Barry Hott is a longtime Facebook advertising consultant. He says first reactions to an ad largely determine its performance. He advises merchants to create ugly ads, those that people won’t skip over.
“I’m the Ugly Ads Guy,” he told me.
In our recent conversation, Hott addressed key Facebook ad metrics, budgeting, testing, and, yes, ugly creative. The entire audio of that discussion is embedded below. The transcript is edited for clarity and length.
Eric Brandholz: Who are you?
Barry Hott: I’m a part owner of a performance marketing agency called Adcrate, where we do high-performance ad creative. I also do a lot of consulting through Hott Growth, my own firm. I am a longtime Facebook ad nerd. You might know me as the “Make Ugly Ads” guy.
Brandholz: What can change the performance of an ad?
Hott: I don’t care about cost-per-impression or click-through-rate benchmarks. I’m looking at targeting. Are you allowing the system to target existing customers or recent visitors? Depending on the answer, I’ll look at your data differently.
From a systematic media buying standpoint, it’s about empathizing with the AI, with the machine learning algorithm — understanding how and why it operates in the way it does, how and why it’s incentivized, and how and why it can cheat. The system wants you to spend more money, and it wants to take more credit for more sales.
You can also use third-party attribution tools to help with that. Most people should use one for an extended period to understand how performance tracks outside the platforms.
Brandholz: What’s your take on bid caps on Facebook?
Hott: I have a problem with bid caps on everything and rigid cost caps. That’s not to say I don’t use them. They’re tools to be used in certain ways.
Say an ad is not getting a great cost per purchase, but the system knows it to be getting an overall sales lift. If you set your bid too low or set a cost cap too low, then I fear that the individual ad, if placed in an ad set that has too low of a bid, will never get the chance to spend in a way that it can support the entire ad ecosystem.
I like to have a controlled testing environment where every new concept gets an ad set for organizational purposes and just for letting things battle it out.
Brandholz: What metrics are you looking to hit?
Hott: The first thing to do is look at the best ads in the same environment — targeting, attribution, and settings. Everything stays the same. I need to know my best ads can spend this much and get this cost per purchase. And anything in that range is helpful to me. Anything above that, cost-wise, is useless to me significantly. Below that is killer.
I’ll typically have a testing environment excluding all existing customers and some visitors. That could be one-day visitors up to 30 days. It depends on the account and the business. I want to test ads for cold audiences. As an advertiser and media buyer, I aim to make ads that make sense and work for the broadest, coldest audiences. Many people would say that’s stupid, but if it can work well for those people, it will also work well for my warmer audiences.
Brandholz: How much money do you spend until you give up?
Hott: It’s about getting enough useful data. And that depends on what you’re selling — a $100 item or $1,000. Depending on budgets and your return on ad spend, you’re going to have different tolerances. It’s all going to vary. I’m usually looking for about 20 decent signals at the ad set level — hopefully that’s 20 actual purchases. By that point, I’ll know.
I’ll look at an ad that gets shut down quickly by bids for not spending and hypothesize about it. Why did the ad fail? Can I adjust it? I’d rather spend more time obtaining more data to see if there’s another pocket or placement elsewhere. It’s going to lose money, and I’m okay with that. But I will spend the time analyzing it and learning from it from a creative perspective.
However, if you don’t have time to do that sort of analysis, use rigid bids and cost caps.
Brandholz: What sort of creative produces good results?
Hott: Again, I am the Make Ugly Ads guy. I tell people to focus on making stuff uglier because our brains, as marketers, make prettier stuff. What matters are relatability, relevance, and authenticity. You can do that in a non-ugly way. I wouldn’t recommend it. But you can.
That first reaction is often what matters more than anything. Make something immediately relatable that people will care about. Make something people won’t skip. What will make someone feel uncomfortable?
Recently, I had the pleasure of hosting a webinar discussing Reddit, its growth, and how it impacts search results.
It’s been quite a while since I covered Reddit as a topic, but I could talk about it all day, and I think it has and is one of the most influential communities around today.
Let’s dive into the key points we covered during the session.
The Current State Of Reddit
Reddit has seen explosive growth recently. Here are some stats that highlight this surge:
Reddit’s growth rate of 37% year-over-year is phenomenal, and it’s now 50% non-US, marking its impressive international expansion.
Why Reddit Has Become So Influential
Reddit is successful because it addresses a significant problem: the oversaturation of low-quality content on the internet.
Traditional search experiences are becoming less effective, and users seek more reliable, conversational answers.
Reddit fills this gap by providing authentic, user-generated content that is trusted by so many searchers today that they actually add [reddit] to the end of their search queries to force Reddit results.
Deals with Google and OpenAI underscore Reddit’s value, with Google signing a $60 million deal for real-time content access and training future AI models using Reddit data.
Tips For Having Success On Reddit
1. Understand The Platform
Reddit isn’t just another social media site; it’s a content-sharing platform.
This fundamental distinction is crucial for understanding how to navigate and succeed on Reddit. Unlike traditional social media platforms, Reddit is designed around user-generated subreddits –communities where content is shared and discussed.
Each subreddit is unique, with its own tone, culture, and rules. Think of subreddits as completely separate communities rather than categories of the same community.
The individuality of each subreddit means you must tailor your approach to fit the specific norms and expectations of each community.
On Reddit, the focus is on topics, not individuals. Influencer marketing, as it exists on other platforms, doesn’t translate well here.
While notable figures like Bill Gates participate, it’s their contributions and the topics they discuss that matter, not their personal brand. This topic-centric approach sets Reddit apart from other social media sites.
Anonymity is a core feature of Reddit, encouraging users to speak freely and honestly.
This anonymity fosters open discussion, as seen in subreddits like “/r/AmItheAsshole,” where users seek unbiased opinions on personal situations. Understanding and valuing this anonymity is key to engaging authentically with the Reddit community.
It’s important to distinguish between moderators and admins on Reddit. Moderators are regular users who manage subreddits, while admins are Reddit employees.
Confusing the two can lead to frustration, as moderators don’t have the same powers or responsibilities as admins. Recognize this distinction to better navigate issues and interactions within the platform.
Understanding these fundamental aspects of Reddit is critical for making a strong first impression and achieving success on the platform.
Mistakes can quickly derail your efforts, but with the right approach, Reddit offers a unique and valuable space for content sharing and community engagement.
2. Avoid Spamming
Spamming on Reddit can take many forms, and it’s essential to avoid behaviors that may be perceived as spammy.
Understanding and respecting the community guidelines is crucial for maintaining a positive presence on the platform.
Spam can be defined differently by each subreddit, but common behaviors include:
Posting off-topic content.
Submitting too frequently, even with good content.
Sharing the same content across multiple subreddits.
Trying to bypass subreddit rules (such as using redirects to post prohibited links).
Posting without engaging in comments.
Engaging in excessive self-promotion.
Each subreddit often lists its specific rules and definitions of spam in the sidebar, so make sure to read and follow them.
Additionally, Reddit continuously enhances its spam prevention measures, making it harder to game the system. Key improvements include:
AutoMod: Automated moderation scripts that filter submissions based on various parameters like account age and karma.
Contributor Quality Tiers: Assessing users based on their overall activity and legitimacy.
Ban Evasion Filters: Using AI to detect and prevent users from creating new accounts to bypass bans.
These evolving measures ensure a better community experience by reducing spam and encouraging genuine engagement.
Avoid attempting to game the system, as these improvements make it increasingly difficult – and ultimately, it just doesn’t lead to success.
3. Become A Redditor And Build Karma
Engage authentically by commenting and participating in discussions before starting your own posts. Build karma and learn what works within different communities.
To establish a presence on Reddit, it’s essential to start by becoming an active member of the community. Engage in subreddits that align with your passions, whether it’s growing peppers or discussing “Rick and Morty.”
This involvement helps you understand Reddit’s unique features, language, and community norms. By participating in discussions, you can start building karma – a reputation score based on upvotes and downvotes.
While karma is a simplified measure of your acceptance on Reddit, it’s vital for unlocking certain privileges and ensuring your posts aren’t hidden by automated moderation.
