Instagram has been busy. And when we say busy, we mean the kind of busy where you blink and half a dozen things have changed while you were making a cup of tea.

Some of these updates are useful. Some are shiny and questionable. Let’s get into it.

You Can Finally Reorder Your Carousels

It has only taken the best part of a decade, but Instagram has finally let us reorder images in a carousel after publishing. No more deleting and re-uploading because you put the before photo after the after photo. No more lying awake at 2am knowing slide three was supposed to be slide one.

It is a small thing. It is also enormous.

Scheduling Reels Will Not Hurt You

Adam Mosseri (bigwig at Instagram) has confirmed that scheduling Reels does not tank your reach. It never did, but the myth has been stubbornly persistent. The bonus: if you translate your Reels, scheduling gives Instagram more time to process those translations before your content goes live. Useful if you are reaching audiences across multiple languages.

You can plan ahead without penalty. Sighs of relief all round.

Tap to Pause is Now a Thing

You can now pause a Reel with a single tap instead of holding the screen like you are trying to keep it from escaping. Small change. Big improvement for anyone reviewing fast-moving content or trying to catch text before it disappears.

Google Might Start Serving Your Instagram Profile First

Still in testing, but Google is experimenting with a redesigned knowledge panel that pushes Instagram profiles higher in search results. If someone Googles you, your Instagram profile could be one of the first things they see.

Worth keeping your profile clean and consistent just in case. Let us know if we can lend a hand with that.

Clickable Links in Captions (With a Catch)

Instagram is testing clickable links in post captions for Meta Verified creators (not businesses, just yet). Currently capped at 10 links per month and only visible on mobile. Meta Verified starts at $14.99 a month, so this is not a free lunch.

At 10 links a month, your link in bio tool is not going anywhere. But it is a sign of where things are heading.

The Edits App Is Growing Up

Meta’s video editing app has had a fresh batch of updates: new visual effects, a more visual Ideas tab, and the ability to highlight specific words in captions during playback. The development team is pulling feedback from creators and monitoring social platforms for feature requests, which means this one is moving fast.

If you want more videos for your feed but feel less than savvy with producing videos for social media, let’s chat. Spoiler alert: you don’t need to be Steven Speilberg.

Creator Tools Are Now Open to All Public Accounts

Instagram has opened up scheduling, the insights dashboard, and access to trending audio to all public accounts, not just professional ones. If you manage smaller or newer accounts, this will help.

A few advanced features still sit behind follower thresholds or Professional Mode, but the basics being accessible to everyone is a solid move. Thanks Insta.

Control Over Your Profile Grid

You can now edit post thumbnails directly in your profile grid. This sits alongside Instagram’s recent shift to larger thumbnail images and the broader push toward profile customisation.

For brands, this matters. Your grid is often where people land before they decide whether to follow. Make it look pretty.

Reels Might Become Your Default Homepage

Instagram is testing a design that opens directly into Reels, with a customisable “Your Feeds” hub where users can switch between Following, Friends, Latest, Saved, Favourites, and Suggested. Given that users already spend around half their Instagram time on Reels, this is less of a surprise and more of an inevitability.

Short-form video is the main event. Everything else is the support act.

Instagram is Coming to Your TV

After launching on Amazon Fire TV in December, Instagram is now available on Google TV in the US. Reels on the big screen, organised into topic-based channels. Mostly a US story for now, but worth watching if you’ll pardon the pun.

Which of These Updates Matter for Your Business?

Which of These Updates Matter for Your Business?

Instagram keeps moving, and keeping up with every change is pretty much a full-time job. Luckily, that is our full-time job.

The carousel reorder will save you real time. The scheduling myth finally being put to rest means you can plan your content properly without second-guessing yourself. And the Google knowledge panel change, if it rolls out widely, is a free visibility win that costs you nothing except a tidy profile.

Not sure what to act on and what to ignore? That is where we come in. We have been navigating changes in marketing for over 34 years now, and we are very good at working out what actually moves the needle for businesses like yours.

Capri pants are back. Kitten heels are breaking records. And “polka dot” just hit an all-time search high, which is not something any of us had pencilled in for 2026, but here we are.

Google Trends data for this spring paints a specific picture of what consumers are reaching for right now – and where the commercial opportunities sit for businesses that want to move quickly.

The 1950s and 1960s Are Having a Moment

Capri pants are the current top trending spring trouser, with denim and wide-leg styles leading. “Cropped pants” and “ankle pants” have both reached an all-time high in 2026. Kitten heels are being searched more than at any point in history and are the top trending spring shoe style this month, with mesh as the top trending material. Ballet flats and Mary Jane shoes are at a five-year high, and “jelly flats” jumped +360% in a single month.

Pearl earrings are the top trending spring earrings search right now, with hoops as the leading pearl style. And “polka dot” has reached an all-time search high, with polka dot coats and blouses leading the apparel searches.

This is a coherent aesthetic. Consumers are building complete looks, and they’re using search to piece them together. That’s a very specific kind of opportunity.

Texture Is Having Its Own Conversation

Separately from the retro revival, there’s a parallel surge in texture-led dressing worth tracking on its own.

“Lace tops” reached an all-time high in 2026, “lace midi skirt” is at a 10-year peak, and search interest in “…with fringe” is at an all-time high overall. “Fringe clutch” and “fringe crossbody” have never been searched more.

On the glossy end: “silk scarf” hit an all-time high this year and is the top trending silk item searched alongside spring. “Silk scarf top” reached a 10-year high. “Satin sandals” spike every spring and are currently at their highest point ever. “Chrome sneakers” hit a 10-year high, and “how to wear silver shoes” is the second most trending footwear how-to question of the month.

