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What the heck is probabilistic attribution, how to write Twitter threads that get read, and more. March 17, 2022 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Happy Thursday. It’s unofficially Google week. We’ve been on Google a lot lately… and not because we’ve been searching for “Italian pizza near me.” Just count how many times the name “Google” appears in today’s newsletter. ANALYTICS Goodbye, Universal Analytics [article-image] Yesterday Google announced they’re [sunsetting Universal Analytics.]( When it’s gone, it’s gone: Universal Analytics will stop processing website hits on July 1, 2023. Because it’s newer, Analytics 360 gets an additional three months and will stop processing October 1, 2023. After that, you’ll have access to your prior data for only six months [before it goes dark](. What’s replacing it: Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Unlike its predecessor, GA4 operates across platforms, doesn’t rely on cookies, and uses an event-based data model for measurement. It also does not store IP addresses, which can help you stay on the right side of privacy regulations. What you can do: Don’t drag your feet. Like MarTech suggests, you should [start tracking the metrics]( you care about so that you have historical data when you need it. Plus, you’ll want time to adjust to the new frontend UI since it takes time getting used to. If you need help adjusting to the new interface, there’s always [Google’s Skillshop course](, the [guide to migrating from UA]( to GA4, and [more](. Speaking of big changes… ADVERTISING Is this the future of advertising? What’s going on: With user tracking on its way out, platforms are coming up with fresh ways to serve advertisers and maintain ad revenue. And right now, contextual advertising is looking really good. - Related search. Yesterday Google announced they are now showing users [search terms related]( to the page they’re viewing on a website. If a user clicks a search term, they’ll see a search results page on the publisher’s site, allowing them to explore relevant topics and search ads. We expect they’ll release details on how to use this feature next. - Podcast revenue climb. Ad firm MediaRadar analyzed 500 podcasts across multiple categories and found that [ad revenue was up 20% in 2021](. With podcasts growing in popularity in the US and elsewhere, it might be time for you to start running your own podcast ads. - TikTok shopping list. Instacart just launched “shoppable recipes,” which means when your favorite TikTok creator shows you how to whip up a tasty souffle, you can see—and buy— the ingredients. Right now this feature is only available to select creators, but Instacart plans to release it to more creators soon. You know what else is contextual? Newsletters. So if your target audience happens to be marketers, you should hit us up. SPONSORED BY ATTEST Get the same competitive advantage that helps industry leaders stay on top [article-image]( Markets change relentlessly: New competitors pop up all the time, whether you like it or not. And consumer behavior changes by the day. That’s why constantly gaining insights into what your consumers want is a limitless competitive advantage. It’s also necessary to not lose ground to competitors, and to grow! Too many brands don’t do it because they assume market research is tedious. [They just don’t know about Attest.]( But you do now! Attest’s easy-to-use, self-serve dashboard will help you gain hidden actionable insights for your target consumers quickly and accurately. You’ll access a pool of 110 million people in 49 countries. You can collect consumer data at the speed you need, with 3 layers of quality measures to ensure you are working with data you can truly trust. [You’re getting the highest quality data about your consumers.]( And when you pair this with Attest’s team of research strategists that help you structure your research and maximize the data, you get a winning combination. If you’re playing catch-up with your competitors, you’ve already lost. [Try Attest]( to be the one everyone wants to beat. [Get high-quality consumer insights quickly with Attest now.]( ATTRIBUTION What the heck is probabilistic attribution? [article-image] Maybe you’re tired of hearing about it… but attribution is too important right now to ignore. Deterministic attribution methods, like Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), Google’s Advertising Identifier (GAID), and cookies, are all coming to an end. But there are other ways to estimate if you’re getting your ad spend’s worth. One of those is probabilistic attribution. If you’re a hard-core media-buyer, then you already know what probabilistic attribution is. It’s what some advertising platforms have started using since Apple’s ATT rollout. But if you don’t, this article by Niamh Butler-Walton [breaks it all down.]