The latest developments from all the social platforms, in one place, to help you identify what comes next in social This month sees a continued drive to develop a greater volume of AI tools across platforms, some useful, most just interesting… Alongside feature development, we see platforms looking at new routes to monetise these AI products, though for most brands, that won’t become something to consider. The big news this month? LinkedIn starts the rollout of collab posts. Finally. Meta - Meta attempts to find a more viable monetisation system for its AI models - for most brands, this won’t have a meaningful impact Meta’s AI agent, available on Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, will now cost 4-5 cents per message to use, starting from August 1st, operating on a token-based system. For most brands, this won’t have an impact on day to day operations, unless they're already using Meta bots for customer service At the start of July, Meta’s new AI option rolled out a new feature that allowed users to remix public IG posts. By default this applies to all public Instagram accounts, whether they’re a brand or creator. This caused a backlash and so Meta retracted the feature immediately after two days. This comes amid rising concerns amongst brands regarding their intellectual property on Meta Instagram - after a flurry of new (albeit long awaited) features in the previous month, this month was a quieter one on Instagram’s development roadmap, with just a few AI feature tweaks. Instagram has added more AI-power language translation options, including Japanese, French, German and Korean. This feature automatically applies to posts by default, unless toggled off Brands will have to decide whether they want their content to be automatically translated by AI or to manually create content in the target audience’s language, shaping the trust that audiences have in brands Instagram has introduced over 30 new effects in Stories from Meta AI. This is powered by Muse Image, the first AI image generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs. Such effects, when applied to user photos, allow for quick alterations. Whilst only available in the US, it could open the door for further in-app editing, however the application for brands is likely to be limited Google - Google continues to update AI Overviews, and creates transparency for creators and advertisers Google has introduced "platform properties" in Search Console: this allows brands to understand how their social posts perform across Google Search and Discover. Brands can now track the search terms leading people to their content on Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube from Search. Determining why social content is ranking in Google Search, can inform content planning and SEO terms, improving content performance As of 17 July 2026, a Top Stories news carousel is now available in AI Overviews for US mobile users. The carousel consists of ‘developing-topic searches’, which applies to timely and substantial coverage while news stories are still developing in real-time. This shows a development in AI search, shifting into “live” stories and posing potential new challenges for press teams YouTube - YouTube tightens its existing guidelines on inauthentic content, and continues the clamp down The updated guidelines break down inauthentic content into three categories: generic/repetitive content, distressing content, and content where AI personas discuss sensitive topics such as health and finance. YouTube channels will not be able to monetise if they do not follow these guidelines. The YouTube Partner Program is pushing for human-led content, as it navigates ongoing competition with TV and other streaming websites for ad monetisation - for brands, this can only be good news, with less low-quality content out there to dilute the platform LinkedIn - LinkedIn continues expanding its AI tools for ad campaigns, and introduces collaboration posts Introducing… Collaboration Posts (finally!) - brands can now collaborate with up to 5 other members or Company Pages on posts, helping drive distribution through both networks. These work in the same way as Instagram or TikTok, and for brands, this can only be a win, opening the door to collaboration content with third-parties. It’s rolling out right now, so watch this space After launching its brand kit option last month for AI optimisation, LinkedIn is also adding a new AI-powered ad copy generation feature. Brands will have the option to draft ads with AI and set campaign goals using these AI tools. This allows brands to test the effectiveness of multiple ads, while ensuring their tone of voice and messaging stays consistent across all ads

As of July 23, LinkedIn Collaborative Posts are being rolled out globally. Think Instagram collabs, but with up to five individuals AND with company pages. For brands, it provides a gateway to paid influencer marketing, facilitates greater organic distribution, and streamlines company page and executive posting. Read on for how to create them, why this matters right now, and whether you should be utilising this feature. How do LinkedIn collaborative (collaboration) posts work? Important: It should be noted the feature is rolling out gradually and may not be available to you yet. If you do have access, you’ll be able to follow the below steps: On the LinkedIn home feed, create a post through clicking ‘start a post’ at the top of your feed - this allows you to enter copy and any assets If you have access to this feature, you’ll see an ‘add collaborators’ dropdown next to ‘comments’ If you don’t yet have access, you’ll see the following (no collaboration option next to ‘post to anyone’) Click ‘add collaborators’, you’ll then be given a dropdown where you can search for users to post in-collaboration with - click the appropriate individuals Hit post! Once live, the collaborators will receive a notification to accept the invitation - if the individuals accept, the post will be shared in-collaboration with those users Why does it matter? Greater organic distribution: your content is pushed to the feeds of other collaborators - typically, the only way to improve distribution was through encouraging engagement from other users i.e. tagging and comments Streamlines company page and executive activity: LinkedIn’s algorithm pushes individual over brand page posts (OneFifty, 2024). In-line with this, company pages are typically used for amplification of (the stronger performing) individual content. Collaborative posts offer a format that more meaningfully activates the brand page network (vs reshares), along with providing more coherent comms with executives A gateway to influencers: working with third-parties on LinkedIn is under-utilised vs other social platforms. The newly formalised relationship between individuals and organisation means greater credibility for creators and business partners Considerations & data capture Currently, the post analytics of a collaborative post are not split by different parties i.e. you’re unable to attribute post metrics to the individual collaborators. With this format only released to selective users, it suggests there’s more iterations and refinements to come. Should you 'collab'? Like all things, there’s not one answer for all scenarios. But there’s a strong case to test the distributional benefits of this new feature. What could this look like? Amplifying an announcement: a new team hire - collaborators with the brand page and the senior leader within a given team Event distribution: been at a recent event with a colleague? Don’t just post the selfie, utilise their network more effectively through a collaboration post Streamlining communications: rather than promoting a new report through reposts, collaborate with a) the brand page b) the individual who is the face of the report See below for some recent examples of what this looks like: Mazda UK 50th anniversary plaque Andy Burnham and Jimmy McLoughlin interview

UKREiiF is the UK’s largest trade event for the built environment, and is growing in significance. Considerable resource is applied by leading construction and real estate companies to maximising their visibility and narrative. But how effectively is this showing up on LinkedIn, the key digital platform? We analysed every post, to determine how to succeed at UKREiiF 2026, and what you can learn for your UKREiiF 2027 social efforts… How big was the UKREiiF 2026 LinkedIn conversation? 4,452 individual posts were made on LinkedIn Posts averaged 41 engagements each (with the top 10 fetching over 5.5x this volume) Very limited negativity (<1%) in posts What were the key findings from the UKREiiF 2026 LinkedIn conversation? People are underutilised - both within content, but also too little posting, and what they do post is not always at the best time, in the best way, and bucks trends seen inspector outside of the event There’s a lack of follow on - and a lot of pre-event Commercial Real Estate are the most effective sector of attendees, considerably outperforming Construction, professional services and others Thank to thrive - posts with reflections and thanking speakers perform well What worked at UKREiiF 2026? The average UKREiiF-related post received 41 engagements, while the most engaged-with posts were consistently either from pre- or mid-event (rather than post-), with the top 10 posts averaging 272 engagements (5.6x more than the average across the sample) Image posts drove strongest engagements against video and text-only formats (34 v 30 v 23) and all content, on average, drove a greater volume of engagements when posted during the event rather than pre, or post-event (39 v 30 v 20) Face-first content drives engagement - when individuals are prominent in assets, whether images or video, content drives 28% more engagements (opposed to being in the background) (over)Hashtagging harms performance; of the top 30x posts across Pre, During, and Post UKREiiF - only 6 featured more than 3 hashtags (half of those came in post-UKREiiF posts) Individuals outperform company posting in terms of engagements when posting Pre Event (35 v 27 engagements per post) and are on par for During Event post (32 v 34 engagements per post) Individuals should be posting to drive stronger engagement, although they’re not being utilised effectively - only 8% of posts came from people. So, despite overall superior performance of people, Company page posts drove many of the highest-performing content - in-line with the overall distribution of posts between company and individuals (c.7% of the highest performing posts were by individuals, in-line with their wider frequency in the sample) What to do for your UK REiiF 2027 LinkedIn strategy? Put your people front and centre - in the page content, but also from their own profiles Pay to play - ads are effective, and underutilised Find more ways to tag others - not just saying thanks Follow through - post-event content is neglected Plan, be intentional, and don’t spam. More page posts doesn’t equal more success Target your audiences in a considered way, through Execs, and through ads - different themes and formats resonate for different audiences Download our report here.