In accessories, “chunky necklace” hit an all-time high in 2026, with “chunky charm necklace” nearly doubling in a month. “Beaded necklaces” is the top trending spring necklace search.

Where the Commercial Opportunity Sits

The retro styling searches are specific: “how to wear kitten heels,” “capri pants outfits,” pearl earring styles. Consumers know roughly what they want and are searching for help completing the picture. Fashion retailers, stylists and content creators have straightforward territory to work with here.

The texture and shine searches follow a similar pattern. “How to wear silver shoes” tells you people want guidance, and “silk scarf styling” tells you they want to get it right. Brands that provide that earn a different kind of trust than brands that stop at product.

The hair data is worth a look too. “Modern shag haircut women” is the top trending spring haircut search this month. “Italian bob” reached an all-time high. “Bixie” hit a 10-year high, and “birkin bangs” are a breakout search. Salons, stylists and beauty brands have a content opportunity here that connects naturally to the wider spring aesthetic shift.

Underserved areas based on current search patterns:

• Silk and satin styling content built around outfit construction
• Retro-era dressing content that connects the trouser, the shoe and the earring into a complete look
• Hair content that shows how a bixie or Italian bob works with the capri-and-kitten-heel look – the full outfit picture, not just the cut in isolation
• Texture-led styling guidance for audiences who find the lace/silk/gloss landscape hard to navigate

The Highest-Intent Searches Right Now

If you want to know where to focus content over the next few weeks, the data points clearly to:

• Kitten heels (all-time high)
• Silk scarf styling
• Lace midi skirt
• Chrome sneakers and silver shoes how-tos
• Capri pants outfits
• Chunky necklace styling
• Polka dot coat
• Italian bob and bixie haircuts

These searches have strong commercial intent behind them. Showing up with something useful puts you in front of an audience that’s already warm and already decided they want to make a change.

The Bottom Line

Spring 2026 has a clear aesthetic direction: a little bit retro, a little bit glossy and a whole lot of texture. The search data backs that up consistently across clothing, footwear, accessories and hair. The opportunity for businesses is in being genuinely useful within that moment, whether that’s through product, content, or both.

The polka dot coat is real. The kitten heel is back. And the businesses that treat the data as a practical guide rather than a content calendar tick-box will be the ones still talking about it in 24 months.

April is the month when people stop pretending they’re going to stick to their Q1 plans and start actually doing things. The content that’s cutting through right now reflects that – it’s interactive, contrast-led, and a whole more clever. Less overthinking. More zooming in, filling up, and showing the before and after. Which is, as it turns out, exactly what the algorithm wants too.

Here are the seven trends worth your attention this month – with notes on how to apply them to your business without spending 24 hours producing a single reel.

Trend One – “Zoom In for a Sign”

You’ve seen this one. The visual looks normal – maybe slightly vague – and tiny text at the edge is daring you to look closer. When you do, there’s a hidden message waiting: a quote, a product detail, something that feels like it was put there just for you.

It’s low-effort to produce and high-reward in terms of engagement. Every zoom is extra watch time. Every extra second of watch time tells the algorithm this post is worth pushing. Simple, clever, and very repeatable.

How to Use It

Service businesses:

Hide a common client fear in the small print. The discovery moment creates connection before they’ve even read the caption.

Product businesses:

Tuck a product benefit or seasonal detail into the image. Make people feel like they found something.

Coaches and educators:

A quote that speaks directly to your audience’s inner monologue. The kind they screenshot and save for later.

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Trend Two – “With and Without”

Start with nothing. One quick cut later – something appears. The contrast between absence and presence does all the heavy lifting without any explanation required.

It works because transformation is satisfying. The faster the flip, the more impactful the reveal. No build-up needed, no voiceover required.

Best Suited For

• Product-based businesses – let the product be the reveal
• Service providers – show the impact of what you do, before and after
• Coaches – the transformation is the message
• Beauty and wellness – almost designed for this format

@kay.oaky The first sip is magical ✨ #icedcoffee #coffeelovers #girlythings #dunkindonuts ♬ original sound – bad bunny’s #1 fart sniffer

Trend Three – “I Have Therapy”

The hook: “Sorry, I can’t today. I have therapy.” Cut to whatever your version of therapy actually looks like. A product. A process. A moment of genuine enjoyment.

This trend works for any type of business because it doesn’t require you to be vulnerable – it just requires you to be human. And slightly self-aware. Which most small business owners absolutely are, even if the grid doesn’t always show it.

How to Use It

Any business:

Show what your actual “therapy” looks like. For a marketer it’s a content plan that finally clicked. For a product brand it’s the thing that makes Tuesday bearable.

Service providers:

Position your service as the relief. Not pushy, just honest.

@refybeautyit’s a weekly appointment!!♬ Another Day in Paradise – aino

Trend Four – “Bad Day No More”

Simple hook, reliable results. “When you’re having a bad day but remember you…” – then finish with something that genuinely improves the mood. The shareable factor is the whole point here. People don’t save motivational content for themselves; they send it to someone else who needs it.

That forwarding behaviour is exactly what boosts views. High share rate, algorithm happy, job done.

Hook Ideas to Adapt

• When you’re having a bad day but then you book this…
• When today isn’t it… but this makes it a little better
• We all have those days… this is mine getting better

Applicable across fashion, fitness, coaching, hospitality – anything where the end result is feeling better than when you started.

