👺 Use your face

👋 What's Growing: Vertical farming in the Arctic. In Svalbard, Norway, scientists are now growing strawberries, lettuce, and herbs 1,000 kilometers above the Arctic Circle, using only 5% of the water traditional agriculture requires.

It’s a glimpse into how we’ll grow food in tougher times ahead, or even off-planet (looking at you, Mars). 

TACTICS

Want higher CTRs on videos? Face them. (Literally)

Emotion drives clicks. And faces drive emotion. Here's what Kapwing's AI study revealed about YouTube's most successful thumbnails:

The Winning Facial Expressions:

• Surprise is king (29.95% of top performer clicks)

• Happiness comes second (26.65%)

• Calm faces rule fitness (37.38%)

• MrBeast's (#1 channel on YouTube) tip: "Closed mouths increased watch time" (Sometimes less is more)

What to Avoid:

• Sad faces (1.50%)

• Disgusted expressions (0.90%)

Your Thumbnail Checklist:

1. Pick your brand colors and fonts and stick to them

2. Add bold, readable titles

3. Stick with surprised, happy or calm expressions

4. Always test

If you’re building traffic through YouTube, remember to optimize your keywords! Find the best ones with Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool.

WATCH

Good Weird? Or Just Weird? 

Speaking of faces, Coca-Cola’s new AI generated ad has gotten mixed reviews.

Andrew Tindall from System1, who ran tests to assess the ad’s performance, says it performed incredibly well.

Comments on LinkedIn however, aren’t so positive. Marketers in particular seem to nitpick at the video’s faults, and many find the human faces in it disturbing.

AD

"AI will kill SEO." Nope. People still Google everything and AI results still pull and link to quality websites.

"It's too technical for me." Don’t overthink it. Just share what you know about your business. That's what Google wants now - real people with real experience, not technical stuff.

"Big companies dominate everything." Actually, local SEO works best. 98% of consumers search locally. Your neighborhood expertise matters more than big budgets.

"AI can do it cheaper." Here's the thing: Google spots generic AI content. Your real experience is what ranks. That's harder to fake.

"SEO takes forever." Like any business investment, it takes time. But here's the good news: if your site isn't optimized now, you'll see faster initial results.

"I wouldn't know where to start." That's why experts from Semrush built this guide: How to SEO in 2024. For you. Step by step, from basics to results.

Our readers have been enjoying amazing results from their 2x free Semrush trial. Click here to get yours.

CULTURE

Michelin Stars ⭐

In 1900, tire company Michelin had a problem: cars had just been invented, and they hadn’t been ubiquitously adopted yet.

Their solution? Give people a reason to drive.

They distributed a free guide featuring restaurants and hotels worth visiting, along with listings for mechanics and gas stations across France. As a clever addition, they included instructions on how to repair and change Michelin tires.

They eventually added the star rating system, which is now the most famous and well-respected restaurant-rating system in the world.

Hats off.

FREE TOOL

Is your special friend bringing up the same old argument while your mom is calling for the 15th time about how your father won’t stop leaving Twix wrappers between the couch pillows but you still have to read your boss’ 1000-word email? 

Summarize it.

Like we should have with that sentence.

DATA POINT

News influencers

As people lose faith in mainstream media, people are turning to “news influencers” on social media. By and large, these influencers are not qualified journalists, but they hold sway over their audience because they “feel connected to them”.

According to new data from Pew Research, nearly 4 in 10 Americans under 30 get their news from social media.

MEME-Y

BECOME GROWTH MEMO FAMOUS

Think you’re funny? 

Caption this meme (click the image to play)!

We’ll select the best 3 and send them back to you all on Friday - so you can vote for the winner.