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Your ATTN Please | Thursday, 31 July

Your ATTN Please | Thursday, 31 July

July 31, 2025

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti…

Ok, Eminem gets it. Because those lines perfectly capture how I feel heading into a networking event. They’re the kind of things no one wants to be at, but if you want to get ahead in your career, they’re kinda part of the gig. But if you’d rather slide down a razor blade into a pool of alcohol than work the room asking people, “So what do you do?”, today we’ve got good news for you.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARKETING TODAY?

Meta wants coders to use AI, OpenAI intros “study mode” & X users cry “false flag” about everything

Meta will let potential hires use AI in coding tests.

Good news for those of y’all who use it for every damn thing. So are Silicon Valley employees, or, they will be soon. Meta is developing a new kind of coding interview that allows candidates to “vibecode” or use an AI assistant. According to the company, “this is more representative of the developer environment that our future employees will work in, and also makes LLM-based cheating less effective.” Hate when I have to admit when a billionaire is right. But, in any industry, we’re going to need to learn to be proficient in AI use or get replaced by the next guy that already is. I don’t make the rules, dude.

OpenAI’s new study mode for ChatGPT throws questions back at students – but will it save us from an education crisis?

More AI news! Goody. I bet you’re stoked. There’s a lot of chat about AI ruining the younger generation's ability to learn. And there’s certainly no denying that LLM’s are disrupting the education system. How did OpenAI address this? ChatGPT “Study Mode,” which is said to prevent students taking shortcuts.

As per Wired: “The mode is designed around the Socratic method, so when activated, OpenAI’s generative AI chatbot rejects direct requests for answers, instead guiding the user with open-ended questions.” But like, who’s stopping kids from toggle clicking onto normal GPT with direct answers and cheat codes? Lol.

Conspiracy theorists are claiming all news is fake.

Trump uncomfortably weasels away from answering anything about the Epstein files in an honest way. Netanyahu denies starvation in Gaza. And all of a sudden, the internet thinks news related to literally anything else is: a false flag. The floods across America? A false flag orchestrated to distract us from Epstein. The Trump/ Elon Drama? False flag. Hell, the Trump assassination attempt: a False flag.

According to Wired, there were 1 million mentions of “false flag” on X between April 26 and June 26, 2025, a nearly 350 percent increase compared to the prior two months. This is, of course, rooted in the very real case that militaries and intelligence services have long staged attacks in order to give pretexts for war. But now, as trust in media and public institutions withers away into nothing, everything is being labelled as fake. Which is more than problematic.

“Vance Boelter is not a real person,” one X account holder posted about the charged Minnesota shooter. “This is a false flag psyop that the news media is using to instil fear into the people.” “All these floods popping up around the country is a false flag,” another anonymous X account wrote. “They want us to forget Epstein!” It’s happening in the news? Well, it’s not, in the minds of these, uh… theorists. Let’s put it that way.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

DEEP DIVE

Networking for people who’d rather chew glass: a survival guide for the socially semi-functional

If you’re anything like me (shy, the awkward, the sweaty-palmed, and the "I-just-go-for-the-free-cheese" people) you likely think networking is the fkn worst.

The fake smiles. The “soooo, what do you do?” on repeat. The way it feels like an interview for a job you don’t even want (and certainly aren’t getting paid for). And yet, my boss won’t get off my ass about the fact that it’s kinda essential.

And I hate to admit, but he’s kinda right. Because your work alone won’t always speak for you. Sometimes your next opportunity is hiding behind a lukewarm Pinot at an awkward event in a dusty hotel lobby.

So, if you're someone who:

Avoids eye contact like it’s radioactive,
Rehearses your name before saying it out loud,
Forgets your entire professional identity when asked a basic question,

This one’s for you.

Let’s start here: the problem isn’t you – it’s the Networking Industrial Complex™.

You are not a weird little freak for hating it. Networking often feels fake because it is… duh. Well, at least in the way we’ve been taught to do it. It’s transactional. It's stiff. It makes you feel like a desperate contestant on a reality show where the prize is… maybe a coffee chat? Sick.

Reframing is your friend here. Instead of thinking of networking as "impressing someone," think of it as finding your people. Even just one.

