The Daily Carnage

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How Often Should You Post on TikTok?

OCTOBER 19, 2025

A new Buffer study analyzed 11.4 million TikTok posts across 150,000+ accounts to approximate an answer to the existential question: How often should we be posting?

Well, the short answer is about 2 to 5 times per week. That’s where creators see the biggest lift in average views per post (up to 17% more views compared to posting just once a week). Beyond that, the gains taper off, though they don’t disappear.

Here’s the average view lift by posting frequency:

  • 2–5 posts per week → +17% views
  • 6–10 posts per week → +29% views
  • 11+ posts per week → +34% views

So yes, as we suspected, posting more does help, but not necessarily because each video performs better. It’s because more posts mean more shots at virality. The median TikTok still gets about the same number of views, but the top 10% of posts (the ones that break out) perform exponentially better the more you post.

The good news is that you don’t have to burn out chasing daily uploads. Going from 1 post a week to 2–5 is your sweet spot.

What is Reverse Imposter Syndrome?

OCTOBER 16, 2025

Reverse imposter syndrome flips the classic notion of imposter syndrome.

Instead of doubting your abilities internally, you’re confident in your skills, but external observers don’t fully recognize them. Wes Kao describes it as a perception problem: your work is excellent, but visibility and signals are limited, leaving others unaware of your contributions.

This tends to affect high-performing folks who are hardworking, results-driven, and quiet about their achievements (the GOAT co-workers).

Their work may be behind the scenes or highly technical, and while they deliver impactful outcomes, colleagues, managers, and stakeholders may not perceive the full extent of their expertise.

If that sounds like you, here’s how to reverse… reverse imposter syndrome:

  • Speak up! Share learnings, strategies, and results with broader teams.
  • Frame your contributions strategically. Connect your outputs to business outcomes and decision-making.
  • Be visible to the right people. Ensure key stakeholders see your high-impact work.
  • Develop consistent messaging. Practice clear, authentic ways to communicate accomplishments.
  • Position yourself as a partner, not just a doer. Demonstrate strategic insight alongside execution.

Make Better BOFU Content

OCTOBER 15, 2025

Bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) content is designed for readers who are ready to make a purchase decision.

Basically, unlike entertaining or top-of-funnel content, BOFU writing should remove uncertainty and build confidence.

These are Elliot McGuire’s (Mint Studios) key elements of successful BOFU:

  • Introduction: Be specific, address the reader’s real problem, and respect their time. Avoid generic statements and product features upfront.
  • Main body: Build empathy, use real use cases, outline the solution landscape, and signal relevance to the reader’s role and industry.
  • Product section: Introduce your solution after establishing context. Link features to tangible business outcomes, framing your product as a strategic partner rather than a vendor.
  • Closing section: Keep it concise, reinforce the article’s value, and include a clear call to action without introducing new concepts.

BOFU content works best when it’s highly targeted, practical, and trust-building.

The Power of Social Proof

OCTOBER 14, 2025

According to Nicolas Cole and Dickie Bush, 93% of people read reviews before buying, and products with as few as five reviews have a 270% higher purchase rate than those without. That’s the power of social proof.

But most brands only use their testimonials for sales pages or launch emails.  Here’s how to start using social proof daily:

  • Reuse your best testimonials. Pull short, powerful quotes from reviews or emails.
  • Incorporate naturally. Drop them into posts, videos, or threads like mini case studies.
  • Name your customers. Real names and details make quotes more credible.
  • Automate the process. Use Josh Spector’s simple AI prompt to blend testimonials seamlessly into any post:
    • Input your post and testimonial.
    • Ask AI to combine them naturally.
    • Choose your favorite version and publish.

A single well-placed quote can do more than a polished sales page.

Blogging in 2025: What’s Working?

OCTOBER 9, 2025

The blogging game has changed recently. IYKYK.

According to Orbit Media’s 12th Annual Blogger Survey, the average post is now 1,333 words—shorter than in previous years—and most creators publish just two to four times per month.

Time per post has also shrunk to about three and a half hours. Nearly all marketers now use AI in some way, though few trust it for full automation.

The best blogs are balancing machine speed with human creativity (not easy). While only 21% of marketers call their blog’s impact “strong,” four habits stand out:

  1. Writing long-form content (2,000+ words)
  2. Using multiple visuals (7+ images, charts, or video)
  3. Partnering with influencers
  4. Tracking performance on every post

Keep Video Ads < 10 Seconds

OCTOBER 8, 2025

Here’s the reco: Shorter video ads. Front-load your creatives with clarity, brand identity, and value in under 10 seconds. The payoff is higher attention, better engagement, and smarter spending.

Research from Indiana University, Texas Christian University, and Sungkyunkwan University found that extremely short ads drive up to 40% more traffic than standard 15–30 second ads, at a significantly lower cost.

On platforms like Facebook and TV, these micro ads generated higher CTR, more engagement, and comparable sales outcomes, despite requiring less airtime and production spend.

Here are the key takeaways:

  • Stick to ≤10 seconds: Short ads maximize traffic and engagement while lowering costs.
  • Front-load branding: Ads that identify the brand in the first seconds drive 34% more traffic.
  • Optimize for platforms: This effect holds across both social and TV placements.
  • Sales parity: While short ads don’t immediately outperform longer ones on direct sales, the increased traffic can compound into more conversions over time.
  • Cost savings: On TV, swapping a 15-second ad for a 10-second one could save nearly $285,000 in airtime while generating almost 192,000 extra visits.

Keep Video Ads < 10 Seconds

OCTOBER 7, 2025

Here’s the reco: Shorter video ads. Front-load your creatives with clarity, brand identity, and value in under 10 seconds. The payoff is higher attention, better engagement, and smarter spending.

Research from Indiana University, Texas Christian University, and Sungkyunkwan University found that extremely short ads drive up to 40% more traffic than standard 15–30 second ads, at a significantly lower cost.

On platforms like Facebook and TV, these micro ads generated higher CTR, more engagement, and comparable sales outcomes, despite requiring less airtime and production spend.

Here are the key takeaways:

  • Stick to ≤10 seconds: Short ads maximize traffic and engagement while lowering costs.
  • Front-load branding: Ads that identify the brand in the first seconds drive 34% more traffic.
  • Optimize for platforms: This effect holds across both social and TV placements.
  • Sales parity: While short ads don’t immediately outperform longer ones on direct sales, the increased traffic can compound into more conversions over time.
  • Cost savings: On TV, swapping a 15-second ad for a 10-second one could save nearly $285,000 in airtime while generating almost 192,000 extra visits.

Dig into the numbers with Science Says.

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.

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

Stick that right in your copywriting kit and use it.

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