The latest developments from all the social platforms, in one place, to help you identify what comes next in social In June, there’s been a flurry of long awaited changes that we’ve known would arrive eventually… and about time, too. Across platforms, there’s a divergence in developments that either take control away from people - such as AI-powered features that improve efficiency in brand-collaborator processes - or give it back to people - like more control over how content is shown on user profiles. Scroll on, and uncover the specifics… Meta/Facebook - This month’s updates focus on introducing new AI features, as well as building community Meta has launched a creator assistant chatbot, which helps creators with content, posting time and content suggestions. The update has rolled out in the US, Canada, and India so far The company has launched its AI business agent globally - the agent can answer user questions across all meta platforms, recommend products and close sales Meta has been testing letting creators form ‘Series’ from their videos across Instagram and Facebook - these videos, grouped by a theme or topic, would be displayed in a separate playback section on user profiles. The idea is to help creators build community with a clear theme Instagram - Exciting grid changes dominated Instagram’s updates this month Users can now reorder posts on their grid, as well as frames within a carousel. These features provide an opportunity for more storytelling and further engagement with audiences - for brands, the true value beyond making grid-takeover stunts simpler, is limited Instagram has launched multiple captions on carousels, allowing users to add different copy for each frame. This update is significant in increasing depth of storytelling, and opportunities to have content rank in Social Search results. Now, more than ever, carousels are a great format for content Video ads can now be placed at the end of Reels, giving companies an opportunity to get their product in front of already engaged users It is now possible to comment on posts with photos from your camera roll - this opens up an opportunity for deeper engagement with audiences - whether that be interactive content that prompts sharing, or replying to community content with images In the works for a while, Instagram has now officially launched Instagram Plus - some of the top features of the subscription are seeing how many times a story was rewatched, extending a story post beyond the 48 hours, and the ability to create as many audience lists as possible. These features give an opportunity to reach more people, and in a more intentional way. So far, it’s available in the US only, and the utility for brands doesn't seem significant, but, watch this space for its arrival on UK devices This month, Meta has re-launched Creator Marketplace, to compete with TikTok’s established Creator Marketplace. The feature facilitates brand-creator collaborations, with tools such as AI powered discovery and search, profile and portfolio navigation, creator lists and end-to-end collaboration - which help brands find the perfect creators for their campaigns, evaluate their insights with speed, and manage this process without leaving the platform LinkedIn - In June, LinkedIn focused on content creation features, whether that be facilitating creator content, AI content or introducing collaborative posts LinkedIn launched a creator marketplace - the new feature gives brands an opportunity to partner with creators in the US and Canada, in a push to reach and influence more B2B buyers. This update empowers creators to monetize their content on the app, and for brands to effectively target their audience The platform is testing collaborative posts - the feature would allow users to invite other users or pages to co-create posts, in a similar way to the existing feature on Instagram and TikTok. This update would create a new way of sharing company news or team achievements, and offers brands great opportunities to drive increased visibility on the platform through third parties. About time! LinkedIn has continued to expand its brand kit feature, which allows companies to set core brand colours, fonts and tone of voice, which is then used by LinkedIn’s AI feature to suggest future ads and content - it’s an evolution of existing use of AI in content creation for ad platforms, but is unlikely to revolutionise anything More post performance insights have been added to the platform - users will now be able to see a breakdown of who is viewing content and whether they have come from within or outside their network - this was already available at a profile level, but rolling this out to be able to dive into per post offers a greater understanding of who’s engaging with what content Google/Youtube - this month’s updates focus on giving users more control on how they show up on platforms Google has launched Search profiles, which is a personalised page where creators can exhibit their content, including articles, videos and social posts. Creators must have 100,000 followers to be eligible, and the feature is only available to US users currently Youtube has expanded in-app video sharing - as with Instagram and TikTok, users can now dm each other. This means more opportunity for brands to engage users on the platform Google has introduced Ask Ad Manager, which helps users get insights on existing content, as well as suggestions and insights on future content

What’s shifting on LinkedIn LinkedIn is making one argument from several directions: credibility and peer proof now decide B2B deals, not brands talking themselves up. The research explains why, and the product changes are LinkedIn building the tools to act on it. The research: what actually wins B2B deals LinkedIn and Bain spent three years studying how big enterprise buying decisions get made. The findings reframe what an exec should be doing on the platform. B2B deals are made by groups, and groups don't choose the best option, they choose the one that's safest to agree on. The strongest emotion isn't ambition, it's defensibility. Asked to rank their priorities, buyers put "I felt I could defend this decision even if it went wrong" above "I felt confident the product would work." Fear of messing up beats fear of missing out. Three numbers worth quoting to clients: Vendors are 20x more likely to be chosen when the whole buying group knows them from the start, not just the technical champion. Around half of all buying influence sits with hidden buyers in finance, legal and procurement, who rarely show up in a marketing funnel. Buyers are 3x more likely to choose a vendor their peers recommend than one promising a better product or lower price. What this means for how an exec shows up: Lead with proof, not features. Your job is to make choosing you feel safe, which means visible evidence you've helped companies like theirs succeed. Be known before the deal starts, by more than your champion. An exec's visibility isn't vanity, it's risk reduction for the buyer. If finance and procurement have never heard of you, your champion is defending you alone in a room you're not in. Put peer validation at the centre, not in a case-study library no one reads. People buy from vendors who feel like them, and from names their peers trust. To steal: stop posting about how good the product is. Start posting evidence that people like your buyer already chose you and succeeded. Creator Marketplace: buying credibility at scale What it is: Creator Marketplace, now live inside Campaign Manager, lets brands find vetted creators by topic, check their audience and performance, and contact them directly about partnerships. Why it matters: this is LinkedIn building the tool to act on its own research. If peer and expert voices decide deals, and 70% of marketers say buyers trust those voices over brand content, brands need a way to find them systematically rather than ad hoc. For any client running thought-leadership or influencer work, it turns sourcing from manual outreach into a searchable, vetted pool. To steal: "credibility is overtaking polished messaging," which 83% of B2B marketers agree with, is clean ammunition for the case that exec and creator presence beats corporate copy. Connected Apps: proving expertise instead of claiming it What it is: you can now connect the tools you use daily, like Salesforce, HubSpot, Adobe or GitHub, directly to your profile. Each one generates a specific line from your real activity, for example "creates and sends segmented email campaigns in HubSpot's Marketing Hub" rather than a flat "uses HubSpot." Heavy users get a "Top User" badge. Over a million members have already connected something. Why it matters: it's the Buyability principle applied to your own profile. The research says proof beats claims, and this is proof you can't fake, because it comes from actual usage, not a skills list anyone can pad. For execs and teams in technical, product or marketing roles, it does the same job as a peer recommendation: it lowers the risk of believing you. The catch: the line is app-generated and can't be edited, so it's proof you don't control the wording of. Action: check which of your core tools are available and connect the ones that genuinely sharpen your positioning. For technical and product execs it's a quick, high-trust add. Don't connect things that just clutter the profile. In-network vs out-of-network reach: finally, a real growth metric What it is: post analytics now split in-network reach (your existing connections and followers) from out-of-network reach (people finding you through feed recommendations, reshares and search). It's in the discovery section under impressions. Why it matters: a big impression number used to tell you nothing about whether you were growing or just talking to the same room. Now you can see the difference. The posts that travel out of network are the ones winning you new audience, and they're usually not the posts that land best with your existing