So, let’s break it down into practical, introvert friendly moves:

1. Prep like you're prepping for a hostage negotiation (but gentler). A few conversation starters in your back pocket can be lifesaving. Try:

“Have you been to this kind of event before?”
"Working on anything interesting at the moment?"
“What’s the most random thing that happened to you at work this week?”
“Is this the kind of thing where we pretend we don’t care about LinkedIn followers?”

2. Forget the crowd—just talk to one person. Find a fellow wallflower. Talk to someone at the snack table. You're not trying to work the room, you’re trying to survive the room. One good convo > 12 business cards you’ll never look at again.

3. Have an exit strategy. This is the one I need the most, because there’s absolutely nothing worse than being stuck with awkward glances and half sentences. It’s okay to leave a conversation. Seriously. Try:

“I’m going to grab a drink/refill, but I loved chatting with you.”
“Going to float around and be socially acceptable. Hope we run into each other again.”

Boom. Done. Easy.

4. Your "About Me" doesn’t have to be a TED Talk. If someone asks what you do, keep it simple and punchy. One sentence. Two max. No jargon. No job title fluff. Just a human explanation:

“I help companies make their marketing feel less like a root canal.”

Or “I write things that (hopefully) don’t make people want to cry.”

5. Online networking counts, too. If in-person events make your stomach implode, LinkedIn, Slack groups, newsletters, and even DMs are valid ways to build your network. Comment on someone’s work. Share something thoughtful. Slide into inboxes, respectfully.

What to remember when you’re internally screaming mid-conversation:

You don’t have to be charming. You just have to be present.
Listening is just as powerful as talking. People love to talk about themselves. Let them.
Most people are also a little nervous. Even the ones with shiny shoes and extrovert face.

If it goes badly? That’s a story. You win either way.

Look, you don’t have to be the life of the party. You just have to show up.

Networking doesn’t have to feel like a gladiator sport. You’re not here to perform. You’re here to connect, even awkwardly. Especially awkwardly. Because that’s where the real humans live.

Next time you feel the dread creeping in, remember you’re not alone. You’re in a room full of people just trying to get through it. You got this. And if you don’t… well, there’s always cheese.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

TREND PLUG

Smile if you want

This trend’s deceptively sweet, with cute audio to boot.

The setup? You whisper in someone’s ear: “Smile if you want a new [insert mildly scandalous replacement here].” Boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, sister, grandma… no one’s safe.

If they smile? Uh oh. If they don’t? Phew. If they try not to but can’t help it? Well, that’s the entertainment. Creators are mostly using this trend for couple content right now (testing if your partner secretly wants a new girlfriend). But we’re also seeing siblings, in-laws, even pets being dragged into the mix. It’s got potential to extend to anyone else, including colleagues and clients. The real gold is their immediate response, caught on camera.

How you can jump on this trend:

Film yourself whispering “Smile if you want a new [you fill in the blank]” in someone’s ear. Hold for reaction. Judge accordingly. Use the trending audio and let their facial expressions (and yours!) do the work. The more unserious or unhinged the question, the better.

A few ideas to get you started:

“Smile if you want a new agency.” (The client? Pokerfaced – obviously!)
“Smile if you want a boss who knows how to open a Google Doc.” (The intern smiles. The rest know better.)
“Smile if you want to use Comic Sans for the rebrand.” (The designer physically recoils. Gives the opposite of a smile.)

- Helena Masters, Copywriter

FOR THE GROUP CHAT

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✨Daily inspo: daily reminder
😊Soooo satisfying: Soap ASMR
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Portugese Rice

TODAY ON THE YAP PODCAST

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ASK THE EDITOR

I've just started a newsletter for my coaching clients. How do I get my LinkedIn audience to sign up for my emails? -Tara

Hey Tara!

There are a few ways you can go about this. First, you can create a LinkedIn newsletter and put your content in there, at least at first. When you do this, LinkedIn will let you invite all your followers to follow your newsletter as well.

Then, once you've got a lot of your audience reading your newsletter on LinkedIn, you can start asking them to sign up for your email. Over time, gradually reduce the amount they can read on LinkedIn so they have a reason to move over.

Another option is to create more content that will drive people to your newsletter. Two ways to do this are “pre-CTAs” and “post-CTAs.” A pre-CTA is used to tease content you’re about to share in your next newsletter. Let your audience know what you’re covering and how to sign up so they don’t miss out.

You can also use a “post-CTA” after each newsletter. This is where you create content telling your audience what your most recent newsletter was about. Then, you invite them to sign up so they don’t miss the next one.