ICYMI: The Future of Social Media Creative
From Gen Z to B2B, what's considered good content
[Sora video left to right: Katie Notopoulos, iJustine, Matt Navara]
Notes: I was in Atlanta earlier this week for The Shelf’s Influencer Marketing summit — Shelftopia. Everyone I connected with was so thoughtful and aligned on where things are headed. And it seems like we didn’t have to wait long for examples of some of my predictions: (1) have more fun with LinkedIn B2B marketing — boom, this ad just dropped! — (2) explore Substack as both a new source of creators and potential distribution channel (scroll down to see the CreatorIQ data that backs this up!) and (3) IRL events will be a big part of creator marketing in 2026 (scroll down to see the Influencer Marketing Factory data that backs this up!)
This Monday, watch out for a Pinterest-specific newsletter from pro Pinner Kayla Watkins!
⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY
Creators will be able to download PDF reports of their Instagram analytics
Instagram is running a test that would make Reels the first thing you see in the app
YouTube is rolling out a new remix feature for Shorts creators
Pinterest: 39% of Gen Z shoppers start their searches on the platform
OpenAI launched a social-media app, Sora, that taps into some fundamental human desires
The state of social media creative; reports from Canva, LinkedIn and YouTube
An interview with Canva’s Executive Creative Director, Cat van der Werff
DoorDash is incorporating local creator food videos into its app
Creators IRL Report: 41% of U.S. social media users ages 18-65 reported attending at least one in-person influencer event in the past year
State of Influencer Marketing Report: 1 in 10 agencies are already using Substack for influencer campaigns
💻 ROADMAP
📲 Meta Updates
Instagram is rolling out Shareable Insights for creators. It means you’ll be able to export insights about your account and Reels as a PDF to add to media kits or performance reports.
Adam Mosseri said Instagram is running a test in India that would make Reels the first thing you see when opening the app.
Meta is testing a new communities feature with 100 of the most active interest groups on Threads, including WNBA Threads, TV Threads and KPOP Threads.
Spotted: Threads is testing a new way to create quote posts from updates you’ve previously saved or liked.
Facebook is introducing fan challenges and custom top fan badges. The new fan-favorite features are available to select creators who meet specific follower thresholds: 100K+ for Fan Challenges and 1M+ for Custom Fan Badges.
Meta announced it would start inserting personalized ads in your interactions with Meta AI based on your activity.
📲 YouTube Updates
YouTube is rolling out a new remix feature that lets Shorts creators Extend with AI. You’ll be able to remix up to 5 seconds of eligible videos to create something new. (Creator who don’t want their videos remixed can opt out following these instructions.)
📲 TikTok Updates
TikTok announced an immersive Taylor Swift The Life of a Showgirl experience in-app and a limited-time fan activation at Westfield Century City mall in LA.
Just a reminder that as of today, October 3, 2025, neither ByteDance nor the Chinese government has officially confirmed any transaction. Trump signed an executive order to clear the way for a TikTok deal but that doesn’t make it a done deal yet.
📲 Pinterest Updates
Pinterest says they are the platform of choice for Gen Z shoppers: 39% of young people prefer to start their searches on the platform.
Pinterest released a Path to Performance Guide guide for launching campaigns on the platform.
📲 Snapchat Updates
Snapchat is introducing new Memories Storage Plans to let you save your selfies. Snapchatters with more than 5GB of Memories will see new options to upgrade and increase storage — all the way to 5TB with Snapchat Platinum.
Snapchat announced its 8th annual Lens Fest livestream on October 16th aimed at developers who want to build AR experiences with Snap.
📲 OpenAI Updates
OpenAI launched an invite-only, social-media app for its AI video generator, Sora, powered by Sora 2. From what I’ve seen online, you can generate “cameos” within the app and drop yourself into familiar scenes. Based on this, here are a couple of reasons Sora might succeed where Meta’s Vibes got off to a rocky start:
Selfies will always win (video included). We share online to define ourselves to others. That’s why anything centered around our own image is likely to do well. Remember the Barbie selfie generator? A bear tea party in a forest is cute and quirky but doesn’t deliver the satisfaction of seeing ourselves win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Humans love familiar things. Stuff we don’t have to think too hard about. If you’re hoping for mainstream adoption — beyond early tech adopters and AI creatives — let people put themselves in familiar environments. With the world at her fingertips, this reporter turned herself into a Dunkin’ influencer. (Granted, there are massive IP issues that need to be resolved here but these are aspirational scenarios a lot of people might like to imagine.)
THE STATE OF CREATIVITY
Suddenly everyone is talking about the power of good creative. AdobeMax Creativity Conference is coming up fast — will I see you there?! — and over the past few weeks, Canva, LinkedIn, and YouTube all dropped data on the state of creativity in social, design, and culture. So I pulled the reports together to see what’s really going on.
📊 From Canva
Visual content lands better than anything text-heavy. In the State of Visual Communications, Canva makes the case that well-designed content is processed and remembered faster than dull content. But what does “well-designed” mean? It doesn’t mean overly polished or corporate. It’s about content that hits an emotional chord. It could be a scrappy TikTok or a graphic carousel — it’s not about the format, it’s about how it makes you feel. And Gen Z is driving the shift here. They’re rejecting sameness, experimenting with video, and leaning into imperfection on purpose.
90% of Gen Z say they do their best work visually — even if it means hacking around with unapproved tools to get there.
💼 From LinkedIn
Creativity isn’t just for consumer brands. In the B2B space, nearly half of decision-makers say creative ads make them more likely to check out a company, according to LinkedIn. The problem? Many B2B campaigns fall flat. There’s a lack of humor and emotional appeal, which keeps people from connecting. In other words, creativity drives engagement, interest and action — whether you’re selling SaaS or staffing solutions.
