🐦 Blocked-stack.

It’s been a minute since the last controversial move on Twitter, eh? Plus tips to improve your DM game, and more... April 10, 2023 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Good morning. If you could only have an account on one social media platform, which one would you choose, and why? Choices are: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, LinkedIn, or another? For this question, YouTube doesn’t count - we have a feeling it would be the top choice if we considered it a social media platform. TWITTER “Substack? More like Blockedstack” - Twitter staff, probably [article-image] Twitter seems to be the type of bird that keeps the nest for itself. The company [restricted Subsctact links]( on the platform, which made posts impossible to reply to, like or retweet. It also started labeling Substack links unsafe… Feels weird? Well, it soon won’t be. There can be only one: Pressing the retweet button will display an error message saying “Some actions on Twitter were disabled by Twitter,” with Substack’s block being apparent. Substack recently launched Notes – a feature that adds a Twitter-like timeline to the platform. Could it be that Twitter is pecking its counterpart? Let them out: “Not a good sign if you need to build a wall to keep people in,” tweeted Mastodon – another popular Twitter-like platform that had their account temporarily banned by Twitter in December. Substack voiced its disappointment, with founders saying “writers deserve the freedom to share links to Substack or anywhere else.” They might, but what if big platforms disagree? Why we care: With this move, Twitter is essentially setting a precedent for tying users to their platforms “by force,” which could cut off the free information stream as it existed by now. …And this goes against Elon Musk’s own alleged idea of “free speech absolutism.” If this practice persists, may we soon see other rival platforms simply “blocking” any engagement that might benefit their rivals? Let’s hope not… INSTAGRAM Official: Tips to improve your direct messaging You don’t have to slide, but you need to make the conversation glide. …In your brand’s DMs, of course. Instagram has released a [list of tips that could help you improve your Instagram DM game](, keep your audience engaged, and grow your business in the process. No beating around the bush: According to Instagram, being direct should help you build trust and drive more sales. And this is what they recommend you to do: - Be responsive: Either reply instantly or use an automated message to say that you’re away, share available hours, or provide an estimated response time. - Incorporate brand voice: Remember, your voice is your voice. No matter if you’re posting on social media, speaking in video, or replying to a DM. It will help you maintain loyalty. - Make the most of any story: Engage with messages that big up your brand, respond to Story mentions, share Stories or Posts that connect with customers… - Use automation features: You can use predefined prompts from the Quick Reply feature to help guide your conversations or respond to multiple messages. Make ‘em ping: Among other things, Instagram recommends to use ads that lead to Instagram Direct or WhatsApp. This should help you drive more direct messaging and engage with potential customers. Why we care: Direct messaging is becoming the norm on social platforms, especially on the likes of Meta and Instagram. Knowing how to set up a good communication process on these platforms can help you streamline your operation, while you’ll end up on your customers’ good side. Not bad… SPONSORED BY STACKED MARKETER PRO The next time you’re trying to brainstorm Monday’s campaign at 5pm on Friday, do this… [article-image]( Churning out so much marketing content that your brain feels like toast? Maybe you’ve thought about using AI, but it feels like just one more task on your plate. Don’t worry, it’s wayyy easier to become an AI prompt expert than you may think... [A Marketer’s Complete Dive Into AI]( - Part 2 shows you how to generate and automate hundreds of types of content—and even train the AI in good marketing practices. This Stacked Marketer Pro report is for you if: - You need content fast. Get AI to generate quality initial drafts. - You’re too tired to brainstorm. Ask AI to generate quickfire ideas. - You want to add a different perspective or tone. Ask AI to "act" as different personas. … And so much more. [Join Stacked Marketer Pro for $7 to read this report.]( ADVERTISING Stupid-simple tips for improving your ad quality score in search [article-image] You know what they say – you can’t sell a junker to a skillful mechanic. And you can’t sell a poor ad to Google, either. Ad quality score is one of the ways Google and Microsoft determine your ad ranking. Your score depends on a few factors: - Expected click-through rate compared to what the platform considers similar ads. - Ad relevance, or how well the keyword that triggered the ad relates to the query. - Landing page experience. Does the ad lead to a relevant page? As Naval Hopkins says [in his comprehensive guide](, quality score is an ad health indicator and reveals whether or not your ads need “treatment.” But prevention is better than treatment, at the end of the day. So Naval recommends you do a few ridiculously simple things to keep a clean bill of health: #1 – Use branded campaigns to boost ad relevance. Building a branded search campaign helps boost your click-through rates (CTR), conversion rate, and lower costs per click (CPC). This type of campaign helps new campaigns, ad groups, or keywords benefit from the halo effect of a branded campaign, enabling them to start from a higher quality score already. #2 – Focus on conversational queries. Remember, search volume is becoming less important, especially with