📺 Shorts.

YouTube is bringing Shorts to TV, how many Google reviews you need to rank locally, and more. November 8, 2022 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Good morning. Where are you most productive? Most of The Crew prefers the home office, though coffee shops and libraries help too. Reply with your productivity hotspot! YOUTUBE Shorts are coming to TV screens [article-image] Good news for people who use their flat-screens for… not watching TV. YouTube just announced it’s [bringing Shorts to TV screens](, allowing users to watch and navigate popular short-form video content with their remotes. Short and narrow: The vertical format of Shorts doesn’t fit wide screens, of course, so videos will appear centered with a white border and a background that aligns with the video’s main color. Also, these videos won’t autoplay. Instead, users will swipe through Shorts using the “up” and “down” buttons on their remotes. When it’s available: YouTube says Shorts will appear on screen “over the coming weeks” for TV models 2019 and later, as well as for newer game consoles. Why we care: In July of this year, [YouTube TV hit a 5M subscriber milestone](. And last year, it was reported that [over 120M people were streaming YouTube on their TVs.]( This update means more eyeballs for Shorts. And for marketers, it means more content marketing, more influencer marketing, and more paid ads opportunities with a popular format. Not bad for a Tuesday. GOOGLE The magic review number for better rankings, plus a few holiday tips It seems like there are always new questions about Google’s ad channels. Today, we got answers to two of them: one about local SEO, and one about Search Ads. How many reviews do you need to start ranking locally? According to a recent study, [10 reviews should provide a ranking boost for local results.]( The same study claims that more than 10 reviews “does not seem to significantly improve results,” but if you have a relatively new local store, 10 legitimate reviews can kickstart your climb. How should you prepare ads for the holiday season? Google predicts a long shopping season that may start earlier than usual, so they [recommend planning your campaigns on time:]( - Make sure your product feeds are up to date and provide data at least 3–5 business days in advance. - Optimize content in product feed. - Address account warnings early. - Review shopping campaign settings and make sure campaigns are set to “active.” - Review your returns settings. Why we care: Holidays are fast approaching and every advantage counts. Both of these insights can help you make the most of the season. By the way, it pays to have your campaigns squared away so you reduce problems during a hectic period. Who wants to get sandwiched between tech issues while everyone else is making dough? SPONSORED BY BLACK CROW AI 150+ DTC brands profit from pinpoint audience targeting. Why not you? [article-image]( Chances are, you’re sitting on a goldmine of first-party data that you can use to sharpen your targeting. All you need are the right tools. [Like Black Crow AI.](This platform leverages your first-party data and predictive targeting to scout for new prospects most likely to convert. “Hmm… does that mean no more wasting money on non-converting users?” Yep, exactly. DTC retailers like Cotopaxi, Bearaby, Leesa all use [Black Crow AI’s machine learning models]( to build high-intent audiences across all platforms. And guess what? They all struck gold: - Bearaby’s ROAS spiked by 120%. - Cotopaxi boosted ROAS by 30% and Facebook revenue by 80%. - Liquid I.V. saw their net profits rise by 178%. On average, brands using this tool see their ROAS increase by at least 25%. You can too. [Try Black Crow AI today.]( MARKETING 5 positioning questions that will help your customers finally “get it” [article-image] The famous violinist Joshua Bell once played music in a DC subway… and hardly anyone stopped to listen. … Even though people regularly pay $300 to hear him play music in a plush concert hall! So what gives? As [Erez Druk points out](, this story shows the importance of product positioning. Because people don’t always “get” the value of something, especially if it’s out of context. To solve this problem, Erez recommends using April Dumford’s framework of positioning components to make it easier for your customers to contextualize and see the value of your product. All you have to do is ask five simple questions… #1 - If you didn’t exist, what would your best customers use? This might hurt to hear, but your customers are probably comparing you to alternatives. So learn who your biggest competitors are, and figure out how to position yourself against them. #2 - What unique attributes and features do you have that others don’t? When you study competitors, think about what you offer that they don’t. What’s something that can’t be done without your product or service? Identify it, and promote it hard. #3 - What value do you provide for your customers? Features are nice. Now turn them into value by approaching your product from the “what’s in it for them” angle. You know how Apple famously promoted the iPod as “1,000 songs in your