If this is your first time receiving one of these reports, welcome! This isn’t your usual graphs and stats report. Think of this like the scribbled notepad version of the trends you’ll eventually end up seeing in all those graphs and stats reports in six months. It’s like getting early access. A little bit of science and a whole lot of gut—kind of how I approach social strategy in general.

The Brand Social Trend Report: Q1 2025 covers things like:

• The two words that kept coming up in strategy conversations

• Brands finally figured out how to retain in-house creator talent

• Influencer fatigue (and the reaction to it)

• How social teams are using AI

• The platform that a surprising amount of brands joined

• Hopecore

• What it felt like to work in social

There are also contributions from smart people working at places like The Washington Post, Duolingo, Day One Agency, and more. Let’s dive in.