the rise of ChatGPT and similar, chat-like search interactions. These queries are also “quality score traps” because you’re bidding for higher search intent and you’re safer from high volume search clicks that can eat up your budget. #3 – Allow for fluctuation of quality scores over time. Sometimes a keyword with a higher quality score (7 to 9) can sink to 5 or 6 if the volume drops for a while. A keyword that drops 1–2 points is nothing to be alarmed about. Just keep monitoring, and if it falls more, you know it’s time to fix things. #4 – Let your SEO team have a say. If anyone deserves input on your keywords and landing page performance, it’s your SEO team. Ask them if you’d be better off with driving traffic to a subdomain, which keyword queries you should maybe target, and more. You may be happily surprised by the insight. Here’s to your health! And better rank as well. If you want to dive deeper into how search platforms calculate your quality score, read Naval’s entire piece – it’s a good one. SPONSORED BY PROPUSH Up to 100% ROI with tactics revealed in this case study [article-image]( Here’s how you can get extra revenue with your already-running campaigns… [ProPush]( did a cool [interview]( with their client, Bob Zhang, where he describes his experience about working with ProPush. Bob’s story? If at first you don’t succeed, try again, but with improvements! On Day 2, Bob had a $0.146 profit. But by trying different strategies and bundles, Bob got more serious dough. In a few months, [ProPush]( brought him at least 50% of his earnings with CPA offers, sometimes even 100%. How? [Read the full interview and find out](! THE CREW’S INSIGHTS The value in not explaining things, according to Quentin Tarantino [article-image] His movies aren’t for everyone. Still, Quentin Tarantino is a force to be reckoned with. And Quentin has one storytelling tactic we find particularly interesting: He writes full backstories and scenes for characters, but never reveals them to the audience. One reason for this is to give context to his actors, but there’s more to it than that… Similar to [Hemingway’s “Iceberg Theory,”]( Tarantino intentionally omits useful information so that the audience can interpret things for themselves. Why does it work? Things are less interesting when you know everything about them. The rakish, mysterious stranger you locked eyes with at the coffee shop is probably a very normal person, but that’s not the story you’ll come up with in your head. By leaving more out, you give your audience the opportunity to create deeper, personal meaning. What does this have to do with marketing? This is a tactic you can use as you tell stories about your product. Maybe, when you set pen to paper for your brand origin story, you keep things mysterious. Just vague enough to intrigue, not so specific as to ruin the magic. Or maybe you intentionally leave key information out of your ads in order to drive a curiosity click. That sort of thing. Omission can be a powerful technique. Use it well, reap the rewards, and report back to us when you do. ROUNDING UP THE STACK [AFFILIATE MARKETING:]( One of the biggest networking opportunities in Latin America is back! Starting May 25, connect with 5,400+ affiliates, bloggers, agencies, and advertisers and build your network in a growing market of 200M+ people. [Grab a booth or sponsorship now.](* [AI MARKETING:]( It’s happening – AI generated videos are going viral. People are creating AI generated pop culture characters like Harry Potter, donning fashion items from the likes of Gucci or Balenciaga. Give it a look… It definitely feels magical. Just not the Hogwarts kind. [BUSINESS:]( The workweek hours are shrinking, apparently. New research suggests Americans—and men in particular—are working fewer hours than before the pandemic, as they start to evaluate their work-life balance. Are you clocking less hours as well? [META:]( It’s better from all angles. Facebook has added video display elements to display listings, allowing you to record and upload videos of your products and help your potential customers “buy with confidence.” Get your cameras ready. [BUSINESS:]( If you’re building a generative AI marketing tool, or launching any AI-related startup, you should think about important questions. Like how to develop competitive advantage or what level of technical sophistication you need? This guide may help you set some strong foundations before you start laying bricks… *This is a sponsored post BRAIN TEASER What five letter word typed in all capital letters can be read the same upside down? You can find [the answer here](. [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT The attack of the Stealer Croc [article-image] You can’t leave someone out of the fun and not expect retaliation and this crocodile’s story proves it. The curious reptile [attempted to join a picnic]( hosted by a few nature lovers on a South African safari. But the croc’s request to join was—after a brief moment of shock and sheer terror—ultimately rejected, with the scared picnickers finding sanctuary at the top of their car. Unamused, and possibly hurt by the rejection, our protagonist decided to spoil the fun – by stealing an ice cooler box and dragging it to the water with it. We get it croc… rejection hurts. SHARING IS CARING “I don't read newsletters, ever. But I never miss yours.” —a happy subscriber Awww. Do you feel the same way about Stacked Marketer? Then why not share our newsletter with other marketers who would appreciate it, too? We’ll reward you, promise. You’ll unlock prizes like: - The Crew’s Top 10 Insights (2 referrals) - The Ultimate Holiday Marketing Deep Dive (4 referrals) Share the referral link below to get started. [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. 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