@andrea_suboticmade my day 😂♬ Lush Life – Zara Larsson

Trend Five – “Oh, She’s So Lucky”

Start with the highlight reel – the win, the result, the moment that looks effortless from the outside. Then cut to what it actually took. The discipline. The cancelled plans. The days that were not photogenic in any way whatsoever.

It resonates because it’s honest in a format that usually isn’t. The contrast between perceived luck and actual graft is the kind of content people stop scrolling for.

How to Use It

Founders and entrepreneurs:

The result people see versus the 24-hour stretches they don’t. Show both.

Coaches:

Client outcomes paired with what the journey actually required. Real process, not just the trophy moment.

Service businesses:

Position the outcome as the result of consistent, unglamorous work – yours and theirs.

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Trend Six – “To Fill It”

Lead with empty. A bare shelf. A quiet room. A cup that hasn’t been touched yet. Then cut to everything it becomes.

The absence is the hook. The transformation is the payoff. And because it doesn’t rely on words, almost any business in any niche can use this without having to write a single caption that explains it.

How to Use It

Interiors and product brands:

The empty space before your product fills it. Let the visual contrast speak for itself.

Hospitality and events:

The quiet venue before it’s full. The table before it’s set. Before and after without a single word of explanation.

Service businesses:

What the situation looked like before you arrived, versus after. Strategy, design, organisation – all of it works.

@azeaniNew separators are changing the game♬ Fill the room and make it a home – Gelsey

Trend Seven – “Double Checking”

An interactive carousel that encourages people to swipe and – crucially – save. It puts a question directly to your audience: have they done the thing, bought the thing, sorted the thing?

It makes people pause and reflect instead of scrolling past. That pause is engagement. That engagement is reach. And if they save it to come back to later, the algorithm treats it like gold.

Best Suited For

• Education and coaching – accountability content works brilliantly here
• Marketing and design – a checklist your audience will actually save
• Service providers – remind people what they haven’t done yet (gently)
• Any problem-based business – the checklist format is your friend

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Why This Stuff Is Working Right Now

Because contrast is quick to process, interaction keeps watch time up, and anything that requires the viewer to do something – zoom, swipe, tap, pause – is playing the algorithm at its own game.

April’s content doesn’t need to be complex. It needs to be deliberate. Pick one trend, apply it to something you were already planning to post, and see what happens.

The businesses getting reach right now aren’t producing more. They’re producing smarter. And smarter, it turns out, often looks a lot like an empty hand or a tiny hidden message that makes someone stop mid-scroll.

Everyone’s stressed. You know it. Your clients know it. The millions of people who searched “feel overwhelmed” this year definitely know it. But whilst most businesses are still posting “self-care Sunday” graphics and calling it done, the search data is telling a very different story about what consumers actually want.

This isn’t a wellness trend. This is a societal shift. And the gap between what people are searching for and what they’re being offered is where the opportunity lives.

Opportunity: Businesses that position themselves as genuine solutions to stress, burnout and cortisol chaos in the next 24 days will be building audiences their competitors spend years trying to catch.

Stress and Burnout Searches Have Hit All-Time Highs

The data reveals something bigger than a seasonal stress spike. “Feel overwhelmed” and “feel stressed” are both being searched more than at any point this year, and “stress relief” has hit an all-time high. We’re not talking about a rough Monday. This is structural.

“Burnout at work” and “burnout from life” are both at all-time highs in 2026. “Low stress jobs” is being searched more than ever before, and “occupational stress” has reached a 15-year peak. People aren’t just tired. They’re actively looking for an exit plan.

And then there’s cortisol. Search interest has nearly doubled since January alone, hitting an all-time high for the third consecutive month. “High cortisol” and “low cortisol” are both breaking records. “Cortisol triggering foods” more than tripled in a single month. People aren’t just stressed. They’re trying to understand the biology of why they feel like this.

The Burnout Economy: Where the Wellness Opportunity Lives

The revenue hiding in this data is significant.

Stress Relief as Premium Product: “Stress relief” at an all-time high signals massive, pre-sold demand. Consumers aren’t browsing. They’re urgently searching. Any product, service or content that positions itself as a genuine answer gets to skip the convincing-them-they-have-a-problem stage entirely.

The Burnout Economy: “Burnout retreats” is a breakout search, and “burnout therapy” hit an all-time high this year. This isn’t fringe. Consumers are willing to invest seriously in recovery, and the market hasn’t caught up with demand yet.

The Cortisol Opportunity: “Cortisol meter” and “cortisol water” have never been searched more. “Cortisol test near me” broke out last month. Consumers want to measure, manage and mitigate. Businesses offering tools, testing, food guidance or cortisol-conscious products are sitting on a goldmine.

The Parenting Layer: “Parental burnout” hit an all-time high this year. “Single parent burnout” and “default parent burnout” are the top trending types right now. This audience is enormous, underserved and looking for something that understands their specific flavour of exhausted.

Overwhelmed, Overstimulated and Over It

Here’s where it gets granular – and where smart businesses find their edge:

The Language Shift

“Overwhelmed vs overstimulated” has doubled in 2026 and is the top searched comparison of its kind. “Emotional flooding” has also doubled in search interest this year. Consumers aren’t just saying “I’m stressed.” They’re developing vocabulary for their experiences. Businesses that use this language earn immediate credibility with an audience that’s tired of being spoken to like they don’t understand themselves.

The Schooling Connection

“Stress from school” and “sick note for stress” are breakout searches. This isn’t just a workplace story. It’s a generational story. Businesses serving students, young adults or parents of teenagers have a wide-open lane here that almost nobody is occupying well.

