Brand newsletters are having a moment on #Substack. M.M.LaFleur's The M Dash has grown past 80,000 subscribers, mostly via Substack's recommendation feature, while The RealReal's anonymous newsletter has driven over $334,000 in sales. #ContentMarketing #MarketingSky

YouTube is testing local retailer swaps on affiliate product tags to see if it boosts shopping performance. It's also rolling out clearer branded content labels, new age and location controls, and automated detection for undisclosed sponsored content. #YouTube #MarketingSky

Creator pricing's real friction point isn't the fee, it's usage rights. Marketers tell Digiday pricing is inconsistent between paid and organic usage, and some brands push for rights in perpetuity they'll never use. #CreatorEconomy #MarketingSky

Reddit just launched a 15-second engaged video views ad goal, joining its existing 6-second option. It's built for creative that needs more time to land, like product demos or testimonials, and brands can split-test both goals during the beta. #Reddit #MarketingSky

#Google is testing exact and phrase match Search campaigns for text ads inside #AI Mode, confirmed by Ginny Marvin. It only triggers on queries with clear, direct intent, so tightly targeted campaigns may reach AI Mode without switching to AI Max or PMax. #PPC #MarketingSky

Shopping ad CTR is rising while impressions fall, and analyst Mike Ryan thinks #AI Overviews may be why. His theory: #Google may reserve Shopping ads for high-intent queries and show AI Overviews elsewhere, so higher CTR could just mean fewer impressions. #SEO #MarketingSky

Instagram's new First Draft tool cuts pauses and trims your clips into a ready-to-edit Reel with one tap, described as "a starting point to build from in seconds." Everything is reversible, and it's live now in the Reels gallery and camera. #MarketingSky #Instagram #META

Back-end code spotted by researcher Alessandro Paluzzi suggests Threads may start awarding virtual "gems" for highly engaging posts. #Meta hasn't confirmed if it's just visual recognition or comes with a payout, similar to X's short-lived Bangers promo. #MarketingSky #Threads