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Staying ahead in Google Ads means adapting fast. With Video Action Campaigns (VAC) being phased out and absorbed into Demand Gen, you have a new opportunity to drive growth. Fortunately, Google is rolling out powerful new tools to help maximize performance. This article breaks down what’s changing and how to optimize your Demand Gen campaigns for success. A snapshot of Google’s Demand Gen campaigns Demand Gen campaigns (formerly Discovery campaigns) allow users to buy Google’s ad inventory across YouTube Shorts, YouTube In-Stream, YouTube In-Feed, Discovery feeds, Gmail, and Google Video partners. These campaigns support three ad types for ecommerce: Image and product ads. Video and product ads. Products-only ads. For lead generation, they offer three ad formats: Single image ads. Video ads. Carousel image ads. Google developed Demand Gen campaigns to compete with Meta, aiming to drive top-funnel investment while generating new demand and increasing brand awareness. Google is also expected to add Display Network inventory soon. Dig deeper: New in Google Demand Gen Ads: Automatically create short videos Getting started with Demand Gen Google continues to launch new tools for Demand Gen campaigns, giving you more opportunities to maximize results. Let’s explore two key strategies to help you succeed. Remarketing Remarketing is an essential part of any Demand Gen strategy. Also known as retargeting, it allows you to show ads to people who have already interacted with your website, encouraging them to take a desired action – such as making a purchase. Here’s how to optimize your remarketing efforts: Start consolidated Most budgets start small, so it’s best to begin with a single remarketing campaign that targets users who engaged with your site within the last 30 days – up to a maximum of 90 days if your sales cycle is longer. Avoid combining remarketing and prospecting One common mistake is blending remarketing and prospecting into a single campaign. These serve different purposes and perform differently. Mixing them will only obscure your data and make decision-making harder. Segment audiences based on volume and performance As your budget grows, segmenting audiences by shorter or longer engagement windows can help refine targeting and improve performance – if volume permits. A one-day cart abandoner doesn’t need the same messaging as a 90-day one. Use Demand Gen alongside display remarketing If you’re already running standard display remarketing and seeing success, expanding your reach with Demand Gen can make your campaigns even more effective. Prospecting Prospecting differs from remarketing because you’re reaching out to potential customers – people who haven’t interacted with your brand yet but are likely to be interested. This is where the magic happens. With prospecting, you’re engaging cold audiences and truly generating demand. While prospecting may not deliver immediate returns, it plays a crucial role in the customer journey. Here’s how to make it work for you: Leverage past audience successes If previous audience-based prospecting campaigns performed well, they’re likely to work within Demand Gen’s ad inventory too. Apply past learnings to your current campaigns. Analyze data from other campaigns Review data from your other campaigns to identify audiences with high search intent or conversion rates. Use these insights to refine your Demand Gen targeting. Start broad, then refine Begin with broad targeting and gradually narrow your parameters based on performance. This ensures enough volume for the algorithm to learn and optimize efficiently. Validate your investment Use multi-touch attribution (MTA) modeling or incremental testing to analyze how each customer interaction contributes to conversions. This data will help justify prospecting investments. Identifying your audiences No matter what type of campaign you’re running, audience selection is key. You can segment audiences in several ways: Life events Target consumers experiencing major milestones. Example: A pet brand targeting “New Pet → Recently Added Dog to Household.” In-market audiences Reach users actively searching for related products or services. Example: A hair care brand targeting users searching for “shampoos and conditioners.” Affinity audiences Engage users based on long-term interests and behaviors. Example: A fitness apparel company targeting “health and fitness buffs.” Custom audiences Use specific keywords, URLs, and app usage to create unique audience segments. Lookalike audiences Identify new potential customers by leveraging first-party customer data. Example: Using past purchasers or YouTube subscribers as seed lists. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. The end of VACs: Shifting to Demand Gen By July 2025, Google will automatically upgrade all VACs to Demand Gen campaigns. To ensure a smooth transition, consider these strategies: Create video-only Demand Gen campaigns: If you want to maintain control over YouTube ad placements, set up dedicated video-only Demand Gen campaigns. Use integrated video and image ads: For brands less concerned with YouTube-specific performance, a mixed-media approach (video + image ads) will maximize reach. Key tactics for winning Demand Gen campaigns Once you’ve committed to a Demand Gen campaign, setting it up for success is key. Follow these best practices to maximize performance: Align strategies with business goals Whether your focus is ecommerce or lead generation, tailor your campaigns to support your primary objectives. Use product feeds for ecommerce Enable dynamic Demand Gen campaigns to showcase product images alongside traditional ad formats. Advertisers who add product feeds to Demand Gen campaigns typically see a 33% increase in conversions without a rise in cost per action (CPA), according to Google. Test prospecting if remarketing underperforms In some cases, prospecting campaigns outperform remarketing efforts. It seems counterintuitive, but that’s the nature of Demand Gen. Allow time for campaign ramp-up Unlike direct response campaigns, Demand Gen needs longer optimization periods to deliver consistent performance. Experiment with video ads Leverage Google’s latest video ad format selection tools to boost visibility across platforms and formats. Measuring success To determine if your Demand Gen investment is paying off, you’ll need a different approach to measurement. Since these campaigns don’t always drive direct response outcomes like shopping or search campaigns, consider these methods: Track upper-funnel metrics such as engagement rates, video views, and audience interactions. If targeting specific audiences, measure their uplift in search and shopping performance. Test for incrementality using brand lift studies, geo blackouts, or post-purchase surveys. What’s next for Demand Gen? As mentioned earlier, Google moves fast when rolling out new tools. Right now, they’re investing heavily in Demand Gen, so expect more updates from Google reps. Here’s what’s on the horizon: Expanded channel controls: Allowing advertisers to choose where ads appear across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail. New video format options: Vertical 9:16 video ads designed for YouTube Shorts. Enhanced retail features: Improved product feed integration and omnichannel bidding capabilities. Dive into Demand Gen and stay ahead Demand Gen campaigns are evolving rapidly, offering new ways to drive revenue. Yet, adoption among advertisers remains low. That gives you an edge. By getting in early, you can outpace competitors, build brand awareness, and engage core audiences while driving long-term growth. While Demand Gen requires a different approach than most Google Ads campaigns, once you master it, the potential upside is huge. View the full article

Gucci announced Thursday that the Balenciaga artistic director Demna will take over the creative direction of the Italian luxury fashion house, starting in July. Gucci and its French parent Kering said in a statement that Demna “has redefined modern luxury, earning global recognition and cementing his authority on the industry.” Demna, who goes by one name, has been at Kering-owned Balenciaga for a decade. He brings with him the title of artistic director. “I am truly excited to join the Gucci family,” he said in a statement. “It is an honor to contribute to a house that I deeply respect and have long admired.” Demna showed his latest and last Balenciaga ready-to-wear collection four days ago in Paris, dialing down the theatrics for a more saleable vision. The announcement ends speculation about Gucci’s creative future after Sabato De Sarno’s sudden exit just 2 1/2 weeks before the presentation of the Fall-Winter 2025-26 collection during Milan Fashion Week last month. De Sarno took over from Alessandro Michele, who revolutionized Gucci with gender-fluid, eclectic and romantic collections that rewrote the brand’s codes. De Sarno’s more essential collections failed to excite consumers. View the full article