Focus on subreddits with low restrictions to accumulate karma easily. For instance, posting cute pictures in a cat subreddit or offering advice in a subreddit dedicated to questions can help you earn upvotes and interaction.
However, it’s crucial to approach this naturally and avoid trying to game the system, as patterns of inauthentic engagement can lead to bans and negative karma.
Before diving into posting your own content, prioritize commenting on existing posts.
Commenting helps you blend into the community and learn what types of content generate engagement. By focusing on “rising” posts – threads likely to gain significant visibility – you can maximize your exposure and karma.
This strategic approach allows your comments to receive more attention as the post gains popularity.
Starting with comments also offers insights into the community’s interests and opinions, helping you tailor future submissions to better resonate with the audience.
Submitting content places you directly under scrutiny, whereas commenting allows you to learn and experiment while becoming a Redditor.
Take the time to craft thoughtful, well-considered comments, as Reddit users value effort and sincerity.
Even as a brand, adopt a personable tone. Engaging authentically can shift perceptions positively, as seen in successful campaigns like the one we did for TikTok.
By focusing on building karma through comments first and understanding the community dynamics, you set a strong foundation for successful content submissions in the future.
4. Choose Your Subreddits Carefully
When you’re ready to submit content on Reddit, the first step is to identify the subreddits that align with your interests and goals.
Use Reddit’s search functionality to explore relevant subreddits. You can search specific domains by using “site:searchenginejournal.com” to see where your content or similar content is being discussed.
This helps you understand which subreddits have positive engagement with your topics. Additionally, you can research your competitors to see where they are active and successful.
Look for subreddits that address user journeys and questions related to your content, ensuring they match the topics you want to discuss.
Once you’ve identified potential subreddits, evaluate their activity levels. Check both the number of members and the current active users to ensure the subreddit is lively and engaged.
A large member count doesn’t always mean high engagement, so prioritize active subreddits over those with inflated, inactive memberships.
Review each subreddit’s rules meticulously. If the rules don’t align with your content goals – such as restrictions on link submissions – find a more suitable subreddit. Attempting to bypass rules will only harm your efforts.
Observe the subreddit moderators to understand their tone and interaction style. Knowing how moderators behave and what content they support can provide valuable insights into how your submissions might be received.
Since moderators play a crucial role in approving or removing content, aligning with their preferences increases your chances of success.
Finally, assess the overall tone around your topics within the subreddit. Even if a subreddit focuses on a relevant subject, the community might have varying opinions.
Be mindful of these nuances to ensure your content resonates positively with the audience. By carefully selecting and evaluating subreddits, you can effectively position your content for maximum engagement and success.
5. Create Your Own Subreddit
For brands, having a dedicated subreddit can be highly beneficial. It allows you to control the tone and foster in-depth discussions that not only solve your customers’ needs but also enhance your search and AI visibility.
Selecting knowledgeable moderators is crucial. They should understand Reddit culture and handle interactions professionally. Avoid arguing with users or getting defensive, which only incites negative responses.
Establish clear rules and use automated moderation tools to manage your subreddit effectively, ensuring a positive experience even when you’re not online.
Embrace critical comments and engage thoughtfully rather than deleting negative posts or banning users. The community respects genuine engagement and can differentiate between legitimate criticism and trolling.
By responding as a relatable, empathetic person, you can turn potential conflicts into opportunities for positive interaction.
Always approach interactions as if you’re the Redditor who convinced your company to join Reddit, focusing on authentic, helpful communication. This personal touch can significantly enhance your brand’s reputation on the platform.
6. Post The Right Content That Adds Value
Once you found the right subreddit and know where you want to submit content, focus on providing value to the community.
Research thoroughly to understand what topics resonate and where you can contribute your expertise. This will ensure positive engagement and brand interaction.
Support existing discussions by offering solutions or insights, enhancing the conversation with your brand’s unique perspective. Reviewing top content from the past year in your chosen subreddit can help you identify successful topics and understand the community’s interests.
Pay attention to standout users and comments to gauge what works and anticipate reactions.
Engage with moderators by studying their submissions and preferences. Building a rapport with them can significantly influence your content’s success, as they play a crucial role in approving and promoting submissions.
Always consider the needs of the subreddit members. While you have the freedom to post as you like, focusing on what the community wants will lead to greater success.
Again, avoid the temptation to spam or overpromote your content. Focus on what will really provide value to the community.
Finally, keep in mind the broader impact on search and AI. Reddit’s influence on search engine results is significant, and the platform’s content is increasingly used to train AI models.
Choose content that enhances your brand’s visibility and reputation, ensuring it aligns with how you want your brand and products to be perceived. This strategic approach will maximize your reach and effectiveness on Reddit.
7. Post At The Right Time
Timing is crucial for gaining initial engagement on Reddit. Content typically thrives for about 24 hours, although exceptionally popular content can remain visible longer. The general trend is a rapid decline after the initial 24-hour period, and the initial votes are the most critical for boosting visibility.
Avoid the temptation to game the system by creating multiple accounts to upvote your own content, as this can lead to bans and diminish your credibility. Instead, focus on organic engagement to achieve those vital first votes.
To maximize your reach, consider using tools to analyze the best times for posting in your specific subreddit. Generally, posting between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time is effective, as it captures a full day of high activity, including both domestic and international users.
8. Stay Engaged After You Submit
After submitting a post on Reddit, it’s crucial to stay engaged. Monitor your post closely for the full 24 hours it’s live.
Engage with comments by voting and responding thoughtfully. Upvote genuine comments and downvote trolls or low-quality contributions to manage comment visibility effectively.
Engage with commenters without being defensive, but don’t feel obligated to respond to every single comment.
Approach interactions naturally, applying common social standards. The goal is to foster a positive, constructive discussion, enhancing your presence on Reddit.
Reddit Is An Invaluable Platform If You Invest The Time And Effort
Reddit is one of the hardest communities to break into. It takes a lot of dedication and sometimes years of experience, but Reddit’s community-driven approach and authentic content make it an invaluable platform for marketers willing to invest the time and effort.
Whether it’s engaging in existing subreddits, creating your own, or running ads, Reddit offers unique opportunities for meaningful connections and impactful marketing.
Thank you to everyone who joined the webinar. It was definitely fun talking about Reddit again. If you have any questions or need help with your brand’s impact on Reddit, feel free to reach out.
A Little Something About Me You Might Not Know…
I’ve been an avid Redditor since 2006. My journey with social media started in San Francisco, where I got involved with companies like Digg, Reddit, and StumbleUpon right as they were taking off.
One of my favorite memories is emailing Alexis Ohanian, Reddit’s co-founder, to tell him how much I loved the site. He responded, we chatted, and before I knew it, we were hanging out.
From tacos to SEO chats, we bonded over our shared passion for Reddit. Fun fact: My son is the first baby Redditor, thanks to Alexis.
According to a new Consumer Pulse survey from Sprout Social, usage of social media platforms is shifting again – in ways that will significantly impact brands.
According to the new data, Instagram (65%) has just passed Facebook (64%) as the No. 1 platform among the 2,059 consumers surveyed.
It’s worth noting that the participants of this survey included 1,009 US consumers and 1,050 UK consumers who have at least one social media account and follow at least five brands on social media.
So, this isn’t a global sample. And since the US population (335 million) is almost five times larger than the UK population (68 million), the survey isn’t a representative sample of either country. Plus, focusing on consumers who follow at least five brands on social media skews the results, too.
Nevertheless, when it’s broken down by age group, there are significant differences in usage that marketers will want to analyze and consider using in their social media campaigns.
For example, 519 participants were classified as Gen Z (18-24), 757 were Millennials (25-40), 502 respondents were Gen X (41-56 years old), and 281 were Baby Boomers (57-75 years old).
The consumer survey was conducted online by Cint on behalf of Sprout Social from May 17-27, 2024.
Usage Of Social Media Platforms By Age Group
Segmenting by age shows:
Gen Z uses Instagram most frequently, followed by TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook.
Millennials use Instagram most frequently, followed by Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.
