🌀 chaotic check-in
missed me?
consider this your algorithmic weather report.
Meta is automating the front desk, TikTok is turning shopping into prime-time TV, YouTube has stopped guessing and started measuring, and creators are now the entire forecast.
scroll if you want the free tips straight from JoinBrands’ co-founder. 😌
today's menu
🫖 trending tea
META IS TESTING EVERYTHING
Meta is merging Facebook and Instagram support systems and testing an AI support assistant to handle issues faster.
Meta is doubling down on faster hooks, varied creatives, and not running the same ad into the ground.
Facebook may limit how many links pro accounts can post. They want native content, not traffic leaks.
Instagram is reviving long-form video with a dedicated TV app experience. Lean-back viewing is back on the menu.
Instagram is testing “Early Access” for Reels. Creators can post Reels to a limited audience first to test performance before going wide. Soft-launch your content instead of throwing it into the algorithm hunger games.
Meta’s internal AI roadmap is reportedly chaotic, with overlapping teams, unclear priorities, and growing pressure to catch up.
Instagram launches “Your Algorithm” controls. Users can now actively tweak what their algorithm recommends. Less doomscroll, more control. Your feed, your rules (kind of).
Instagram launches celebrity-led safety video series. Instagram is using celebrities to talk about online safety, scams, and digital risks. Education, but make it famous.
Meta expands creator partnership tools for brands. More ways for brands to discover, collaborate, and scale partnerships with creators directly inside Meta’s ecosystem.
Instagram is using AI to generate SEO summaries of posts. Instagram is auto-generating AI SEO summaries so posts can surface better in search. Instagram wants Google traffic now too.
Facebook is giving users more control over what shows up in their feed.
Public Stories can now be reshared, meaning more reach for creators and more repost culture baked into Stories.
TIKTOK IS BUILDING A MEDIA MACHINE
TikTok avoids a US ban (again). The official ownership change will occur on January 22nd, 2026 with 50% ownership held by a group of notable U.S. investors and companies, and the remainder held by ByteDance and existing, affiliated investors.
TikTok launches shared feed options. TikTok now lets users share feeds with friends, turning discovery into a group activity.
TikTok publishes its Holiday Gift Guide. TikTok is actively pushing giftable, creator-driven products ahead of the holidays. Discovery → checkout → dopamine.
TikTok & YouTube influencer videos are winning with older audiences. Influencer content isn’t just Gen Z bait anymore. Older demographics are watching, trusting, and engaging more than ever.
TikTok is testing a Nearby feed showing local creators and content. Discovery goes hyper-local. Businesses, this is not a drill.
TikTok Shop hits a record-breaking BFCM. TikTok Shop reportedly hit $500M in GMV over Black Friday–Cyber Monday. The app isn’t “testing commerce” anymore, it is commerce.
TikTok is launching a new podcast series called “In the Mix,” which will feature several high-profile music stars in a live conversation in the app. TikTok’s also hosting an exclusive live-stream with author Mel Robbins on how you can approach 2026 with the best mindset.
TikTok also announced a LIVE Christmas concert with Mariah Carey. TikTok is using major cultural moments to train users to show up for LIVE content.
TikTok Shop is rolling out a new Creator Health Rating (CHR) system that replaces old violation points with a 0–1000 score reflecting overall account health, content quality, and policy compliance. Higher CHR = more access; low CHR = restrictions or removal.
YOUTUBE IS GETTING VERY SERIOUS
YouTube rolls out title A/B testing globally. Creators can now test up to 3 different titles on the same video to see what actually drives clicks. Guessing is cancelled. Data wins.
YouTube is experimenting with creator-based AI chatbots that answer fan questions.
YouTube expands Shorts ad options. More ad formats, better placement, more monetization baked into Shorts. The platform is also testing still image carousels inside Shorts.
YouTube is layering in AI-powered creation tools while surfacing more shopping insights for brands and creators. Create faster. Sell smarter.
