😳 Restrict.

The US TikTok ban is broader than anyone expected, audiobook ads may soon be a thing, and more. March 31, 2023 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Good morning. It’s Friday, and it’s also the last day of a long month, so here’s a short video of a [cat squeezed into a shirt sleeve]( on the couch. Basically sums up our weekend plans, to be honest. SOCIAL MEDIA The proposed TikTok ban is bigger than we thought, Meta’s EU ad compromise, and Twitter’s new API price [article-image] In an arm wrestle between TikTok and US regulators, the losers could be… all platforms. Everyone’s in trouble: The proposed RESTRICT Act—legislation that would give the US government the power to ban TIkTok—[could affect much more than only the video app](. Apparently the bill contains “insanely broad language” which could implicate other apps with connection or communication with other countries banned. Including VPNs! If passed, the law’s unspecific terminology could lead to more problems down the road… Keeping things general: Meanwhile, Meta is planning to offer EU-based users the option to [opt-out of personalized]( targeting to comply with GDPR. Meta has already been slapped with a massive fine, so it makes sense the company would limit targeting to broad demographic features like gender and geography. Kind of a bummer for marketers, though. That’s a lot of money: Oh, and Twitter j[ust announced new API pricing tiers](. They are… - Free: Write-only access that gives you 1500 tweets per month. - Basic: $100/month and 3k tweets per user level, or 50k at app level. - Enterprise: Apparently the price for this one is supposed to match specific needs, with no range currently available. But the lower end is rumored to be $42k/month. Wowza. Twitter said the old API will be deprecated over the next 30 days. Meanwhile, many developers are saying they’ll have to either “kill” their apps or pass fees onto users. Ouch. Why we care: If the RESTRICT Act is passed, the “ban” could extend a lot further than TikTok alone… and the impact on advertising and marketing could be massive. Worth keeping an eye on. Also, Meta’s forced decision may make advertising in the EU less effective, since many users will probably opt out of personalized targeting. Ugh. As for Twitter… some apps will definitely cease to exist, while some will get expensive. Turbulent times for social media, huh? ADVERTISING Are audiobook ads coming soon? Imagine finishing a chapter of Pride and Prejudice, then hearing an ad for ballroom dance lessons. That could happen sooner than you think… Audible—one of the largest audiobooks platforms—[is testing ads in audiobooks]( to see if they will work as another revenue channel. Prologue, ad, epilogue: Ads can be played in “beloved” audiobooks, well-known podcasts, and Audible Originals. At the moment, only non-paying users would experience the ad-supported program, so paying subscribers are exempt. How frequently? Audible assured users they won’t hear ads too often, promising a total limit of eight ads within a 24-hour period, regardless of the title. The company didn’t provide much information on future plans regarding the program. Why we care: Audiobooks are a popular medium, so it’s no surprise that audiobook platforms are seeing Benjamins on the book covers. That said, imagine promoting self-care, health, or beauty products to readers that are reading self-help books… could be powerful. We don’t hate the idea. SPONSORED BY STACKED MARKETER PRO 4 logical fallacies that can make people trust your brand [article-image]( Show off the skeletons hidden in the closet. Exposing your flaws to people is a powerful way to persuade them to trust you. Eminem uses this principle to win rap battles in the movie 8 Mile. And you can use it to win customers: When you tell your audience why they should not buy your product… they trust all the reasons why they should. And there are other cognitive biases you can leverage… Anecdotal appeal: People trust stories more than statistics. A compelling testimonial story will sell more products than data, statistics, and research backing your claims. The designer fallacy: We’re more likely to trust things that look good. Apple is incredible at using this. The “spotlight” principle: When companies present their best product first, people assume their other products are equal in quality. … And that’s from just two out of [76 pages of psychological hacks you can use in your marketing](. [Discover the rest here.]( SEARCH ADS Hey, don’t forget about keyword maintenance [article-image] Search ads keywords are kinda like house plants – they shrivel and die without your care. And by care we mean constantly monitoring and optimizing your keyword performance so that your ads perform well, too. Like Michelle Morgan says, there’s a [list of regular maintenance tasks you should be working on](. Don’t set and forget—do this instead… #1 – Regular performance reviews. An absolute must. Set up a recurring task to check on your keywords and pause bad or non-performers. Also, select a time frame—maybe it’s a month, three months, or half a year—and see whether a keyword is constantly performing below your target goals. Michelle looks at two metrics: Converting keywords but with a CPA four times higher than your goal. Non-converting keywords where total spend is three times that of the current goal. #2 – Filter out low search volume keywords. As search behavior changes and evolves, new keywords replace the old and search queries lose volume over time. If a keyword has a Low search volume status and is Below first page bid, you may want to increase your spend to see whether the status changes in a few weeks. But if there’s still no volume 2–3 months down