The Colouring Book Comeback

“Does colouring help with stress” is the top trending stress-relief question of the month. That feels delightfully niche until you realise it points to a much broader search for accessible, low-cost, non-pharmaceutical stress relief. Simple things. Tactile things.

What Wellness Businesses Should (and Shouldn’t) Be Selling Right Now

Oversaturated Markets to Avoid: Generic “wellness” content. Vague mindfulness tips. “Five ways to reduce stress” listicles with no data behind them. Consumers are past surface-level. They’re actively searching for specific, credible, actionable solutions. The businesses still posting “breathe deeply” graphics are being scrolled past at pace.

Underserved Opportunities:

• Cortisol-specific nutrition guidance
• Accessible burnout recovery programmes
• Content that speaks specifically to parental burnout (especially default parents and single parents)
• Tools that help people identify and track stress responses
• Neurodivergent-specific stress content (the “overwhelmed vs overstimulated” data suggests this audience is searching and not finding)

The data shows clear white space for businesses willing to go deeper than the trend, rather than just surfing it.

The Highest-Intent Stress and Burnout Searches Right Now

The searches revealing the most immediate commercial signals:

Top urgent searches right now:

• Cortisol test near me
• Burnout retreats
• Low stress jobs
• Sick note for stress
• Burnout therapy

This is consumers in active problem-solving mode. They’re not browsing. They’re buying intent wrapped in a search bar. Businesses that show up with specific, credible answers to these searches are capturing an audience already halfway through the decision.

Wellness Trends to Watch

Based on current trajectories:

Q2 2026 Momentum: Cortisol interest at an all-time high for three consecutive months suggests this isn’t peaking. The biological wellness conversation is accelerating, not plateauing. Businesses building authority here now will own the conversation when it reaches full mainstream.

The Counter-Movement: “Low stress jobs” breaking records and “burnout from life” at all-time highs together signal something bigger than workplace dissatisfaction. Consumers are questioning the structures around them. Businesses that acknowledge this – rather than simply offering coping mechanisms for a life consumers are starting to reject – will build far deeper loyalty.

Global Relevance: Cortisol and burnout searches aren’t geographically limited. This is a Western-world-wide shift. Businesses with digital products or international reach should be treating this as a global category opportunity, not just a UK moment.

The 24-Day Action Plan for Wellness Businesses

Week 1-2: Audit Your Language

• Review your existing content for generic wellness language
• Map your products or services to specific stress/burnout/cortisol search terms
• Identify which underserved audience segment you’re best placed to speak to

Week 3-4: Publish With Precision

• Create content that uses the specific vocabulary consumers are searching (“emotional flooding,” “default parent burnout,” “cortisol triggering foods”)
• Position around measurable outcomes, not vague wellness promises
• Build at least one piece of content that directly answers a breakout search question

The Bottom Line

We’re not watching a wellness trend play out. We’re watching a culture reach its limit, open a search bar, and start looking for something real.

The search data doesn’t lie: people are burned out, their cortisol is through the roof, and they’re significantly done with content that tells them to take a bath and breathe.

Businesses that treat this seriously – with specificity, credibility and actual substance – won’t just capture market share. Businesses that show up with real answers right now won’t just ride this wave. They’ll be the ones your customers think of first, last, and every blue Monday in between.

A new global report from WhatsApp Business has landed, and if you run a small business, you need to read it. Not skim it. Actually read it. Because it contains many reasons to rethink how you communicate with every person who might ever give you money.

The State of Business Messaging report from WhatsApp surveyed over 11,000 adults across 22 markets. That’s not a survey your mate did in a Facebook group. It’s a serious, Kantar-commissioned, globally weighted piece of research. And the numbers are not subtle.

Why Messaging Is Now the Number One Way Customers Want to Contact a Business

Let’s start with the headline figure, because it deserves its own moment.

Over 70% of online adults say messaging is their preferred way to communicate with a business.

Not email. Not phone. Not a contact form that disappears into the void. Messaging.

And the same number explicitly prefer messaging over calling you. Which means the phone you’re sitting next to waiting for it to ring? It’s giving your customers the ick.

This isn’t a niche preference among the Gen Zs who’ve never used a landline. This data spans 22 global markets including the UK, covering adults aged 18 to 64. Messaging isn’t the future. It’s already the present.

How Slow Response Times and Missing Contact Options Are Costing You Customers

There’s a phrase in this report that stuck with us: the “frustration tax.”

Traditional channels like phone and email aren’t just less popular – they’re actively damaging your relationship with potential customers before it’s even started. 69% of consumers say that being put on hold is a waste of their time and deeply frustrating.

Here’s the thing for small businesses: you probably don’t have a hold queue. But if your only contact option is a form that takes 24 hours to respond to, the feeling is the same. You’ve already lost them to someone who messaged back in 24 minutes.

And over 65% of online adults say they feel frustrated when a business doesn’t offer messaging as a contact option at all. That’s two thirds of the market who are already annoyed at you before they’ve even tried to buy something. Not a great start, eh.

How WhatsApp for Business Increases Trust, Sales and Customer Loyalty

Right. So what’s the upside? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

72% of consumers are more likely to purchase from brands that offer messaging. The channel itself has become a conversion tool, not just a communication tool.

For solopreneurs and small teams, connection is your competitive advantage over the corporates. You are the person behind the business. Messaging lets you show that. 74% say they trust a business more when they can message it directly. Trust is the thing every small business owner knows they need. A green tick and a quick response does more for trust than a year’s worth of nicely designed content.

