ICYMI: Most Brands Get Creator Events Wrong; POV Beauty Tried Something Different
3 brand lessons from Mikayla Nogueira's creator summit
Peacock’s really pushing a Nantucket summer (from Love Island to The Five Star Weekend); Jimothy became the internet’s main character this week; Kim Kardashian turned the internet’s criticism into a pretty funny ad; and I got interviewed about employee influencers and EGC by ModernRetail and CreatorIQ (such a hot topic right now!).
⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY
Facebook is rolling out Seller, a dedicated selling app for the people who sell on Marketplace the most
Instagram launched Replace Audio, which lets you swap music on published feed posts and carousels
The DOJ reportedly says it’s now safe for federal employees to download TikTok on work phones
TikTok is testing a paid micro-drama app
YouTube is testing custom thumbnails for Shorts on desktop
Substack will allow users to check for AI-assisted content
3 brand lessons from Mikayla Nogueira’s creator summit, POV Labs
The 5-second test that determines if a brand trip will be successful
💻 ROADMAP
📲 Meta Updates
Instagram launched Replace Audio, which lets you add or swap music on published feed posts and carousels without having to delete and start from scratch.
Facebook is rolling out a new Marketplace app called Seller for people who sell the most. They’ll be able to manage listings, message buyers, and track performance all in one place.
*Facebook Marketplace is turning 10 and celebrating with a special pop-up in LA called Still Available. I’ll share an RSVP link when it opens to the public.
Facebook plans to begin a test that puts a subset of people into a full-screen immersive video experience the moment they open the app — the update may roll out to the US and other video-heavy countries next year.
Meta is bringing parental supervision to Threads. Parents will get visibility into their teen’s experience on the platform, plus tools to set daily time limits, adjust sleep mode, managing tagging, and more.
Spotted: Meta is reportedly testing a new app called StoryKit, that creates AI-generated ‘personalized children’s stories’
📲 TikTok Updates
Spotted: TikTok is testing a paid micro-drama app called LimeShorts that costs $20 a week, according to Business Insider. That’s in addition to the free micro drama app it launched called PineDrama and the dedicated mini-drama feed it’s testing inside the app.
Spotted: TikTok is testing a new managed services program in the US where it will run most Shop operations for some sellers.
Spotted: We’re done with the TikTok ban. Probably. The DOJ reportedly says it’s now safe for federal employees to download TikTok on work phones — even as the app’s US chief security officer is scheduled to testify before a US House committee September 15.
Related TikTok News:
📲 YouTube Updates
Spotted: CEO Neal Mohan seemingly confirmed that YouTube is testing custom thumbnails for Shorts on desktop.
📲 Pinterest Updates
Pinterest is accepting applications for its 2026 Inclusion Fund — the fund unlocks educational resources, financial support and growth opportunities for emerging creators. Applications are open through August 4.
📲 Spotify Updates
Spotify announced a beta group of artists can now upload their music videos directly to the platform. In a move that’s giving early MTV, Spotify is also launching a dedicated music video chart in a new Charts Hub — increasing the chances of new music discovery.
Related Podcast News:
📲 Substack Updates
Substack is rolling out new AI transparency features that will allow readers to check for AI-assisted content in posts, Notes, replies, and comments. There will also be an optional AI Authors note where creators can disclose their use — or not — of AI.
Related Substack News:
🔑 ONE BIG THING
Most Brands Get Creator Events Wrong. POV Beauty Tried Something Different
You might know creator Mikayla Nogueira for getting canceled. Ten times and counting.
She’s also the co-founder of Point of View Beauty. And this week she added a new title: conference founder.
I dropped by the POV Labs: A Seat at the Table creator summit this week. More than 2,000 POV Beauty community members applied to attend. Fifty were selected — ranging from nano creators with 5K followers up to macro creators at around 1M followers.
What they built felt more like a creator bootcamp than a typical brand sampling activation. There were sessions on community growth, the art of brand partnerships (with examples beyond POV Beauty) and how to create attention-grabbing content.
I need to tell you what the team did right because there were lessons here for any brand that works with creators — not just in how to run an event, but in what it looks like to actually operate through a creator lens.
Plus, the workshop has the potential to turn into something much bigger than a one-off. “We’re intentionally starting small, but we really want to grow this into a full summit,” Nogueira told me. And it’s something every marketer should be thinking about.