Thirty-eight TD Bank locations and 24 Flagstar branches are set to shut down. Both banks are coming out of tumultuous periods. View the full article

Twelve people were taken to hospitals after an American Airlines plane landed at Denver International Airport on Thursday and caught fire, prompting slides to be deployed so passengers could evacuate quickly. All of the people transported to hospitals had minor injuries, according to a post on the social platform X by Denver International Airport. Flight 1006, which was headed from the Colorado Springs Airport to Dallas Fort Worth, diverted to Denver and landed safely around 5:15 p.m. after the crew reported engine vibrations, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. While taxiing to the gate, an engine on the Boeing 737-800 caught fire, the FAA added. Photos and videos posted by news outlets showed passengers standing on a plane’s wing as smoke surrounded the aircraft. The FAA said passengers exited using the slides. American said in a statement that the flight experienced an engine-related issue after taxiing to the gate. There was no immediate clarification on exactly when the plane caught fire. The 172 passengers and six crew members were taken to the terminal, airline officials said. “We thank our crew members, DEN team and first responders for their quick and decisive action with the safety of everyone on board and on the ground as the priority,” American said. Firefighters put out the blaze by the evening, an airport spokesperson told media outlets. The FAA said it will investigate. The country has seen a recent spate of aviation disasters and close calls stoking fears about air travel, though flying remains a very safe mode of transport. Recent on-the-ground incidents have included a plane that crashed and flipped over upon landing in Toronto and a Japan Airlines plane that clipped a parked Delta plane while it was taxiing at the Seattle airport. View the full article

As Trevor Murphy pulls up to his dad’s 20-acre (8-hectare) grove in one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, he points to the cookie-cutter, one-story homes encroaching on the orange trees from all sides. “At some point, this isn’t going to be an orange grove anymore,” Murphy, a third-generation grower, says as he gazes at the rows of trees in Lake Wales, Florida. “You look around here, and it’s all houses, and that’s going to happen here.” Polk County, which includes Lake Wales, contains more acres of citrus than any other county in Florida. And in 2023, more people moved to Polk County than any other county in the country. Hit in recent years by hurricanes and citrus greening disease, which slowly kills the trees, many growers are making the difficult decision to sell orange groves that have been in their families for generations to developers building homes to house the growing population. Others, like Murphy, are sticking it out, hoping to survive until a bug-free tree or other options arrive to repel the disease or treat the trees. Mounting concerns When Hurricane Irma blasted through the state’s orange belt in 2017, Florida’s signature crop already had been on a downward spiral for two decades because of the greening disease. Next came a major freeze and two more hurricanes in 2022, followed by two hurricanes last year. A tree that loses branches and foliage in a hurricane can take three years to recover, Murphy said. Those catastrophes contributed to a 90% decline in orange production over the past two decades. Citrus groves in Florida, which covered more than 832,00 acres (336,698 hectares) at the turn of the century, populated scarcely 275,000 acres (111,288 hectares) last year, and California has eclipsed Florida as the nation’s leading citrus producer. “Losing the citrus industry is not an option. This industry is … so ingrained in Florida. Citrus is synonymous with Florida,” Matt Joyner, CEO of trade association Florida Citrus Mutual told Florida lawmakers recently. Nevertheless, Alico Inc., one of Florida’s biggest growers, announced this year that it plans to wind down its citrus operations on more than 53,000 acres (21,000 hectares), saying its production has declined by almost three-quarters in a decade. That decision hurts processors, including Tropicana, which rely on Alico’s fruit to produce orange juice and must now operate at reduced capacity. Orange juice consumption in the U.S. has been declining for the past two decades, despite a small bump during the COVID-19 pandemic. A prominent growers group, the Gulf Citrus Growers Association, closed its doors last year. Location, location, location Pressure on citrus farming is also growing from one of the state’s other biggest industries: real estate. Florida expanded by more than 467,000 people last year to 23 million people, making it the third largest state in the nation. And more homes must be built to house that ever-growing population. Some prominent, multi-generational citrus families each have been putting hundreds of acres (hectares) of groves up for sale for millions of dollars, or as much as $25,000 an acre. Murphy owns several hundred acres (hectares) of groves and says he has no plans to abandon the industry, though last year he closed a citrus grove caretaking business that managed thousands of acres for other owners. However, he also has a real estate license, which is useful given the amount of land that is changing hands. He recently sold off acres in Polk County to a home developer, and has used that money to pay off debt and develop plans to replant thousands of trees in more productive groves. “I would like to think that we’re at the bottom, and we’re starting to climb back up that hill,” Murphy says. A bug-free tree A whole ecosystem of businesses dependent on Florida citrus is at risk if the crops fail, including 33,000 fulltime and part-time jobs and an economic impact of $6.8 billion in Florida alone. Besides growers, there are juice processors, grove caretakers, fertilizer sellers, packing houses, nurseries and candy manufacturers, all hoping for a fix for citrus greening disease. Tom Davidson, whose parents founded Davidson of Dundee Citrus Candy and Jelly Factory in Lake Wales in 1966, says the drop in citrus production has impacted what flavor jellies the business is able to produce and the prices it charges to customers. “We’re really hoping that the scientists can get this figured out so we can we can get back to what we did,” Davidson says. Researchers have been working for eight years on a genetically modified tree that can kill the tiny insects responsible for citrus greening. The process involves inserting a gene into a citrus tree that produces a protein that can kill baby Asian citrus psyllids by making holes in their guts, according to Lukasz Stelinski, an entomology professor at the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ Citrus Research and Education Center. It could be at least three years before bug-resistant trees can be planted, leaving Florida growers looking for help from other technologies. They include planting trees inside protective screens and covering young trees with white bags to keep out the bugs, injecting trees with an antibiotic, and finding trees that have become resistant to greening through natural mutation and distributing them to other groves. “It’s kind of like being a Lions fan before the Detroit Lions started to win games,” Stelinski says. “I’m hoping that we are making that turnaround.” Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform X: @MikeSchneiderAP. —Mike Schneider, Associated Press View the full article

