Crowdsourcing TikTok and Recession-proof marketing 👀

Sophia O'Neal -

👋🏽 Hey y’all! I’m Sophia, rounding out the newsletter takeovers while Jordan is enjoying fatherhood.


I own Ignore No More⚡, an early-stage SaaS branding and marketing agency. We’re 100% remote, but I call Norfolk, VA home. When I’m not dancing about great branding I’m rock climbing to rock music. 🧗🏽‍♀️


No one can do a roundup quite like Jordan can, but I’ll attempt with some trending tidbits from the marketing world. And close out with a little section on how I’m approaching marketing with a recession looming. 👀


Let’s jump to it! 👇🏽

Say Cheese!


Linkedin knows you have questions about how it’s algorithm works. So it created a video series to walk you through what it’s really up to.

Reddit has audio rooms too? It was news to me that Reddit Talk existed, but it’s rolling out Host Talks June 15 - September 15 to promote it. I’m calling first mover advantage here!

Tiktok is beta testing crowdsourced brand content from micro-influencers at scale. With Branded Missions, you essentially drop a brief and crowdsource videos to use for ads. Any creator who is 18 years old and has 1,000+ followers can is eligible to take part, so that’s a whole lot of options.

Remix baby! YouTube is rolling out Green Screen for Shorts, which lets creators remix up to 60 seconds of video from any other YouTube video or Short (provided it hasn't been flagged for copyright violations. TBH, I assumed this was already a thing since audio remixing is so much of the viral magic of TikTok.

The ad who loved me


Shorts was doing a lot of stuff this week - Google is rolling out ads in Youtube Shorts. Creators still aren't directly making money from Shorts, so the money will go towards the pool for the YouTube Shorts Fund.


Starting June 30th say adios to creating or editing Google’s expanded text ads. Y’all, it’s time to switch to responsive all the way.


Podcast ads are a $1 Billion business thanks to targeting (shocker). The rise of dynamic ad insertion has made podcast advertising grow 2x the speed of the internet advertising market last year. Personally, I love the ads recorded by the hosts that are delightfully awkward, but hey.


Demand Curve just updated their blog post on Facebook Ads targeting. It’s worth a read whether you've been doing ads a while or want to up your game, as we're adapting to the less-data universe.

Marketing in a meltdown


Ah yes, a recession, where marketers feel pinched, pulled, and questioned, with fewer resources and more peering eyes.


Here’s how I’m approaching the possible dark clouds for my startup SaaS clients (and my agency!). ⚡

  • Checking the copywriting ✍🏽. We’re re-evaluating copy to make sure it answers pricing fears, objections, and questions upfront.

  • Celebrating the core customer 🤩. I’m talking case studies, shoutouts, social proof collection, use cases punctuated with quotes. Making sure the hero customers feel like a hero helps make sure they don’t leave.

    Plus having social proof at every turn  makes viewers less spooked about spending money.

  • Doubling down on organic 🚀. Organic doesn't always mean SEO. My favorite marketing tactics are tools (micro-SaaS) and free information (office hours, checklists, worksheets).

    With a tool launch you get a burst of users and chatter at launch, plus new customers and ongoing lead gen.

  • Fixing leaky buckets 🔀. If ops isn't happy it makes work so much harder. We're prioritizing improving marketing ops, fixing broken workflows, and automating as much as possible with templates, checklists, and Zaps.

    That way we can do more with less hassle.

  • Leaning into community 🤝. We’re focussing on being the smart, helpful friend in the digital rooms our customers are hanging out most.

    For my clients, that’s ranging from Youtube to MBA programs (yes, seriously!), and for finding agency clients that’s Twitter and community Slack’s. It’s made lead gen easier and won trust before the potential user hits the landing page.


My favorite read on this moment: Kyle Poyar’s, “This is not another black swan memo” from his Growth Unhinged newsletter.


🙋🏽‍♀️That’s it from me! Please say hello on LinkedIn or via email. Happy to chat branding, marketing strategy, or do a coffee chat and meet a new friend. ☕


Cheers to the week ahead!