followers. That makes this the single most useful input to a content plan. Action: next reporting cycle, read the in vs out split first. If the goal is growth, do more of whatever broke out of network. And remember document posts still drive the highest engagement of any format, per Socialinsider, and LinkedIn just made them more compact in the feed. Collaborative Posts: the reach fix brand pages have been waiting for What it is: LinkedIn is testing the ability for members and pages to co-author a single post, with every collaborator named at the top. Testing began with creators and brands at Cannes, with a wider rollout over the coming months. Why it matters: start with the problem it solves. Brand pages have big follower counts but poor reach, because the algorithm favours people over pages. Collab posts are the workaround: when a page co-authors with an individual, the post rides that person's reach and lands in both audiences at once. But the real implication is bigger. You can only co-author with people who are already active and credible on the platform. A page can't conjure a collaborator the moment it has news to share. So the feature is only as good as your bench of individuals who already post regularly and have built real audiences. That's the case for a proper exec and employee posting programme, made concrete. Not a one-off push when there's news, but an always-on set of credible voices inside the company, ready to collaborate when the page needs reach. The companies that win from this will be the ones who built that bench months earlier. Add Creator Marketplace for external voices, and you have the full roster: your own people, plus vetted creators. Action: nothing to ship today, but the real move comes first. Start building or expanding an exec and employee posting programme now, so the collaborators exist when the rollout lands. The page posting alone should stop being the default. GOOD POSTS THIS MONTH 1. Rohan Nayak, Co-Founder and CEO, Pocket FM The post: the press framed Pocket FM shutting down its Pocket TV beta as a failure ("Pocket FM shuts down Pocket TV"). Rather than let the headline stand, Rohan posted what actually happened: a five-month beta did exactly what a beta should, and here's what they learned. He shared real lessons, that retention, not acquisition, is the actual problem in micro-drama, and that they refused to compete on the category's dark-pattern auto-renewal economics. Then he reframed the whole thing: the beta succeeded, because it taught them something more valuable. (2,265 reactions, 176 comments, 45 reposts.) What he did: took a story framed against him and republished it on his own terms, leading with specifics rather than spin. Why it worked: he didn't get defensive. He conceded the surface fact (yes, we shut it down) and then went deeper than the headline could. Candour plus substance beats a rebuttal, and the dry closing line ("next time we shut down a beta, we'll schedule a press conference") signalled confidence, not wounded pride. The strong comment-to-reaction ratio shows it sparked real discussion. What to steal: when a story gets framed against you, don't argue with the framing, replace it. Concede the basic fact, then go deeper than the original coverage could with specifics only you have. 2. Ricardo Fort, Sponsorship Strategy Advisor The post: with the World Cup around, Ricardo took on ambush marketing, where brands ride an event's profile without paying to sponsor it. His contrarian point: most people assume it's a legal problem, but you rarely beat it in court. You beat it by activating your real sponsorship so well that ambushers can't compete. He drew on having worked multiple World Cups and Olympics. (90 reactions, 12 comments.) What he did: took a topic people think they understand and flipped the common assumption, backed by insider experience. Why it worked: he earns the argument through specifics. He doesn't say ambush marketing is fine, or illegal, he draws the exact line between what crosses into illegality and what stays just outside it, then lands a point most people wouldn't expect. Expertise plus a contrarian take gives the reader something they couldn't have worked out themselves. What to steal: find the place where the conventional wisdom is slightly wrong and you have the experience to correct it. "Everyone assumes X, but having done this, I've learned Y" beats restating what the reader already believes. 3. Eleanor Orebi Gann, Chief Communications Officer, Hiscox The post: Eleanor opened with a sharp memory, an early director who red-penned her drafts and binned anything with more than three marks. From there she built to a bigger argument: AI now lets anyone produce something that looks finished, but the red pen was never just about editing, it taught judgement by exposure. That training ground is vanishing faster than we're replacing it, and the people with least access to informal mentoring will be hit hardest. Her conclusion: a comms leader's job isn't to grieve the old system but to help design what replaces it. (110 reactions, 23 comments.) What she did: used a small, concrete memory as the way into a much bigger argument about the future of the profession. Why it worked: the opening is specific and a little uncomfortable, which earns attention, and she pays it off by widening to stakes that matter to her whole field. It sidesteps nostalgia by ending somewhere constructive, with a clear view on what leaders should actually do. What to steal: the structure is the lesson. Open with one concrete, personal detail rather than a general statement, then widen out to the bigger argument. A specific small moment is a far stronger way in than the abstract theme. THE MONTH AHEAD UK CALENDAR WINDOWS Q2 earnings season runs through the back half of the month, with most companies reporting between 13 and 31 July. This is the fixed point for any exec at or advising a listed company. The window around results is the highest-stakes posting moment of the quarter, and there's a clear gap between a CEO who frames their own numbers and one who leaves it to the press release. Plan exec commentary to land with the results, not a week later. The FIFA World Cup final (19 July) is the broadest cultural moment of the month. Unlike most sporting hooks, it's wide enough that execs in almost any sector can post into it credibly, on leadership, teamwork or what the tournament says about their market. An easy, low-risk moment for a leader who wants visibility without a heavy theme. Wimbledon finals (12 July) are softer and more situational, useful mainly for leaders whose brand is built on hospitality, culture or client entertainment. THE MONTH AHEAD US CALENDAR WINDOWS Independence Day (4 July) shapes the first week. In practice, it means a quiet posting window across the US from roughly 3 to 7 July, worth scheduling around rather than into. US Q2 earnings follow the same mid-to-late July rhythm as the UK, with banks reporting first (around 13 to 17 July) and big tech in the final week (27 to 31 July). Same principle: the exec voice should be ready to land with the numbers. Disability Pride Month (US, all July) is a genuine moment for leaders with a real story to tell on inclusion. The filter is authenticity. An exec with something substantive to say should; one reaching for a calendar peg shouldn't. THE MONTH AHEAD: BUILDING THEMES 1. Heatwave and climate move from seasonal story to exec talking point Why it's building: summer reliably pushes climate up the agenda, and it's one of the few big conversations almost any leader can enter credibly. As heatwaves hit through July and August, the entry points are unusually broad: operational resilience, duty of care to staff, supply-chain exposure, or genuine sustainability commitments. It's a rare theme that's relevant to a logistics CEO, an HR leader and a sustainability head alike. The filter, as ever, is substance over reflex. A leader with a real operational or sustainability angle adds something. A generic "stay cool out there" post doesn't. The strongest version connects the moment to how the business actually operates. What to do: for clients with a legitimate angle, draft ahead rather than reacting to the first hot week. The execs who say something specific about resilience, people or real commitments will stand out against the wave of generic weather posts. 2. Earnings season as an exec-comms test, not just an IR exercise Why it's building: it's seasonal, but the expectations around it have shifted. With Q2 results landing across late July and analysts expecting S&P 500 earnings growth above 20% for the second straight quarter, there's a lot of good news to communicate, and a widening gap between leaders who narrate their own results and those who stay silent behind the official statement. The exec post that explains the quarter in human terms is becoming expected, not optional. What to do: for any client at a listed company, treat the results window as a planned exec-comms moment with copy drafted in advance, not a reactive scramble. The leaders who own their narrative are setting the standard others are measured against. 3. EU AI Act: the transparency deadline gives execs a reason to speak Why it's building: a real deadline is landing, even after the recent delays. The Act's headline high-risk rules were pushed back to December 2027 in the May 2026 agreement, but the transparency obligations still take effect from 2 August 2026, requiring companies to disclose when content or interactions are AI-generated. For any client whose business uses AI in customer-facing ways, that deadline is now weeks away. The opportunity here isn't compliance, it's voice. AI governance is a topic boards, customers and staff are actively asking leaders about, and most execs say nothing because they're waiting for legal to hand them a line. The leader who speaks early and specifically about how their organisation approaches AI transparency and trust owns a high-credibility topic before their peers do.