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a warning that more than a million taxpayers are still eligible to receive a share of more than $1 billion in refunds—but they need to act quickly. Here’s what you need to know. Over $1 billion in refunds still to be claimed The refunds are due to people who have yet to file their 2021 tax return. The IRS says the total potential value of the refunds still to be claimed is estimated to be $1,025,336,800. As many as 1,142,000 taxpayers are eligible for part of that payout and the median refund amount is estimated to be $781 per taxpayer, the agency says. That means half of the people who are due refunds will receive more than that amount and half less. The 2021 tax season was an especially chaotic one, as the COVID-19 pandemic had hindered both IRS operations and people’s ability file their taxes on time. The increased burden of pandemic-era stimulus checks, which fell on the IRS to distribute, added to the chaos. April 15 deadline to claim refund is fast approaching The average taxpayer’s 2021 tax return was due in 2022, but as of the IRS’s notification earlier this week, 1.1 million taxpayers still need to file that return. However, if they file the return later than three years after it is due, they will lose their right to claim any tax refunds due to them. “Under the law, taxpayers usually have three years to file and claim their tax refunds,” the IRS notes. “If they don’t file within three years, the money becomes the property of the U.S. Treasury.” And the three-year deadline for claiming tax refunds associated with a 2021 return is about to pass. That deadline is April 15, 2025—just one month and one day away from the time of this writing. The IRS also notes that these people may be missing out on more than just a refund of taxes paid or withheld during 2021. By not having filed their tax returns, they could also be missing out on other refunds, including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which could be worth as much as $6,728 for those taxpayers with qualifying children. Refunds due across all 50 states The estimated $1.1 billion pot of refunds still due to taxpayers for the 2021 tax year includes people in every state, according to the IRS. The agency has broken down the estimated number of individuals still due the refund per state as well as the estimated median potential refund due. Full list: State-by-state breakdown of tax refunds still owed The state with the highest estimated number of individuals due a refund is Texas, with 102,200 individuals thought to be due for the refund. The median potential refund in Texas is $810. The state with the highest median potential refund due is New York, which has a potential refund due of $995 per individual. In New York, it is estimated that as many as 73,000 individuals are still due the refund. You can read the IRS’s full advice for claiming the refund due here. View the full article

If you’ve bought bottled water from Trader Joe’s, you’ll want to be aware of a recent recall published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). That’s because the recall involves water in glass bottles that present a laceration risk. In total, about 61,500 bottles are included in the recall. Here’s what you need to know. What is being recalled? The recall involves select lots of Gerolsteiner brand sparkling water sold at Trader Joe’s. The water was manufactured by Gerolsteiner Brunnen GmbH & Co. KG in Germany. Here are the details of the recalled product: Product name: Gerolsteiner 750ml Sparkling Water Bottles Lot numbers: 11/28/2024 L or 11/27/2024 L According to the CPSC notice, the recalled units were sold individually for about $3 per bottle and also sold in cases of 15 bottles. Around 61,500 bottles are thought to be impacted. The large glass bottles can be identified by the white, blue, and red label with the name “Gerolsteiner” on the front of it. The lot number of the bottle can be viewed on the lower part of the label. According to a separate notice on the Gerolsteiner website, the best-before dates on the products are December 2027. Why is the bottled water being recalled? The reason for the bottled water recall doesn’t have to do with the water itself. Instead the recall has been issued because there is a defect with the glass water bottle the sparkling water comes in. That bottle can crack, leading to a laceration hazard. While there is a risk to individuals handling the recalled bottles, the CPSC says that so far, no incidents or injuries have been reported. Where and when were the recalled bottled waters sold? The recalled bottled waters were sold at Trader Joe’s stores in 12 states between December 2024 and January 2025. Individual bottles retailed for about $3. The 12 states where the bottled water was sold are: Alabama Arkansas Colorado Florida Georgia Kansas Louisiana New Mexico Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Texas What do I do if I have the recalled bottled water? If you have the recalled bottled water, you should immediately stop using the bottles, says the CPSC. Instead, you should return the bottles to their place of purchase. The CPSC notice notes that you will not need to have your proof of purchase but that the bottle of the product is required in order to receive a refund, which may be in the form of credit or cash. View the full article

From security and privacy concerns to good old-fashioned cringe, there are all kinds of reasons you might want to delete your old social media posts. And there are plenty of tools for the job out there. The problem: most tend to focus on one or two social media networks. Redact, however, is a paid tool with support for deleting posts on 28 different services. You can use it to scan for old posts and choose what to delete, or you can search for posts that mention specific topics. It can also be used to delete posts on a schedule—this is perfect if, for example, you wanted to delete all Bluesky posts a month after you post them. It's a lot of power, basically, and it runs locally on your computer, meaning you're in control. The services supported are broad, including retro social networks you haven't thought about in ages alongside common work tools. The complete list of supported networks is Bluesky, Bumble, Deviantart, Discord, Disqus, Facebook, Flickr, Github, Gyazo, email (anything that supports IMAP), Imgur, LinkedIn, Mastodon, Medium, MyAnimeList, Pinterest, Quora, Reddit, Skype, Slack, Stack Exchange, Steam, Telegram, Tumblr, Twitter, Vimeo, Wordpress, and Yelp. That's a broad cross-section of the social web, ranging from dating apps to business tools. How to use Redact To get started, you'll need to download the application and create an account. After that you can start signing into the services you want to delete posts from, then choose which posts you want to delete. If you use Chrome, there's support for grabbing all the sites you're currently logged into from there. Unless you pay for a subscription you will quickly notice all kinds of limitations—the free plan only supports Facebook, Twitter, Discord, and Reddit, and even for those networks there are limits on how far back you can scan for messages and how many message you can delete. The free version is really only useful for getting a feel for the service. You will need a paid plan for most features—plans start at $7.99 per month, which works out to $95.88 per year (there is no annual discount). That adds up for ongoing use, granted, though if you're just emptying out old posts from a bunch of accounts you might only need to pay for a single month. The Ultimate plan is necessary if you want to delete files from "work" accounts including Slack, Github, and Stack Exchange—that plan starts at $14.99 per month, which works out to $179.88 per year. Credit: Justin Pot The process works the same for most social media networks and service: You sign into your account and can then start scanning for and deleting posts. There are four main modes: Preview, which lets you scan for posts and browse them; Deletion, which deletes everything without asking any questions; Select & Delete, which lets you check off the posts you want to delete before proceeding; and Schedule Deletion, which lets you automatically delete posts on an ongoing basis. Note that, for scheduled deletion to work, you will need to leave the application installed and running on your device. Credit: Justin Pot It's worth noting that every application supported has an Easy and an Advanced form. How this works depends on which social network you're using. Reddit's advanced form, for example, lets you filter posts by subreddit, the kind of post, keywords, the NSFW tag, and more. You can even opt to not delete posts that have a certain amount of karma. There are similar advanced rules for every network, meaning you can really take control of what you want to delete. There are numerous options to explore here, all tailored to the specific social network you're trying to clear out. The user interface explains what everything does and, when there are limitations, what those limitations are. If you're looking for a way to wipe your posts from a bunch of different social networks, all with one tool, Redact is worth trying out. View the full article