pocket” instead of having “5GB of memory?” That’s an example of value. #4 - Who’s your ideal customer? Focus on people who care the most about the value you offer. This will help you target high-intent buyers and earn you the most money. #5 - What’s your market category? Remember how we mentioned context earlier? Here’s where you figure that part out. Because even the greatest product or service will fail when put in the wrong context. By asking these questions, you’ll improve your product’s positioning. And your sales and marketing teams will be eternally grateful! SPONSORED BY INBOX MAILERS New email strategy increases email open rates by up to 5x [article-image]( Are your emails being seen by as many customers as they should be… or are you getting ignored in the inbox? Turn the tables: In this free webinar, [Joel Skretvedt from Inbox Mailers]( will show you how their new technology can: - Increase your email open and click rates. - Re-engage up to 20% of your inactive subscribers. - Solve deliverability issues. - Boost your IP health and sender score. [Sign up for more opens and more sales.]( THE CREW’S INSIGHTS Why there’s no such thing as “the perfect headline” [article-image] You know the drill… Someone says, “Hey, our conversion rate is low. We need better copy.” So you hire a copywriter. Or, you write it yourself. Regardless, you end up with a document of finalized copy… the good stuff. Then you implement the copy and let it ride. What’s the problem here? Advertising today isn’t like it was back in the ‘60s. Today, we have the luxury of A/B testing copy with a few clicks. But we often don’t set up tests, because freelance copywriters and agencies, and in-house teams like to come up with “the perfect headline" or sales page, pitch it… and that’s that. This burns money. No matter how good a copywriter is, odds are low that their copy is the highest-converting piece out there. Here’s how to make more money—and get better copy: - If you hire freelancers, ask copywriters to give you lots of options. Instead of settling with the option your copywriter likes best, ask them for the 10 best headlines they came up with while drafting. Test them all. - If you write copy in-house, don’t settle. Test copy until you’ve found a “ceiling” for your conversion rate—a point where new, better copy doesn’t seem to have an impact. … Then watch what happens. Let’s imagine 3,000 people hit your homepage per day, your AOV is $50, and your conversion rate is 1%. In that case, a simple 0.1% boost would be a $4,500 increase in monthly revenue. Test some copy, make money, test new copy, make more money… rinse and repeat. ROUNDING UP THE STACK [STRENGTHEN BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS:]( Want to show some love to your clients, employees or partners during these holidays? Giftsenda is an international corporate gifting platform that lets you create high-quality gifting experiences in a few clicks. [Start your free trial today.](* [SOCIAL MEDIA:]( Twitter is dominating headlines, but another platform is quietly reaping the benefits. Mastodon—a decentralized platform positioned as Twitter alternative—has recently passed one million active users and prides itself on not having ads… yet. [E-COMMERCE:]( eBay is turning back the clock to the good old days of thrifting. The popular e-commerce platform announced it will advertise only second-hand or refurbished deals this holiday season to help with “rising costs and also being kinder to the planet.” [TWITTER:]( How do you get banned on Twitter? Pretend you’re someone else. Elon Musk announced that impersonation is a no-go, unless you make clear it’s a parody account. We’re pretty sure that was always the case, though. [META:]( Uh-oh. Meta is preparing “large-scale layoffs'' this week which will affect thousands of employees, according to the Wall Street Journal. The news came soon after the company predicted a weak holiday quarter. Talk about a disappointing year. [INSTAGRAM:]( Over 18? You’ll have to prove it. Instagram is partnering with Yoti—an age estimation technology tool—to verify users are old enough. The process includes uploading a video selfie for Yoti to examine. Interesting… *This is a sponsored post BRAIN TEASER I am neither a guest or a trespasser be, to this place I belong, it belongs also to me. What am I? You can find the [answer here](. [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT How to magically increase PTO days [article-image] Did you know you can turn 18 days of PTO into 46 free days next year? It appears that way. Morning Brew’s Instagram post [shows how aligning days off with certain holidays]( can give you a long, well-deserved break. Here’s the summary: - January 2023: Take off Thursday and Friday before MLK day to get five consecutive days off. - April 2023: Four days off before Good Friday gives you a 10 day break. - July 2023: One Monday before July 4 and voila, a four day break! - November 2023: Five days off after Veteran’s Day and three days before Thanksgiving gives you… 17 days off. Whoa. - December 2023: Four days between Christmas and New Years, 10 days off. 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