The Daily Carnage

The savvy marketer's hub for industry news, insights, resources, and culture.

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The Year of Slop

SEO bait, syrup sneakers, and more.

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Here Comes Gen Alpha

OCTOBER 7, 2025

Gen Alpha (born 2010 to basically yesterday) is set to wield an economic impact of $5.46 trillion by 2029.

And believe it or not, they increasingly act as the “CMO” of the household, shaping family purchasing decisions, vacations, meals, and even tech purchases. Research from the “Alpha Rising” report, conducted by USC Annenberg and ACC, reveals just how influential this cohort has become.

Family influence: 70% of Gen Alpha say they help keep their family up to date on trends, and 76% say their opinions are valued on products and trends.
Household decisions: 62% help choose movies, 59% meals, 36% tech purchases, 54% fun activities, and 11% big-ticket items like cars.
Digital behavior: 96% introduce their families to products or trends they discover online.
Desire for engagement: 76% want brands to gamify the consumer experience, while 84% continue using apps or loyalty programs to maintain streaks or rewards.
Exploration over loyalty: Nearly half (46%) enjoy discovering products by surprise, signaling a lower tolerance for fixed brand loyalty.

10 Question-Based Headlines

OCTOBER 6, 2025

Sometimes you just need a cheatsheet.

The Creative Marketer put together categories of question-based headlines that pique curiosity. Why do they work? Because when your brain sees a question, it tries to answer it. Even before you click.

The challenge. “Are you ready to join the top 1% of marketers?”
The hypothetical. “What if your weekly reports built themselves?”
The objection. “Too expensive? Or just too valuable to ignore?”
The concierge. “Looking for a better way to manage your pipeline?”
If X, then why Y? “If you trust the data, why keep guessing?”
Shower thoughts. “Why do we still waste hours on meetings?”
The warning. “Do you know what your competitors are doing right now?”
The promise. “Want double the conversions in half the time?”
The pain point. “Still stuck chasing unqualified leads?”
The FAQ. “How does our platform actually save you money?”

Stick that right in your copywriting kit and use it.

Keywords Aren’t Dead

OCTOBER 2, 2025

Keywords still matter… just not in the way most people think.

Big brands are bogged down by bureaucracy and “workslop” designed to game algorithms. Google’s AI updates, meanwhile, reward content that’s created by people with real experience.

This means that scrappy teams who actually know their stuff can outrank giants.

What wins now is a blend of sharp copywriting, subject-matter expertise, and technical fundamentals.

Here’s a quick-hit framework to compete (and win):

Think like Google’s founders: Would Larry Page or Sergey Brin be proud to surface your content?
Invest in lived experience: Write from firsthand knowledge, not secondhand summaries.
Blend media formats: Support text with video, graphics, and original examples.
Prioritize clarity: Make content skimmable and genuinely helpful.
Build topical authority: Go deep in a niche with interlinked clusters of content.
Cover technical basics: Schema, sitemaps, fast load times, alt text, and clean URLs.

What is “People Also Ask” SEO?

OCTOBER 1, 2025

Optimizing for People Also Ask (PAA) results can help you capture long-tail traffic and increase visibility in SERPs.

The PAA box shows related questions for a given search, providing additional opportunities to rank even if you’re not on Page 1 for the main keyword.

Here’s how to optimize, rank, and track PAA results:

Check where your site isn’t appearing in existing PAA boxes and where competitors rank.
Use H2 or H3 headings for questions and short, natural-language paragraphs for answers.
Build backlinks, gain coverage, and strengthen internal linking to signal importance.
Don’t keyword-stuff, ignore search intent, write overly long answers, or leave content outdated.
Add target PAA keywords to your rank tracker and monitor SERP Feature trends over time.

What is “People Also Ask” SEO?

SEPTEMBER 30, 2025

Optimizing for People Also Ask (PAA) results can help you capture long-tail traffic and increase visibility in SERPs.

The PAA box shows related questions for a given search, providing additional opportunities to rank even if you’re not on Page 1 for the main keyword.

