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It’s National Easy-Bake Oven Day, Reader! Who's ready for a pineapple upside-down cake that’s probably still raw in the middle?

In today’s edition:

• 💬 Today's Tip of the Day is for Messenger

• ✴️ Marketing messages for innovative products

• Instagram updates DM inbox

• LinkedIn discontinues templates

• 🗞️ Additional industry news from OpenAI and WhatsApp

Do you have audiences on Facebook and Instagram? Are you looking for a way to bridge the gap and reach both audiences with a single message on one channel?

Explore Messenger Communities

The Community feature is a dedicated space to connect with your customers and fans from Instagram and Facebook directly within Messenger, independently of a Facebook Group.

To see whether you can create a Community, open Messenger and look for the “Create community” option.

Today's tip was inspired by Social Media Examiner’s Editorial team.

Were You One of the Lucky Ones, Reader?

Earlier this year thousands of smart marketers descended on San Diego with one purpose in mind…to give their marketing a special boost that you can’t find anywhere else.

“This was my first time at Social Media Marketing World and it exceeded every expectation I had. The value of the sessions and networking experiences cannot be overstated,” said Maddie Young.

“OMG what a conference that was! This was beyond anything I was expecting. I'm already having Social Media Marketing World withdrawals 😂,” said Rehema A.

Whether you are trying to figure out how to get more reach, exposure, and sales—or you’re trying to understand how AI tools can help you become a better marketer—this is the place you wanna be. 

Don’t be left behind. Transformation happens when you attend Social Media Marketing World.

I’m ready for something more.

How to Build Messages That Build Buy-In: Part 2

Are you tasked with marketing an innovative product? Wondering how to get consumers on board?

In this follow-up to last Friday's newsletter, messaging expert Tamsen Webster shares her process for persuading others to move forward with you.

Identify Existing Beliefs That Support the Change Your Product Brings

Your message must be grounded in beliefs and principles that your audience already holds. This approach reduces resistance by building on familiar foundations rather than challenging core assumptions. 

These beliefs often take one of two forms. The first is definitions or clear statements that define key concepts (e.g., Accountability is the ownership of outcomes.) The second is cause-and-effect relationships: Principles that explain how things work (e.g., Success requires execution at scale.)

To uncover the existing beliefs your target audience holds:

1. Identify Universal Truths: Look for principles that hold true across various contexts, not just within your specific industry or situation.

2. Consider Your Audience's Worldview: What fundamental assumptions does your target audience make about how things work?

3. Examine Your Positioning: What core beliefs drive your product or service design? How do these align with your audience's values?

4. Use Customer Testimonials: Analyze the language and focus of customer feedback to uncover underlying beliefs and priorities.

Now, you can frame the need for change in terms of these existing beliefs, anchor it to something people already want, and argue for it based on things they already agree with. Your audience will see the change your product makes possible as a natural extension of their current worldview rather than a disruptive force.

Remember when Apple launched the iPod? The messaging didn't focus solely on technical specs. Instead, it tapped into existing consumer frustrations with music portability and variety. Its tagline, "1,000 songs in your pocket," resonated because it addressed consumers' beliefs about the value of music, choice, and convenience.

Craft a Compact, Principle-Based Message for Your Product

To maximize the impact of your change message, you need to create a concise, compelling case that combines the key question you've identified with your audience's core beliefs.

The goal is to create a clear message that's easy for others to understand, remember, and share.

In a crowded marketplace, differentiation based solely on product features is increasingly difficult. It's more effective to focus on articulating the core beliefs and principles that drive the change your product incites, using these to create a unique position in the market.

Ask yourself: "What fundamental beliefs about our industry or customers' needs drove us to create our offering this way?" Keep drilling down until you reach the core belief.

For example, a social media management platform differentiated itself by emphasizing core beliefs about the importance of visibility and comprehensive data integration. Rather than just listing features, they focused on why these elements were crucial for effective social media management, creating a more compelling and distinct market position.

To develop your compact, principle-based message:

1. Identify Your Fundamental Principles: What core beliefs drive your product or service design?

2. Articulate Your "Why": Clearly explain why you've built your offering the way you have, based on these core beliefs.

3. Connect Features to Beliefs: Show how specific features or aspects of your offering directly result from your core principles.

4. Use Customer Language: Analyze testimonials and feedback to understand how customers articulate the value you provide.

Now, you can distribute your messaging and advocates can help "sell" the change for you.

Today's advice is provided with insights from Tamsen Webster, a featured guest on the Social Media Marketing Podcast.

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ChatGPT Web Search: ChatGPT is launching an enhanced web search capability that integrates directly into its chat interface. This new feature allows users to get current information about sports scores, news, stock prices, weather, and more without using a separate search engine. The system can automatically decide when to search the web based on user queries, or users can manually trigger a web search using a dedicated icon. Each chat response now includes source links to news articles and blog posts, which users can access through a Sources button that opens a sidebar with references. The feature is immediately available via the web and through desktop and mobile apps for ChatGPT Plus, Team users, and SearchGPT waitlist members. Enterprise and Education users will receive access in the coming weeks, while Free users will gain access over the next several months. Source: OpenAI

Instagram DMs: The platform is enhancing the "Message Requests" folder by adding new sorting and filtering capabilities. Users can filter their message requests based on several criteria, including follower count, verification status, brand accounts, and creator accounts. A new dedicated "story replies" folder is being added to help users access and manage responses to their stories. Source: Instagram

LinkedIn Post Templates: Several less frequently used "celebrate an occasion" templates are being discontinued, including Appreciation, Welcome, and Skill Assessment Badge templates. The platform will continue to provide commonly used templates, including New Position, Work Anniversary, and Project Launch options. Previously created posts using the discontinued templates will be removed from LinkedIn within 30 days. Users wishing to preserve their posts using these discontinued templates can download them within the next month by following instructions in LinkedIn's Help Center. Source: @theahmedghanem via Threads

WhatsApp Lists: Lists allow users to create custom categories to filter and organize their chat conversations according to their preferences, such as family, work, or neighborhood groups. Users can create and modify lists by tapping the plus icon in the filter bar at the top of the Chats tab or edit existing lists through a long-press action. The Lists feature supports group chats and individual conversations, similar to the existing favorites function, and all created lists will be displayed in the filter bar. The rollout of Lists began last week and will gradually become available to all WhatsApp users. Source: WhatsApp

Did You Know?

Peeps were originally made by hand and took 27 hours to create.