Short-form videos may dominate social media, but long-form content remains essential – especially on YouTube. From in-depth tutorials to video podcasts, longer videos can drive engagement, build communities, and even get featured in Google’s AI Overviews. If you’re looking to make the most of long-form video in 2025, here are the key strategies you need to know. Why long-form videos still matter in 2025 Right now, three key shifts are reshaping YouTube: “Learning content” (how-to videos, travel hacks, DIY guides, and product reviews) averaged 15.2% more views than the YouTube platform-wide average in 2024, a Tubular Labs report found. More people now turn to YouTube over Google for answers. YouTube is dominating podcasts, with over 1 billion monthly podcast viewers. It is the most-used podcast service in the U.S. YouTube’s presence in AI Overviews is expanding rapidly, with a 25% increase in citations – especially for visual demonstrations, tutorials, and product comparisons, notably in healthcare and ecommerce. While short-form content may dominate trends, these patterns suggest that long-form videos, video podcasts, and AI-optimized content are more relevant than ever. Here’s how to make them work in 2025. Basic tips for long-form videos “Learning content” isn’t a new phenomenon on YouTube. Take Carnegie Mellon University’s “Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” uploaded on Dec. 20, 2007. Seventeen years later, the 76-minute video has amassed 21.8 million views and 156,000 engagements (likes, comments, and shares). But given the recent rise of “learning content” and YouTube’s growing role as a search engine, here are some basic tips for creating effective long-form videos in 2025: Define your purpose: Clearly identify the question or problem your video will address. What specific value are you providing to the viewer? Structure your content: Create a clear outline with an introduction, main points, and a conclusion. This helps viewers follow along and retain information. Prioritize clarity and simplicity: Use straightforward language and avoid jargon. Break down complex topics into easily digestible segments. Visual aids are key: Incorporate relevant visuals such as screen recordings, demonstrations, charts, or images to enhance understanding. Maintain audio and video quality: Ensure clear audio and high-resolution video for a high-quality viewing experience. Invest in a decent microphone and lighting if possible. Optimize for search: Use relevant keywords in your video title, description, and tags to improve search visibility. Engage your audience: Encourage viewers to ask questions, leave comments, and subscribe to your channel. Respond to comments to build a community. Provide actionable takeaways: Summarize key points and offer practical advice or steps that viewers can implement. Create chapters and timestamps: Break your video into chapters and add timestamps to the video description. This will help viewers navigate your long-form video. Be authentic: Let your personality show and connect with your audience. Intermediate tactics for video podcasts Video podcasts have become major media outlets, according to YouTube’s latest Global Culture and Trends report. A prime example is “Katt Williams Unleashed | CLUB SHAY SHAY.” The interview’s massive reach – spawning memes and even an SNL parody – helped push the podcast to 544 million views and 15.9 million engagements in 2024, with 88.8 million views and 2.0 million engagements from that episode alone. As video podcasts continue to shape conversations and drive engagement, standing out requires more than just basic production. Here’s how to make an impact: Strategic guest selection and pre-interview preparation Go beyond obvious choices. Identify guests who bring unique perspectives or expertise that aligns with your niche. Conduct thorough pre-interviews to understand your guests’ stories and identify compelling talking points. Craft specific questions that encourage in-depth and engaging responses, moving beyond surface-level discussions. Multi-camera setup and dynamic visuals Implement a multi-camera setup to capture different angles and perspectives, adding visual interest and dynamism. Use B-roll footage, relevant graphics, and on-screen text to illustrate key points and maintain viewer engagement. Vary shot composition to avoid static visuals and create a more immersive viewing experience. Sound design and audio post-production Invest in high-quality microphones and soundproofing to ensure clear and consistent audio. Use audio post-production techniques, such as noise reduction and equalization, to enhance sound quality. Incorporate subtle sound effects or music to create a more polished and professional listening experience. Content segmentation and highlight clips Break down long-form episodes into shorter, thematic segments for easier consumption and sharing. Create highlight clips featuring the most compelling or newsworthy moments to promote your podcast on social media. Use timestamps and chapter markers to guide viewers through the content. Audience interaction and community building Incorporate live Q&A sessions or viewer feedback segments to foster interaction and engagement. Create dedicated social media groups or forums for your podcast community to connect and discuss episodes. Encourage viewers to submit questions or topic suggestions for future episodes. Cross-platform promotion and SEO Optimize your podcast episodes for search engines by using relevant keywords in titles, descriptions, and tags. Promote your podcast across multiple platforms, including your website, blog, social media, email newsletters, and press releases. Collaborate with other podcasters or influencers to expand your reach and introduce your content to new audiences. Data analysis and iterative improvement Analyze viewer metrics, such as watch time and engagement, to identify areas for improvement. Solicit feedback from your audience and use it to refine your content strategy and production techniques. Test different formats and styles to see what resonates the most with your audience. Dig deeper: The future of SEO content is video – here’s why Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. Advanced techniques for AI Overviews A quick Google search for “Who has the best iPhone 16 unboxing videos?” reinforces YouTube’s growing role in AI Overviews. As Google increasingly cites YouTube for visual demonstrations and tutorials, optimizing your content for AI Overviews is more important than ever. Here’s how to maximize your visibility. Structured data and schema markup Implement structured data and schema markup, particularly for how-to, video, and product schemas. This helps Google understand the context and content of your videos, making them more likely to be featured in AI Overviews. Ensure your schema markup is accurate and comprehensive, providing detailed information about the steps, ingredients, or products featured in your video. Transcript optimization Provide accurate and detailed transcripts for your videos. Optimize these transcripts with relevant keywords and phrases, especially those related to the specific questions or queries your video addresses. Ensure that keywords are used contextually and not overstuffed. Time-stamped key moments and segmented content Use YouTube’s chapter feature and time-stamped key moments to clearly segment your video content. This allows Google to identify and extract specific segments that are most relevant to user queries. Clearly label each segment with descriptive titles and keywords, making it easier for Google to understand the content of each section. Visual clarity and high-resolution demonstrations Prioritize high-resolution video quality and clear visual demonstrations. Ensure that your videos provide step-by-step instructions and detailed visuals that are easy to follow. Use close-up shots and clear annotations to highlight key details and make your demonstrations more effective. Comprehensive and authoritative content Create content that is not only informative but also authoritative and comprehensive. Provide in-depth explanations, expert insights, and data-driven evidence to support your claims. Establish your credibility by citing reputable sources and demonstrating your expertise in the subject matter. Natural language question answering Structure your video content to directly answer natural language questions. Anticipate the types of questions users are likely to ask and provide clear and concise answers within your video. Use conversational language and avoid overly technical jargon, making your content more accessible to a wider audience. Consistent brand messaging and expertise Maintain consistent brand messaging throughout your videos. This builds trust and helps Google understand who you are and what your expertise is. Focus on your area of expertise. Optimize titles and descriptions Even with AI Overviews, the video’s title and description are still important. Write compelling titles and detailed, keyword-rich descriptions. Use relevant tags. Dig deeper: 7 video optimization tips to boost your organic reach in 2025 Examples, success stories, and AI Overview potential Seeing these strategies in action makes all the difference. Here are standout brands and organizations excelling in long-form videos, video podcasts, and AI Overview optimization. 1. Adobe (Long-form tutorials and AI Overview potential) Adobe’s 20 YouTube channels are packed with detailed tutorials on how to use their software, ranging from basic introductions to advanced techniques. AI Overview potential Their step-by-step tutorials on photo editing, video editing, and graphic design are prime examples of content that could be cited in AI Overviews. Their clear visual demonstrations and detailed instructions align perfectly with Google’s focus on visual explanations. 2. HubSpot (Long-form educational content and video podcasts) HubSpot’s 11 YouTube channels offer a masterclass in long-form educational content. They regularly publish in-depth tutorials on marketing automation, SEO, and sales strategies, often exceeding 30 minutes. Success story Their “My First Million,” “The Next Wave,” and “Marketing Against the Grain” video podcasts on YouTube feature long-form interviews and discussions with industry leaders. This content has helped HubSpot establish itself as a go-to resource for marketing professionals, driving significant brand awareness and lead generation. 3. Semrush (Data-driven long-form and AI Overview optimization) Semrush’s five YouTube channels produce long-form webinars and analysis videos that delve into SEO and digital marketing trends. They often present data-driven insights and actionable strategies. AI Overview optimization Their videos often answer specific questions related to SEO and digital marketing, making them highly relevant for AI Overviews. They also provide detailed transcripts and structured data, enhancing their chances of being cited. 4. Lowe’s Home Improvement (DIY long-form and AI overview potential) This retailer’s YouTube channel creates extensive how-to videos on home improvement projects, ranging from simple repairs to complex renovations. AI Overview potential Lowe’s detailed step-by-step instructions and visual demonstrations are ideal for AI Overviews, particularly for queries related to DIY projects and home repairs. 5. American Medical Association (Video podcast success) The AMA uploaded 413 videos to their YouTube channel in the last 365 days. Their in-depth, expert-level content got a total of 2 million views and 76,000 engagements (e.g., likes, comments, shares), according to Tubular Intelligence. Success story Eight video podcasts, including “AMA Update” and “Making the Rounds,” accounted for 380 of these videos, 1.9 million of their total views, and 75,300 of their total engagements. Video podcasts comprised 92% of their content and generated 95% of their views and 99% of their engagements. Key takeaways Digital marketers should continue creating YouTube Shorts, which are now averaging over 70 billion daily views. But just because Shorts are clocking in billions of monthly logged-in users doesn’t mean that long-form videos are as obsolete as a VCR. On YouTube, there’s more than one way to turn an audience into a community. That’s why it’s helpful to know some basic tips for long-form videos, intermediate tactics for video podcasts, and advanced techniques for AI Overviews. Dig deeper: A guide to creating social media videos (for search and beyond) View the full article