Gen X uses Facebook most frequently, followed by Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Baby Boomers use Facebook most frequently, followed by YouTube, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).
It’s also worth noting that 45% of the consumers surveyed have taken a “social media detox” in the past six months, and 51% plan to in the next six months.
So, it appears that a significant percentage of the “consumers” who follow at least five brands on social media need to take temporary breaks from “consuming” for a variety of reasons, including mental health, feeling overwhelmed, or wanting to reflect on their social media usage.
Gen Z has been most engaged with Instagram Reels (83%), Instagram Stories (81%), and TikTok posts (78%) over the last six months. Despite TikTok’s uncertain future in the US, this segment says it will be most engaged with TikTok posts (75.5%), Instagram Reels (74%), and Instagram Stories (74%) over the next six months.
Millennials have been most engaged with Instagram Reels (77%), Instagram Stories (77%), and TikTok posts (68%) in the last six months. This segment says they’ll be most engaged with Instagram Stories (75%), Instagram Stories (73%), and TikTok posts (66%) over the next six months.
Gen X has been most engaged with Facebook videos (67%), Instagram Reels (59%), and Instagram Stories (59%) over the last six months. This segment says it will be most engaged with Facebook videos (59%), Instagram Stories (60%), and Instagram Reels (59%) over the next six months.
Baby Boomers have been most engaged with Facebook videos (61%), Facebook Live (41%), Instagram Reels (41%, and Instagram Stories (41%) over the last six months. This segment says they’ll be most engaged with Facebook video (67%), Facebook Live (47%), Instagram Reels (46%), and Instagram Stories (42%) over the next six months.
With YouTube Shorts now averaging over 70 billion daily views, it may seem odd that this video format didn’t appear in the survey findings above.
But, as we reported, the platform’s recommendation algorithm shows videos that align with that specific user’s watching history and preferences.
In contrast, Sprout Social defines engagement as any interaction between a brand and its target audience on social media. This includes actions that show how actively involved an audience is with a brand’s content, such as clicking on links, sharing content, or commenting.
So, the skew in the sample combined with different key performance indicators (KPIs) explains this apparent discrepancy.
The Formats Of Brand Content That Consumers Find Most Entertaining
According to the Sprout Social Q2 2024 Consumer Pulse survey, they are:
“Edutainment,” which educates consumers about a product or service in a fun way (65.5%).
Posts using memes (40%).
Serialized content (38%).
One-off video skits (38%).
Interactive content like polls and stickers (34%).
And despite what marketers may have heard about the popularity of “lo-fi content” that’s intentionally rough, unpolished, and authentic, the survey found that most consumers say that production value does impact whether they engage with a brand’s content.
Many consumers surveyed agree that artificial intelligence (AI) is contributing to the already incredible saturation of content on social media and will exacerbate the challenges of misinformation going forward.
AI-Generated Content Should Be Disclosed
In addition, most consumers surveyed agree that AI-generated social content needs to be disclosed – but they’re somewhat split on who bears the responsibility for doing that.
Despite previous data showing that AI-generated content can be eye-catching or entertaining, the new data finds that it may negatively impact consumer buying decisions.
Consumers are closely split on believing brands (33%) or social networks (29%) are responsible for disclosing when AI generates social content. Only 6% think AI-generated content doesn’t have to be disclosed.
And 46% of consumers are less likely to buy from a brand that posts AI-generated content on social, while 31% are neither more nor less likely.
Plus, the new survey of 2,059 consumers in the US and UK found:
83% of consumer agree that AI-generated content will make their social feeds more saturated than they already are.
80% agree that AI-generated content will add to misinformation on social media.
Consumers Most Likely To Unfollow Brands
Finally, the Sprout Social Q2 2024 Consumer Pulse survey found that 43% of consumers are most likely to unfollow brands for having an unoriginal content strategy (i.e., their content has become repetitive or unoriginal).
And 42% of consumers are most likely to unfollow brands for collaborating with the “wrong” influencer (i.e., “they partner with influencers that don’t align with my values”).
While posting frequency isn’t a significant deal-breaker, it’s worth noting that younger consumers are more likely to unfollow influencers for posting too little (17% Gen Z vs. 10.5% all consumers). In comparison, older consumers are more put off by posting too much (24% Baby Boomers, 21% Gen X, 16% Millennials, and 14% Gen Z).
This trend holds true for unfollowing brands as well.
The Alternatives To Using Demographics For Targeting
Many marketers believe that a person’s age tells us where they fall in the life span and indicates what social roles and responsibilities they may have. Which generation they belong to may also tell us what events in history influenced their social thinking.
“A typical generation spans 15 to 18 years. As many critics of generational research point out, there is great diversity of thought, experience, and behavior within generations.”
What are the alternatives to using demographic groups for targeting?
Well, that’s a good topic for another column on another day. But let’s just say that there are more options than you can shake a stick at.
Disclaimer: All statistics above are from a gated Sprout Social report, unless otherwise indicated by a link.
Don’t believe what you may have heard; Facebook is still a dominant social media force in 2024.
With over 3 billion active users, it remains a key player for businesses, marketers, and social media enthusiasts.
And despite the rise of newer, shinier platforms, Facebook’s expansive reach and diverse user base are still unrivaled, making it a powerful channel for both personal and business engagement.
In this article, we’ll highlight the latest Facebook statistics and facts, providing a comprehensive overview of its reach, user behavior, and influence.
Facebook Overview
1. Facebook is the world’s most-used social platform in 2024, with over 3 billion global active users.
2. It is the third most-used app globally among mobile users, trailing only WhatsApp and YouTube.
3. Facebook ranks third in terms of time spent (behind TikTok and YouTube), with users spending an average of 19 hours and 47 minutes on Android app per month.
4. 64.1% of Facebook Android users open the app every day.
5. Facebook is the third most visited website in the US, with an estimated 2.90 billion monthly visits in April 2024.
6. Of its monthly US visitors, roughly 50.07% are mobile users, and 49.93% are using a desktop.
7. Globally, users spend an average of 3 minutes and 42 seconds on Facebook per app session.
8. Facebook is the second most searched query globally, with a search volume of 584.9 million.
9. Facebook is the fourth most downloaded social networking app in the US, behind Threads, WhatsApp, and Telegram.
30. Advertisers can reach 2.24 billion users on Facebook in 2024, representing 41.3% of all internet users and 27.7% of the total population.
31. Among active Facebook users, 53.8% say they use the platform to follow or research brands and products. This ranks the platform second behind Instagram (62.7%) and ahead of TikTok (47.4%).
32. Male users aged 25-34 years old make up the largest portion of Facebook’s advertising audience (18.4%), followed by those aged 18-24 years old (13.5%).
33. Ad impressions on Meta’s Family of Apps (FoA), which includes Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, increased by 28% YoY in 2023.
Say what you will about Facebook, but its enduring relevance is undeniable.
With extensive reach, a broad user base, and significant advertising potential, Facebook will remain a cornerstone of any social media strategy in 2024.
By understanding these trends and user behaviors – and leveraging many of the insights covered above – you can maximize the potential of Facebook to drive engagement, awareness, and impact.
Social media can be a great tool for your business and your SEO, because it can help drive traffic to your website. That’s why it’s good to keep an eye on new social media platforms, like Threads. So, is it worth it to invest your time in Threads? Or should you focus your efforts on other social media platforms?
Before we dive into Threads specifically, it’s good to refresh our memories. So, why is it good for your business to be on social media? Multiple reasons. First, because it helps your off-page SEO, which means it generates traffic to your site.
Second, a lot of people use social media as a search engine nowadays, so being active on multiple platforms can boost your brand’s visibility big time. And finally, it can only enhance your trustworthiness, because your audience will see that there are actual people behind the brand.
What is Threads?
Created by Instagram, Threads is a text-based conversation app. Think of it as Twitter’s sibling. It’s a platform where people are encouraged to be authentic and write whatever they’re thinking.
When Threads was first launched, it became the fastest platform to ever reach 100 million users. Which happened in just five days! However, after a month, Threads quickly lost 80% of its users. So is it not worth the trouble anymore? Not exactly. It still boasts a few million users, and for a new social media platform, that’s not a bad start.