( How does probabilistic attribution work? This method relies on Machine Learning (ML) to identify conversions that will probably happen. The algorithm collects behavioral data, then matches it with records that already exist. Since it can’t rely on the unique identifier associated with a device, it uses a set probabilities to attribute an action to an ad campaign. No, it’s not as effective as the deterministic method. But it can still help advertisers determine performance and ROI for their campaigns. Bottom line: While the probabilistic attribution method isn’t 100% accurate, it’s better than guessing. And it’s worth learning how to [apply it to your own marketing.]( SPONSORED BY SEMRUSH Marketing gets much easier once you have this in your bookmarks [article-image]( Struggling to figure out which marketing channels to focus on? Let Semrush break it down with some easy solutions. [Use this comprehensive collection of guides]( for your everyday marketing tasks to help you get a step ahead. With these, you can: - Improve your online visibility by using your competitor benchmarking. - Find the most efficient keywords to advertise in Google search. - X-ray your competitors’ advertising strategy. - Crack the content marketing case and go viral. And it’s free. [Check it out here.]( THE CREW'S INSIGHTS Knowing this quirk in Twitter’s algorithm will improve your threads [article-image] Imagine you just fired a Twitter thread out into the Twittersphere. Do you know what it looks like on people’s timelines? Maybe you haven’t thought much about this. But you should. Why this matters: When you post a thread, Twitter shows only your first tweet and your last two tweets in someone’s timeline. All that juicy stuff you wrote in the middle? No one sees it unless they click. People make split-second judgments when it comes to deciding what they’re going to click or read. So if you bury your best insights in the middle of your thread, you risk hiding your best insights from most people… which means no one will bother to read it at all. Here’s how to fix that: - Write your first tweet… Your first tweet should be a cocktail of counterintuitive insight + tiny bit of evidence + cliffhanger. - … then include a serious insight in the second-to-last tweet. This can be a summary of your thread, a hard-hitting insight, or something else. Whatever it is, it should be really damn good. If you’re using a CTA as your last tweet, that’s totally OK. But make sure your first and second-to-last tweets are the best ones in the thread. This is deep Twitter theory, and [Matt Heytens details this concept very well]( in an essay he recently posted on… well, Twitter. If you’re getting into Twitter threads, it’s worth reading the whole thing. ROUNDING UP THE STACK [ADVERTISING:]( Get up to 3% of your ad spend back as cash in the bank with what is maybe the best card for advertisers, even if you are outside the US. With [dash.fi]( you also get unlimited virtual cards, liberal spend limits, improved cash flow, and no annual fees. [Try the card made for advertisers like you.](* [MICROSOFT:]( It’s not what you drive… it’s how you sell it. Microsoft just extended their beta ad experience to advertisers all over the world and added additional ad placements. [GOOGLE:]( Did planning spring break just get easier? Google announced new tools for helping hotels connect with people who love to travel. Here are the details. [INFLUENCER MARKETING:]( Seems creator-driven marketing campaigns are only getting more and more popular. 52% of brands said they’ve expanded their creator marketing teams accordingly. [FACEBOOK:]( Fake it ‘til you… get sued by Meta? The platform filed a lawsuit against Chad Taylor Cowan for breach of terms and fraudulent company reviews. [E-COMMERCE:]( $73.3B. That’s how much consumers spent buying groceries online in 2020. It’s a huge e-commerce category, and it’s growing. Because let’s be real… grocery pickup is a gamechanger. [GOOGLE:]( Missed the Google for Games Developer Summit? You can catch up here. Google’s releasing new ad formats for advertisers. Exciting stuff—but maybe consider getting GA4 squared away before you try them. *This is a sponsored post. BRAIN TEASER You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What do you eat? You can find the [answer here](. [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT Did Spotify just get a stadium? [article-image] Anyone else remember when the Lakers arena was renamed Crypto.com arena? Well, FC Barcelona just shook hands on a deal with Spotify… and apparently it includes [renaming the stadium]( to “Spotify Camp Nou.” There’s more: Both the men’s and women’s teams will also start wearing the platform’s logo on their shirts. We’re still trying to get our own stadium deal. Ours will include projecting the Stacked Marketer logo, Batman-style, onto the sky. Will let you know when it works out. SHARING IS CARING Who else should know about GA4 or Instacart’s TikTok recipes? Share the news using your custom link below, and we’ll send you free stuff. T-shirts, stickers, schnitzel in Vienna… it’s all possible. Just depends on how many times you’re willing to look insanely well-informed to your peers. P.S. We’re launching a new referral program April 1, so you have 14 days to get your hands on these prizes before the new ones arrive. 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