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This week: a masterclass in doing more with less, a marketer who turned $0 into national coverage, and what the latest data says about AI, social, and search.
Plus, POSSIBLE is right around the corner and The StartUp Marketer will be mingling in Miami! Stop by the Innovation Stage, sponsored by SalientMG, and come find us.
IN THIS ISSUE
✍ The Ink Well
🌎 Around the Web
📍 SUM Community Events
😂 In the Meme Time
THE INK WELL
Dennis Aronov shares why the best marketers spend less time guessing and more time lurking (using Reddit and TikTok as real-time audience research) and how a $0 idea turned into 800 likes, 200+ shares, and national media coverage. Plus, find out the marketing hill he’d die on.
The Scrappy Marketer’s Advantage
A quick reality check on resourcefulness versus resources from Christine Butler, who has 25+ years across American Express, Weight Watchers, Girl Scouts, and now Blood Cancer United. It’s about getting sharper with what you have, building systems that actually hold under pressure, and not confusing motion with real progress.
Have a strong POV? Submit your pitch to get published in The Ink Well.
Get what you want from TV advertising
What you want from TV advertising: Full-screen, non-skippable ads on premium platforms.
What you get: "Your ad is on TV. Trust us."
Modern, performance-driven CTV gets your TV ads where you want with transparent placement, precision audience targeting, and measurable performance just like other digital channels.
TV doesn't have to be a black box anymore.
AROUND THE WEB
One in five ChatGPT clicks go to Google, according to a new Semrush study. Meaning visibility in the LLM doesn’t translate evenly into traffic. [Search Engine Land]
Cameo now allows U.S. creators to offer personalized Cameo videos directly to their fans through TikTok. [TechCrunch]
AI-generated content is already competing in search, but it’s not changing how content is judged. A study by Semrush, analyzing 42,000 pages and 20,000 keywords, found that performance still comes down to execution: how well content meets user intent, delivers clarity, and provides real value. [MarTech]
Instagram now allows creators to schedule Trial Reels. [Social Media Today]
Fewer people are posting on social media (49% vs. 61% in 2024), with the rise of passive media consumption, according to a UK study. That means brands need to act like creators, optimizing for watch time and relevance (video, entertainment, utility) and moving beyond traditional engagement metrics as signals get quieter. [The Guardian]
SUM COMMUNITY EVENTS
Block off every Thursday at 1 pm ET for SUM events—consider it your weekly power hour for growth, insights, and community. These events are exclusively available to SUM members. Not a member? 👉 Join now 👈
Your GTP Has a Gap
When product marketing is clear, deals move faster. When it’s scattered, pipelines stall and nobody can explain why. Darren Moore joins us to talk about the GTM gap most startups discover the hard way.
Training Coming Soon…
Startup marketing is its own discipline and it deserves its own resources. We're changing that. Coming soon: upskilling built specifically for startup marketers, designed around the way you actually work, at the stage you're actually in. Stay tuned.
IN THE MEME TIME