When B2B ads are seen as “creative,” business decision makers are 40% more likely to consider purchasing the brand.
🎥 From YouTube
YouTube just dropped its Culture & Trends report on next-gen creativity. The Gen Z aesthetic is labeled “Creative Maximalism,” and it’s…a lot (in the best way). It’s densely layered videos, participatory storytelling, internet jokes, and cultural influences from all over the world. Gen Z isn’t just consuming content — they’re remixing, co-creating, and reshaping it to make the content they want to see.
34% of 14- to 24-year-olds contributed to the creation of an online content series or other creator project in the past 12 months.
So what does this all mean?
Design is emotional, not just aesthetic. Overly polished isn’t the goal — connection is.
Creativity = credibility. Even in B2B, being original makes people pay attention and take you seriously.
Gen Z sets the pace. They were raised on remix culture — give them the tools to co-create and insert themselves into brand lore, and then get out of the way.
Q&A With Canva’s Executive Creative Director Cat van der Werff
I sat down with Canva’s Executive Creative Director, Cat van der Werff, to dig a little deeper into what “well-designed” content actually means and how Gen Z is reshaping the visual language of work.
Here’s our conversation 👇
ICYMI: Can you clarify what exactly well-designed means in this context?
Cat van der Werff: For this report, we’re talking about content that’s more visual, easy to take in, and engaging rather than the wall-of-text formats so many people still use. Think clean layouts, intentional use of color and typography, and designs that pull you in and make you want to read, watch, or act.
I think there’s also something to be said about how design has become so much more multidimensional. These days, it’s not just about how something looks — it’s about how it makes you feel, how inclusive and accessible it is, and how clearly it communicates an idea.
ICYMI: How do social teams avoid the trap of having a feed that looks beautiful but risks lower engagement or is there a way to do both?
CW: When some people hear ‘well-designed,’ they think it means overly polished or produced. But great design doesn’t have to come at the cost of engagement or authenticity. Social is one big experiment — what works today might flop tomorrow — but one thing always stays true: people engage with content that connects emotionally. That could be a beautifully crafted carousel, a quick Instagram story with hand-drawn text, or a scrappy TikTok.
ICYMI: How much does “well-designed” take the Gen Z lens into consideration?
CW: Gen Z has grown up making content that’s diverse, experimental, interactive, and video-first. To me, they’re the most visually experimental generation, blending identities and aesthetics in new ways as a form of self-expression and self-actualization.
And now, they’re bringing those same vibes into the workplace. Our study shows 90% say they do their best work visually, and 83% even use unapproved tools to make it happen.
ICYMI: It’s a generational shift people may not be prepared for. Can you share some of the visual design trends and systems you’re seeing associated with Gen Z?
CW: One of the biggest shifts we’re seeing is that design is moving beyond perfection — it’s often about imperfection with intention. Gen Z especially is pushing back against things like algorithmic polish and sameness (a byproduct of AI) and instead craves content that feels incredibly human, culturally relevant, and sometimes even brutally honest.
*Interview was lightly edited for length.
Canva’s recommendations for business leaders:
Host a Gen Z-led “Visual Sprint”: Pick a legacy process — onboarding, product briefs, internal comms — and let Gen Z redesign it using visual-first + AI.
Codify visual fluency: Make it part of career progression, not just hiring.
Show, don’t tell: Include Gen Z prototypes in exec presentations to drive buy-in.
Related: How to create content to reach a Gen Z audience
🔥 DATA DROPS
🎟️ Gen Z and Millennials are looking for a mix of technological and physical experiences from brands.
The #1 in-person creator events are meet & greets, followed by product launches and workshops in the top three
46% of respondents reported that they are excited about Creator IRL events and love real-life interactions with influencers
41% of U.S. social media users ages 18-65 reported attending at least one in-person influencer event in the past year, highlighting the growing demand for offline creator-led experiences
- According to The Influencer Marketing Factory’s Creator IRL Report examining how the creator economy intersects with experiential marketing.
🗂️ There’s a disconnect between how business leaders perceive their customer experience (CX) and how consumers live it.
86% of leaders believe customers trust their brand promises. Fewer than half of consumers agree.
59% of consumers report abandoning a brand entirely after a single poor experience. Just 42% of leaders acknowledge this reality.
- According to the 2025 Metric Sherpa and Sprinklr Research Report on rebuilding customer confidence in the age of AI
CreatorIQ: The State of Creator Marketing
Sure, 85% of brands say Instagram is their go-to for creator marketing — no surprises there. But what caught my eye was the other end of the chart: 1 in 10 agencies are already using Substack for influencer campaigns. I’ve been preaching this for a while (and lucky enough to be part of some B2B campaigns myself), but I didn’t expect the data to validate it so soon. Most agencies and brands are only just starting to explore Substack creators — and now it’s on the creator marketing leaderboard?! If TikTok taught us anything, it’s that when a new channel starts to pop off, the smart move is to test and learn before you’re forced to play catch-up.
👀 ICYMI: JUST THE HEADLINES
Influencers are expanding far beyond their social media channels - Marketing Brew
How CTV is cashing in on creator content - The Current
Brands are turning to social-first series as influencer posts lose steam - AdAge
DoorDash is launching a creator program, incorporating local creator videos into the app - DoorDash
Nine ways brands are using social proof for marketing—on social media and beyond - Sprout Social
Spotify and THR partnered on a podcast series to cover the newly introduced Golden Globes best podcast category - The Hollywood Reporter
SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin says the union will address AI Actress Tilly Norwood - Variety
VidSummit is next week, a 2-day summit for video content creators, including a debrief session with YouTube’s Creator Liaison Rene Ritchie and a Creators in Fashion show, alongside keynotes, panels and workshops.
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