The AI Act is the first-ever legal documentation on AI, which addresses the rules and regulations around it, and what needs to be disclosed on social media. It becomes applicable on 2nd August 2026. Who this applies to: EU-based organisations and EU-based organisations operating in the UK This applies directly. From 2 August 2026, you are legally considered an “operator” of any AI system used in your business activities, including AI-generated content produced by agencies on your behalf. Compliance sits with you as the brand. UK-based organisations If you’re operating in Europe: Brexit does not create an exemption. The EU AI Act has explicit extraterritorial scope: if your brand’s content, campaigns, or communications reach EU audiences, the regulation applies to that activity. UK businesses working with EU markets, subsidiaries, or consumers are firmly in scope. If you’re only operating in the UK: This wouldn’t apply. However, many of the provisions are reasonable good practice, in the way that images already often feature disclaimers if they’re not the exact model you’d receive in a showroom How it works, and what it changes: AI-generated or manipulated images, video, and audio must be clearly labelled if they could reasonably be perceived as real by an average viewer - think realistic car imagery, AI-generated people, or AI voiceovers. Clearly stylised or obviously unrealistic content is typically exempt. AI-generated text does not require a disclaimer if it has been reviewed, edited where necessary, and approved by a human. Standard AI-assisted copywriting with human sign-off is fine AI chatbots, voicebots, and human-like avatars must disclose to users that they are interacting with AI, not a person Type of Content Transparency Obligation applicable? Sample Disclaimer AI-generated images, videos and audio (“deepfakes”) Yes, if content is a deepfake (= content appears authentic or truthful) No, if unrealistic or artistic representations à In case of doubt, transparency obligations should be fulfilled. “AI-generated image” “This video was created using AI” “AI-generated content” AI-generated text Yes, if texts are published without human oversight or content is clearly presented as purely AI-generated without editorial responsibility No, if text is reviewed, adjusted if necessary and approved by a human à human assumes responsibility; AI may be used for drafting or ideation In most cases: No disclaimer required “This text was created with the assistance of AI” “AI-generated Text” AI-Chat- and Voicebots Yes, if user is interacting with an AI-Chat- or Voicebot “You are chatting with an AI-powered chatbot”. “You are interacting with an AI-powered voicebot”. AI-Avatars cf. transparency obligations for AI-generated images, videos and audio (“deepfakes”) cf. transparency obligations for AI chat- and voicebots where an AI avatar is used as a chat- or voicebot. cf. transparency obligations for AI-generated images, videos and audio (“deepfakes”) cf. transparency obligations for AI chat- and voicebots where an AI avatar is used as a chat- or voicebot. What's complicated with the act? It’s not very clear what using standard editing tools in Adobe which utilise AI means in practice. E.g. if one colour grades a video, and lets the software optimise it, does that count as AI? Or an image being auto resized? We suspect there will be further detailed guidance as the deadline approaches on some of these nuanced points.

The latest developments from all the social platforms, in one place, to help you identify what comes next in social Search is being rewritten, moving away from traditional search engines and towards dynamic, conversational and multi-platform discovery. Across platforms, new features are being introduced allowing users to make hotel reservations, watch a series, or book sessions with a business expert without ever leaving the app. The lines between discovery and action are becoming increasingly blurred. The power of video is also dominating. From the rise in the clipping economy to Instagram doubling down on long-form video and LinkedIn bringing back the video feed the message is clear - shorter attention spans don’t mean shorter content, they demand better content. Welcome to the clipping economy Content clipping is the process of taking long form content (e.g YouTube video, livestream or podcast) and literally “clipping” it into short highlights shared across platforms like Instagram and TikTok Whilst that has been around for some time, the economy of Clipping is on the rise - with brands and creators paying “Clippers” to curate several viral-worthy short form pieces of content in return for a percentage based on the views their clips generate It means content or memes that are seemingly being posted by “genuine” profiles could actually be part of a much bigger ecosystem of creators being paid per view (especially outside of the UK where disclosure laws differ) And now Spotify has even introduced a tool that allows users to clip specific parts of a podcast to listen to later, share with friends or on other social platforms Instagram continues to position itself as the app that facilitates real connections, as opposed to solely entertainment Instants landed on Instagram this month, allowing users to send filterless images to their friends (defined by Instagram as those who follow you, and you follow them) which can be viewed only once and disappear after 24 hours Instagram has been testing giving users the ability to display their interests on their profile and connect with those with similar interests. Up to five topics could be chosen, and this would also influence the content surfaced to a user. For brands, this could improve interest-based discovery and targeting, and especially more niche communities. It also means that there is power in content increasingly being designed for discoverability and relevance for interest and topic based searching The platform has continued refining the carousel format (following recent updates such as being able to rearrange photo order after publication), testing a new update that would allow users to add a caption to each frame in a carousel. This would further increase the value of the already successful format, by enhancing storytelling ability and content clarity, which could yet again support more opportunities for discoverability Instagram is looking at long-form content’s place on its platform, especially when it comes to consuming content on the bigger screen, according to the platform’s Vice President of Product. YouTube’s success in outperforming other video streaming services, such as Netflix, is significant, as is LinkedIn’s recent rollout of Connected TV. While this is not yet a confirmed platform change, it is indicative of a wider shift into long-form content and connected TV viewing Creators who regularly post AI-generated content will now have an AI-creator label. This shows the platforms’ push for transparency of “authentic” content and users LinkedIn continues to refine its user experience by incorporating further AI features, reintroducing a video feed, and bringing business directly to users within the app LinkedIn’s dedicated video feed has officially returned to the UK and is now rolling out more globally, creating opportunities for content to surface beyond local audiences and existing networks. The platform has combined this rollout with advice for best practise video content, which includes consistent posting (with two videos a week being optimal), keeping to authentic points of view and clear communication LinkedIn is continuing to evolve from a networking platform into a business-generating platform, introducing a new feature which will allow consultants and experts to book paid sessions directly by users clicking on a ‘Get Advice From Me’ button on the consultant profile. This feature is available to LinkedIn’s Premium Business users currently and creates new opportunities for specialists, consultants and senior partners to generate leads and book 1-1s via their LinkedIn, making individual employee profiles an even more valuable tool The platform is incorporating more AI tools to improve the recommendations shown in users’ feeds. AI-powered generative recommendations look at a user's entire activity ecosystem moving beyond isolated actions. It means better quality relevant content should you find it’s way to you, and opens up the doors for individuals to get discovered Facebook continues to focus on AI with developments to an app to train AI, and developing AI agents. Meta has launched a new app, Forum, which offers a separate place for authentic group discussion, not dissimilar from a Reddit-style forum. All the groups that a user is a part of on Facebook are transferred to the app. This app is likely created as a source for Meta’s AI to train on - Reddit is now one of the most cited sources for AI chatbot answers, due to answers and opinions being vetted and upvotes to show relevancy Meta is focusing on developing agentic AI tools, which would be able to undertake tasks such as shopping on behalf of users. Although not yet a confirmed platform update, this is in line with wider trends moving beyond AI being used as simply a question-and-answer tool TikTok’s latest updates are indicative of a wider trend towards one-stop-shop commerce platforms that seamlessly combine content discovery, advertising and in-app purchasing. TikTok has introduced TikTok GO, which will allow users in the US to book local experiences, hotels and tours directly from the app. Users will discover these bookable options in the same way content is surfaced to them, and the platform has partnered with big names like Booking.com, Trip.com, and GetYourGuide. This will give content creators new earning opportunities, and drive bookings for businesses, while closing the attribution gap between a user getting inspired and making a purchase During the 6th annual TikTok World Summit, the platform introduced some new features. Some key updates include: The introduction of features such as AutoSelection and Summary, which analyse which ad content will perform the best and give actionable optimisation suggestions Following the launch of its mini-series feature, TikTok has introduced the ad solution TikTok Growth Max, meaning creators and brands can automatically target and monetise their short-form shows directly in the TikTok app Google has continued to deepen its enhancements to traditional search with AI features Google has published new Search guidance, confirming that traditional SEO fundamentals remain important for visibility in Google’s AI-generated results. It reinforces the importance of a strong SEO approach existing within a broader discoverability strategy for non-Google AI platforms They’ve also added new AI features including, what they say is their biggest update in over 25 years, to the Search box. AI-powered suggestions can help formulate user questions, and it is possible to search across different types of media - using text, image, files or Chrome tabs as input The development of information agents continues this summer (first for Google AI Pro and Ultra Subsrcribers). These new agents will scope the web, looking at blogs, news and social information to update users on key changes around their searches