YouTube looks to streamline sponsored content partnerships. The platform wants to make brand deals easier, faster, and more native inside the platform.
YouTube’s CEO wins CEO of the Year. Neal Mohan gets crowned for steering the platform through Shorts, AI, and creator monetization wars.
Adobe partners with YouTube to power Shorts editing. Adobe is bringing Premiere-level mobile editing tools directly to Shorts creators. Expect higher production, faster workflows, less CapCut dependency.
YouTube’s data shows creators driving culture globally, with regional content and formats rising fast. The internet is less centralized than it used to be.
THE BUSINESS OF INFLUENCE
Forrester is officially saying the quiet part out loud: creator strategy isn’t a “nice add-on” anymore. It’s core to growth, trust, and relevance.
ChatGPT introduces tools for merchants to showcase products and enable discovery inside conversations. Search, shopping, and chat are officially merging.
HBR says trust comes from long-term creator relationships, transparency, and creators who actually use the product. Shocking, we know.
UGC tops trust rankings as AI content faces skepticism. Consumers trust real UGC more than AI-generated content. Authenticity still wins.
What influencer marketing will look like in 2026. Fewer one-off posts. More long-term creator relationships. Performance, trust, and community over vanity metrics.
The biggest creator & influencer trends brands need to know. From fashion to finance, brands are embedding creators deeper into strategy, not just campaigns.
✨ main character moment
KIM KARDASHAIAN GAVE EVERY BRAND THE LIVE-SHOPPING BLUEPRINT
Kim Kardashian just turned holiday shopping into a live entertainment event and the playbook she laid down should scare, excite, and inspire every brand on Earth.
On December 3rd, SKIMS dropped “Kimsmas Live!”, a 45-minute shoppable TikTok Shop livestream special that felt less like a sales pitch and more like an HGTV + Variety Show + QVC mashup. It wasn’t just a live broadcast, it was a show:
Celebrity co-hosts & cameos (Khloé, Kris, Snoop Dogg) stepped in and interacted, not just presented.
Exclusive bundles & holiday deals were dropped at real-time pace.
Viewers could click-to-buy RIGHT THEN and there – no redirects, no waiting, no carousel ads.
This wasn’t a glorified TikTok Live, it was a shoppable special that blurred content, commerce, and culture.
And here’s the thing brands need to hear:
WHAT THIS ACTUALLY MEANS FOR MARKETING
Live shopping isn’t some fringe experiment, it’s working. TikTok Shop sales over Black Friday/Cyber Monday topped $500M+, and livestreaming was a MAJOR driver, with huge sales growth and huge view counts across sessions.
Main takeaway? Attention now buys at the moment, not after you chase it.
The Kardashians just turned what used to be “in-feed social commerce” into tentpole event TV.
And if your brand still thinks TikTok Lives are “too expensive” or “too niche?” – watch the trends: brands that leaned in are seeing entertainment-tier engagement and conversion that normal ads could never touch.
BRAND LESSONS WORTH STEALING
1. Make it a show, not a stream
Hollywood energy + real personalities = watch time = more clicks
2. Real-time shopping beats passive ads
People buy when they feel urgency and connection, not after they watch 3 videos and forget you exist.
3. TikTok Shop has the infrastructure, you just have to use it
Over 760,000 livestream sessions generated massive views and huge buy intent during peak shopping.
If you’re a brand and you’re not doing live shopping yet… you’re already behind.
JoinBrands proves it every single day – book creators to go live, and you only pay for the stream time.
P.S.
going into 2026, motivation won’t save your brand.
execution will.
in 2025, most brands burned money on creators they couldn’t scale, ads that died fast, and processes that moved way too slow.
the winners did one thing differently: they tested more creatives, faster, with less friction.
that’s the real game in 2026.
speed > perfection. systems > vibes. volume > hoping one post “hits.”
JoinBrands was built for that reality.
if you’re done guessing and ready to run creator marketing like a system, not a gamble – click here and sign up for free.