Should you create a Threads account?
Depends! As always, you should look at where your audience is. However, sometimes it can pay off to venture into uncharted territories. And maybe the leap to a new platform isn’t even that big. If your posts always perform well on X (formerly Twitter), then they might actually do well on Threads too—seeing as it’s a similar platform.
Okay, let’s talk about why it might actually be a good idea to create that Threads account.
1. Rapid user growth
As we already mentioned, Threads has quickly gained a large and active user base. This means it has the potential to become even bigger, especially if X (formerly Twitter) keeps making not-so-popular choices.
2. Integration with IG
Since Threads is already connected to Instagram, it allows a seamless integration between the two. This means you can easily share content between the two platforms. Plus, it allows you to use your existing follower base from Instagram. You won’t have to start from zero!
3. Authentic platform with real-time conversation
A huge trend at the moment is authenticity. It’s part of the reason why TikTok has grown so popular, because people are looking for authentic content. They want to see the people behind a brand or business. Since Threads is designed for real-time interactions, this makes it the perfect place for you to build a connection with your audience.
4. Stay relevant
Last but not least, you might want to consider creating a Threads account to stay relevant. If your audience is on Threads, you should be too. This will allow you to stay visible and in the loop, because you know just what your audience is talking about—which you can then use to your advantage!
The future of Threads
It’s tricky to predict what will happen to Threads. How long will it be around? Will it grow more popular or less? Seeing as more people are leaving X (formerly Twitter) and moving to Threads, there’s a big chance that Threads will stick around.
Especially since it’s expected that Threads will introduce more features, such as advanced analytics, ecommerce integration, and an in-app camera function. According to PR Daily, Threads is also testing a draft post option, and exploring automatic archiving of posts, which are all positive signs that Threads is here to say.
Don’t be afraid to experiment on social media
Social media is all about experimentation. Whether it’s trying out funny content or short-form videos, or trying out new social media platforms. Because if you don’t experiment, how will you know what your audience will engage with?
Plus, as we said before, it’s also great for your off-page SEO. If your social media content gets shared by others, you’ll be getting more brand mentions and recognition. You might even get more backlinks! So if you have the time, why not give Threads a go?
Sabrina Joest
Sabrina is the Social Media Specialist at Yoast. She’s responsible for creating and curating engaging content to enhance Yoasts’ brand presence across various social platforms.
While it may not have the reach or revenue of big-hitters like Facebook and Instagram, Pinterest is absolutely a social platform worth exploring.
With its focus on visual discovery and inspiration, Pinterest occupies its own niche space in the social media landscape, which offers unique opportunities for marketers and brands.
Pinterest’s users are active, devoted, and take action – a powerful combination that not all social networks, even the biggest, can boast.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the latest facts and statistics highlighting Pinterest’s reach, user behavior, advertising potential, and more in 2024.
Let’s get started.
Pinterest Overview
1. Pinterest is the world’s 15th most-used social platform in 2024, with over 518 million global active users.
2. Global users spend an average of 1 hour and 45 minutes on Pinterest’s Android app per month.
3. Approximately 27.3% of Pinterest Android users open the app every day.
4. The same users open the Pinterest app approximately 48 times per month.
5. Pinterest is the seventh most visited social network in the US, with an estimated 266 million monthly visits in April 2024.
6. Of its monthly US visitors, roughly 62.5% are desktop users.
7. US users spend an average of 11 minutes and 25 seconds on Pinterest per visit.
8. Pinterest is the 28th most searched query globally, with a search volume of 72,120,000.
9. Compared to other traditional social media platforms, Gen Z rates Pinterest more highly for promoting and preserving well-being metrics such as “self-worth, belonging, and purpose.”
10. Pinterest was founded in March 2010 by Ben Silbermann, Evan Sharp, and Paul Sciarra. It evolved from an earlier app called Tote, which was designed as a virtual substitute for paper catalogs.
11. The current CEO of Pinterest is Bill Ready.
12. Pinterest is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
13. The company has approximately 1,001 to 5,000 employees.
17. Pinterest has 518 million monthly active users (MAUs) in 2024, an increase of 12% year-over-year. This puts Pinterest well into the coveted “half a billion users” club.
18. More than 40% of Pinterest users are Gen Z, and this demographic saves more content than any other.
19. Pinterest has 98 million MAUs in the US and Canada alone.
20. In Europe, the platform has 140 million MAUs.
21. The remaining 279 million MAUs are dispersed around the world.
22. Pinterest’s audience is skewed towards women, who make up 79.5% of its user base.
23. In the US, 35% of adults use Pinterest.
24. Women are significantly more likely to use Pinterest than men in the US, with usage rates of 50% compared to 19%.
25. People aged 25-34 years old make up the bulk of Pinterest’s users, with 81.9 million in 2023 (accounting for 30.9% of the company’s total ad audience).
28. Advertisers can reach 317 million users on Pinterest in 2024.
29. The top reason people use Pinterest is to find new products and brands.
30. About 36.8% of active Pinterest users say they use the platform to follow or research brands and products, making it the most popular activity on the platform (which isn’t true for any other social network).
31. Approximately 7.67% of web traffic to third-party websites arrives via Pinterest links, a 25.9% increase year-over-year.
32. Pinterest’s ad impressions grew by 38% in Q1 of 2024.
33. Ads on Pinterest deliver a cost per conversion that is 2.3 times more efficient than those on other social media platforms.
34. Retail brands experience twice the return on ad spend (ROAS) with Pinterest ads compared to ads on other social media platforms.
35. Female users aged 25-34 years old constitute the biggest cohort of Pinterest’s advertising audience, at 20.3%. Close behind are female users aged 18-24 years old, at 19.8%.
36. About 80% of weekly Pinterest users report feeling inspired by the shopping experience on the platform.
37. Almost all (96%) of Pinterest’s top searches are unbranded, indicating that users are open to discovering new ideas.
38. Pinterest shoppers spend twice as much per month compared to users on other platforms.
Though it serves a slightly more niche audience than some social media platforms, Pinterest has a highly loyal, dedicated audience that regularly uses the platform to shop, discover brands, and garner inspiration for their day-to-day lives.
This is all to say: Pinterest possesses a ton of potential as a marketing tool for brands and marketers who are savvy and can use it to their advantage.
Hopefully, these facts and statistics will help you leverage Pinterest’s platform to benefit your business and 2024.
Hashtags attach to social media content to enhance discoverability and promote engagement. Hashtag generators can help identify the best options for each post or topic, manage campaigns, and measure results.
Here is a list of hashtag generators to grow your reach on social media. The tools are primarily intended for Instagram but apply to TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, and more. Nearly all of these generators are free, though most have premium plans or are part of larger social media management platforms.
Tools to Generate Hashtags
CopyAI offers a hashtag generator and a suite of free generative copywriting tools, including generators for captions, marketing emails, product descriptions, outlines, and content ideas. The hashtag generator analyzes a photo and captions to suggest relevant options for your target audience, considering the niche, keywords, and competitors. Generate up to 50 hashtags at a time. Pricing: Free. Premium plans start at $36 per month.
Copy.ai’s Instagram Hashtag Generator
Flick is a social media marketing platform with tools for copywriting, scheduling, and analytics. Plan posts on Instagram (and Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn) with a drag-and-drop calendar. Then preview your feed and access the best hashtags. Use the hashtag search (in 40 languages) to get 40 suggestions for every query. Filter using key hashtag metrics. Pricing: Free trial for seven days. Paid plans start at £11 per month (roughly $14).
All Hashtag contains multiple campaign tools. Use the hashtag generator to obtain top, random, and live options. See which hashtags are the most popular. Use the tools to create, count, and analyze hashtags for your marketing strategy. Pricing: Free.
RiteTag generates hashtags instantly from text and photos. Get hashtags for recent posts from any Instagram account or, with the Toolkit app, hashtags for text and images to use anywhere. Research and save your hashtags as updatable sets. Integrates with all Instagram desktop tools, including the Facebook Creator Studio. Pricing: Plans start at $49 per year.