What is clipping? Clipping means taking sections of longer video content, and clipping them to make them more digestible and relevant via short form video platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube shorts. The main challenge is to make the content comprehensible to someone who lacks context on the wider people or topic discussed. It involves grabbing attention through the short, snappy hooks. This act of Clipping then distributes the content more widely than the original content, via third party distribution and algorithms. Is clipping new? There’s a case to be made that ‘clipping’ is as old as the internet. Iconic memes such as ‘Charlie bit my finger’ are examples of the genre. Sports highlights have done the same principle since video could be distributed. Hollywood has done this for years with segments of films created to make compelling pre-release YouTube content. But, it began with streamers fans, who would take the relevant sections of Twitch streams and edit them to make it accessible to people who didn’t want to sit through hours of a Twitch stream. However, the rise of the ‘clipper’ is the more recent phenomenon. These are individuals who will ‘clip’ content from creators and distribute it. There were versions in the earlier social internet, who would retweet things for money, and this an evolution. Spotify has even introduced a feature right in the app to facilitate it. Why would someone clip content? Money. Clippers are paid, by the content creators, on a CPM basis, to distribute their content. So, for every thousand views they accrue for the original creator, they get paid. Whilst some do it for genuine fandom, most do it for £. How can brands get involved in clipping? Product placement in clipped content - e.g. a drink next to the mic for a podcast segment Create their own content which merits being clipped - and commission clipping. A challenge for most brands Is clipping for brands legal in the UK? The ASA and CMA regulations around content disclosure make it difficult to clip content without full #AD disclosure, which would undermine most clipping activity. So, in short, it’s possible, but it’s likely to be challenging in the algorithms. Then the US, with laxer disclosure rules is likely to retain a significantly higher share of activity. Examples of clipping Justin Bieber and Coachella Jay Shetty’s podcast Popular reality TV shows e.g. Married at First Sight, or Below Deck

What’s shifting on LinkedIn Last month we covered the feed overhaul: LinkedIn rebuilt ranking to reward original, specific, structured content. This month, three developments extend that same logic, one inside LinkedIn's feed, one in how AI search engines use LinkedIn, and one across the platform's wider recommendation engine. The pattern for execs is consistent: specific, genuine, expertise-led content is rewarded; generic content is increasingly penalised. LinkedIn is now suppressing AI "slop” Generic AI content now gets limited reach by default. Genuine perspective is what travels. LinkedIn has introduced detection systems, built with its editorial team, that identify "AI slop", content that reads as polished but adds no real perspective, context or expertise. When a post or comment is flagged as generic, its distribution is capped: it's far less likely to reach anyone beyond the author's immediate network. The system also targets two specific behaviours: comments posted at scale through automation tools and comments that simply restate the original post. Separately, LinkedIn has extended its verified-member filter to comments and feed conversations, so members can now screen for the 100M+ verified accounts when they engage. 94% - LinkedIn's reported accuracy at identifying generic content in early testing. Implication: This raises the cost of AI-drafted posting. An exec using AI to produce polished but generic content isn't just getting weaker engagement; they may be getting actively limited reach. It also works in favour of execs who post with genuine expertise: as slop is suppressed, well-sourced content has less noise to compete with. Action: Audit how AI is used in your exec's posting process. AI is fine for tightening language or structure, but the post needs a specific point of view, first-hand experience, or expertise the model couldn't produce alone. Before publishing, apply one test: could anyone in this role have posted this? If yes, it needs more of the exec in it. LinkedIn content is now feeding AI search answers AI search answers are increasingly built from LinkedIn, and it's individual execs, not company pages, that get cited. New research from Meltwater analysed 9.5 million AI citations across six models, including ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini. It found that LinkedIn is the second most-cited source for B2B answers, behind only YouTube. Two findings matter most for exec comms. First, 75% of LinkedIn citations came from individual member profiles, not company pages, AI tools lean on identifiable expert voices. Second, structured content wins: articles and text posts made up 83% of citations, and the most-cited pieces used clear headings, lists, specific names, data and pricing. Generic thought leadership rarely gets cited. 75% share of LinkedIn's AI-search citations that come from individual profiles, not company pages. Implication: This adds a second reason for execs to post, beyond feed reach. Content an exec publishes now also shapes whether they, and their company, surface when someone asks an AI tool about their domain. It reinforces last month's finding: structured, specific content wins, and it's now winning in two places. Action: Frame at least one exec post or article each month around a question a buyer would genuinely ask an AI tool, a comparison, a how-to, a decision framework, structured with clear headings and specifics. This is the same structured-content principle from last month's document-post recommendation, applied to a second channel. LinkedIn's recommendation engine is being rebuilt around the whole profile LinkedIn is rebuilding recommendations to read members as a continuous professional story, making a consistent signal across the whole profile matter more than before. LinkedIn's CTO has set out the next phase of its recommendation technology: a shift to "generative recommenders", sequence-based models that interpret a member's behaviour over time rather than scoring each interaction in isolation. Practically, this connects systems that used to run separately. Engagement with content in the feed can now influence the jobs a member is shown, the people suggested to them, and the notifications they receive. LinkedIn's framing is that professional identity evolves over time, so its systems should read members as a continuous trajectory, not a series of one-off moments. "Activity in one part of LinkedIn now shapes recommendations across the whole platform." Implication: An exec's professional signal is now cumulative and cross-platform. A profile, posting history and engagement that consistently point at the same expertise will compound, the system gets a clearer, more confident read. A scattered presence gives it less to work with. This is the direction set by last month's feed and people-search changes, now applied platform-wide. Action: Treat consistency as a deliverable. The exec's headline, About section, posting topics and the content they engage with should all point at the same expertise. This builds on last month's profile audit, the goal is a coherent signal across everything the exec does on LinkedIn, not just an optimised profile. GOOD POSTS THIS MONTH Event Spotlight: UKREiiF How a major industry event actually played out on LinkedIn, and what broke through. Most event coverage was reflection. The posts that broke through made an argument. UKREiiF brought more than 16,000 delegates to Leeds over three days (19-21 May), and with them a wave of LinkedIn content, pre-event promotion, live-from-the-floor posts, and a flood of post-event reflections. We looked across the most visible coverage of the event to see what most people did, and what actually cut through. What most people posted The bulk of coverage was reflection. Individuals posted on the value of networking, what a worthwhile few days it had been, and thank-yous to session hosts and contributors. A thinner, more substantive layer sat underneath, takes on the tone of the forecasts (split between optimism and political uncertainty) and the future of industry recruitment. Executives, where they posted, leaned towards promoting their company's presence and thanking their teams. Brand pages were notably quiet, only a handful of major contractors (Wates, Balfour Beatty, Laing O'Rourke, Mace) covered the event from their company pages at all, with Morgan Sindall sitting it out entirely. People-led coverage was the dominant mode by some distance. The takeaway: most event coverage is warm, personal and largely interchangeable, good for relationships, close to invisible for reach. ~1 in 3 UKREiiF ads ran from an executive's personal profile, not a company page. Of 332 UKREiiF ads live on LinkedIn, roughly a third came from executives rather than brand pages, with the most active