Jeff Bullas

Good question, it’s a common hurdle.

Quick Answer: The key is to create content your team is genuinely proud to share and to make the process of sharing absolutely frictionless for them.

You need to shift your focus from chasing compliance to building a genuine employee advocacy programme.

The first step is to look at the content itself, as not all formats are equally shareable. Your team will be more inclined to share a high-impact video celebrating a company milestone or a well-designed infographic with industry insights than a plain text-only update. The content must add value to their own professional networks, not just serve as a corporate announcement. Second, you must make it incredibly easy for them to participate. Circulate the post internally with a direct link and even provide two or three pre-written text options they can copy or, even better, adapt to their own voice. Third, clearly articulate the benefit to them; sharing quality content from their organisation helps build their personal brand and establishes them as experts in their field. Finally, you should recognise and celebrate those who actively share. A simple public acknowledgement can foster a culture where sharing is seen as a valued contribution rather than a mandatory chore.

Cheers,

Jeff

This is a critical question for any content strategy.

Short Answer: Yes, long captions are extremely good for engagement, provided the text is high-value and the first line is strong enough to make users stop scrolling and read.

You have to remember that a key metric for the algorithm is time spent on post, and a compelling text-based narrative is one of the best ways to increase that dwell time.

The myth that users have short attention spans is only half-true; they have short attention spans for low-value content. If you provide a story, a tutorial, or valuable insights in your caption, people will stay to read it. The most important part of your text is the first line, as this is all a user sees before they have to tap ‘more’. That line must act as a powerful hook that creates curiosity. The purpose of the long caption is to provide context and value that the image or video cannot deliver on its own. It’s not about length for length’s sake; it’s about using the space to build a deeper connection or to educate your audience. Of course, this strategy must match the content; a simple, beautiful photo might be undercut by a long caption, but a post explaining a complex idea requires it.

Cheers,

Jeff

Breaking down complex topics into a series is a great move.

Short Answer: Structure each video to provide standalone value but end with a strong tease for the next part, and use Instagram’s official ‘Add to series’ feature to formally link the video content together.

Your main goal with this video format is to create a compelling reason for a viewer to not only finish the current Reel but to actively seek out the next one on your profile.

Each video in your series must deliver on a promise, but the first part is the most critical; it needs to solve a small problem while creating an open loop that makes watching the next part feel necessary. You must use clear on-screen text for labelling, like ‘Part 1 of 3’, so viewers immediately understand the format. The most professional way to connect the videos is to use Instagram’s ‘Add to series’ option when you post, which groups them under a single title on your profile. If you want to manually link them as well, a good tactic is to post the next part and then edit the caption of the previous video to tell people the new part is live. Avoid simply telling people to “check the comments” as this can be a messy user experience. Finally, you should post the parts in quick succession, ideally one per day, to maintain viewer momentum and interest.

Cheers,

Jeff.

Good question.

Short Answer: To format long captions, write them in a separate notes app first to create clean line breaks, then copy and paste the text directly into Instagram before publishing.

Getting your formatting right is crucial because the algorithm rewards time spent on post, and a readable text-based caption keeps people engaged with your content for longer.

The main reason formatting goes awry is that Instagram’s in-app editor often ignores simple carriage returns, collapsing your text into a single block. The most reliable workaround is to type out your entire caption in a notes application on your phone first, creating the desired spacing between your paragraphs there. Once you’re happy with it, you simply select all, copy, and paste it into the caption field on Instagram. For more stubborn cases, you can use what are called invisible characters; you can find them with a quick search online and copy one to paste onto an empty line to force a clean break. Beyond the technical side, you should also organise your text for readability by keeping paragraphs short, ideally no more than two or three sentences each, and you can even use emojis at the start of new lines to visually separate points and mimic a list structure. This turns a daunting wall of text into an inviting piece of content.

Cheers,

Jeff.

This is the most common question for page owners right now.

Short Answer: Your reach has dropped because Facebook’s algorithm now heavily favours short-form video content and a ‘pay-to-play’ model, reducing the organic visibility of standard image and text posts from business pages.

Understanding this fundamental shift in content priority is the key to adapting your strategy.

The platform’s main goal is to keep users watching, and its internal data shows that short, engaging video achieves this best. The algorithm therefore prioritises formats like Reels and other short videos, distributing that content far beyond your existing follower base. While your high-quality image posts are still valuable for your most dedicated followers, the system is no longer built to show them to new people organically. Simple text-based updates have even less visibility in the feed unless they generate immense and immediate conversational engagement. It is a clear content hierarchy, and adapting to it is essential for any business on the platform today.