How to Use WhatsApp to Sell, Not Just Chat: The Case for Conversational Commerce

64% of online adults prefer to make a purchase via messaging over going to a physical store and over 42% said shopping in-app would improve their experience with a business. The entire customer journey – discovery, questions, purchase, post-purchase support – is now happening inside a single chat thread for a growing chunk of the market.

The report calls this “conversational commerce.” We’d call it a 24-carat opportunity for small businesses who are nimble enough to operate this way. You don’t need a logistics team and an enterprise software stack. You need to show up, respond quickly, and make it easy to say yes.

The satisfaction rates for messaging-based transactions are remarkable. Making a reservation via messaging scored 91.3% enjoyment. Booking appointments 90.1%. Ordering food 89.1%. Shopping and buying something 87.5%. These are not the numbers of a channel people are tolerating. These are people actively enjoying the process.

Why Personalised WhatsApp Messages Outperform Generic Broadcast Marketing

Here’s where a lot of businesses go wrong.

The report found that nearly 70% of adults feel frustrated when they receive irrelevant messages from a business. Blasting your entire list with the same generic update isn’t a messaging strategy. It’s spam with a WhatsApp logo on it.

But – and this is important – the research also found that 3 out of 4 online adults value receiving personalised messages about products, services and offers from businesses. The issue isn’t messaging. It’s bad messaging. Customers don’t dislike marketing. They dislike lazy marketing.

They want to communicate with businesses the same way they communicate with friends and family. That’s a useful brief, actually. What would you say to a friend who asked about your services? Start there.

Should Small Businesses Use WhatsApp Automation and AI Chatbots?

We know, we know. People hate chatbots. Except – the data says something more nuanced.

Over 65% of online adults agree that getting a response from an AI chatbot is helpful and that getting quick responses from a 24/7 AI chatbot would improve their experience when communicating with a business. What people hate isn’t automation. What they hate is waiting. If automation removes the wait, it’s welcome.

For small businesses without a team available around the clock, this is very useful information. A well-set-up WhatsApp automation that responds instantly to common enquiries – pricing, availability, how to book – isn’t a cop-out. It’s good customer service.

The key word is seamless. The report is clear that the best model is hybrid: AI handling the volume, humans handling the nuance. For most small businesses, that’s completely achievable with the right set-up.

What the WhatsApp Business Messaging Report Means for Your Business

Because we know you’re busy, here’s the distilled version:

• Messaging is now the primary communication preference globally
• Not offering it actively frustrates and loses potential customers
• WhatsApp specifically builds trust and drives purchase intent
• The entire customer journey can now happen in one thread
• Personalised, relevant messages drive results; generic blasts drive unsubscribes
• AI and automation are welcomed when they remove friction, not add it

The businesses winning on WhatsApp aren’t the big corporates with enterprise messaging platforms. They’re the ones who respond fast, sound human, and make it genuinely easy to work with them. Nirvana, right?

Not sure where to start with WhatsApp for your business? Let’s map out what a proper set-up looks like for you – what to automate, how to set up your profile, and how to turn conversations into clients. Lots of them.

March online is where things start to slip… in a good way.

The “new year, new me” crowd have gone quiet.
The over-planners are tired.
And everyone else is back to posting like an actual human again.

Less strategy decks. More “this will do”. Which, ironically, is exactly why things are working better.

Because people aren’t performing quite as much any longer. They’re saying what they actually think, showing what’s really going on, and occasionally oversharing just enough to make it interesting. These are the trends doing the rounds right now – not because they’re groundbreaking, but because they feel a bit too familiar.

“Romanticise It” – But Make It Slightly Unhinged

You’ve probably seen this creeping in.

Everything’s being framed like a dramatic love story – even things that clearly shouldn’t be.

Work. Habits. Businesses people should’ve left months ago.

It’s exaggerated, a bit chaotic, and very relatable.

Because people don’t have rational relationships with their businesses. They have emotional ones.

How to Use It

Small businesses:
Call out the things people stay attached to for no good reason – old offers, messy processes, doing everything themselves.

Service businesses:
“Still in a toxic relationship with your marketing?”
Lean into the drama, then offer the solution.

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Founders:
Stop dressing up struggle as something romantic. That’s the hook.

“This Is Who You’re Trusting…” – Personality Over Polish

This one’s simple and that’s why it works.

Old photo. Current role. Slightly uncomfortable honesty.

“That’s who you’re trusting to…” And suddenly the brand feels human. It lands because it removes the performance. No curated version. Just context.

How to Use It

Founder-led brands:
Childhood photo + what you do now. Keep it honest, not overly sentimental.

Agencies:
Bring your team in. Show the people behind the work.

Service providers:
This builds trust faster than a list of credentials ever will.

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“Doctor’s Orders” – Familiar Format, Easy Win

“When the doctor says…”

You already know the set-up – the punchline just gets swapped to fit the niche.

It works because it doesn’t need explaining. People recognise it instantly.

How to Use It

Any business:
“When the doctor says you need better systems”
“When the doctor says you need to stop guessing your content”

Product brands:
Tie it back to usage, results, or habits.

It’s quick to create, easy to understand, and scroll-stopping enough to work.

@velocityactivewear The doctor’s orders! 😚 #shopping #retail #retailtherapy ♬ Queen of Disaster – ella

“Talking to My Younger Self” – Then vs Now (But Softer)

This isn’t the loud “look how far I’ve come” content.

It’s more reflective. Slightly uncomfortable at times. Creators are speaking to earlier versions of themselves – what they’d say, what they’d change, what actually mattered. It works because it shows experience without forcing authority.