1. Be a creator-led brand. And if that doesn’t work, get creators involved in event planning.
Obviously, there’s an inherent advantage in having Mikayla — and her 20M followers — at the center of it all.
But the real value in planning an event through a creator lens comes through an obsessive understanding of the market, the product and the audience. “Mikayla’s done her 10,000 hours,” said CEO Ani Hadjinian. “She knows exactly what works and what doesn’t.”
It goes beyond simply inviting creators as VIP guests. Brands should be thinking like creators when it comes to everything — from product formulation and packaging to marketing activations, guest lists, and even the programming itself.
“In this day and age, if you’re not a creator brand, you have to have your council of creators who are building this with you,” said Ani. “Even for us, we’re building our brand with these creators.”
2. Think beyond the usual suspects.
We’ve all seen the criticism of brand trips that focus on a certain type of high-profile creator (here’s the latest drama).
Objectively, this event felt different. It seemed like a genuine reflection of consumers — across follower counts, genders, ethnicities, ages, and locations. Some of whom just happen to be on the verge of breaking out.
And the intentionality comes from the top. “Mikayla is very good at reminding us she’s lived those lives. She’s been a smaller creator. She’ll say ‘’This is how my audience will react to it because they’re not getting it in Kentucky or wherever,’” POV’s head of integrated marketing, Annabel Prouty Bailey, told me.
“We really think about, ‘How can we reach other markets?’ It is something that’s top of mind for us, to try to reach those areas where people don’t feel like they are seen or they don’t feel like they get as many brand activations and trips.”
3. Give creators an opportunity to grow alongside you.
You create impact by providing value and giving someone the ability to see something in themselves that they can’t necessarily see, according to Hadjinian and the team.
“Our focus here is, ‘Who can we invest in — with knowledge, time, resources, and expertise — so that they can go out and continue to create value for their community, but we can also create a relationship with them that creates this holistic value,’” said POV’s community strategist, Manouska J. “We are betting that this event can create a long return on what we can build with this group.”
Of course there are other brands hosting seminars and workshops for creators. I’ve spoken at some of them. But the knowledge that gets passed along is usually tied to the brand or a specific product. It’s more about, ‘What can you do for us?’ versus a professional growth approach of, ‘How can we help you grow alongside us?’
Producing an event that supports creator growth — without clobbering creators with brand talking points at every step — creates a different kind of evangelist. And once that connection is built, it runs deep. Community members are willing to show up for the brand in any scenario, according to Hadjinian. One creator put it simply, “I go super hard for POV now. Whatever you guys want, let me know.”
Bonus Brand Trip Takeaways: What’s the value of a creator brand trip — and would yours pass the five-second test?
Hadjinian and I also talked about the value of brand trips versus educational summits. One isn’t necessarily better than the other, but the education component has a clear catapult effect for creators.
Brand trips are more about relaxing and taking a beat together, said Hadjinian. “But this one says, ‘Let’s lean in, let’s learn, let’s connect.’”
She shared a framework from a recent POV trip to Seoul. According to Mikayla, a brand has five seconds to determine whether the trip is going to be successful — and it starts the moment a creator walks into the room:
How does the hotel room feel?
What’s in the hotel room?
What are the welcome elements?
Is there a handwritten note?
Are there decals?
What sort of branding is there?
Who are the collaborations?
What are the gifts?
What are the snacks?
Related: From Mikayla Nogueira and Colin & Samir to Jon Youshaei, there’s a new trend of niche and creator-led conferences happening this year.
👀 ICYMI: JUST THE HEADLINES
Where Americans spend their time online: Alphabet (35%), Meta (8.9%), Microsoft, (5.1%), Yahoo (4.3%), and Amazon (3.0%) - Northeastern University
Where longform AI-generated content appears the most across social: LinkedIn (41%), Medium (31%), X (29%), Reddit (13%) and Substack (10%) - Pangram
A new survey shows 55% of respondents are posting less to social media now than they did five years ago - Social Media Today
Three out of four small business owners are adopting a “creator” identity to market their business - Modern Retail
How the hell are you supposed to have a career in tech in 2026? - Anil Dash
The fake influencers selling wellness on your feed - NYTimes
Mastercard and Manifest launched a new business debit card for creator entrepreneurs - Mastercard
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Love this!! Wrote this piece on what brands should learn from Charli XCX after the release of music, fashion, film if you wanna check it out 👀 https://substack.com/@coastalmidwesterner/note/p-208250194?r=1uh3ld&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-