Instagram took industry headlines by storm yesterday after announcing they’re testing the removal of “likes” in the US. This announcement comes after months of testing likes removal in a handful of other countries. The goal of this initiative is to help reduce anxiety and social pressure that is prompted by platform usage. While we applaud and support any initiative to help mental health, we appreciate that this change might shift anxiety from consumers to marketers.

As advertising on social media evolves, so too do the agencies and marketers that create them. Nick Cooke, cofounder of The Goat Agency, believes “every brand marketing strategy should be social first.” His agency strives to embody that mantra, pitching influencers to globally recognized brands like their latest win, Victoria’s Secret PINK. On this episode, we talk to Nick about how the practice of influencer marketing at the agency level has evolved, what it means to be social first, and more.

Influencer marketing news moves at the speed of social media. Every platform update, algorithm tweak, and current event makes a huge difference to the influencer marketer. We’ll help you keep up.