RiteTag
Tailwind is a marketing platform for Instagram and Pinterest with a suite of tools for post creation, scheduling, and analysis. With the hashtag generator, identify hashtags for your caption with color-coded tag options, calibrating your hashtag choices for optimal results. Tailwind offers browser extensions and mobile apps. Pricing: Free. Premium plans start at $14.99 per month.
Influencer Marketing Hub provides free hashtag generators for Instagram posts or TikTok videos as well as other free tools to manage social media. Paste a post link into the Instagram hashtag generator and copy the relevant hashtags. Pricing: Free.
Display Purposes is a marketing tool that scans your Instagram profile to suggest content. Identify and analyze the most effective hashtags with competition score and potential reach metrics. Ensure your hashtags are safe with the banned hashtag checker. Monitor hashtag performance over time. Use Collections to save and curate hashtag research results and access your lists whenever needed. Pricing: Freemium for seven days. Plans start at $6 per month.
Inflact offers a free AI-based Instagram hashtag generator that analyzes photos, keywords, or links and then generates hashtags. Enter keywords, upload a photo, or paste the post link. The finder tool sorts hashtags by difficulty and popularity. Save results as templates and copy them directly into posts. Pricing: Free. Premium plans start at $54 per month.
Inflact’s Hashtag Generator for Instagram
Sistrix has a hashtag generator and a suite of free generative content and performance testing tools, including page speed and SEO analysis. Per Sistrix, the hashtag tool is based on 15 billion combinations, contains data on more than 7.7 million options, and is updated regularly. Run up to 25 queries a day before having to register. Pricing: Free.
TagsFinder is a free hashtag tool. Enter keywords and generate top and related hashtags as well as combinations. Find up to 30 hashtags per keyword selection. Get the most-used local hashtags in your city or region. Pricing: Free.
Toolzu has a hashtag generator for Instagram, TikTok, and other social channels with filters for categories, trending, and high-convertible, showing the difficulty and volume of related content. Pricing: Freemium for seven days. Plans start at $9 per month.
HashtagsForLikes has an easy-to-use hashtag generator. To start, enter a hashtag or analyze your profile. The premium service provides access to the top trending hashtags, live analytics, scoring, management features, performance reports, and more. With its curate feature, create test groups and save hashtag sets. Pricing: Free. Premium plans start at $59 per month.
In its nearly 20 years of existence, Reddit has built a robust, dynamic, and highly engaged community.
It has cemented itself as not only one of the key influencers for the internet culture we have come to know today, but also as one of the top 10 social media sites in the world, with more than 500,000 monthly visitors across more than 100,000 active communities.
Despite its size and influence, marketers have long avoided, overlooked, and failed to establish a presence on what is arguably one of the most influential social media sites today.
To be fair, Reddit has always been known as one of the hardest communities to have marketing success with, requiring months (if not years) of dedicated commitment to actually being a part of the community and engaging with your audience through meaningful, genuine, and honest interactions.
To many, that is just too much risk and too much work, but let’s be honest – most amazing things take risk and hard work. And for all of you who put in that work to be successful on Reddit, you already see the payoff it brings.
Regardless of the reasons, marketers who continue to overlook Reddit’s potential are missing out on an extremely influential community with ideal targeted demographics, where authenticity and genuine connections lead to valuable information, positive branding, and marketing success.
Not convinced? Let’s take a closer look at Reddit!
Reddit Stats You Cannot Ignore
Reddit users are dedicated to their use of the platform, with a reported 73.1 million (14.6%) of its 500 million users visiting the site daily, sharing over 1 billion posts, with over 16 billion comments across 100,000+ active communities, making it easily one of the top visited and most active sites in the United States today.
The user base is so loyal that they spend, on average, 20 minutes on the platform each day (and over 45 minutes a day for long-time users of more than 7 years) and, in many cases, are inactive on other social platforms.
This makes Reddit one of the only places to actually get in front of this massive audience, with 32% being inactive on Facebook, 37% on Instagram, 41% on TikTok, and 53% on X.
When it comes to demographics, a 2019 survey concluded that the overall Reddit audience was majority male (59%), ranged in age (36% aged 18-29; 25% aged 30-49), and well educated (42% college degree; 31% some college) making them an ideal audience many businesses looking for success.
They also helped Reddit improve revenues by 21% to $804 million in 2023, with a global addressable market for advertising estimated at $1.4 trillion by 2027.
Thought by many to be mostly a North American audience, Reddit claims more than 50% of its traffic comes from international users, a rather impressive climb from its earlier years.
It is important to remember, though, that Reddit is a platform that allows communities to grow and thrive, so those demographics change from subreddit to subreddit.
If that isn’t enough to grab your attention, surveys have found that 75% of users find Reddit a trustworthy source for making purchasing decisions.
For years now, it has been included heavily and prominently in Google search results, which have become even more visible due to reports following their inclusion in SGE results and with Google’s recent $60 million a year deal with Reddit to have real-time access to Reddit content and to use its content to train Google’s future AI models.
Speaking of Reddit’s visibility in Google’s search results, let’s take a closer look at why that deal is so important, especially to search marketers.
Reddit In Google Search, SGE, And Google’s Reddit Deal
For years, Reddit results have been prominently displayed in Google’s search results – so much so that users have even started adding the term “reddit” to the end of their search queries.
So often, you will see Google suggest search lines with the term “reddit” prefilled at the end.
Screenshot by author from search for [are purple mattresses good], Google, May 2024
Even without selecting the query that includes “reddit,” you will notice Reddit’s prominent placement in two places: discussions and forums, and Reddit sitelinks, which are both just below the ads and the first organic result.
Screenshot by author from search for [are purple mattresses good], Google, May 2024
This was amplified by Google’s recent Helpful Content Update (HCU), which allowed platforms like Reddit and other forums to show up more frequently in search results,
Reddit’s ability to be helpful in satisfying a user’s search for information is so successful – in combination with reported shortages in new content for AI models from all major platforms – it is not surprising Google struck a deal with Reddit to show its content faster in search results and to use the content in training future AI models.
Since news of the deal between Reddit and Google was reported, there has been a lot of additional focus on Reddit’s visibility in Google’s search results.
Experts throughout the search industry report an increase in not only the total visibility of Reddit going up within search but also the speed at which a Reddit post is indexed and shown to users.
Google responded to concerns about Reddit showing up more in search results, saying that “some of the SEO folks who tend to be vocal on this platform (X) really dislike seeing more forum content in our search results. But actual searchers seem to like it. They proactively seek it out. It makes sense for us to be showing it to keep the search results relevant and satisfying for everyone.”
Adding to the deal Reddit made with Google, it was recently reported that OpenAI has partnered with Reddit to surface their content in ChatGPT, adding to the clear value that both OpenAI and Google see in Reddit’s content today and in the future.
Of course, this has sparked a lot of interest in companies of all sizes. They want to figure out how their brands can participate and succeed on Reddit in hopes of increasing their visibility in Google’s search results, SGE, and ChatGPT and building their brand’s visibility amongst one of the most influential audiences on the internet today.
**Quick warning: Reddit requires genuine, long-term engagement and a strategy for success. So, I would definitely advise individuals and businesses to avoid trying to game, spam, or blindly jump into marketing on Reddit and take the time to really understand the platform, its audience, and your place of value within its communities.
Let’s look at how some major brands have been successful on Reddit in the past.
noosa Yoghurt
Noosa Yoghurt’s 2021 back-to-school campaign on Reddit was a great example of tapping into niche audiences to create engaging, user-driven content.
To capitalize on Reddit’s community of vocal yogurt enthusiasts, noosa launched a Flavor Poll that invited Redditors to upvote their favorite noosa flavors in the comments. This created a sense of community and interactivity around what could have been a standard poll.
Screenshot by author from Reddit, May 2024
After tallying the upvotes, noosa published a Promoted Post that showcased the results using a sleek custom infographic, highlighting the community’s favorites while also giving the brand important insight into consumer preferences.