State officials are warning Americans not to respond to a surge of scam road toll collection texts. The texts impersonating state road toll collection agencies attempt to get phone users to reveal financial information, such as credit or debit cards or bank accounts. They’re so-called smishing scams — a form of phishing that relies on SMS texts to trick people into sending money or share sensitive information. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she received one purporting to be from the statewide GeauxPass toll system. “It is a SCAM,” Murrill posted on Facebook this week. “If you ever receive a text that looks suspicious, be sure to never click on it. You don’t want your private information stolen by scammers.” Even states that don’t charge drivers tolls have noticed an uptick. “We do not have tolls roads in Vermont but travelers may mistake these scams for actual toll operators in other states,” Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark said in a video public service announcement posted on Instagram. Cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks said last week that a threat actor has registered over 10,000 domains for the scams. The scams are impersonating toll services and package delivery services in at least 10 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario. While Apple bans links in iPhone messages received from unknown senders, the scam attempts to bypass that protection by inviting users to reply with “Y” and reopen the text. A warning last April from the FBI said the texts used nearly identical language falsely claiming that recipients have an unpaid or outstanding toll. Some threaten fines or suspended driving privileges if recipients don’t pay up. The FBI at the time asked those who received the scams to file a complaint with its IC3 internet crime complaint center and to also delete the texts. The FBI didn’t immediately respond to a request for updated guidance Thursday. ————————— The story has been corrected to reflect that the FBI did not issue a fresh warning this week on road toll text scams. The FBI warning was issued in April 2024. View the full article

Decision follows Hungary’s threat to block restrictions on more than 2,000 individuals sanctioned over Ukraine warView the full article

Deal paves way for the flagship defence and infrastructure package to be adopted by parliament next weekView the full article

‘Large minority’ of ministers protested about planned spending reductions in their own departmentsView the full article

For the original iTunes version, click here. This week we covered Google's March 2025 core update being released. Google responded to some complaints or concerns about Google's new AI Mode. A study showed Google grew 22% over the past year...View the full article

It’s been a valuation game so far. Time for companies to invest bigView the full article