advertiser, AECOM, promoting executive attendance through personal accounts. The signal: brands are increasingly putting paid weight behind their executives' personal profiles, not just the company page. What broke through The clearest finding from a 100-post sample of the most visible coverage: the two highest-engaged posts both made an argument and carried no images at all. Against a backdrop of personal photos and thanks, pure substantive commentary outperformed everything else. The #1 post was a critique of the event itself, an architect calling out the lack of representation for smaller construction industry companies. The #2 was Tom Goodall, CEO of Related Argent, who built his post around a single concrete argument: that the second staircase requirement for tall residential buildings is disproportionate. He backed it with figures he cited from his session panel, one death prevented every 6,135 years against an estimated 18,000 London homes a year going unbuilt. The post drew 355 reactions, 28 comments and 11 reposts, with comment density well above the reflection posts, signalling genuine debate rather than passive acknowledgement. The top post in the 100-post sample carried no images at all. Argument outperformed everything else. People-focused imagery can help when used, but it didn't drive the top performers. Two further patterns worth noting. The top performers all came from accounts with at least a modest follower base, roughly 3-4K minimum. Argument carries, but it still needs some distribution to land. And one pre-event post stood out: the National Wealth Fund's CEO opened a real question about the focus of their work rather than the usual "looking forward to UKREiiF”, a useful reminder that pre-event is a much thinner field than post-event, and substantive intent cuts through more easily there. What to steal When your exec attends an event, the default post, "great few days, thanks to everyone”, is the one nobody remembers. The posts that break through take one specific idea from the event and make an argument with it, ideally with evidence. Specificity is the whole game. Three practical layers underneath. Tagging session chairs and contributors does meaningfully boost distribution, but treat it as a device to layer onto a substantive post, not the post itself. People-focused imagery helps engagement when you use it, though the top performers used none at all, argument is the lead, not the image. And the broader principle the data reinforces: individual voices outperform company pages on event coverage, even the best-performing brand post (240 engagements from a Wates careers entry) was comfortably outranked by the top individual posts. It's a people-over-pages moment. Zoe Yujnovich, CEO, National Grid Answer the question outsiders actually ask, with specifics, not abstractions. Yujnovich opens with the question people genuinely put to her, "How are grids changing? Isn't it still just… wires?", and then answers it. Not with strategy language, but with three concrete examples of what's actually happening: a software investment to manage 6 GW of incoming data centre demand, a project moving more power through existing lines in New York, and AI-plus-satellite work to predict outages in Massachusetts. Each example is a specific place, a specific technology, and a specific outcome. Only once the reader has seen those three tangible proof points does she introduce the headline figure, nearly $100bn of investment through 2031. By then it reads as real, because it's been earned. What she did: Took a complex, easily-ignored infrastructure topic and made it legible, opening with the layperson's question and answering it with concrete specifics rather than abstractions. Why it worked: The naive-question hook is disarming; it meets the reader where they are instead of assuming they already care. And the specifics carry the substance, "6 GW of data centre demand" and "predicting vegetation damage from satellite data" do the work that "investing in the future" never could. It's the opposite of the polished-but-empty post: concrete where Lockhart's was abstract. What to steal: If your exec works in a field outsiders find complex or dull, start with the question those outsiders actually ask, in their words, then answer it with one vivid, specific example rather than a paragraph of strategic language. And earn the big numbers: lead with the tangible proof, and the headline figure lands as credible rather than as a boast. WHAT LINKEDIN NEWS IS PRIORITISING (AND WHAT'S NEXT) Special: LinkedIn's new Top Voices The new Top Voices list is the clearest public statement LinkedIn gives of what it rewards, most useful to execs as a benchmark, not a target. LinkedIn News UK has named this quarter's Top Voices, its invite-only cohort of experts, leaders and creators the editorial team has chosen to elevate. It shows, in one place, the kind of content and contributor LinkedIn's editorial team actively backs. What they're looking for, and why LinkedIn publishes its criteria, and they line up with everything the feed itself now rewards: a genuine, original voice; demonstrated subject-matter expertise; consistency of presence; and content that is trustworthy and professional. Crucially, editorial judgement decides it, not data alone. The "why" is clearest in the posts LinkedIn singled out as ones it loved. Read across the cohort, and almost none are recaps or announcements; they explain something: how AI changes a specific job, what a piece of research actually means, why an economic shift matters to a particular sector. Specificity and a point of view, the same standard runs through this whole edition. The topics also signal what's resonating with LinkedIn's editorial right now: the limits and ethics of AI and the human role alongside it, economic and geopolitical instability, energy and power, and human judgment in an automated world. The cohort includes a strong run of genuine C-suite voices, among them the CEOs of Aldi, HSBC, Virgin Atlantic, Balfour Beatty and National Grid. What it takes to make it in LinkedIn's own guidance is simple, and it doubles as a checklist for any exec's posting: •Post consistently, not in occasional bursts •Stay within a defined area of genuine expertise •Add something, explain or argue, don't just announce •Vary topics and formats •Engage in the comments; treat posting as a conversation, not a broadcast Implication: The list is effectively a public rubric. It confirms that LinkedIn rewards exactly what the rest of this edition describes, original, specific, expertise-led content, and puts editorial weight behind it. But Top Voices is invite-only and editorially decided, so it isn't a goal an exec can directly engineer. Its real value is as a clear, external standard of what "good" looks like on the platform. Action: Use the criteria as a benchmark, not a target to chase. Audit your posting against the cohort's standard, consistent, anchored in a defined expertise, explaining rather than announcing. If the content already meets that bar, recognition tends to follow; if it doesn't, that gap is the work. Top Voices isn’t the goal; it should be positioned as the standard your content should meet. THE MONTH AHEAD UK CALENDAR WINDOWS June 11 onward – FIFA World Cup. The tournament runs 11 June to 19 July, with England and Scotland both competing. Expect professional attention to dip around major match windows, avoid scheduling important posts into an England or Scotland kick-off. Treat it as a content topic with caution: post about it only with a genuine connection, and be wary of the well-worn sport-as-leadership-metaphor. June 15 – One-off Bank Holiday in Scotland. Marking Scotland's World Cup qualification. For Scotland-based execs and audiences, a lower-engagement day, post either side. June - Pride Month. A high-volume posting period. As with Mental Health Awareness Week in May, the risk is performative content. Execs should post only with something specific and genuine, a concrete commitment, a policy, a real position, not a generic statement of support. THE MONTH AHEAD US CALENDAR WINDOWS June 12 onward – FIFA World Cup. The US is a host nation and plays its opening match on 12 June, so this is a major domestic attention event, not just a sporting one. Same guidance as the UK: mind the dip around big matches, and only treat it as a content topic with a real connection. June 19 – Juneteenth. The one federal holiday in June, federal offices and banks close, and it falls on a Friday, so expect a long weekend dip in activity from midweek. It is also a significant cultural moment: if a US exec posts about Juneteenth itself, it needs genuine substance, a real commitment or perspective, not a brief acknowledgement, which tends to read as hollow. June 30 – End of Q2. A natural business-cycle marker. For finance and corporate execs there's a content window around a considered half-year reflection - provided it's specific and grounded, not a generic "halfway through the year" post. June - Pride Month. As in the UK, a high-volume period, but in the US, corporate participation has become a more politically contested and deliberate decision than it once was. Execs should be clear on their own and their company's genuine position before posting, and post only with specific intent. THE MONTH AHEAD: BUILDING THEMES AI is consolidating around authenticity and governance. The thread running through this whole edition, LinkedIn's slop crackdown, AI search, the Top Voices themes, points one way: the conversation has moved from AI capability to AI trust, the human role, and responsible use. Execs who can speak to specific, real-world, responsibly implemented AI have the strongest window; generic AI commentary will land flat. The economic mood won't lighten. Inflation, cost pressure and workforce uncertainty remain the backdrop into summer. Practical, specific content grounded in real operational experience continues to outperform aspirational or abstract takes. Summer travel and energy costs will sharpen. The disruption flagged as building in May matures this month as the booking season peaks. Travel, hospitality, energy and consumer-sector execs have a natural content window opening, a chance to speak to a story their audiences are now living.

