Filling You In
Apple announced Apple Creator Studio
Amazon launches a brand program for UAE-based creators.
TikTok rolls out Series, which allows creators to put up to 80 videos behind a paywall.
Spotify opens a podcast studio in West Hollywood.
Instagram rolls out new updates with Edits to improve video creation and workflow.
TikTok released their 2026 trend forecast for marketers.
Pinterest announced its 2026 Palette — 5 trending colors drawn from the ideas people are searching, saving, and exploring on the platform.
Pinterest published a 2026 marketing playbook based on major milestones.
Pinterest research says Gen Z is reclaiming their taste by curating niche identities.
Content That Matters In 2026
The creators who are winning attention aren’t chasing one-off virality. They’re building an episodic social series that feels familiar, repeatable, and worth coming back to.
This is why the first few seconds matter so much. A strong hook stops the scroll, but familiarity keeps people watching. Having the same tone, structure, and visual language allows viewers to feel as if they’re tuning into something rather than just idly scrolling away.
Look at Subway Takes. Created and hosted by Egyptian creator Kareem Rahma, he successfully turned a simple one-liner, “So what’s your take,” into a trademark saying. By delivering the series in the same subway setting every time, he has turned casual interviews into something episodic. Each video feels like they’re watching the next installment to the series, not just a random clip.
Beyond Individual Creators
What’s more interesting is how this content strategy has moved beyond just individual creators and into a complete media brand.
Brooklyn Coffee Shop didn’t grow by chasing trends or viral sounds. Instead, it leaned into repeatable, low-lift formats: the same counter angle, the same baristas, the same daily rhythm. Regular customers become recurring characters, and viewers begin to recognize the space before they even read the caption. The satirical vertical sitcom of the fictional coffee shop itself becomes the “series,” and each post feels like another episode from the same world.
Take a Look At What Experts Are Saying
CEO and Co-Founder of Fallen Media, Sol Betesh expressed that the biggest opportunity he sees for Instagram in 2026 is high-quality, scripted storytelling content.
“I see a lot of scripted content doing very well on Instagram Reels — much, much better than TikTok,” Sol told Lia Haberman.
Though his platform Fallen Media distributes shows across all platforms, Sol mentioned in the interview that, because of the audience’s response to elevated visuals and intentionally narrated formats, Instagram stands out in that category.
That statistic stands true for Fallen Media with their 15 Second Film, which reportedly did “Ok” on TikTok, but performed great on Instagram Reels.
Podcasts Becoming Story-Led Content
The shift with audience attention being directed towards storytelling-led content has also led brands to become podcasters themselves to tell their story instead of selling it.
Just take a look at some brands that have built podcasts of their own:
King Arthur Baking: Things Bakers Know, a masterclass in editorial-led audio.
AARP: The Perfect Scam, service journalism through storytelling.
Headspace, turning mindfulness into a daily habit through a variety of shows.
Image Credit: Headspace
Image Credit: Headspace
Tools You Need To Build Repeated Attention
Check out these guides and templates to help you plan, structure, and grow your episodic content strategy:
Google for Creators Content Guides — fundamentals to content strategy and discoverability.
Sprout Social Series Guide — how to plan and sustain social series.
Buffer’s Social Media Series Playbook — actionable ideas + posting tips.
Canva Media Kit Templates — package your brand and episodic content professionally.
Opportunities
AM.RADIO COFFEE is hiring an LA-based Content Creator Intern
Linktree is hiring an Associate Product Marketing Manager, Creators and Community (hybrid, L.A. or San Francisco)
beehiiv hiring a Social Media Lead (remote)
Youtuber Michelle Khare is hiring a remote freelance with the intention of full-time, Short-Form Video Creator. Listed compensation: $250-$500 per day to start
Kickstarter is hiring a Senior Outreach Lead, Comics and Collectibles (Remote). Listed compensation: $95k-$113.6k
Teachable is hiring a Social Content Manager (Hybrid, New York City). Listed compensation: $84k-$100k
Our First Creative Retreat
As you may have seen in previous emails, we held our very first Creative Retreat out in Mexico City this month, and it was nothing short of a memorable experience filled with community, creativity, and like-mindedness of the future for creators.
If you missed it, we’ll be recapping the highlights of the whole experience soon. This retreat revealed that we’ll be hosting more experiences like this a few times per year. Let us know if you’d be interested in attending the next one!
Join Shams Club to get access to daily tips to grow in the creator economy.
Here’s an un-boring way to invest that billionaires have quietly leveraged for decades
If you have enough money that you think about buckets for your capital…
Ever invest in something you know will have low returns—just for the sake of diversifying?
CDs… Bonds… REITs… :(
Sure, these “boring” investments have some merits. But you probably overlooked one historically exclusive asset class:
It’s been famously leveraged by billionaires like Bezos and Gates, but just never been widely accessible until now.
It outpaced the S&P 500 (!) overall WITH low correlation to stocks, 1995 to 2025.*
It’s not private equity or real estate. Surprisingly, it’s postwar and contemporary art.
And since 2019, over 70,000 people have started investing in SHARES of artworks featuring legends like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso through a platform called Masterworks.
23 exits to date
$1,245,000,000+ invested
Annualized net returns like 17.6%, 17.8%, and 21.5%
My subscribers can SKIP their waitlist and invest in blue-chip art.
Investing involves risk. Past performance not indicative of future returns. Reg A disclosures at masterworks.com/cd