Google’s controversial site reputation abuse policy certainly ruffled a few feathers since its rollout last year. Some publishers, like Forbes, blame the policy for forcing devastating decisions in newsrooms – like the firing of all freelance journalists. Others argue that it’s yet another example of Google “abusing its dominant market position” to dictate how websites can and cannot generate revenue in an already fiercely competitive industry. Well, like it or not, the policy is here to stay. That’s why publishers must fully understand what is and isn’t allowed – and what Google is actually trying to achieve – before making any drastic decisions. Acting too quickly without a clear grasp of the rules could do more harm than good and, in some cases, even put the jobs of journalists at risk. At a recent Association for Online Publishing (AOP) meetup in London, Google Search Liaison Danny Sullivan addressed these concerns and set out to clarify the policy. What is site reputation abuse? Are you still some confused about what site reputation abuse actually is? Simply put, it’s when a site tries to take advantage of the ranking signals it’s earned primarily through first-party content by suddenly hosting significantly more third-party content to boost search traffic. Instead of ranking on its own merit, this third-party content piggybacks on the reputation the site has earned through its first-party content, giving it an unfair advantage in search results. Just to clarify, Google doesn’t have an issue with publishers using third-party content if that’s how your authority was built. However, if your site ranks well for shopping queries due to historical first-party efforts (like staff writers), and you then flood your site with third-party shopping content simply because you see it as “low-hanging fruit,” that’s when Google will probably raise its eyebrows. For instance: If a news site known for quality travel content – written both in-house and by third parties – hires a freelancer to write about the best cruises for families (even with affiliate links), that’s fine. However, if a respected business news publisher, known for its in-house stock market and financial reporting, starts covering gaming and assigns a freelancer to write this content, that could violate Google’s policy. If the same publisher were to task in-house writers with the exact same content, it would be acceptable. How can I check if my content is violating Google’s policy? The key is to determine whether you’re manipulating your site’s authority to boost third-party content that probably wouldn’t rank on its own. If you’re unsure whether content you’ve commissioned is site reputation abuse, ask yourself: Have I always used freelancers for this topic, or is this a recent change? Am I now relying more heavily on third-party content than before? Am I providing useful, trustworthy information that serves user intent, or am I chasing search traffic for “easy wins?” Would this content rank well on its own, or does it only perform because it’s on my site? Do my readers expect in-house expertise on this topic? Would my audience be confused or disappointed to see third-party writers covering this rather than my in-house writers? If your answers raise red flags, it might be time to rethink your strategy. Are freelance writers ‘third parties’? Google classifies freelance journalists as third parties. Even if they write the content in your office, and the article is assigned and edited personally by you before publishing, it’s still considered third-party content. Essentially, any source that isn’t a permanent employee is a third party. That said, not all freelance content is automatically a violation of Google’s site reputation abuse policy, Sullivan emphasized. The issue only arises when you assign content to freelancers on a grander scale, knowing it will rank well regardless of the authority your site has built historically through first-party work. Freelance content itself does not violate the site reputation abuse policy, nor does the policy single out specific freelance writers. Enforcement is based on a site’s overall behavior, not individual contributors. When a penalty is issued, it applies to the site – not the writer. This means that if a piece of content leads to a manual penalty on one site, it does not automatically impact the writer’s work on other sites. If you want to maintain flexibility with third-party content and avoid violating this policy, the best approach is to build authority using both in-house and freelance contributions from the very beginning. Are centralized writing teams an issue? In an effort to streamline operations, many news publishers now have centralized teams of writers, picture editors, and sub-editors who work across multiple sites. This can lead to the same author bylines appearing on different publications, which some fear may signal to external parties like Google that these writers are freelancers rather than staff. Despite some speculation, there is no list of freelancers that could trigger a site reputation abuse action. Instead, Google relies on a human review of your content to determine if there’s a policy violation. All site reputation abuse actions are handled manually. There has been some debate within the SEO community about whether the site reputation abuse penalty is now algorithmic. However, Sullivan confirmed that it is still not the case. While this will eventually change, that specific update is not yet in the works. Do staff writers rank better than freelancers? This question was debated during the AOP meeting, and there may be some truth to the theory – but not because Google intentionally penalises freelance writers. It’s more about expertise. Put yourself in the searcher’s shoes for a moment. If you’re a new parent looking for reviews on baby car seats before making a purchase, what would you find more helpful: a review written by a trusted parenting editor you’re familiar with who has personally tested the car seat, or one by a freelance sports writer that you are unfamiliar with? Exactly. Now, if you were Google, which review would you prioritize in your search results? Too often, we focus on what’s best for Google, when really, we should be asking what’s best for the reader. When content serves user intent, better rankings should naturally follow. Is Google putting limitations on publishers? Google isn’t saying your site can’t branch out into new topics or subtopics. In fact, during an interview with Aleyda Solis, Sullivan said quite the opposite: “If you are a small independent website and you start branching out into other things and you’re doing good work, you wouldn’t want the ranking system to say ‘I’m sorry, you started here, so you can never go there – or you started out as this publication and so that’s how it always has to be. Nothing is like that in the world. Nothing is static. It’s not a good thing for a search engine to say ‘you can only ever be successful in this area’.” The site reputation abuse policy does not analyze what a site is known for in terms of coverage. It looks at whether you are known for first- or third-party content. If you’re a publisher wanting to branch into new topics with freelancers but don’t have a history of using them, your best bet might be to do this on a new site. Because a new domain wouldn’t have an established reputation from first-party content, this approach wouldn’t violate Google’s policy, allowing you to build authority organically with third-party content from scratch. Manual actions: What to expect and how to recover Like all of us, news publishers would appreciate a heads-up from Google before receiving a manual action. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works, and Sullivan explained that’s not going to change. If Google determines that your site is breaking its rules, it will be penalized. If you receive a manual action for site reputation abuse, you have several options to choose from to recover: No-indexing the offending content to exclude the content from Search indexing. Move the offending content to a new domain. Rewrite the offending content as first-party-content. After doing any of the above, submit an appeal to get the penalty lifted. Other methods, such as disallowing via robots.txt or using canonical tags won’t work, as Glenn Gabe has previously explained. Google’s priority: Serving users, not publishers We won’t always agree with some of Google’s decisions, but I believe Google’s top priority is delivering the best search experience for users. Google makes money by selling ads. Google constantly tweaks its algorithms and rolls out new policies – not to make life harder for publishers (though it can feel that way), but to improve its product. Google may be an internet gatekeeper, but it doesn’t owe any website traffic. It owes its users the best results. Ultimately, that’s the mindset news SEOs should have too: it’s not about pleasing Google, but serving our readers. View the full article

Google officially announced the rollout of the March 2025 core update yesterday at around 12:30 pm ET. This core update is expected to take up to two weeks to roll out. Google said this is a regular core update but did make a note about helping surface content from content creators. View the full article

Google Ads now allows some advertisers to do messages, like add WhatsApp numbers, to their Performance Max campaigns. Previously, Google Ads added messaging for WhatsApp about a year ago, but not it is also available for PMax campaigns.View the full article

Google is now testing a new accommodations carousel in the search results for hotel-related queries. The new accommodations carousel shows up under the hotel pack.View the full article

Microsoft is testing a new Copilot answer interface and layout in the Bing Search results. Instead of the grid/block design, Microsoft is testing a more bullet point design, and when you hover over each answer, you get the sources overlay.View the full article

In Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life’s Purpose, Martha Beck, PhD, writes that “anxiety always lies.” When I asked her why, she highlighted one of the book’s central teachings: When you seek the truth beneath your anxious thoughts, you discover that many of them aren’t real. This newfound awareness is transformative. It dismantles anxiety’s prevailing narrative that in order to be safe, you must live in fear. “So many people tell me: But, the world is in bad shape right now,” Beck shares. “I say: Yes, and doesn’t that require us to show up as our calmest, most committed, and competent selves?” “Anxiety does not do that, it just tells lies that say: Be in a defensive posture. Never think you’re safe. Don’t tell anyone the truth,” she says. “Scare someone and watch them behave. You’ll see that they’re not reacting to reality.” As a bestselling author and Harvard trained sociologist, Beck is often described as “the best known life coach in America.” Her latest book is a comprehensive guide to liberate yourself from anxiety and rediscover your creativity. In our conversation, Beck discusses how to calm your nervous system, reignite your joy, and discover your purpose. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. What do we get wrong about anxiety and how can we adopt a new perspective? It’s this very materialist viewpoint that is dominant in the left hemisphere [of the brain]. It not only says that matter is all that we are. But, also that nothing else exists. When you see a person that way, you start to treat the body and mind like machines that are broken. That’s where the medical model goes. You cut something up and see what makes it tick. You have to kill it to do that. So, you never understand what makes it alive, but you can see how it fits together. We try to pin down the mechanisms and intervene with chemicals or new habit forming—All of it is an attempt to adjust, fix, or alter the machine. We don’t give credit to our anxiety for being sentient. It feels. It’s not mechanical. When you say to something that is a feeling, living, being—I’m going to cut you up, drug you into insensibility, and work against you in every way I can until you’re gone—the very mechanism of life says: I’m going to ramp up my defenses. I’m going to get more frightened. We attack everything about ourselves that we don’t like. It just makes us more frightened. You explain that our brain interprets our thoughts about the past and future as if they are actually happening. How does this impact our mind and body and how can we decrease its potency? It means that we’re in a constant fight-or-flight state—Actually fight, flight, fawn, faint, or freeze. It revs up a system that is meant to be an emergencies-only system. It’s like you have a little firefighter that comes running out, puts out fires, and then goes back to sleep. But, instead of letting them sleep, you’re constantly screaming: Fire, fire, fire! The fear response is running around inside your head going: Where’s the danger? But, since there is no local danger (there’s just a thought), it can’t find the thing to fight. So, it keeps running around in fear, which means that you are constantly secreting stress hormones. We know that when you continuously bathe the inside of your body with stress hormones—that are only supposed to be little bursts of energy when you’re in danger—it leads to all kinds of degenerative illnesses, from cancer to heart disease to autoimmune diseases. The imagination of danger is the primary source of our stress. How can we approach these situations with a more generative response? The first step is always to notice what is happening around you, because this stress response is only meant to deal with physical danger that is present in your environment. When you look around the room and say: In this place right now, there is no bear or murderer. You take a deep breath and a long exhale, because that’s something almost every animal does when it has escaped danger. Then, you come back to the present and start noticing the objects around you, especially if you can appreciate them. The moment that I start to think about that, I start to become preoccupied with what’s around me. Since I’m safe, what fires up is curiosity, connection, and gratitude. Suddenly, I’m in a safe, wealthy environment, no matter where I am; Instead of a terrifying place filled with monsters and constant scarcity. Presence, presence, presence. Come back to where you are. Tell us about the relationship between anxiety and purpose. What do we get wrong about purpose that keeps us from discovering it? The relationship between anxiety and purpose in our culture is that anxiety becomes a very dominant force; something that we culturally believe is going to make us safer. We are going to hang on to whatever makes us feel safe—but also whatever makes us feel anxious—because that is anxiety’s ultimate lie: Without fear, you won’t be safe. So, in order to feel safe, you have to feel afraid. You get in this tight anxiety spiral. If you’re going down a tight anxiety spiral, there’s no way you can move toward anything purposeful. The left hemisphere of the brain creates the anxiety spiral. If you move into the right hemisphere by doing things that are creative, sensory, and proprioceptive, then you turn toward activities that spark your creativity, curiosity, connection, and compassion. Suddenly, instead of running away from everything, you’re moving toward things. There’s aversion and attraction. You will not find your sense of purpose by avoiding things that frighten you. You will find it by moving toward things that give you joy and the experience of abundance. You share research from child psychologist Karyn Purvis that it takes approximately 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain with regular practice and only 10–20 if we’re learning through play. How does dedicated play accelerate mastery? We learn through play. It’s the same for adults as it is for kids. It’s just that kids are given a bit more room to frolic. One study they did for different groups in the 1960s identified 2% of the adults they surveyed as creative geniuses. They gave the same test to 4- and 5-year-olds—98% of them scored as creative geniuses. What is happening in the meantime? A big part of it is that we’re forced not to play. We’re forced to learn a way of learning that is rigid, boring, and monotonous. We can learn that way, but there’s no fun to it. If there’s no fun to it, you can’t remember it. When we’re trying to solve a challenge, you explain that we tend to zoom in and follow instructions; whereas you propose “creating the conditions that are most likely to wake up the sleeping magician in your right hemisphere. The magician will then solve problems for you in ways that will leave your left hemisphere agape in disbelief.” What are those conditions and how can we create them? It’s always by going towards something that is kind to the self and creates comfort, joy, and a sense of gratitude. People used to come to me for coaching and I’d say: Let’s find your joy. But, they were so exhausted from living in a world of joylessness, that the first thing is usually rest; Giving yourself permission to rest is a massive step toward creating this life that you’re going to love. It’s so scary for people. They haven’t yet touched the fertility of the creative state. Getting people to rest is the single most challenging thing that I do as a coach, because the culture does not provide for rest. Once you rest, then you start naturally getting curious about things. You start playing, solving problems, and making things happen. Steve Jobs was obsessed with making insanely great things out of machinery. People like that, whose creativity is fully loosened, they’re the ones who everybody thinks are doing something inaccessible and impossible. It’s possible for all of us. You write: “I know that the most important creative project you’ll undertake—the one you were born to complete—is the shaping of your whole life. As you become more creative than our society deems prudent, you’ll make the choices that will lead to your own greatest happiness, and your best contribution to the world.” What wisdom might you leave us with to begin realizing that vision? Sit down and imagine what you expect as a road going forward, which is probably some blend of what movies, culture, and living with your family has taught you. Think of it as having walls on each side. It may be wide or very narrow. But, see what’s there. What do you expect? Do you expect marriage, children, a job—whatever it is, what is it? Now, imagine that the walls are suddenly gone. You’re in this broad field of nature and history. All these resources are available to you, if you wander off the pathways. Suddenly, people go from—I feel so trapped—to—Holy crap, what am I going to do? This is too much opportunity. But, the biggest mistake that you can make is when people say: I’m going to take life as it comes. I’m not going to make anything up. No, you’re making it up. You’re making your expectations based on your experience. Make up something that makes you happy. View the full article

Google is once again showing a local pack in the AI Overviews, formerly known as SGE (Search Generative Experience). Google removed the local pack from those AI Overviews back in September 2023 after having a 5 pack during the early months of SGE. Now, I am seeing them return.View the full article

Precious metal has benefited amid steep sell-off in Wall Street stocks and concern over trade warsView the full article

