September News: "Proof Beats Polish": The Anti-Aesthetic Trend

Now we can focus on getting back into the swing of things.

And you know the devil’s in the details.

It turns out that the details aren’t what people are after any more.

Because highly polished, meticulously designed social feeds aren’t hitting the mark lately.

It’s not you. The game has simply changed.

Authenticity Is Earned

Customers are smart.

You are.

You’ve been conditioned so long that you can filter out and be repulsed by slimy adverts without a conscious thought.

It’s what happens from all this overexposure.

And with mega-conglomerations with 1000+ marketing teams and enough money to throw at things they could buy most of the major countries, it’s little wonder that the emphasis on “polish” is ever present.

Look at the big YouTubers’ content, or the latest influencers' IG feed.

Curated and polished more than an accident at a Mr Sheen factory.

But let’s be honest for a second. Anyone with a smartphone can hit publish.

And that is great news.

Polish Is Overrated

It has never been easier or cheaper to put content out into the world.

The internet is flooded with noise, templates, and "designed-to-within-an-inch-of-its-life" aesthetic grids.

But, audiences have wised up, and what they’re actually after is authenticity.

So the obsession about the details of polish….

Don’t matter as much (if at all).

Even Playing Field For SMEs

Over-polished content has started to look like "ad slop".

Why? It looks like someone is trying to sell them something.

And that is kryptonite for a business.

Our brains have become trained to swipe past.

The stuff that’s actually working?

Raw "proof."

The Rise of the Anti-Aesthetic

People are calling it the “anti-aesthetic,” but really businesses across the board are discovering what actually works.

Not shiny bells and whistles. Not polish.

Proof. Authenticity.
They want to see the product in action.
The Proof in the pudding.

What does that actually mean for you?

Customer results that can be teal screenshots of emails, Slack/Teams messages, or dashboards

Unedited product demos such as screen recordings or clips of you or your team walking through a feature, mistakes and all.

Or how about just honest, unscripted video thoughts or text posts sharing the hard lessons, the process, and the actual decisions behind the scenes.

It’s less “anti-aesthetic,” more focus on what actually matters to your customers first and leave polish as an afterthought.

The more human, raw, and proven your content is, the more it connects.

The more it connects, the more your audience will trust you.

And at the end of the day, trust is what actually converts casual scrollers into paying clients.

The Updates

Instagram Kills the "Grid Dilemma" and Unlocks Audio Swaps 

We still can’t get over the fact you can adjust your grid’s aesthetic after you’ve posted. So if you do still fancy some polish, it is available on Instagram.

Even better, the new "Replace Audio" tool lets you swap the music on live posts or carousels without sacrificing the likes, comments, or momentum. 

Actual editing and adjustments without losing progress, THANK YOU INSTA.

LinkedIn Declares War on "AI Slop" 

LinkedIn’s algorithm has officially shifted from a traditional social feed to a discovery engine. Reach is now dictated by topical relevance and "dwell time," not just your overall follower count. 
To enforce quality, LinkedIn rolled out a user-facing button to flag posts AND comments as "AI slop". 
The era of the generic AI posts is over.
When in doubt, keep it human.

TikTok Gives Creators the Keys to SEO 

TikTok is officially cementing its status as a primary search engine by rolling out unprecedented control over its SEO tagging. 
You can now manually manage the keywords automatically assigned to your videos. 
This makes it a high-intent search tool. For B2B and local businesses, this is massive, because you can beat the big guns without the associated cost.

Team Updates

Jem

It’s been a busy summer holiday for Jem. She’s been out and about here, there, and everywhere.

Throughout August she naturally kept up her travels about the country, continuing to spend as much time in nature as she can.

This time round she spent time watching the eclipse and meteor showers, eating amazing food on amazing country walks, before whipping off to Hull to see some live comedy.

But most of all she has enjoyed travelling about with Charlie and Jack Jack, alongside making some new animal friends, but also seeing him off and about himself to have some well-earned respite (even if she did miss him every second).

Sarah B

Sarah has transformed. She has become more than just sharks. She has become death and sharks.

She has just joined Membrance as their head of marketing as they are helping people plan funerals but also sharing content on how grief sucks.

A topic close to her heart; we wish her all the best as she ventures into this new…… venture.

Aside from that though, she too has been out and about this time away from the beach and visited all the animals instead, making particularly good friends with a goat.

On top of all of this, she has had some incredible feedback about her work which has made her very happy (and did some drawing and painting to help relax and switch off from said hard work).

Sarah A

Sarah has found a new love beyond beautiful food, her family, and her dog. 
Pickle ball!

She has taken to it with great gusto and we are awaiting her world domination in the sport.

Freddie

The squirrel is desperately putting the final touches to his home in preparation for the imminent arrival of Baby Squirrel number two. As a result, he has spent most of his time up a ladder or covered in paint (when not writing newsletters).

Wrapping Up

If the thought of setting up your own content engine or figuring out what "proof" you should be showing makes you want to hide under your desk, you don't have to do it alone.

Give Jem a quick shout, and let's get your socials working like a system, not a chore.