Screenshot by author from Reddit, May 2024
The results:
49% increase in brand recall among Reddit users who were exposed to the campaign.
30% increase in brand favorability.
39% increase in purchase intent (15X the typical lift observed in the food vertical).
50+ billion monthly views.
Sony Pictures Germany
To drum up excitement around the release of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” in Germany, Sony Pictures Germany crafted a Reddit campaign that combined organic and promoted content to engage the platform’s robust fan communities.
The brand created a Reddit account under the protagonist’s name, u/MilesMorales, and used it to share exclusive content directly within Spiderman-related subreddits.
It also organized an AMA with the German voice actor Miles Morales to create a more personal connection with fans and promoted video posts featuring the movie trailer to amplify the excitement.
Screenshot by author from Reddit, May 2024
The results:
Sony Pictures Germany achieved a click-through rate (CTR) that was 344% higher than that of its standard paid media.
831 upvotes.
618,000 impressions.
The film remained No. 1 on the German movie charts for three consecutive weeks.
It is important to note that promoting your content and your brand on Reddit is definitely not the only value Reddit can bring you and your business.
Reddit is an amazing place to get honest feedback.
Whether you are trying to figure out what your target audience wants from your brand, test out a new feature or concept before investing and launching it openly, or even just to have continued open communication with your customers to support them and keep them connected to your brand, Reddit can help you succeed in an amazing way.
Transamerica Helping Reddit Make Dollars Make Sense
Transamerica’s campaign on Reddit is a great example of a company identifying an opportunity to connect with its target audience on the subreddit /r/finance.
This allows the company to better understand its customers’ needs and focus on content creation and future marketing plans.
Screenshot by author from Reddit, May 2024
Aligning itself with its audience by demonstrating awareness of the topics around personal finance happening in the subreddit, as well as acknowledging the Redditors working at the company, it asked what topics it could create “specifically for the reddit community” around the topic of finance.
It stayed involved and engaged throughout the campaign, responding to threads and maintaining a lighthearted and sometimes humorous tone.
Screenshot by author from Reddit, May 2024
After getting all the feedback it needed, it created content around the more popular requests, going as far as branding and designing them similar to Reddit.
Screenshot by author from Reddit, May 2024
It even took the time to individually comment a link to the published content on its site, bringing attention back to the overall campaign and the content it created.
This campaign was 10 years ago, and it is still referenced as a core example of engaging on Reddit as a brand in a respectful, thoughtful, and meaningful way.
Why You Should Be On Reddit Wrapup
TL;DR: If your brand has something meaningful to say and is interested in truly connecting with your audience, then yes, you should be on Reddit.
These successful brand campaign examples showcase Reddit’s power when used correctly. With research to understand the specific communities you want to reach, Reddit can have exceptional performance compared to other channels.
The stakes are high to get it right because Reddit communities can be highly negative toward self-serving promotion. But if you put in the effort and solve people’s needs and problems, Reddit has the potential to be a high-performance channel.
Genuine connections are essential, and celebrity endorsements on social media have proven a great way for brands to make those connections.
People want to see a face, a personality, something they can relate to. In this post, you can check out 10 examples of this marketing tactic in action. But first, how does celebrity endorsement work?
Why Celebrity Endorsement Matters
If you’re a brand with the times, you’re using celebrity endorsement to promote your business.
I’m not joking — 75% of marketers use influencers as a marketing tool, and 43% plan to increase spending on this form of advertising.
Marketing has moved beyond commercials. While still popular, social media platforms are on the rise as the top way to promote your business.
YouTube videos and celebrity promotions on platforms like Twitter and Instagram have had massive impacts on promoted items.
Celebrities and brands who team up both stand to see huge wins.
What Makes a Celebrity Endorsement Work?
The rules for making an endorsement work are pretty simple: choose a partnership that makes sense and be sure to never insult the product that’s being endorsed.
While this may seem simple, not everyone has been able to follow along.
When Lebron James partnered with Samsung in 2014 to promote the new Samsung Galaxy Note III, for example, a not-so thought-through tweet made things go downhill.
Lebron complained about his new phone erasing and restarting itself.
Screenshot from Twitter.com, July 2021
Still, when celebrity endorsements work, they work well.
To learn about some of the most successful campaigns companies have launched with celebrities, keep reading below.
1. Travis Scott & McDonald’s
When McDonald’s teamed up with American rapper Travis Scott in September of 2020, they had no idea what they were in for. The meal they came up with, called “The Travis Scott,” was so popular it managed to created supply shortages wherever it was released.
That doesn’t mean it was a bad idea. Not only did the meal become one of the chain’s bestselling menu items, but Travis Scott saw a chance to gain, as well.
Forbes estimated that he earned approximately $20 million combined through endorsement and product sales. That’s not a bad number.
The Travis Scott was the first time McDonald’s had attached a celebrity’s name to one of their products.
I’d say it was a good idea, wouldn’t you?
2. Amy Schumer & Tampax
Stand-up comedian and actor Amy Schumer had a mission when she joined forces with Tampax in July 2020. Together, they would educate others on an important, if slightly socially taboo topic: periods.
The tampon brand released a series of YouTube videos featuring Amy Schumer talking about personal health and hygiene. Known for her blunt humor, these videos are no different.
At the same time, they manage to come across as heartfelt with a personal message.
“No Shame In Our Tampax Game,” along with many others, got across a critical point: There’s no reason to be ashamed of a normal bodily function.
The campaign saw great success as it went viral across social media. Who knew education on a touchy topic could be so entertaining?
3. Snoop Dogg & Corona
When famous rapper Snoop Dogg paired with Corona in August of 2020, it was go big or go home.
An ad starring Snoop Dogg, also featuring Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, was shown during the Golden Globes. Before the eyes of those tuning in from across the nation, the rapper remained iconic with killer costumes and a fashionably strange shell phone.
Snoop Dogg did go big with this endorsement. He earned a neat $10 million for the deal, not too shabby for one commercial.
A talented musician who has gone by many names, Snoop Dogg absolutely made even more of a name for both himself and Corona with this one.
4. Ryan Reynolds & Mint Mobile
Renowned actor and film producer Ryan Reynolds made the news when he and Mint Mobile became involved. He started by partnering with Mint Mobile and later went on in November of 2019 to buy the entire company.
Yes, Ryan Reynolds now owns Mint Mobile. The celebrity has fully embraced endorsing the company, saying on the company’s official website,
“While every other tech titan is off chasing rockets, I’ll corner the budget-friendly wireless sector. Like most people, I only use rockets 10-12 times a year but I use my mobile service every day.”
So, how’s that going?
Pretty well. Mint Mobile, a four-year-old company, has seen tremendous growth in the past three years: their revenue has been boosted by 50,000%.
5. Jon Lovitz & Playology
Here, we’ve gotten to the most adorable entry on this list. Although it may be rare for pet companies to pair up with celebrities, Jon Lovitz and Playology did it fantastically.
Playology makes toys for senior dogs, and actor Jon Lovitz is most known for his time on Saturday Night Live.
Working together, the two in September of 2020 managed a winning combination of hilarity and cuteness that won over audiences’ hearts.
It’s the internet, we all know that dogs and humor go hand in hand – Jon Lovitz & Playology showed the great advantage of that.
6. Shaquille O’Neal & Papa John’s
Shaquille O’Neal has done it all. A prior pro basketball player, rapper, and sports analyst on the TNT television show Inside the NBA, he certainly has a full portfolio.
Now that portfolio includes pizza. In June of 2020, Shaquille O’Neal partnered with pizza chain Papa John’s to create a specialty pizza – The Shaq-a-Roni pizza that O’Neal pitched himself.
The custom pizza was a huge hit, selling over 3 million units and raising 3 million dollars for charities within two months over the summer. The Shaq-a-Roni pizza supplied many an at-home pizza party.
It doesn’t end there, either. Following close to Ryan Reynold’s footsteps, Shaquille O’Neal wanted to get himself involved with the business as well. As of now, he is a board member of Papa John’s. A sportsman and a businessman.
