Six data points guiding my 2026 social strategy

Follower growth is down, non-follower views are up, and more insights you should care about.

Good morning from rainy Los Angeles. I spent the weekend watching Oblivion’s TikTok videos, a Staples employee who documents everything the store offers. One of her most viral videos shows how to make a mug. I did some quick math and she has accumulated more TikTok views last month than the official Staples account got in all of 2025. By a lot. A comment with 72K likes reads, “As far as I’m concerned this is the President and CEO of Staples.” The brand has been outwardly supportive of her making content, and I hope it stays that way.

A quick heads up that I recently updated the Link in Bio Running List of Post Ideas. It now has over 150 formats for your brand to try. A resource I return to over and over again!

Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:

• The charts, graphs, and stats guiding my 2026 social strategy

• I talked to the Heated Rivalry fan editor who HBO just hired

• Five post ideas to try this week

• The camera app used in Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” videos

• Access to the Link in Bio Discord (“An essential place to be for anyone managing social media”)