ensure you’re not going to be dead on your feet. Realistically, I don’t use these features too often. I do have a sleep goal set in my weekly plan, but I’m not fiddling with an app every night to decide when to wake up. On the other hand, if I had a chaotic schedule, like that of a student or a pro sports player, I could definitely see making more use of this feature. Tracking your habits with the Journal Left: the journal screen you'll see each day. Right: the screen where you can choose your journal questions. Credit: Beth Skwarecki The activity and sleep tracking happen more or less automatically, and pretty much any fitness tracker or smartwatch can do those things. Where Whoop really shines, from a wellness perspective, is in helping you track all the little habits and factors that may be affecting your sleep or your athletic performance. This is where the Journal comes in. You can fill it out at any time during the day, but it will also pop up first thing in the morning and ask you what happened yesterday. Did you eat a late meal? Did you have any alcohol? Did you hydrate well? If you don’t like these questions, you can set it up to ask you different ones. It can also pull in data from other parts of the app or from connected apps—for example, if you log your menstrual cycle in Apple Health, that can show up here as well. Each habit or factor only becomes useful if you log at least five yeses and five noes. Anything that you almost always do, or that you almost never do, isn’t going to be very helpful. So I’ve narrowed down my Journal questions to only include things I’ll answer differently from night to night, or things I’m trying to improve on. One important caveat: leaving the question blank doesn’t count as a yes or a no. At first I only answered a question if I could say “yes,” and otherwise I’d leave it blank—for example, answering “yes” if I’d had alcohol that day. But when I looked at my results later, I found that with seven yeses and zero noes for alcohol, Whoop couldn’t give me any reports that used that information. I was able to backfill the last few days’ worth of journal entries, but you can’t go back more than about a week. Correlation, not causation—but interesting to see. Credit: Beth Skwarecki That extra week’s worth of data was enough to get an answer on alcohol, though: it hurts my recovery, taking it down an average of 9% on nights I had a beer or two. Or at least that’s how Whoop represents it—these are correlations, and Whoop doesn’t actually know what’s causing what. For example, taking melatonin hurts my recovery by 4%. But is melatonin really the culprit, or is this just a correlation where I take melatonin when I’m already having trouble sleeping? You need to take these results with a big grain of salt. To Whoop’s credit, it includes a note that “this impact is significantly different than the Whoop average. Note that impacts can sometimes be affected by other correlated factors that you don’t track.” The two things that do help my recovery, according to Whoop’s insights (which you can access from the top of the Journal screen), are sticking to a consistent bedtime—8% improvement—and being well-hydrated, a 4% improvement. The consistent bedtime was automatically filled out from Whoop data, while the hydration was just me answering a yes/no question each day. By the way, you can speed up the process of clicking all the little yes and no boxes by tapping the box that says “use previous answers.” It will set the answers to whatever you marked yesterday, and then you can manually change the ones that are different. Making a weekly planWeekly plans are a nice way to work on a small set of habits for a short time. Rather than trying to monitor everything for every outcome, you pick, say, three things you want to work on. Here are some examples that the app provides, and the habits or factors that each one tracks: Boost fitness: increase time in high intensity heart rate zones, meet a protein goal four days per week, do any strength training activity one day per week Feel better: increase daily steps, meet hydration goal four days per week, do “any recovery activity” three days per week Sleep deeper: increase sleep consistency, increase sleep performance, avoid late meals After experimenting with some of these, I ended up creating a custom plan for myself. I chose: Get 7:30 hours of sleep on average Avoid using my phone in bed four days per week Meet my hydration goal five days per week Throughout the week I can check in on how I’m doing, and at the end of the week Whoop gives me a little report and asks if I’d like to do the same plan next week, or change it up. I find this a useful way to work on a mini goal, and it’s a lot less overwhelming than poring over huge dashboards full of all the data Whoop can collect. Viewing weekly and monthly reports Credit: Beth Skwarecki For when you do want to pore over all your data, there are detailed weekly and monthly “performance assessments” that Whoop can share with you. Each of these is a PDF with graphs showing what you did over the course of the week or month, and how it compares with previous data. For example, my monthly report for April shows how my Strain and recovery compare with previous weeks throughout the year. I don’t wear my Whoop often enough to get any big insights from this—as I said, I only really wear it when I’m testing features or writing a review—but man, I would love this if it were available on one of the devices I do wear month in and month out. (As much as I admire the Whoop, I can only wear so many devices in addition to the ones I test for work.) My weekly report is more narrowly focused. The most recent one starts with a statement: “Strain was optimal. Sleep could use improvement.” My Strain is also down slightly this week compared with the previous week, and my sleep consistency was poor. I like the graph that shows how my bedtimes and wake-up times line up (or don’t) with the times the app recommended for me. What isn’t worth paying attention toThe Whoop app gives you a wealth of data, and honestly I would say most of it isn’t worth paying attention to. The app has so many data points and fractal little rabbit holes you can get lost in. You could spend hours perusing reports and tweaking settings. You could spend an unlimited amount of time chatting with the Whoop Coach AI. And you don’t need to do that. What is useful is choosing a few things to pay attention to and letting go of the rest. Fortunately, the app gives you plenty of ways to do this. You can select a few things that matter to you in the Weekly Plan, and you can hide things from your Dashboard that you don’t need to check on every day. As for the things I (almost) never pay attention to: Don’t overthink your sleep stages. Getting enough sleep, and consistent sleep, will cover your bases. Don’t read too much into the recovery scores; you are resilient enough to be able to handle your scheduled workout even if your sleep wasn’t perfect. The exception would be if you’re feeling truly awful—you’re sick or something—in which case, you would know because of how you feel, not because of a number on an app. Remember that the insights tell you about correlation, not causation—as in my melatonin example, where melatonin is correlated with worse sleep, possibly because I'm taking it when I expect to have worse sleep. These are not really "insights" at all, just data that you'll need to use your own brain (and further experimentation) to make sense of. I have found that paying too much attention to a recovery app can drive me a little crazy. Instead of waking up and not really thinking about how I feel—I’m fine, probably—I find myself wondering if the app agrees that I feel tired and sore. Or I’ll think I’m OK, but the app says my HRV is down, and now I have to think about what may have caused that. I wouldn’t recommend intensive tracking like this for a person who finds they can easily get sucked in to obsessing over numbers. But if numbers bring you joy, the Whoop app can certainly give you plenty of them. View the full article

SAG-AFTRA is expanding its reach into the influencer economy. In late April, the union’s board unanimously voted to establish a new influencer committee, appointing New York-based lifestyle influencer Patrick Janelle as chair. SAG-AFTRA’s involvement with influencers isn’t new. In 2021, the union introduced an influencer agreement and waiver to cover branded content work—an initiative that thousands of members have used. While that agreement marked a major step forward, it notably excluded original creative content, which remains the core of many creators’ livelihoods. “It really became clear that if we’re going to continue to expand, and especially outside of the branded content space, we needed to have a formal structure in the union so that members who do this work could come together and give us guidance and leadership,” SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland told The Hollywood Reporter. Online content creation is a fast-growing but still loosely regulated industry. Since 2020, the number of full-time content creators in the U.S. has surged from 200,000 to 1.5 million in 2024, according to Axios. Despite this growth, pay structures and content guidelines vary significantly across platforms—from Instagram Reels to long-form YouTube podcasts. To successfully advocate for creators across the board, the new committee plans to engage voices from all major platforms. “The goal of this committee is to provide the union with necessary guidance and feedback from the creator’s perspective as SAG-AFTRA continues its efforts to assist creators in their pursuit of stable, safe, sustainable careers,” Janelle posted to LinkedIn. “As a SAG-AFTRA member, I’m honored and excited to be stepping up and representing my fellow creators and the industry at large.” SAG-AFTRA doesn’t have a clear count of how many of its 160,000 members are influencers, but Crabtree-Ireland points to the 2023 actors strike as a moment of convergence. Influencers found themselves in a gray area, as the union warned that any nonmember who took work with struck companies during the strike would be barred from future membership. Many chose solidarity over a paycheck, something the union now wants to show in return. “During the theatrical strike, creators of influencers stepped up in big ways to stand by our members on strike,” Crabtree-Ireland told The Hollywood Reporter. “I think that just really cemented for us the obvious connection and nexus there.” View the full article

For one exhilarating moment, it sounded like Amazon was about to make a gutsy pro-consumer move. On Tuesday, Punchbowl News reported that the company would “soon show how much The President’s tariffs are adding to the price of each product” by specifying it “right next to the product’s total listed price.” That act of transparency would have been reminiscent of past precedent-shattering Amazon initiatives such as its 1995 introduction of user-written reviews—including ones so stinging as to drive customers away from a product. And then The President 2.0 reality set in. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt attacked the idea of tariff disclosure as “hostile and political,” another confirmation that The President’s oft-expressed contention that American consumers wouldn’t bear the cost of higher tariffs never jibed with basic economics. An Amazon spokesperson claimed the notion had been under consideration only for the company’s Temu-like Amazon Haul bargain store and was “not going to happen.” The President himself chimed in to say he had called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who “solved the problem very quickly and he did the right thing.” To be fair, it’s unlikely that Amazon could have introduced anything like a universal tariff line item for the 600 million-plus products in its online store. It only designs a few devices itself, giving it the requisite intimate knowledge of their supply chain. Mostly, the company is a reseller, and more than half of the transactions on its site are third-party sales it facilitates for other merchants. It surely doesn’t know how much tariffs added to the cost of every random HDTV it sells—and if it did, presidential whim might change the math from day to day. Still, even if Amazon breaking out tariffs at the point of purchase turned out to be a fleeting fantasy, it was an instructive mental exercise—maybe even a powerful idea that’s tough to unimagine once you’ve thought about it. Why should anyone care about the percentage of an item’s price represented by tariffs—a form of taxation most of us have cheerfully ignored until recently, even though it has a 236-year history in the U.S.? First of all, a reliable accounting would counter misinformation spread by the president. He’s backpedaled some on his past stance that tariffs only burden manufacturers in other countries. However, absent dramatic developments such as iPhones suddenly going for $2,000, it may be tough to tell exactly what his increases are doing to our purchasing power. Explaining it on an item-by-item basis would help. But the impact of tariffs on my own wallet is just one reason why I crave hard facts. The President’s interpretation of global trade—that China is ripping off the U.S. because we buy more stuff from it than it buys from us—is plainly ridiculous. His attempt to use tariffs to spark a renaissance in American manufacturing is already backfiring, given that factories here need parts produced elsewhere, and other countries are retaliating with stiffer tariffs on U.S. products. (Fun fact: A Corning plant in Harrrodsburg, Kentucky, exports the Gorilla Glass pervasive in phones and other devices.) All of this, I already know. Yet except for a few high-profile items like the iPhone—whose production Apple may ramp up in India to avoid tariffs on Chinese imports—I don’t claim to understand much about the endlessly complex tales behind the products I buy. The tariff backstory for individual purchases we’re considering making is arguably a more valuable data point than a superficial, potentially misleading “Made in the U.S.A.” or “Made in China” label. It would be a visceral reminder of how fundamentally connected the world economy is. Globalists and isolationists alike would get something out of it. It’s not just tariffs. The more I ponder the situation, the less informed I feel as a consumer. I tend to take the Nutrition Facts information box on packaged foods for granted and rarely dig any deeper than the figures on calories and fat. But it’s hard to imagine life without that box. When I refreshed my memory about its history, I was startled to learn it came into existence only a little over 30 years ago, mandated by a 1990 bill signed by President George H. W. Bush. Before that, food makers got to choose what they disclosed—or didn’t—about the products they sold. An equivalent box for other goods would make us all smarter. There’s plenty of fodder beyond tariffs: other taxes, product recalls, warranty information, carbon footprint, and on and on. In the unlikely event that a Nutrition Facts for Everything bill passes The President’s desk, he’s not going to sign it, so I’m filing the idea away for future reference. In the meantime, I hope there are merchants out there willing to post tariff numbers, at least for certain products. Countless companies have spent this entire century trying to keep up with Amazon, often by copying its innovations. Here’s a rare chance for them to gain an edge on the e-commerce behemoth by going where it won’t. You’ve been reading Plugged In, Fast Company’s weekly tech newsletter from me, global technology editor Harry McCracken. If a friend or colleague forwarded this edition to you—or if you’re reading it on FastCompany.com—you can check out previous issues and sign up to get it yourself every Friday morning. I love hearing from you: Ping me at hmccracken@fastcompany.com with your feedback and ideas for future newsletters. I’m also on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads, and you can follow Plugged In on Flipboard. More top tech stories from Fast Company Why online shopping feels like a chore in 2025 A new Criteo study finds that most shoppers now view online shopping as functional, overwhelming, and even lonely—sparking a renewed interest in in-store retail and personalized digital experiences. Read More → Duolingo doubles its language offerings with AI-built courses The edtech giant launched 148 new classes developed by generative AI as it phases out contract roles and accelerates course creation. Read More → This new app helps chronic latecomers stay on time Lately sends timed alerts, tracks progress, and gamifies punctuality to help users overcome time blindness and improve daily time management. Read More → The NFT market fell apart. Brands are still paying the price Once a marketing gold rush, Web3 bets by brands like Nike and DraftKings are now ending in courtroom battles—and collapsing consumer trust. 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