How to Use It

Founders:
What you’d tell yourself before starting.

Service providers:
The advice clients usually need earlier than they realise.

Coaches and consultants:
Reassurance without overselling.

Less “here’s how I did it”
More “here’s what I wish I knew”

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“Just Like Everyone Else…” – Self-Aware and Specific

“In a world full of people who…” followed by something painfully accurate.

The tone’s slightly ironic. Not trying to stand out – just admitting you’re part of it. That’s why it works.

How to Use It

Small businesses:
Call out shared behaviours in your audience.

Service businesses:
“In a world full of businesses posting consistently but not converting…”

Creators:
The more specific you go, the better it lands.

This is relatability done properly – not forced.

@vodafoneuknever thought i’d follow the herd but there we go♬ HERE hoodtrap SLOWED by Kryd – Kryd

“My Nervous System…” – Stress, But Make It Content

This one’s split into two sides.

One: relatable humour about stress
Two: actual conversations around calm, regulation, and feeling in control

And businesses can sit right in the middle of it.

Because a lot of what people buy… is relief.

How to Use It

Service providers:
Before vs after working with you

• before: overwhelmed, unsure, overthinking
• after: clear, handled, sorted

Traditionally “stressful” industries:
Accounting, legal, marketing, anything operational

Position yourself as the thing that steadies the situation.

@extrastaff Very effective🤫 #workbestie #workhumor #officehumor #work #9to5life ♬ original sound – ✩

“Trying to Stay Employed” – Saying What You Shouldn’t

This one’s chaotic and very accurate.

Two people. One trying to stop the other from saying what they’re actually thinking.

It’s exaggerated, but only slightly, which is why people recognise themselves in it.

How to Use It

Teams:
Internal conversations, client scenarios, day-to-day moments

Agencies:
“What we say vs what we mean”

Founders:
The thoughts you don’t usually post

It works because it drops the polished version completely

@theskinspecialist_1Anyone else?🤣♬ original sound – wildbysofia

Why This Stuff’s Working

Because people have clocked it. They can tell when something’s been overthought, over-edited, and signed off by three people who don’t even like social media. And they scroll straight past it.

What’s landing instead is:

• things that feel slightly off-script
• content that doesn’t try too hard
• posts that sound like someone actually wrote them, not assembled them

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being recognisable.

March content isn’t trying to impress anyone. It’s just trying not to feel like a LinkedIn template.

If your content’s getting polite engagement but no actual movement, there’s a good chance it’s sitting in that “technically fine, emotionally forgettable” category.

Which is definitely fixable. Usually without doing more. Just… doing it slightly differently.

AI tools like ChatGPT are changing how people discover businesses online. The good news is that you don’t need a tech degree to take advantage of it. You just need to know where to show up – and right now, that place is LinkedIn.

Something worth knowing is happening to the way people find businesses online – and LinkedIn is right in the middle of it. Not LinkedIn the corporate networking platform where people post about being humbled and grateful. The actual LinkedIn. Your profile. Your posts. Your newsletter.

When you type a question into Google these days, you often get an answer sitting right at the top of the page – no clicking required. That’s AI search. It’s been rolling out since 2024 and it’s changing how people discover businesses, services and expertise online.

Why AI search tools are increasingly citing LinkedIn as a source

AI tools need to pull their answers from somewhere credible. For professional queries, they’re increasingly pulling them from LinkedIn – and the numbers from marketing platform Profound back this up.

Profound tracked millions of AI queries between November 2025 and February 2026. LinkedIn’s citation rate in ChatGPT responses doubled in that time. It is now the number one domain cited for professional questions – ahead of news sites, ahead of most business websites.

2x LinkedIn’s AI citation rate doubled between Nov 2025 and Feb 2026

#1 Top domain cited for professional queries in ChatGPT

35% Of LinkedIn citations in ChatGPT come from posts, articles and newsletters

So when someone asks an AI “who should I hire to help with my accounts” or “what should I look for in an award-winning digital marketing agency,” the AI is reading LinkedIn profiles and posts to shape its answer. Your LinkedIn profile is, effectively, your CV for the machines. And unlike a human reader, the machines actually read the whole thing.

Worth knowing: AI tools can only surface publicly visible LinkedIn content. If your best thinking lives entirely in your head, in private messages, or in the verbal explanation you give every new client – it doesn’t count. Write it down.

What small businesses can do to improve their AI search visibility on LinkedIn

LinkedIn’s own response involved three things: correcting inaccurate information appearing in AI answers about their brand, publishing content structured for AI to understand and cite, and checking whether their LinkedIn activity was actually showing up in AI results. They called it an AI Search Taskforce. We’d call it doing your digital housekeeping – just with a better job title on it.

Here’s the version that doesn’t require a 24-person taskforce.

• Start by searching for yourself. Google your business name and ask ChatGPT about what you do. Do you appear? Is what comes up accurate? Most business owners are surprised by what they find – or don’t find.
• Rewrite your LinkedIn profile in plain English. A clear, specific description of what you do, who you help, and what makes you good at it. Not keywords, not jargon – the kind of straight answer you’d give someone who asked a proper question at a networking event.
• Answer the questions your clients actually ask you. Posts, articles, newsletters – format matters less than content. Specific, useful, written in your own voice. That’s what AI quotes.
• Consistency beats volume. One well-written post a week is worth more than five thin ones. AI tools build a picture of credibility over time – the same logic that’s underpinned good content marketing for the past 24 years, as it happens.
• Close the gap between what you know and what you’ve written down. That gap is exactly what AI can’t fill for you. Nobody’s going to do this bit except you (or us).