7. Chrissy Teigen & Blue Apron
Not only known for her modeling and television presence but also her hilarious tweets, Chrissy Teigen decided she wanted to expand her horizons further.
She wrote a cookbook and, just before its release, used a successful Blue Apron endorsement to promote it.
A home delivery meal-kit service with the unique option of adding a wine pairing, Blue Apron relied on the in-touch humor of Chrissy Teigen for their celebrity branding.
Teigen’s own hand-crafted recipes were featured for a period of time in June 2018. It wasn’t hard for her to get the word out, as the model was already famous for posting beautiful pictures of her food frequently on Instagram.
8. Patrick Stewart and Mark Hamill & Uber Eats
It was a rival between stars as they traveled throughout the stars.
Patrick Stewart, famous for his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the sci-fi series Star Trek, went neck-in-neck with Star Wars actor Mark Hamill in September of 2020. Who created the campaign? It was an already trending company that saw a legendary rise in 2020: Uber Eats.
In this cross-over commercial that pitted two battlers against each other in the stars, the fight wasn’t about what you think.
No, they fought over the proper way to say “tomato.”
And it was a hit: critics raved at the tongue-in-cheek humor. The real lesson here? There’s mighty power in laughter.
9. Naomi Osaka & Beats by Dre
We’ve talked about actors, musicians, and models. However, they’re not the only kind of celebrity who can harness the heft of celebrity endorsement. Tennis player Naomi Osaka gave herself not just a powerful brand image but also a platform.
For the second time in November 2020, trend-setting headphone company Beats by Dre endorsed sports player and political activist Naomi Osaka. The results were a riveting commercial with a powerful message.
Osaka isn’t new to using her celebrity to speak about important issues. She’s done it many a time before, including raising her voice to talk about Black Lives Matter.
The commercial for Beats by Dre has one simple yet far-reaching message.
“Silence is Violence.”
10. Eva Longoria & L’Oreal
Here’s another company that used YouTube to endorse their brand with a significant effect. In May of 2020, haircare brand L’Oreal teamed with soap opera actor and producer Eva Longoria.
Similar to Tampax, the two came up with a series of useful how-to YouTube videos to promote the brand while also receiving help from McCann Paris.
With long luxurious hair, Eva Longoria was a perfect fit for the endorsement.
Here’s yet another example of an ad that’s not quite an ad yielding excellent results.
Conclusion
Everything is changing, including the way people buy products. Modern consumers are looking for a personal recommendation from someone they could view as a friend, not just from anyone.
And who doesn’t want to be friends with their favorite celebrity?
Marketers are looking more and more towards celebrity-endorsed products to increase their brand. As social media’s influence extends its ever-reaching arms, if you want to sell a product, put a face to it. Preferably a likable face.
More Resources:
Featured image: MaksEvs/Shutterstock
FAQ
What factors contribute to a successful celebrity endorsement?
A successful celebrity endorsement typically involves a partnership that aligns well with the brand’s image and values. Both the celebrity and product should resonate with the target audience. Ensuring that the endorser genuinely supports the product and avoiding any negative comments about the product are also crucial. Real-life examples, such as Ryan Reynolds’ involvement with Mint Mobile, highlight these principles effectively.
Why are social media platforms essential for modern marketing strategies?
Social media platforms are essential for modern marketing strategies due to their extensive reach, interactivity, and the ability to engage with a diverse audience. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter provide brands with the tools to create targeted content and foster community engagement. Celebrity endorsements on these platforms can exponentially increase product visibility and sales, as seen with campaigns involving Travis Scott and McDonald’s or Eva Longoria and L’Oreal.
What should brands consider when choosing a celebrity for endorsements on social media?
Choosing the right celebrity for social media endorsements is crucial for the success of a campaign. Brands should consider the celebrity’s public image, relevance to the product, and resonance with the target audience. A mismatch can lead to negative publicity and reduced engagement. It’s also important to evaluate the celebrity’s social media engagement metrics such as follower count, interaction levels, and audience demographics. Brands should ensure that the partnership appears genuine and aligns with the brand values to maintain authenticity.
One of a brand’s greatest gifts is its ability to communicate with its prospects and customers through social communities.
These goldmines of customer sentiment and potential product or service positioning can provide every brand with a wealth of information.
However, cultivating those communities and building the authenticity to engage with your customers takes time and effort.
This post will not tell you, “Here’s exactly how to do it,” because every brand will have a different voice that it needs to leverage as well as different needs for its community.
However, we will explore a framework you can leverage for your brand so that your conversations with customers and prospects are meaningful.
Here are the main areas we will discuss in this article:
Value and tone – how to determine which ones are right for you.
Translating your message across channels and carrying your customers with you.
Owning whether engagement should be paid or organic.
A final note before we dive in: this is not going to be a criticism or praise of any one particular channel. We intend to keep this as agnostic as possible, acknowledging that some brands will be more aligned with some channels than others.
This can be related to creative bandwidth, i.e., how much time you have to post and engage with a channel. It could also be related to whether you have the means to create video. There are a number of different criteria.
Just know that whatever you decide to engage with, you do need to be consistent.
Value & Tone
A brand’s values come down to who it is at its core. Some brands lean toward transparency and sharing all of the ins and outs of how they function. This can include what it’s doing with its team and what the product/service roadmap looks like.
Others will focus far more on doing well by doing good, highlighting customer engagement in the community versus just what they are working on themselves.
There is no right or wrong answer to this. You need to make sure that you know what your brand’s beating heart is and how the message you’re sending ties back to that.
Coming up with your values is not something you should undertake lightly. Additionally, your team needs to agree on and comply with them.
If giving in the community is a core value, your team members shouldn’t be caught posting things that make light of others’ suffering.
Conversely, if part of your values relate to certain tech advancements, calling out those tech advancements in a negative light could be counterproductive.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t change your opinion and have reasons why your opinion shifts, but consistent communication is needed to reinforce the new value position.
Image from Semrush, April 2024
One example is Semrush. Semrush used to have a different brand aesthetic, and there were questions about how to pronounce its brand name.
The company settled the debate once and for all with a very clear-cut statement. In doing so, it actually ruffled a few feathers because the community didn’t like being told they were wrong.
On the other hand, Semrush ensured that its branding would be consistent moving forward. This was particularly useful as it prepared for its IPO.
Screenshot from Twitter, April 2024
Burger King ran an ill-fated X (Twitter) campaign saying women belong in the kitchen.
Now, most of us would know it’s common sense that this could only have ended badly. However, the campaign intended to highlight the shortage of female chefs leading kitchen brigades and earning top dollar compared to their male counterparts.
The brand redeemed itself somewhat instead of representing a true failure because it acknowledged the mistake and then provided detailed information about what it had been trying to do.
So, while Burger King did fall down publicly as a brand, it paved the way for more attention to be shown to the cause.
Both of these cases provide a useful framework to consider how you want your values and tone to come across to your customers:
Are you comfortable poking fun at your customers and yourselves, or do you feel the need to be serious?
How quickly can you respond to customer sentiment shifts, and how much can you let that influence your risk tolerance and risk aversion?
How much should you be tied to public events versus how often should you create events based on industry, product, or service innovations?
The answers to all of these questions will help you build a framework that you can then take to each channel.
You are prepared to build a community, but these communities will need moderation, so you should only engage in a channel that you are prepared for.
Staff will go through each major channel in a moment, but it is important to know that no matter how many you choose, successes tend to go unnoticed. Failures tend to be remembered indefinitely, and the greatest failure is not owning your brand.
So, even if you aren’t prepared to engage with a channel, you should still at least claim your profile.
Translating Messages Across Channels
When people talk about social media, they are typically referring to Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Snapchat, Pinterest, and Quora.
However, how you actually engage with each of these channels or any additional ones that pop up, including login-based communities like Discord, Slack, and Tumblr, will all depend on how well-equipped your team is to engage with the pace of each channel.
We’re going to break down each channel based on its pace, general tone, and creative flexibility.
When engaging with these communities, it’s important to note that you should claim your profile across all channels but only be active where you intend to be consistent and know your customers and prospects are or could be enticed to engage.