the road, it’s best to hit pause and clean up. #3 – Do keyword research all the time. As Google says, 15% of all queries have never been searched before – that’s your low hanging fruit. Use your preferred keyword research tool to see whether anything changed around your key terms, and if there are any new semantic opportunities you can target. You can also source ideas based on upcoming trends and common sense, not just tools. We’re out of space here, but Michelle has a few more useful tips to keep your keyword maintenance. Make sure to read it all – and keep it neat and tidy out there! SPONSORED BY THE DAILY UPSIDE This business newsletter helps you better understand why is TikTok facing a ban and what is going on in the US banking system [article-image]( Here’s what happens when you combine [business and investing news]( with a side of wit and panache the way The Daily Upside does: - You laugh more, which makes remembering specific stories easier. - Wittily phrased ideas and takeaways stand out more clearly than if you read piles of yawn-inducing prose. Which helps you better understand all the latest events… Like TikTok’s potential US ban, or the crisis in the US banking system. [Read it for free in just five minutes.]( THE CREW’S INSIGHTS How not to write a job listing [article-image] Most marketers end up hiring someone at some point in their career. It’s the nature of the job: you need a copywriter to put together some advertising, you need a PPC specialist to help you run ads… you know how it goes. [This jaw-droppingly bad job listing we found on Twitter]( got us thinking: What are the common mistakes people make when writing job listings? Here are the biggest mistakes we see—and why they send talented people running for the hills: - Not posting a salary range. No, “competitive pay” doesn’t cut it. Not listing a salary or a salary range adds uncertainty and friction. And for talented people who are looking for a certain number, your job post immediately becomes less attractive. - Writing in vague clichés. Things like “we’re looking for a rockstar” and “someone who can wear many hats” don’t actually say anything—except that you might not know what role you really want to hire for. And trust us, no one believes your company is “a family,” so don’t bother writing that. - Making jokes in poor taste. It’s strangely common to find job listings that say things like “this is a terrible job” or “this job will demand all your waking hours,” etc. They’re usually meant to be jokes, but they always come off in poor taste. Like they say, there’s a bit of truth in every joke… There are plenty of other mistakes, too, but eliminate these three and your job post should stand out among the rest. Later on, we’ll share another piece in this section of the newsletter about how to write a good job listing, so keep your eyes open! ROUNDING UP THE STACK [EMAIL DELIVERABILITY:]( What if one strategy could increase your email open rates to 50–70%? It's possible! Discover the new technology helping hundreds of companies skyrocket their open rates—and potentially triple their sales. [Here’s how it works.](* [AI MARKETING](: “Stop before it's too late!” Okay, maybe it’s not that dramatic, but the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Policy has asked the Federal Trade Commision to prohibit OpenAI from releasing new versions of GPT-4. The reason? Risks to public safety. [SEO:]( The March Google core update came in and shook things up. So what’s the aftermath? Big players such as Amazon and Wikipedia reinforced their rankings, while overall smaller domains mostly suffered. Ouch. [AI MARKETING:]( Things are getting blurry. Midjourney stopped offering free trials because its AI-generated images—like the Pope in a fancy jacket—were going viral and being mistaken for real events. How soon before AI models are mistaken for real people? *This is a sponsored post BRAIN TEASER Mr. and Mrs. Mustard have six daughters and each daughter has one brother. How many people are in the Mustard family? You can find [the answer here.]( [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT Boneless wings or just chicken nuggets? [article-image] Read this first, then decide… A man from Illinois [sued Buffalo Wings for “deceptive practices”]( – namely, for calling a new product “boneless wings” when they’re not actually wings. Ummm, what? Wait, wait, let’s take a closer look. So, the guy claims that boneless wings aren’t actually deboned wings, but deep fried slices of chicken breasts – in other words, chicken nuggets. And had he known they weren’t real wings, he wouldn’t have bought them. Meanwhile, the company even admitted the “boneless wings are all white meat chicken. Our hamburgers contain no ham. Our buffalo wings are 0% buffalo.” Okay. So what’s your verdict? Wings or nuggets? SHARING IS CARING Guess what’s easier than asking your boss for more vacation days… Sharing today’s newsletter with other people, obviously. It also makes you look insanely well-informed in front of other marketers... and might even help you build rapport with the right executives. Plus, you earn great rewards. Every time you share your custom link—and your friends and coworkers subscribe—you earn points toward exclusive content, merch, and more. Get started by hitting the link below! [article-image]( [CLICK TO SHARE]( Or copy your referral link: [ [SUBSCRIBE]( | [SM PRO]( | [ADVERTISE]( You are receiving this email because you want to know what is going on in digital marketing. If you aren't thrilled about our emails, reply and let us know why. Or you can unsubscribe from all daily updates by clicking [here.]( Our postal address: Spectrum IT Solutions GmbH, Canettistrasse 1/Top 0107, 1100 Wien, Austria