The Daily Carnage

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Social Salaries in 2025

NOVEMBER 11, 2025

The 2025 Link in Bio Social Media Compensation Survey gathered insights from 2,500 respondents from 390+ cities and 40 countries to understand how experience, title, industry, and other factors influence pay.

Key takeaways:

Experience matters. Entry-level salaries increased slightly (3.3%), keeping pace with inflation, but senior professionals with 12+ years in the industry saw a substantial 12% year-over-year increase.
Title impacts pay: No surprise! Social Media Directors saw the biggest salary growth (+14%), while Social Media Managers’ median salaries are now standardized at $85,000, reflecting adjustments for new senior-level titles. Top earners, especially generalists, can make $229,000–$256,000+.
Employment type & industry: Most respondents work in-house (70%), but freelancers and agency workers still report competitive pay. Technology leads in median salaries, followed by ad agencies, while sectors like Food & Beverage, Healthcare, and Beauty saw $10,000+ increases.
B2B vs B2C & company size: B2B professionals earn roughly 10% more than B2C peers, and larger companies generally pay more, though self-employed respondents can compete with mid-sized company salaries.
Gender gap: Women dominate the industry but still earn almost 25% less than men on average. Men are nearly twice as likely to hold director-level roles.

So, entry-level pay and gender equity still need improvement. Take a closer look at Link in Bio.

The Bye-Now Effect

NOVEMBER 11, 2025

What’s the Bye-Now Effect, you ask?

It’s a subtle psychological trigger that makes people more likely to buy when they see the word “bye.” Yeah, really.

Because “bye” and “buy” sound identical, the brain unconsciously connects them.

In one study, readers who saw “so long” said they’d pay $30 for a dinner-for-two package. Readers who saw “bye-bye” said they’d pay $45. That’s a 50% jump from just a tiny word swap.

When our brains are overloaded or distracted, we rely on shortcuts. So a word like “bye” quietly primes us to think about “buying,” even if we don’t realize it.

Here’s how to apply it:

In branding: Use subtle primes in product names, like IT Cosmetics’ “Bye Bye” collection.
In email subject lines: Hook readers before they even open, like Olive & June’s “Bye-bye, smudged polish.”
On product pages: Pair “goodbye” messaging with UGC or testimonials, like Dove’s “Goodbye to damage” campaign.

Small word cues can lead to big conversions.

PPC: Lower CTR Might Be Better

NOVEMBER 10, 2025

For PPC, a high CTR is a win.

But… more clicks doesn’t necessarily mean more success. A lower CTR can actually signal stronger targeting, higher-quality traffic, and ultimately, a better return on investment.

Here’s why: If your ad attracts too broad an audience, you’ll pay for unqualified clicks that never convert. Ads with lower CTRs often pre-qualify users, setting clear expectations and filtering out those who aren’t a good fit.

To determine ad success beyond CTR, use impression-based metrics like:

Conversion per Impression (CPI): Conversions ÷ Impressions
Revenue per Impression (RPI): Revenue ÷ Impressions

And when you’re optimizing campaigns, ask yourself:

Who am I actually attracting with this ad?
Am I setting the right expectations for my landing page?
How can I discourage unqualified clicks?

Remember, a slightly lower CTR paired with a higher conversion rate almost always beats an ad that brings in clicks but not customers.

Maintain Authenticity in Influencer Marketing

NOVEMBER 6, 2025

At Semrush’s Spotlight conference, Sarah Adam, head of influencer marketing at Wix, shared three steps for brands looking to scale their influencer strategy without sacrificing what makes it real:

Discovery. Her team spends full days researching niches before choosing creators who genuinely belong to their communities. They apply three filters: bio (real member of the audience), data (consistent engagement), and content (authentic and useful).
Creative freedom. A good brief guides, not dictates. Adam likens it to giving a map, not a GPS route. Use plain language, define clear goals, and set only essential rules.
Feedback. Edits should focus on factual accuracy instead of tone or style. Her rule: if content could go live without your note, delete it.

Tell People Who Your Product Isn’t For

NOVEMBER 5, 2025

Some new research suggests that telling people who your product is not for can actually be more persuasive than saying who it is for.

People were up to 48% more likely to choose a product when it used negative framing, like “Not for risk-taking investors,” rather than positive framing, like “For a safe investment.”

The effect works because it signals specialization and makes your product feel tailored.

It’s especially effective for products with strong personal preferences, like coffee, hot sauce, mattresses, beauty products, etc.

Here’s how to activate it:

Use negative framing in product descriptions, ads, and social posts (“Not for people who hate dark roast coffee”).
Highlight specialization to make your product feel tailored for your ideal customer.
Test on preference-driven products first (food, beauty, lifestyle), since effectiveness may vary for other categories.
Combine with context by referencing customer habits, history, or product use.
Compare rivals carefully to showcase strengths and differentiate your offering.

Tell People Who Your Product Isn’t For

NOVEMBER 5, 2025

Some new research suggests that telling people who your product is not for can actually be more persuasive than saying who it is for.

People were up to 48% more likely to choose a product when it used negative framing, like “Not for risk-taking investors,” rather than positive framing, like “For a safe investment.”

The effect works because it signals specialization and makes your product feel tailored.

It’s especially effective for products with strong personal preferences, like coffee, hot sauce, mattresses, beauty products, etc.

Here’s how to activate it:

Use negative framing in product descriptions, ads, and social posts (“Not for people who hate dark roast coffee”).
Highlight specialization to make your product feel tailored for your ideal customer.
Test on preference-driven products first (food, beauty, lifestyle), since effectiveness may vary for other categories.
Combine with context by referencing customer habits, history, or product use.
Compare rivals carefully to showcase strengths and differentiate your offering.

Catch up on the research at Science Says.

The New Rules of Social

NOVEMBER 4, 2025

The rules of social media marketing have shifted dramatically this year. IYKYK.

Organic reach is declining, so paid social the primary way for small biz to gain visibility. Social media is now more of an investment than a free channel.

Allocating 30–50% of your marketing budget to social can get you measurable growth, especially if your campaigns focus on local awareness, lead generation, and retargeting.

Narrow targeting by geography, demographics, and interests can make sure your dollars go further, while retargeting maximizes ROI by focusing on warm audiences.

Organic content does still matter, but its role has changed. It builds credibility, signals consistency, and tests what resonates before putting spend behind top-performing posts.

Some key takeaways:

Treat social as a paid channel, not free reach.
Budget consistently, even with modest spend.
Focus on high-ROI campaigns: local awareness, lead generation, retargeting.
Use organic content for credibility and testing.
Invest in quality creative and track performance metrics.

AI for Local Marketing

NOVEMBER 3, 2025

AI is basically the new front door for local discovery.

Everyone is asking ChatGPT and Gemini for “best coffee near me” instead of scrolling Google Maps, which means local visibility now depends on the data AI can trust and prioritize.

Here’s how AI is changing local marketing: