Before we dive in, a reminder to please fill out the 2026 Social Media Salary Survey. The data that comes out of it has helped marketers negotiate raises and advocate for more headcount. The more responses we get, the more helpful the final report will be. It should only take about five minutes.
Last week, friend of the newsletter Rohan Kumar tweeted, “The story of making the content is more important than the content.”
When I first wrote about why AI might lead to more “proof of reality” posts over a year ago, it was more about making sure social teams captured behind-the-scenes footage of campaigns they were already working on. Save your receipts in case someone accuses you of using AI.
But something funny happened. “Proof of reality” posts started outperforming the campaigns. The stories-within-the-story functioned as audience on-ramps to the bigger message.
It would only make sense that the next evolution of this is brands engineering campaigns with, what I call, “context loops” in mind. The big idea still matters, but each creative decision can also work downstream from the sub-stories that will travel furthest online. That’s what I’ll be covering in today’s newsletter.
How to build context loops into your campaign
Examples from Rare Beauty, Microsoft, and Birkenstock
Why I refuse to call BTS posts an “anti-AI trend”
A conversation with the stop motion artist every brand is working with
Below you’ll also find a link to join the Link in Bio Discord, which one member says is “as close as you can get to the pulse” and “one of the best places to get insights from others in the industry.”