How AI visibility fits into a long-term marketing strategy for small businesses

This isn’t a new strategy. It’s the same strategy – clear positioning, genuine expertise, consistent communication – with a new audience added to the mix. One that doesn’t scroll past the first paragraph, doesn’t care how many followers you have, and isn’t swayed by a selfie at the gym.

“Professional visibility is no longer only about how people present themselves to others. It’s increasingly about how machines interpret them first.” – Erin Lanuti, co-founder, Lilypath

The businesses showing up well in AI search are largely the same ones that have always done the basics well. That’s either reassuring or annoying, depending on where you’re starting from – but either way, LinkedIn is the most practical place to begin, and the investment is smaller than most people assume.

Not sure what your AI visibility actually looks like right now? That’s a good place to start. Come and have a chat.

 

SOURCES

Profound / Axios: LinkedIn domain rank based on ChatGPT citations, Nov 2025 – Feb 2026

LinkedIn / Search Engine Land: How LinkedIn Marketing Is Adapting to AI-Led Discovery, Feb 2026

Lilypath: Erin Lanuti quoted in Axios, March 2026

A report dropped this week that is worth more than a quick scroll. The Rise Report of Female Entrepreneurship 2026 surveyed 2,225 female founders across the UK – women who between them turn over £1 billion and employ 9,300 people.

What makes it different from the usual research is that it asked 11 open-ended questions rather than tick boxes, generating 436,000 words of founder experience. That is a lot of honesty in one document, and it shows.

The £310 Billion Case for Backing Female Founders

If women started and scaled businesses at the same rate as men, it could add £310 billion to the UK economy. The report makes clear that closing the gap is not just the right thing to do – it is the economically sensible one.

Currently, only 2% of venture capital goes to fully female-founded businesses, with over 80% directed to all-male teams. For Black female founders, that figure was 0.02% across the entire decade from 2009 to 2019. Progress is being made – the Invest in Women Taskforce has pooled £635 million specifically to fund female entrepreneurs via female investment managers – but the numbers still have a long way to go.

Which brings us to marketing. Because if the investment is not coming through the front door, visibility becomes even more important. The report found that 80% of consumers say they would rather buy from a business whose founder they follow online. Your voice and your story are not vanity – they are commercial strategy.

What Female Founders Say Success Looks Like

The report’s 4 Ss of success are worth knowing, not least because they challenge the assumption that women build businesses primarily for passion or purpose:

• Stability and profitability – 53% prioritise consistent revenue and financial security
• Scale and exit – 38% are building to grow, acquire or exit
• Social impact – 28% want to make a measurable difference
• Self – 21% include work-life balance and wellbeing as a core measure

More than half of female founders are focused on profitability. More than a third have exit ambitions. Commercial success is not an afterthought – it is the point.

Why Funding Remains Such a Sticking Point

45% of respondents named funding access as their biggest barrier, and the detail behind that figure is worth sitting with.

On public funding, 78% of those who shared their experience were negative about it. The median time to complete Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation grant application was 60 hours – before knowing whether the application would be successful. On private finance, 72% reported negative experiences, with complexity, ghosting and investor misalignment coming up repeatedly.

The report does not suggest that female founders are put off by hard work. What they are asking for is clarity, transparency and a process that does not feel designed to wear them down.

The Support That Makes a Difference

When founders were asked what had helped most on their journey, the answers were consistent across the board.

Peer and founder networks topped the list at 39% – other founders who have navigated similar challenges and will give you a straight answer. Mentorship and coaching came in at 32%, with respondents valuing guidance from people with relevant, sector-specific experience rather than generic advice.

78% of respondents cited human connection as central to their journey. The right network is not a nice-to-have. For most of the founders in this survey, it was the thing that kept them going. We would add that showing up consistently online – in your own voice, without the corporate gloss – is one of the most scalable ways to build those connections when you cannot be in the room in person.

The Loneliness Figure Worth Knowing

One in seven female founders say loneliness and isolation is their biggest challenge – a figure that could represent around 230,000 businesses across the UK. What the report also found is that founders of larger businesses report similar levels of isolation to those running small ones. Scaling does not automatically solve it. If you have ever felt like you are making decisions in a vacuum, the data suggests you are far from alone in that.

The Childcare Numbers That Keep Coming Up

UK founders spend roughly three times more of their income on childcare than founders in Canada. The estimated cost to the UK economy of not addressing this is up to £38 billion in annual gross value. For a lot of female founders, the tension between growing a business and managing the cost of childcare is not abstract – it is a decision they are making every month.

What the Report Is Asking For

The founders surveyed were clear on what needs to change:

• Simpler, more transparent grant processes with realistic application times
• Mentorship matching with people who have relevant lived experience
• Networking that fits around caregiving responsibilities, not the other way around
• Removal of the seven-year EIS company age limit, which disproportionately affects founders who bootstrapped longer
• Mandatory gender-split reporting for VC portfolio allocation

The full report is at therisereport.co.uk. Read it, share it, and if it prompts a growth strategy conversation about where your business goes next, we are here for that too.

24 Fingers is a female-led digital marketing consultancy working with founders across the globe. Also lonely sometimes, also working hard to scale.

Meta just announced they’re testing paid subscriptions across Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and the internet has opinions.

The basics stay free. But the features you actually want? Those are going behind a paywall.

What’s Worth Paying For (And What’s Just Shiny)

Anonymous Story viewing is the one everyone’s losing their minds over, and fair enough. Watching your competitors’ content without showing up in their viewers list is useful. The ability to see who doesn’t follow you back? Less groundbreaking, more 3am angst.

