Just want to make sure you know about the Beginner’s AI course we’re running, starting next Monday. If you’re still opening up your browser and prompting ChatGPT to write your emails or social captions, this is for you. Over 4 sessions, you’ll learn how to train your AI on who you are and what you actually do (rather than starting every conversation from scratch). If you’ve been wondering why everyone seems obsessed with AI (bc your experience has just been meh), this cohort will show you how to make it start really working for you.

And, as all good things do, it came to an end, thus I was faced with the soul crushing sequence of “what to watch next” on Netflix. Except this time, it was telling me to play a game on the platform??

The whole thing is still in beta, but in all honesty, it seems pretty cool. The streaming giant has been trying to crack games on the platform for the last half decade to no avail. This time, however, has one key differentiator that I believe will help them crack it; you don’t need controllers. Each player uses their smartphone. I predict some fun drinking endeavours on the service in my near future.

Ok next, being the petty queen that I am, I have to write about Heinz's new campaign. Because real recognises real, especially when you love a little bit of mean-spirited competition. The condiment brand recently came out with a fan-fuelled activation that’s freaking genius; handing out “Rival Wipes” in Montreal at the hockey games, to protect the sacred Sainte-Flanelle jersey from ketchup casualties. Fans were encouraged to wipe their messy hotdog hands on "pieces" of the rival team’s jersey instead.

Obviously, Heinz and hockey are a natural pair. I mean, what better than a game, a beer and a giant hotdog (or two)? But hotdogs are messy. Especially when combined with yelling, cheering, and 3-4 cold ones. Stains on precious jerseys are almost inevitable. So instead, Heinz prompts fans to “Stain Their Jersey, Not Yours.” I love it. No notes.

Finally, writers are fleeing the Substack tax and moving to rival platforms like beehiiv and Ghost. This is actually interesting because Charlotte and I were talking about this the other day, and now it’s a headline (talk about finger on the pulse huh).

The platform is losing a new group of writers, including some of its most popular publications. Writers are heading for other options that give users more control and that don’t have a pricing model that commands a good chunk of their business. In 2024, Substack witnessed a mass exodus after hosting a Nazi newsletter (yikes???). Now, creators are once again being driven away, some who report paying the platform nearly $5000 a year. Substack, baby, it’s not looking good. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

We’ve all been following the same playbook:

Build a personal brand > Optimise your funnel > Scale your authority > Become a content machine.

But, when everyone is a brand, nobody is a person. We’ve built these massive, shiny digital skyscrapers of followers, only to realise that living in a skyscraper is incredibly lonely )))):

Especially when 40% of the other tenants are actually AI bots scraping your content to feed a LLM you didn’t ask for. The vibe shift is here, and it’s not about growth. It’s about the digital commune.

For the last few years, the goal of a personal brand has been reach. You wanted to be seen by everyone. But our current landscape kind of feels like a chaotic, AI-generated landfill. So, what’s a girl to do?

Some creators seem to be downsizing. Intentionally shrinking their public footprint to build digital neighborhoods. Think of it as moving from a billboard on a highway to a dinner party in a gated garden. These are high-context, messy, gated spaces. Discord villages, private WhatsApp layers, or hyper-niche Substack threads, where the goal isn't brand awareness, but shared shelter.

Right now content is a commodity. It’s infinite. It’s everywhere. But context? Context is rare.

A digital commune isn't a place where you go to consume a creator's Top 5 Tips or whatever. It’s a place where you go to escape the algorithm. In these communes, the creator acts as a sort of Librarian or a Park Ranger. They curate the vibe, protect the borders from the bots, and facilitate actual, high-stakes conversations between people who actually know each other’s usernames.

If you’re feeling the itch to start being a neighbourhood, here’s how the most successful creators are doing it:

The solo economy kind of feels like a lie we told ourselves to feel better about the fact that we were all working alone in our bedrooms.

The future of marketing isn't about being the loudest voice in the room. It’s about building the room itself, and then being very, very picky about who you give the keys to.

Welcome to the neighbourhood. It’s a bit messy, the Wi-Fi is private, and the bots aren't invited. Gatekeeping is so back. Don’t get stuck on the wrong side of the gate.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

Well, today’s trending sound is all about the exact moment where you don’t know what to say, so you just… keep talking anyway. The format is very simple: creators film themselves lip-syncing the fast, repetitive “Hi hi hi…” audio while the on-screen text explains a situation where they’re clearly out of their depth or don’t know how to respond. The contrast between the confident delivery and the awkward scenario is what makes it land.

Creators are pairing this audio with captions that highlight social habits, filler responses, or when they’re trying to bluff their way through a conversation. It feels very real, very relatable, and slightly chaotic in the best way.

Use the audio and film a front-facing clip lip-syncing the “Hi hi hi…” sound. Add on-screen text describing a situation where you’re scrambling, overcompensating, or don’t know what to say. Keep it specific to your audience or industry.

A few ideas to get you started:

-Georgia Russell, Intern

😂Yap’s funniest home videos: It’s a bad idea but just roll with it
❤How wholesome: my day is better now
😊Soooo satisfying: paint brush scraping
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Big Mac Tacos

Hey Kylie!

It makes sense why you've focused on FB and IG up until now. But, if you have the resources to post on LinkedIn, you definitely should! Why? Because LinkedIn is full of founders. That means when you share stories about your business journey, other people are going to find your content relatable. This relatability is great for building your brand.

Second, there aren't tons of product-based brands on LinkedIn. This means you have the opportunity to stand out in a way that is a lot harder to do on Instagram or Facebook. Third, I can almost guarantee you that there are plenty of potential customers on LinkedIn. And if you aren't there, you're missing out on opportunities to build your brand.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

We get it. Creating content that does numbers is harder than it looks. But doing those big numbers is the fastest way to grow your brand. So if you’re tired of throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what sticks, you’re in luck. Because making our clients go viral is kinda what we do every single day.