Here’s how to optimize, rank, and track PAA results:

Check where your site isn’t appearing in existing PAA boxes and where competitors rank.
Use H2 or H3 headings for questions and short, natural-language paragraphs for answers.
Build backlinks, gain coverage, and strengthen internal linking to signal importance.
Don’t keyword-stuff, ignore search intent, write overly long answers, or leave content outdated.
Add target PAA keywords to your rank tracker and monitor SERP Feature trends over time.

Get started at Search Engine Land.

Email Tracking in GA4

SEPTEMBER 29, 2025

ESPs track your email opens and clicks, but GA4 can take it further by showing how subscribers behave on your site post-click.

It’s worth setting up to…

compare email performance side-by-side with organic, paid, and referral channels.
customize events and reports for deeper insights.
measure long-term impact, not just immediate clicks.

How to set up email tracking in GA4:

Add UTM parameters: Define source (newsletter), medium (email), campaign name (july_digest), and content (cta_top).
Check Reports: Go to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition and filter by “email” in Session source/medium.
Build a custom Exploration report: Create a segment for “email,” set dimensions (source/medium, campaign, landing page), and add metrics like sessions, engagement, and revenue.

Make sure to consider metrics like:

Sessions from email (traffic volume).
Engagement rate (interaction quality).
Conversions (signups, purchases).
Time on site & pages per session (depth of visit).
Landing page performance (which pages resonate most).

How to Spot AI Writing

SEPTEMBER 28, 2025

Whether you’re categorically against AI writing or hoping to conceal your own use of AI for writing… here are six dead giveaways someone used a robot:

Excessive em dashes. This one is hard to accept for those of us who love a good em dash. AI tools have claimed them for dramatic glue between thoughts, but humans tend to vary punctuation more naturally.
Forced sass. Look out for “Hot take:” or “But here’s the truth.” AI often pushes artificial edginess, especially on LinkedIn, where it works wonders.
AI buzzwords. Words like delve, empower, and elevate sound canned these days.
Cliché phrases. Ok, say it with us: “In today’s fast-paced digital landscape…”
Formulaic structures. AI leans on the “rule of three” and corrective statements like “It’s not just X. It’s Y.”

Small Biz, Big Spash

SEPTEMBER 24, 2025

Everyone knows small biz is where the real creativity lives. You don’t need a huge marketing budget for a memorable promotion.

Nifty Nut House in Wichita, KS, turned a stash of off-season candy into a “dollar bin,” which moved product and delighted customers.

Cold Blooded & Bizarre in Charlotte, NC, celebrates its store birthday with circus performers, animals, and local food. It’s now a highly anticipated community event.

Lark Toys in Minnesota hosts “Happy Friday” kids’ performances, which grew so popular that the store expanded to accommodate the audience.

Koyoté in Salt Lake City connected personally with customers by explaining its authentic Japanese ramen on social, leading to wider recognition and a second location.

Chief Ice Cream ran a photo contest, generating engagement, community spirit, and free publicity.

Skein & Tipple’s limited-edition holiday cocktail creates annual excitement through scarcity and collectibility.

The takeaway? Try a small biz promotion like:

Dollar bin or scratch-and-dent sales
Store birthday or anniversary events
Kids’ performance nights or family-focused activities
Personal storytelling on social media
Customer photo contests with prizes
Limited-edition, collectible offerings

Double Your Open Rate in 1 Month

SEPTEMBER 24, 2025

With the right tweaks your email marketing process, you can double your open rate in 4 weeks (or at least bump it 20–30%) while also boosting CTR.

Here’s the 3-step system:

Fix your onboarding. Your welcome email is the most important message you’ll ever send. Instead of a bland “thanks for joining,” give subscribers a reason to open right away.

Offer a free resource, lead magnet, or exclusive tip inside the welcome email.
Use the WE-PAC method:
- Welcome them warmly.
- Set expectations (topics, send frequency, value).
- Ask them to move you to their Primary inbox.
- Ask for a quick Action (reply with “yes”).
- Include at least one Click CTA

Improve deliverability with BSS Progression. Don’t blast your whole list. Start with your Base Sending Segment (BSS), the most active subscribers, then expand each week:

Week 1: last 30-day openers or 60-day clickers.
Week 2–4: slowly widen the timeframe. This improves sender reputation and inbox placement, leading to higher engagement across the board.

3. Re-engage dead subscribers. Inactive readers drag your metrics down. Use a 2-step win-back sequence.