Then there’s Vibes, Meta’s AI video tool that’s been free since launch. That’s going freemium. And Manus, the AI agent platform Meta bought for a reported £1.6 billion, gets folded into the subscription model too. Meta’s clearly decided that open-source AI is lovely but paying the bills is lovelier.

Subscription Fatigue Is Real, and Meta Knows It

We’re already shelling out for Netflix, Spotify, ChatGPT and at least two tools we signed up for in January and forgot about. Meta has to make their paid tier feel unmissable before someone clicks away.

Snapchat+ cracked this. Sixteen million subscribers paying for exclusive features proves there’s a market for social media subscriptions done right. Meta’s clearly have watched those numbers closely.

Should You Pay for This?

Hold fire. Meta’s testing, not launching globally tomorrow. The features that land in your country might look completely different from what’s been announced.

What’s worth thinking about now: which of these tools would genuinely save you time or sharpen your strategy? AI content creation at scale? Better audience data? If the answer is yes, this could earn its keep. If you’re mostly drawn to the anonymous Story viewing because you’re nosy about a competitor (no judgement btw), maybe wait for the reviews.

Subscribing because everyone else did is how you end up with 24 direct debits and nothing to show for it. Not sure which platforms and tools deserve your budget? That’s quite literally what we do. Come and have a chat.

January online is always a bit…of a lot.

Everyone’s back at work. The inbox is feral. Motivation’s hanging on by a thread. And social content reflects it – less big energy, more “this is where I’m actually at”.

These are the January 2026 trends doing the rounds right now – not because they’re clever, but because they feel familiar.

“365 Buttons” – Too Many Choices, Now You’re Committed

You’ve probably seen this one already.

Someone’s faced with loads of options, clicks the wrong thing, and suddenly that’s their whole personality. One tap. No going back.

It’s funny because it’s accurate. January is just a series of accidental decisions we’re pretending were intentional.

How to Use It

Small businesses:
Show how one small decision led to something bigger – launching a product, saying yes to a client, changing direction.

Service businesses:
Share a “this wasn’t the plan” moment that actually worked out.

Product brands:
Use it for impulse buys, surprise bestsellers, or “we didn’t expect this to sell out” stories.

@enchantedscrunch Best desision I ever made was starting a scrunchie business!! #scrunchies #teenentrepreneur #startingabusiness #scrunchielover #businessowner ♬ Reality of entrepreneurship – Imogen

“Soft Reset” Content – Not Reinventing, Just Adjusting

This is the anti “new year, new me” trend.

People aren’t overhauling their lives – they’re making small tweaks and admitting they’re easing back in slowly. No big declarations. No dramatic music and honestly, it’s a relief.

How to Use It

Small businesses:
Talk about what you’re gently improving this month – one thing, not everything.

Personal brands:
Share what you’re keeping the same.

Service providers:
Show the prep work – planning, organising, sorting the boring stuff that actually matters.

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“Before I Knew Better” – Then vs Now

This one’s doing well because it’s humble. Creators are sharing old versions of their work, habits, or processes next to what they do now – without pretending it was all part of a master plan.

Less glow-up. More “learning curve”.

How to Use It

Any business that’s been around a while:
Your first version vs now – logo, pricing, setup, confidence levels.

Service providers:
Early mistakes that taught you something useful.

Founders:
Progress without pretending you had it all figured out.

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“Quiet Wins” – The Low-Key Flex

No big announcements. No victory laps. Just small moments that feel good – inbox cleared, project finished, client message that made you exhale.

People are bored of shouting. This lands because it’s calm.

How to Use It

Small businesses:
Share the wins that make your day easier, not just the flashy stuff.

Service businesses:
Finished work, smooth handovers, things running as they should. Hallelujah.

Product brands:
Orders packed, shelves restocked, quiet behind-the-scenes moments.

@askinem Let’s restock our logo hoodies for the launch on 6/1 🥰🥰 @Affirmation Apparel small business restock #restock#asmr#restocking#restockasmr#office#officerestock#satisfying#organized ♬ The Bug Collector – BEN SCOTT

“This Is Your Sign” – But Make It Sensible

Yes, it’s back. But toned right down.

Instead of life-changing advice, it’s practical nudges – send the email, book the call, stop overthinking it.

Which, frankly, most people need in January.

How to Use It

Coaches and consultants:
One genuinely helpful prompt.

Small businesses:
Use it to remind people about booking, deadlines, or next steps.

Service providers:
Position your offer as helpful, not pushy.

@inkbycate 💫 follow through that idea~ then work on it, stay consistent. #inkbycate #printingbusiness ♬ original sound – ⋆˚࿔ diva 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

“Back to Reality” Office Content

January office content is having a moment – but it’s messy, not manicured.

Desks covered in notes. Half-finished coffees. Screens with too many tabs open. It’s comforting because it’s real.

How to Use It

Any business with a workspace:
Show the actual return to work, not the staged version.

Teams:
Light-hearted “we’re back” clips without forcing enthusiasm.

Solo founders:
Your kitchen table counts.

@craavings.id not to be dramatic, but the comeback you didn’t know you needed is happening 🤎 #fyp #baking #brownies #smallbusiness #chocolate #jakarta #dessert #cake ♬ original sound – nickharris

Why This Stuff’s Working

Because no one’s in the mood to be impressed. People want to feel understood, not sold to. Content that feels normal, slightly self-aware, and a bit rough round the edges is winning right now.
January isn’t about being inspiring. It’s about being believable.