Monday, December 8

🌟 Today’s Highlights:

• Meta is adding news back to its AI chatbot

• Instagram is testing Early Access Reels

• Fast track your hiring using Upwork’s pre-vetted talent

• 📊 Stat of the Day: Google can see 3.2x more pages on the web than OpenAI. (Source: Cloudflare)

• 💡 Today’s Insight: The top 5 social media marketing trends for 2026

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⚡️ Today’s Headlines ⚡️

🗞️ Meta signed new deals with several news publishers to improve its AI chatbot answers. The move comes after years of saying its AI chatbot doesn’t need news and would refuse to pay publishers for access.

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🧪 YouTube is expanding access to its thumbnail and title A/B testing again. The feature is now being rolled out to all creators with access to Advanced Features and allows testing of up to three video title variations.

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⏰ Instagram is testing Early Access Reels to help drive audience growth. The new feature allows accounts to lock their Reel for a period of time with only followers able to access it before it goes live for everyone.

💡 Today’s Insight 💡

The top 5 social media marketing trends for 2026

🗞 TL;DR - What key trends should we expect to shape social media and digital marketing in 2026? Red Website Design and Social Media Today have some ideas in their newest infographic, as well as other trends worth noting for your annual planning.

💡 Insight - The top 5 social marketing trends for 2026 are:

1. AI-driven content creation and personalization - Using AI to produce faster, smarter, more personalized assets and automate routine tasks.

2. Search becoming the new social battleground - Make social SEO essential and increase visibility by answering intent-based queries, adding natural keywords, and optimizing profiles.

3. Ultra-short video dominance - The first seconds matter more than ever, so aim to lead with a visual focus and deliver one clear message.

4. Authenticity and unpolished, real-time content - Share behind-the-scenes material, use minimal editing, respond in real time to create relatable, raw relationships.

5. Creator-led brand marketing - Work with niche creators who are experts in your arena to drive stronger results

For 10 other top trends to keep in mind when building out your 2026 social plans, check out the full infographic on Social Media Today.

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