Facebook
Tone: Generally casual and personal, but can vary depending on the content shared.
Pace: Moderate pace, with a mix of real-time updates and more evergreen content. Brands typically post 1-2 times per day to maintain visibility in the algorithm.
Creative Flexibility: Offers various content formats like text posts, images, videos, live streams, and Stories. Moderation includes adherence to community standards, which restricts certain types of content.
Community Management Tools: Provides features like Groups, Pages, and messaging for community management. Also offers insights and analytics for Page owners.
Instagram
Tone: Visual and aesthetic-focused, often aspirational or inspirational.
Pace: Fast-paced, with a focus on real-time updates and Stories. Brands typically post at least once per day to maintain visibility.
Creative Flexibility: This category primarily includes visual content (photos and videos), with features like filters, stickers, and editing tools for creative expression. Moderation includes content guidelines and community standards enforcement.
Community Management Tools: Offers business profiles, analytics, and messaging for community management. Also, features like hashtags and tagging help in content discovery.
LinkedIn
Tone: While mostly professional and formal, geared towards career development and networking, there is an appetite for B2B humor/memes.
Pace: The pace is generally slower, with more thoughtful and curated content. Brands typically post 2-5 times per week to maintain visibility. However, individuals post daily to maintain their presence in the feed.
Creative Flexibility: Primarily text-based posts, articles, and professional updates, with multimedia options. Moderation includes professional standards and restrictions on promotional content.
Community Management Tools: Provides tools for personal and business profiles, including messaging, groups, and analytics. Also offers job postings and networking features.
TikTok:
Tone: Fun, entertaining, and often light-hearted or humorous.
Pace: Very fast-paced, with short-form videos designed for quick consumption. Brands typically post multiple times per day to maintain visibility.
Creative Flexibility: This is highly flexible, with a focus on short videos augmented with effects, filters, and music. Moderation includes enforcing community guidelines and restricting certain content types.
Community Management Tools: Offers features like Duets, reactions, comments, and hashtags for engagement. Also provides analytics for creators.
X (Twitter)
Tone: Conversational, often informal, and concise due to character limit.
Pace: Fast-paced, with real-time updates and trending topics. Brands typically post multiple times per day to maintain visibility.
Creative Flexibility: Limited by character count but supports text, images, videos, and GIFs. Moderation includes adherence to Twitter rules and restrictions on sensitive content.
Community Management Tools: Features like retweets, replies, hashtags, and lists facilitate engagement and community building. Analytics and Twitter chats are also useful for community management.
Reddit
Tone: Diverse, depending on the subreddit, but generally informal and community-driven.
Pace: This can vary, but it is often a mix of real-time discussions and slower-paced threads. Brands typically engage regularly but avoid spamming to maintain credibility.
Creative Flexibility: Supports various content types including text, images, links, and videos. Moderation includes subreddit-specific rules, enforced by moderators.
Community Management Tools: Moderation tools like banning, removing posts, and community guidelines enforcement. Subreddit creation and management, along with voting and commenting systems, are essential for community engagement.
Quora
Tone: Informative and knowledge-focused, with an emphasis on sharing expertise.
Pace: Generally slower-paced, with longer-form questions and answers. Brands typically engage by answering relevant questions and participating in discussions.
Creative Flexibility: Primarily text-based, with options for including images and links. Image size: Varies based on Quora’s formatting. Moderation includes adherence to Quora’s policies and guidelines.
Community Management Tools: Moderation tools for questions, answers, and comments. Features like following topics, upvoting, and following users facilitate community interaction.
Discord
Tone: Varied depending on the server, but often casual and conversational.
Pace: Can range from slow-paced discussions to real-time chats and events. Brands typically maintain active presence but avoid overwhelming channels.
Creative Flexibility: Supports text, voice, and video communication, along with customizable server settings and bots for additional functionality. Moderation includes server-specific rules enforced by administrators.
Community Management Tools: Extensive moderation tools for roles, channels, permissions, and content moderation. Features like voice channels, emojis, and reaction roles enhance community engagement.
Slack
Tone: Professional and work-focused, though it can be casual within specific channels or teams.
Pace: Typically moderate-paced, with real-time communication within teams. Brands typically engage regularly but avoid excessive messaging to maintain productivity.
Creative Flexibility: Primarily text-based, with options for file sharing, integrations, and custom emoji. Moderation includes adherence to team guidelines and restrictions on off-topic discussions.
Community Management Tools: Offers channel management, user roles, message deletion, and integrations with various apps and services for productivity and collaboration.
With each channel’s baseline explored, we can now talk about translating messages across each.
As a general rule of thumb, text-based creative will translate fairly well across each, provided that you count for the character and or word count. Where it gets a little bit tougher is when you begin layering in visual content.
This is tough on two counts.
First, there’s pressure to create visual content because visual content tends to do better on social channels. However, there’s also a difference in tone and formatting between the visual channels. For example, you can’t always just recut a video you made for LinkedIn to be a TikTok video.
While length is a factor, so are tone and subject matter expertise. While the ideas might be the same, you may need to repackage them for each channel.
Additionally, from a community standpoint, there are different algorithmic rules that go into each platform. So, if you have a community that’s a little bit looser on language/sensitive topics, you may struggle to translate that community to channels with stricter guidelines.
An excellent example of this is that Facebook Groups tend to have stringent community rules based on bots identifying and removing posts.
Conversely, on platforms like Slack or Discord (i.e., private servers with a login), what’s allowed is up to the server controller’s discretion. So, if you know that your community will need that flexibility, you may decide to go for the password-gated community versus a more open group, such as LinkedIn or Facebook.
Different communities have different algorithms for how content reaches users, so if you care that the content reaches your people specifically, you may need to tell them to check the group regularly.
You may also need to tell them to identify that your Group or your Page is of special interest to them so that they receive all updates from you as opposed to only getting it filtered through their feed. For example, when someone posts on LinkedIn, they can tell the system whether they want to see more or less from a particular person or group. This is true on Facebook as well.
If people consistently say that they don’t want to hear from your Group, even if you have engaged members, you may struggle to have your content reach them organically without them coming to your community page.
Paid Versus Organic
When it comes to being real with your audience, you’ve got to think about how you talk to them – whether you’re paying for it or not. The key to being genuine lies in how you interact with the folks who support your brand.
No matter how you promote yourself, it’s no accident that paid ads and sponsored content often let people leave comments and reactions. If you see lots of people engaging with a paid post, that’s a sign you should also share some regular stuff. And if you respond to comments, you can reach even more people than you paid for – but there’s a catch.
Paying to show up where people haven’t asked for you can sometimes annoy them instead of making them like you more.
For instance, imagine a brand keeps running ads on YouTube about something new, but it doesn’t limit how often you see them. Then, the brand brings up the same thing in its online groups. Instead of getting a positive response, it might end up getting yelled at for being annoying because people are already tired of hearing about it.
The trick is listening to what your customers say while explaining how things work. For example, if you want to prevent your current customers from seeing your ads, you have to meet certain audience size requirements (1,000 for search-first platforms and 100 for social-first platforms).
If you can’t, it’s important to let them know it’s not intentional – it’s just how the system works.
Now, about being genuine: Some say paid ads aren’t as real as regular posts. But the truth is that many social platforms make a lot of money from boosting regular posts, so there’s no shame in doing the same to reach more people.
The key is to know which posts are worth boosting and why. If a post looks okay on its own but doesn’t quite fit your brand’s style for ads, maybe hold off.
And if a post is already doing great without any help, putting a “sponsored” tag on it might make people trust it less. So, thinking about how your audience feels about ads is essential.
Finding the right balance between paid and regular content means keeping it real with your audience and respecting their preferences. It’s all about building trust and making sure your brand stays true to itself.
Final Takeaways
Building authenticity is all about consistency and being useful to your people in the way that they want to be helped using a channel. Just because your competitors are is meaningless.
If your customers aren’t there and if you’re not able to engage with them in a way that lets you help them, the best way to confirm whether to be on a channel or not and whether to foster a community there or not is all down to how much can you be you while engaging with your customers?