Cheers,

Jeff

An excellent question. Moving to test creative elements is a sign of a mature email marketing program.

Brief Answer: To effectively A/B test images in an email, you must isolate the image as the single variable. The best practice is to start with high-contrast tests (e.g., lifestyle image vs. product image) and measure the impact on the email’s primary goal, which is usually the click-through rate of the main call-to-action.

The goal of the test is not just to see which image gets more clicks, but to understand which type of image better motivates your audience to take the key action you want them to take.

First and most importantly, you must isolate the variable. For the test results to be meaningful, the only difference between version A and version B of your email must be the single image you are testing. The subject line, the preview text, all body copy, and the call-to-action button must be identical in both versions. If you change more than one thing, you will have no way of knowing what actually caused the change in performance.

Start with big, conceptual tests rather than minor tweaks. Before you test a blue background versus a red one, you need to test more fundamental hypotheses. For example, test a clean product-on-white image against a dynamic lifestyle image of your product in use. Test an image featuring a person’s face against one with no people. These high-contrast tests will give you clear, directional data about what style of creative resonates with your audience.

When it comes to measuring the winner, the most important metric is usually the click-through rate on your primary call-to-action text button. While clicks on the image itself are worth noting, the ultimate purpose of the image is to support the main goal of the email. You want to know which image was more persuasive in getting someone to click ‘Shop Now’ or ‘Learn More’.

Finally, remember that the insights from these email tests can inform your entire content strategy. If you discover that lifestyle images double your click-through rate in emails, that’s a powerful signal that you should also test that style of image and video creative in your social media ads and on your website.

Cheers,
Jeff

A crucial question for any business operating in today’s global market. Understanding this distinction is fundamental to responsible marketing.

Brief Answer: The core difference is that Europe’s GDPR is an ‘opt-in’ law, requiring explicit consent *before* you can email someone for marketing. The US’s CAN-SPAM is an ‘opt-out’ law, which mainly requires that you give recipients a clear way to unsubscribe from future emails.

For any global business, the safest and simplest strategy is to build your email practices to comply with the strictest regulation—which is GDPR—as this will almost always ensure you are compliant with more lenient laws like CAN-SPAM.

As a preliminary note, the following information is for educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. You should consult with a legal professional for specific compliance matters for your business.

The most significant difference between the two regulations is consent. Under GDPR, you must have documented, freely given, and unambiguous consent from an individual before you send them a marketing email. This is why the double opt-in method is considered the best practice for GDPR compliance. Conversely, CAN-SPAM does not require prior consent. You can send a commercial email to someone without their permission, provided you adhere to the law’s other rules.

The second key difference is their scope. GDPR applies to the data of any person residing in the European Union, regardless of where your company is based. If you have even one customer in an EU country, you must follow GDPR. CAN-SPAM is a US law that governs all commercial emails sent from or to the United States.

Finally, they have different requirements for the text content within the email. CAN-SPAM is very specific about what must be in your email footer: a valid physical postal address of the sender and a clear, functional unsubscribe link. GDPR is more focused on transparency about data rights, requiring you to clearly state why you have someone’s data and how they can exercise their rights to access or erase it.

Cheers,
Jeff

An excellent topic. UGC is one of the most powerful tools for building authenticity and social proof.

Brief Answer: User-Generated Content (UGC) in email marketing refers to any brand-relevant image, video, or text created by your customers, not by your company. It’s used in emails to showcase real customers using your products, which builds trust and increases conversions.

The strategy is to move from telling your audience how great your product is to showing them, using the authentic voices and experiences of their peers.

The most common and visually effective type is image-based UGC. This is where you feature photos from your customers directly in your email campaigns. For an e-commerce brand, this could be a gallery of different customers wearing your clothing or using your product in their own homes. This kind of authentic image is incredibly powerful social proof, but you must always get explicit permission from the creator before using their photo.

Next, you have text-based UGC, which is primarily customer reviews and testimonials. You can pull the most compelling quotes from your product reviews or social media comments and feature them in your emails. Placing a short, glowing text block from a real customer next to a product image can often be more persuasive than any professional marketing copy.

A more advanced format is video-based UGC. This could involve using snippets of customer unboxing videos, tutorials, or video testimonials. Since embedding actual video files in email is unreliable, the best practice is to create an animated GIF or a high-quality thumbnail image from the video. You then link this image to the full video on your website or social media, driving traffic while showcasing authentic user experiences.

To get a steady stream of this content, you have to ask for it. You can run social media campaigns encouraging users to post with a specific hashtag, or set up automated post-purchase emails that specifically ask for a review and a photo.

Cheers,
Jeff