Everyone is asking, ‘what is Instagram Instant?’ Here’s a breakdown on the new feature, how it works, and whether it belongs in your brand strategy. What is Instagram Instant? Instant on Instagram is a new feature for brands, consumers and influencers, that lets users send disappearing, unedited photos directly to friends via DMs. Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri frames it as a way to share casual and in-the-moment content - no filters, no editing, and no uploaded branded assets. This feature fits neatly into Instagram’s push for authenticity and creator/community content on the platform. To use it, head to your DM tab, tap the photo pile in the bottom-right corner, and your camera opens instantly. Snap, send, gone. Once it’s viewed, the photo disappears forever. Screenshots are blocked too. It’s got some broad similarities to BeReal and Snapchat, therefore. Can brands use it? Yes. However, there is one important constraint for brands: Instant in Instagram only works between mutually-followed accounts. So, your brand page would need to follow users back, or have added them to a close-friends list before they can receive your Instants. The following back is a key aspect which will limit the effectiveness for many brands, who choose not to do this at scale. Should brand marketers care? Right now, the honest answer is that there are bigger priorities for brands to pursue in the platform. It’s most useful for niche, community-first use cases right now, due to the need to follow back. It will especially not benefit brands pursuing broad reach, or performance marketing. Here’s a quick breakdown on the pros and cons: Where it can work Where it falls short Teasing a launch to a tight VIP close friends list No paid placements (organic only) Behind-the-scenes content that feels exclusive No analytics or reporting (so far) Building intimacy with a small, highly engaged community No camera roll uploads or branded assets Reach is limited to mutual followers only For any activity requiring scale, measurement or designed brand assets, Instagram stories remain your best bet. It already does the job, and does it better. Our verdict: Instagram Instant is one to watch, but not one to activate right now. Add this to your test-and-learn list, but don’t deprioritise Stories in its favour. If community-building is a key pillar of your strategy, a curated close friends list could be a low-effort way to experiment.

What’s shifting on LinkedIn Last month, we covered LinkedIn's feed ranking overhaul: the platform now uses LLMs to match profiles to content semantically. New benchmark data suggests the shift is already changing what formats get rewarded. The content formats winning on LinkedIn have changed Socialinsider's 2026 benchmarks report analysed 1.3 million LinkedIn posts across 16,645 business pages (Jan 2024–Dec 2025). Three findings stand out: 1.Native document posts (PDFs uploaded as carousels) now lead engagement at 7.00%, a 14% year-on-year increase. They outperform video, image, and text posts. This mirrors what's working on other platforms: carousels give the algorithm strong interest signals (each swipe is a fresh engagement) and a second chance to hook the reader if the opening frame doesn't land 2.Video views have dropped 36% year-on-year across every page size. One caveat: this is brand-page data, individual execs with authority on a topic can still travel well on video. But the broader signal stands. LinkedIn is not a video-first platform 3.Overall engagement is up 8% to an average of 5.20%, with gains across all formats except polls and links The picture for exec-level posting is clear: original, structured, information-rich content is being rewarded. This aligns with the feed changes from last month, the algorithm is matching content to audience intent, and document posts deliver the kind of specific, quotable value it's looking for. Implication: Execs who default to short text posts or reshared links are leaving reach on the table. The feed is rewarding depth and specificity. Action: Test a monthly document post, a framework, a set of principles, a data-backed perspective on an industry shift. These don't need to be designed. A clean PDF with a clear point will outperform a polished video with a generic one. LinkedIn is rebuilding how people search works LinkedIn has expanded AI-powered people search to all US members, moving it beyond the Premium tier where it launched last year. The search now uses natural language, members describe who they're looking for the way they'd say it out loud, and the system matches on intent rather than exact keywords. Alongside this, LinkedIn is rolling out AI-generated profile summaries in search results. These show why a person appeared in results, drawing on their experience and any shared history with the searcher (previous company, school, mutual connections). Verification badges now also appear directly in search results. This matters because it extends the same logic we flagged last month: LinkedIn's systems are now reading profiles semantically, not literally. Last month it was the feed doing this for content distribution. Now it's search doing it for people discovery. Implication: Your exec's profile is now working in two directions, determining what content reaches which audience and determining whether they show up when someone searches for expertise in their space. A vague or outdated profile costs them on both fronts. Action: Revisit the profile audit from last month with search in mind. The headline, About section, and skills fields now need to work for two systems, not one. If your exec is a CFO who talks about capital allocation, their profile should say that, not just "Finance Leader | Driving Growth." LinkedIn now reaches professional audiences on connected TV LinkedIn has launched CTV (Connected TV) Ads, extending its professional targeting to streaming platforms. Advertisers can now reach LinkedIn audiences while they watch content on services including NBCUniversal. The relevant data point: LinkedIn reported that its CTV ads were 11x more cost-effective than linear TV at reaching B2B audiences, and extended unique campaign reach by more than 70% beyond linear TV in a Salesforce case study. This is primarily an advertising product, but it signals where LinkedIn is heading, professional identity as a cross-platform targeting layer, not just an on-platform content feed. Implication: This is also where video earns its place. The brand-page data shows declining video views on the feed, but CTV is a video-first environment by definition. For B2B campaigns, the strategic split is becoming clearer, text and document posts for organic feed reach, video for paid distribution across CTV and other screens. Action: For exec comms specifically, no immediate action, but worth tracking as LinkedIn's identity graph expands beyond the platform. GOOD POSTS THIS MONTH Eva Benn, Principal Microsoft Security Name the uncomfortable truth, then give the playbook. Eva takes the Fast Company report on AI sabotage, 29% of workers actively undermining their company's AI strategy, and does something most commentators didn't: she explains why it's happening and what to do about it. She reframes the story away from employee blame and toward a leadership failure. Workers aren't resisting because they don't understand AI. They're resisting because they don't trust how it's being implemented. From there she gives four specific actions: remove ambiguity, make incentives explicit, invest in real enablement, measure behaviour not rollout. 198 reactions, 73 comments, 36 reposts. The comment-to-reaction ratio is the standout, more than one comment for every three reactions. That signals genuine debate, not passive scrolling. What they did: Took a headline stat and reframed it as a leadership problem with a concrete response. Why it worked: She has direct credibility (security at Microsoft), the post has a clear point of view without being inflammatory, and the four actions give readers something to take away. It's also perfectly timed against the AI backlash theme running through LinkedIn News this month. What they did: When a provocative stat lands, don't just react to it, reframe who it's really about and give your audience a short, action list. The structure is: here's the headline, here's what's actually driving it, here's what to do. Susan Kohlhaas, Executive Director of Research and Partnerships, Alzheimer's Research UK Correct the headline. Show your working. A Cochrane review generated headlines claiming Alzheimer's drugs "don't work." Susan pushes back, carefully. She explains the methodological issue (pooling failed drugs with newer treatments that show modest benefit dilutes the signal), flags where the review's conclusions go further than the evidence, and then does something rare: she acknowledges the limitations honestly. These treatments aren't a cure. They offer modest benefits with real risks. But that's not the same as saying they don't work. 321 reactions, 50 comments, 54 reposts. The repost number is telling, people wanted to amplify this, not just agree with it. What they did: Took a misleading headline, broke down exactly where it went wrong, and offered a nuanced correction without overclaiming. Why it worked: This is the Julia Crosby model from last month, don't reshare the news, translate it. Susan goes one step further by tagging the specific researchers worth listening to, positioning herself as a connector, not just a commentator. Her profile aligns exactly with her content, which is what the current feed rewards. What to steal: When a headline misrepresents something in your exec's domain, the post writes itself: here's what the headline says → here's what the evidence actually shows → here's what still matters. Close by tagging the voices worth following. It builds authority and earns reposts. Andy Briggs MBE, Group CEO, Standard Life plc The acquisition post that earns reactions but misses conversation. Andy announces Standard Life's acquisition of Aegon UK, a major deal giving the combined business £480bn in assets and 16 million customers. It's clearly significant. He includes a personal line ("this long-term savings challenge is something I've cared deeply about throughout my career") and welcomes colleagues from Aegon. 