🌀 chaotic check-in
Hey peeps, quick reality check!
The platforms aren’t slowing down, and neither are the brands winning on them. This week: TikTok doubles down with new creative and measurement rules, YouTube quietly crosses $60B, Meta goes full AI, and one $4.5K TikTok Shop launch strategy flips the entire “no traction, no creators” problem on its head.
Now buckle up and scroll..
today's menu
🫖 trending tea
TikTok isn’t slowing down
TikTok published a breakdown of its updated U.S. privacy policy to explain what data it collects and why, aiming to calm confusion after recent changes.
After a dip in daily users tied to ownership changes and brief outages, TikTok’s U.S. usage has largely bounced back. —-
TikTok released a 40-page guide full of creative pointers and best practices to help marketers make stronger promos on the platform.
The platform shared new insights on choosing the right measurement approaches, stressing that engagement and format type matter more than raw ROI.
Meta & Instagram keep rolling out features
Meta announced new AI-powered tools designed to scale and manage partnerships between brands and creators.
Instagram is reportedly testing the ability to reorder carousel posts after they’re published.
Instagram might soon let you remove yourself from someone’s Close Friends list without unfollowing them.
Meta says AI innovations are driving stronger business results across its platforms in 2026.
The Meta AI app now lets you generate a version of your own voice by reading a few on-screen sentences.
Meta is testing a standalone app that lets users create short “vibes” videos using AI.
YouTube goes bigger, broader, and way more global
YouTube’s annual revenue topped sixty billion as Google pushes growth beyond ads into subscriptions, commerce, and creator tools.
YouTube expanded auto-dubbing to all creators, making it easier to reach global audiences without extra production work.
Agencies are investing more heavily in YouTube ads on connected TVs as screen-based viewing continues to grow.
YouTube announced new subscription packages aimed at giving viewers more flexible pricing and channel options.
YouTube shared new data showing strong viewer engagement around NFL content across Shorts, long-form, and live formats.
Brands are borrowing trust (and creators are cashing in)
Packfire and Popfly built an ambassador program focused on long-term trust, not short-term ROI, treating creators like frontline brand reps.
A TikTok creator’s jingle worked so well for Dr Pepper that brands everywhere now want their own creator-made sound moment.
MrBeast partnered with Salesforce for a Super Bowl commercial, officially blurring the line between creator and enterprise marketing.
Amazon’s ad business crossed sixty-eight billion dollars, fueled by a full-funnel strategy that goes way beyond search ads.
The NFL tapped creators like Charli D’Amelio, Khaby Lame, and MrBeast-adjacent names to shape Super Bowl content and coverage.
✨ main character moment
The $4,500 TikTok Hack That's Solving the Creator "Chicken & Egg" Problem
The Problem Everyone's Facing:
You need creators to get traction. But you need traction to get good creators. Sounds familiar?
Alex Bonilla, founder of Pura Vida Moringa (scaling from $2M to $10M largely through TikTok), just revealed the exact playbook his agency uses to cold-start brands on TikTok Shop and it's not what you think.
What Actually Counts as "Traction" on TikTok
Forget reviews and rankings. On TikTok Shop, there are only two signals that matter:
Units Sold (that number next to your product)
Video Presence (content when people search your brand)
If that units sold number is below 100 means you have no traction. In competitive categories like supplements you need 1K+ to get the attention of sophisticated creators.
But here's the catch: even if you bought 100 fake sales, smart creators will immediately search for the videos that drove those sales. No videos equal red flag.
The Join Brands "Social Blast" Framework
Total Investment: ~$4,500 Timeline: 60 days Guaranteed Deliverables:
100 guaranteed sales (social proof secured)
100 videos (search presence established)
100 spark codes (fuel for GMV Max ads)
100 owned UGC pieces (repurpose on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube Shorts, Amazon)
Watch the step-by-step on Youtube
Beyond the Minimum: Scaling to 1,000 Sales
The 100 guaranteed sales are just the foundation. Here's how to 10X that:
The Retention Rate Follow-Up
Join Brands shows you 2-second and 6-second retention rates for each video. When you spot videos with great retention but poor conversion:
Message the creator
Point out what worked (hook) and what didn't (weak call-to-action)
They'll often repost for FREE once you've taught them something
The Video Quality Hack
Got 100 videos but only 5-10 are winners? Hire a video editor to mash up the best clips into compilation videos. Post these on:
Your own TikTok marketing account
Instagram Reels
Facebook (with clickable links to Amazon – underrated strategy)
YouTube Shorts
Note: Don't post exact duplicates (TikTok flags them). Edit them together or pull 2-3 second clips from multiple videos.
The Downstream Benefits
This isn't just about TikTok sales. Brands running this strategy report:
Amazon sales lift (halo effect from awareness)
DTC website traffic spike
Retail interest (buyers see you're trending)
Better sample request quality (sophisticated creators now reaching out)
What Changes After the Cold Start
Before: Sample requests from creators with <50% post rate, $0 GMV
After: Sample requests from creators with 90% post rate, $30K+ GMV
Once you have traction:
Traditional mass sampling becomes viable
Creators on retainer actually make sense
Agencies can scale you effectively (they won't take zero-traction brands)
Automated bot outreach finally works (creators see you're trending)
Want the Full Playbook?
👀 what stopped our scroll
Keep this quote by Paulo Coelho in mind:
“If you only walk on sunny days, you'll never reach your destination.”
Success comes from showing up consistently, even when it's hard. Read every day, build the habit.
P.S.
The Same Platform Pura Vida Moringa Used to Scale to $10M
JoinBrands isn't just another influencer marketplace. It's the only platform built specifically for TikTok Shop's unique demands.
Brands using this strategy are reporting:
10X better sample request quality post-launch
Halo effects driving Amazon and DTC sales
Positive ROI on GMV Max within 30 days
Organic viral videos from the initial 100-creator blast
The cold start window is narrow. Every day you wait, your competitors are building momentum.
Join 8,000+ brands who stopped guessing and started guaranteeing results.