If optimizing your social media privacy settings feels important but overwhelming, a company called Block Party may be able to help. Founder and CEO Tracy Chou has long been known for advocating for diversity in the tech industry. And like many diversity advocates, and women and people of color in technology, she’s experienced plenty of harassment online, along with outright stalking. She founded Block Party after realizing that tech platforms themselves didn’t make it particularly easy to optimize settings for privacy and security. The initial Block Party product focused on the platform then called Twitter, helping users easily filter out spam, harassment, and other unwanted content, while easily blocking other users based on their on-site behavior. [Image: Block Party] “It completely changed my experience on Twitter,” Chou says. “I felt like I could just use the platform and not feel like there might be an unpleasant surprise every time I checked my mentions.” But while Block Party is still highlighted as a “success story” on X’s developer site, Chou says her company was forced to put that version of the product on hold after the social network imposed new API restrictions after Elon Musk took ownership. The company then pivoted to a new approach, developing a browser extension compatible with Chrome, Firefox, and Edge that lets users automatically update their account settings across 11 platforms, including X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, Venmo, and Strava. [Image: Block Party] Similar to virus scanning software, Block Party can automatically go through settings on the various platforms, presenting users with a checklist of potential risk factors and offering the opportunity to change them. That could mean activating two-factor authentication on particular platforms, removing location information from LinkedIn profiles, or making Venmo transactions and Strava run maps more private. “As a user, you don’t have to go dig through a million menus and find the right setting to go change,” Chou says. The tool can also help users scrub their social profiles of old material and connections that can impact privacy, including untagging photos, deleting old posts, and bulk unfriending long-forgotten acquaintances on Facebook. Chou says in the current political climate she’s seen interest from current and former federal employees concerned about doxxing, as well as people who plan to make political statements and want to reduce the risk their family members will be found through their social media and targeted for harassment. But, she says, Block Party is designed to be useful to people with a wide variety of threat models and concerns, letting them reap the benefits of using big online platforms while mitigating some of the privacy risks. Chou and her colleagues regularly look at guides to social media privacy, including those published in the popular press and those targeting people with particular needs, like members of the military, to ensure they’re automations can help people with common issues. “We also are scanning through all the settings ourselves, just to stay on top of all the changes and anything happening,” she says. Since the Block Party browser extension essentially automates navigating and clicking through configuration settings, it can develop issues as platforms adjust their own menus. But, Chou says, the company can usually quickly fix any bugs as they pop up—sometimes within a single day—and the tool is designed to be robust enough to gracefully work around malfunctions. [Image: Block Party] Using a browser extension also means Block Party doesn’t require API support from any of the platforms and that it doesn’t need to store user credentials like passwords, since it relies on users logging in as they ordinarily would through their browsers. The service doesn’t store user data unnecessarily and doesn’t access accounts without permission, Chou says. For individual users, Block Party subscriptions start at $25 per year after a seven-day free trial. But the company has also begun offering enterprise plans that include integration with single sign-on platforms and reporting on use within an organization, as employers try to keep workers protected from harassment and potential phishing attacks and internet users in general become increasingly cognizant of security concerns involving social media. “It’s not just the data that’s getting trafficked from marketing brokers,” Chou says. “It’s also just the stuff that we’re putting online ourselves.” View the full article

Nothing strikes fear in a leader’s heart more than an upcoming announcement. Yet big changes and announcements are the turning point for many organizations. Whether its layoffs, acquisitions, launches, or reorganizations, the pressure to “get it right” is real. Company performance, team morale, retention, and public image are all on the line. Unfortunately, most leaders rely on advisers and experts when it comes to how, when, and what to communicate. Well-meaning attorneys, publicists, or CFOs typically water down the message, and the company ends up with something that is factual but uninspiring. Oftentimes, that message is also ambiguous with no plan, next steps, or information on how. This isn’t helpful for building morale, or to arm employees with the right information to move forward. To do so, leaders need to strike the right balance of information and inspiration. Here’s how. Step 1: start with the information When change is underway, humans fill a void of information with any number of presumptions and speculation. As our head of culture reminds me often, “People just want to know how it affects them.” She’s right. It’s critical for leaders to share as much information as possible, as soon as possible. Our agency navigated this recently. A longtime client, partner, and friend acquired our business. It was a great acquisition situation, and one we had worked on for years. Yet, we knew for most of our team it would come as a big surprise—and surprise can turn negative in our minds. “This is probably bad. I’m losing my job. This is going to be terrible.” To prepare and help ensure that they understood how this would affect them, we created a list of questions we knew would be top of mind and tried our best to answer them in our initial announcement. We were also upfront about questions we knew we couldn’t answer yet. Lastly, we told them when they could expect more information. Step 2: share ‘why’ with care to build confidence Everyone wants to work for an inspirational leader. In seasons of change, inspiration comes from understanding the “why.” It also comes from leaders who truly care and are able to share their decision-making process with vulnerability and understanding. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I always tried to explain what we were doing and why. We came back to the office sooner than some would have liked and later than others could understand. I knew we had to acknowledge that. Here’s what I had said to our team: “We know some are wondering why the office is still closed and it may feel too cautious to you. Others are still concerned with safety. We’re trying to make the right decision for everyone and for our business. We also know we need to stay at maximum capacity right now because so many of our changemaker clients are in need of our support. So here’s what we’re going to do. . . . ” Acknowledging that I understood how it might feel and that I took their concerns into account allowed me to build confidence and trust with the team. It also helped everyone understand why. Step 3: Tailor the message to your people In communications, we talk at length about tailoring the message to your audience—to your people. The same principle applies when you’re communicating change to your employees. Those in creative industries often lean more into inspiration while those in technical fields typically need more information. I was speaking with a marketing director for a biotech company about our mutual experiences introducing employee ownership to our teams. Her experience with a company of scientists was very different from mine at a creative agency. I told her that we took our team to Disney World for our announcement, while she noted that her team would have considered that “fluff” and preferred a different approach. There is no right or wrong here. The key is knowing your people and what they need to navigate a transition successfully. Your employee’s response is also highly dependent on organizational culture—which comes from day-to-day interactions and operations. Consistent, candid, clear information builds trust. Once you’ve established that, you can lean into more and more inspirational messaging. Without trust, deeply inspirational messaging can seem manipulative and inauthentic. Step 4: Don’t be afraid to showcase vulnerability While you should never make a company announcement about you, a dose of honesty can go a long way. Shortly after our acquisition, I was speaking privately with our team and they wanted to know how I felt. I could hear leadership experts in my mind: “Instill confidence.” But we all know nothing is 100% wonderful or perfect. So instead I told them, “I’m 95% sure this is a great decision.” And I laughed as I said, “The other 5% is just because you can never know.” I watched as they smiled and knew they really believed me, because it was true. We’re all looking for truth and can smell talking points from a mile away. Step 5: know when to mix Information and inspiration Great leaders inform and inspire, but exceptional leaders know just how to mix the two. I remember a leader of a billion-dollar global organization who stood in front of her large team. “This year we are going to double revenue,” she said. Her team cheered. They were highly engaged in the global good their work provided for others, and they respected their leader. She fed into the enthusiasm and continued her pep talk. As the meeting time wrapped up, everyone anxiously awaited for details, but got none. She ended with, “Alright, let’s do this!” No plan or next steps, no information, no how. She lost credibility that day in a big way. Instead of the start of a new level of growth, it became the end of trust and ultimately her role in the organization. Exceptional leaders know that people need both the why and the how—the inspiration and the information—and mix both to meet the needs of their teams. These are the leaders that we love to follow, and work hard for. View the full article