1,366 reactions, 20 comments, 24 reposts. The reaction count is strong. But 20 comments on a post with that many reactions is a ratio of roughly 1:68, compared to Eva Benn's 1:3 and Susan Kohlhaas's 1:6. The audience acknowledged it, but they didn't engage with it. What they did: Announced a major acquisition with a clear strategic rationale and a personal note. Why it fell short of its potential: The structure reads like a press release with a personal paragraph grafted on. The strategic rationale is there, but the human layer, the story of why this moment matters to him specifically, what the journey looked like, what was hard, is thin. What to steal: When your exec has a major announcement, the press release will already be public. The LinkedIn post needs to be the version only they can write. Lead with the personal, explain the "why" through their eyes, name people. The information will reach the audience anyway, the post's job is to make them feel something about it. WHAT LINKEDIN NEWS IS PRIORITISING (AND WHAT'S NEXT) Economic pressure is hardening The cautious mood we flagged last month has sharpened. Through April, LinkedIn News has consistently surfaced stories on UK food inflation reaching 9%, the IMF warning of global recession risk, further inflation warnings, BBC cutting 2,000 jobs, and the EU relaxing competition rules. This isn't a single news cycle, it's a sustained editorial thread. Implication: LinkedIn's audience is reading this backdrop every day. Exec content that ignores it or defaults to optimism will feel disconnected. Action: Execs in finance, advisory, and leadership roles should be grounding their content in this reality. Practical perspectives on navigating cost pressure, workforce planning under uncertainty, or what a tighter environment actually means for their sector will resonate. Abstract commentary won't. AI backlash has overtaken AI curiosity Last month we noted the shift from hype to anxiety. In April, it's gone further, LinkedIn News is now running stories about active resistance: "one in three sabotage AI at work," "workers complain of AI workslop," "white-collar risks need humans," "when AI is not the answer," "a chatbot is not a doctor." Implication: The audience mood around AI has moved from curiosity through concern into scepticism. Pure AI enthusiasm from execs will land poorly. Action: Posts that acknowledge the tension, opportunity alongside genuine risk, will outperform those that pick a side. Execs with direct experience implementing AI responsibly have the strongest angle here. Those without specific expertise should be cautious about wading in. Energy disruption is building quietly Jet fuel shortages, flight delays across Europe, and a scramble to avert a broader fuel crisis have appeared repeatedly through April. These aren't headline-dominating yet, but they're accumulating. With summer approaching and oil prices under pressure from ongoing US/Iran tensions, this is likely to sharpen. Flight costs, supply chain stress, and cost-of-living knock-ons will all become more visible. Implication: This is an emerging story, not a current one. But for execs in energy, logistics, travel, or consumer-facing sectors, it's about to become their audience's primary concern. Action: No need to post reactively now. But if your exec operates in an affected sector, start preparing a perspective for late May or June when the story matures. THE MONTH AHEAD CALENDAR WINDOWS May 4 - Early May Bank Holiday. Lower posting volume, lower engagement. Post either side, not during. May 7 - Local, Scottish Parliament, Senedd, and mayoral elections. A major moment across the UK. LinkedIn News will cover it. For execs in policy-adjacent sectors (property, infrastructure, public services, devolved industries), there's a content window around what results mean for their space. For everyone else, stay out unless there's a direct connection. May 11–17 - Mental Health Awareness Week. This is a high-volume posting period on LinkedIn. The risk is performative content that adds nothing. Execs should only post here if they have something specific to say, a policy their company has implemented, a personal experience, a concrete commitment. Generic "mental health matters" posts will be lost in the noise. May 25 - Spring Bank Holiday. Same as May 4 - reduced attention. Plan around it. THE MONTH AHEAD BUILDING THEMES US/Iran tensions will keep running. Even with the two-week ceasefire in early April, the downstream effects, energy prices, supply chain disruption, geopolitical uncertainty, will persist. This story isn't going away in May. Execs in energy, defence, logistics, and financial services should be prepared for it to escalate. AI regulation will intensify. If regulators are already responding to capability claims in April, expect legislative and institutional noise to pick up through May. This favours execs who can speak to governance, responsible implementation, or sector-specific implications, not general AI commentary. The economic mood won't lighten. Inflation, recession risk, and workforce restructuring will remain the backdrop. Content that is practical, specific, and grounded in real operational experience will continue to outperform aspirational or abstract takes. Summer travel costs will sharpen. As booking season peaks, the energy disruption story from this month will become a consumer-facing one. Travel, hospitality, and consumer-sector execs have a natural content window opening.

There’s a LinkedIn product that very few are making the most of. It’s not video. It’s not ads. It’s LinkedIn Newsletters . What are LinkedIn Newsletters? Newsletters are a way to talk about a professional topic you’re passionate about on a regular basis through LinkedIn. They can be set up by brands or people for all LinkedIn members to subscribe to. Here’s the useful bit: when you create a newsletter, existing followers are alerted to it, inviting them to subscribe so you can create a following from day one. They also make it easy to create buzz around them, with push, in-app, and email notifications pinged to subscribers every time you post. Why do LinkedIn Newsletters matter more now? LinkedIn recently published guidance on getting cited by AI tools. Key here was Articles, which drive around 60% of citations. Why? Their longer-form nature allows for depth of insight which LLMs LOVE 💚 The same is true for Newsletters. Because they’re longer-form, regular pieces of content, that often dive deep into niche topics, they’re great for AI visibility. PLUS, they’re easy to distribute and get in front of key audiences, meaning metrics can be great on them too. When attention matters more than ever, that’s important. What content to include in a LinkedIn Newsletter? Your LinkedIn Newsletters can be whatever you want to make it. Broadly, we see four different types of Newsletter, including: A regular post round-up  in which you pull out key posts from the past month, helping extend their organic reach, and giving them a new lease of life (this is a great way to fuel a Newsletter with no additional effort or content creation!) Long-form topic deep-dives , or personal notes, especially for execs, providing a format to go all-in on a niche topic, or round-up of recent events (similar to LinkedIn articles) A collection of third-party content  you find interesting, whether from employees across the business, wider industry commentators, or broader news sources You could also consider LinkedIn Newsletters to be a Substack equivalent, distributed straight to your existing followers with the potential to grow your audience too.  Who does LinkedIn Newsletters well? Newsletters can be used by both brand pages, and people, and can centre on any topic. A few we think are interesting are: Google’s Monthly AI Recap , published each month to summarise their AI announcements, updates, and breakthroughs PwC’s ‘The Spotlight’ , a monthly deep dive into the issues affecting us all, told through short-form video bites featuring senior execs Vodafone’s monthly policy digest  from telecoms across Europe Virgin Media 02’s Monthly Social Wrap , re-linking to key content shared throughout the month  BP Energy in Focus , a bi-weekly summary of corporate announcements from across the organisation   Priniple Perspectives by Ray Dalio , an ongoing flow of research and perspectives about the economy, markets, life and work Ask Richard by Richard Branson , used as a format for answering audience questions with long-form answers JLL’s Christian Ulbrich on Leadership Perspectives , reviewing key events both within, and outside JLL, from Davos, to their latest organisational strategy So, what’s the opportunity? We see Newsletters as LinkedIn’s most underutilised feature. Here are three ways you can trial them: As a brand page, to share regular summaries of company news, or a download of content from the past month (ICYMI!) From an exec page, to demonstrate deep expertise in specialist topic areas Within a paid journey , with ads re-targeting users who opened and engaged with your Newsletter, forming part of a wider customer journey