SocialMinds sets out to make social media second nature for any marketer. Be a fly on the wall as our host, Eve, goes behind the scenes of the best global brands in the game, and extracts actionable insight from their experts, for you. Including bi-weekly interviews with guests like Ryanair, Formula 1, Innocent Drinks, as well as fluff-free bulletins on important platform updates, this top-rated podcast is designed to provide unfiltered access to the most coveted names in the industry, wherever they are in the world.
Brands are spending more on creators than ever, but attention doesn't always equal brand growth. Beth Marchant, Strategy Director at System1, joins Brave Bison's Chief Marketing Officer Hannah Baker to dig into The Creator Effectiveness Playbook: the new evidence-based research that gets into how to close that gap. Expect a conversation about what the data actually says, and what it means for how marketers should be thinking about creator advertising going forward. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
Time Out has been the definitive guide to city culture since 1968, but in 2026, legacy heritage is a double-edged sword. How do you honour decades of editorial credibility while fighting for attention in an algorithmically driven feed? Chante Piette-Valentine, Head of Social and Video, takes us behind the scenes of Time Out's ongoing transformation. In this honest session, we move beyond the myths to explore the real-world challenge of launching publishers on social: navigating trust, balancing data with editorial instinct, and why, in an AI-saturated world, society's modernity fatigue can work to any legacy brands' advantage. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
You can't hold up connectivity the way you hold up an outfit or a coffee. So what does the human touch actually look like when your product can't be seen or touched? Cassia Colling, Social Lead at Vodafone Three, joins SocialChain's Chelsea Noronha to talk creators, comments and culture. It's a conversation about staying relevant to everyone without losing what makes a brand feel like itself, and what AI means for all of it. Got a question or suggestion for the Social Minds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
On this episode of Social in Six, SocialChain account executive Maya Gough joins Mil in the studio to unpack the latest from the world of social. This time, that includes two updates from Meta, including the launch of a new range of AI-powered glasses and an expansion of its livestream shopping tools. Elsewhere, Reddit has rolled out A/B testing to all advertisers, YouTube is letting you add music to still image posts and carousels, and LinkedIn is testing two new discovery and collaboration features with collaborative posts and suggested feeds. Got a question or suggestion for the Social Minds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
How can brands stop chasing trends and start filtering content through their own lens? Most beauty brands exhaust themselves trying to chase every fleeting TikTok trend, but Charlotte Tilbury has built an empire by doing the exact opposite. Marukh Budhraja, Global Head of Social for Colour and Complexions, joins us to discuss how the brand avoids the 'trend trap' by filtering every asset, comment, and campaign through the singular, authoritative lens of Charlotte herself. Learn how to maintain high-prestige consistency while executing mass intimacy at scale, and why a strong persona is the ultimate competitive advantage in a trend-obsessed space. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
On this episode of Social in Six, strategy lead Chelsea Noronha returns to the studio with Mil to break down all the latest need-to-know headlines from the world of social . This time, that includes three updates from Meta, including the launch of community-focused app Forum, a familiar Series feature for Reels, and new research that says discovery is increasingly happening through social. Elsewhere, Reddit has added video replies to comments, Instagram is testing profile interests to help personalise recommendations and LinkedIn looks set to expand creator-led paid events. Got a question or suggestion for the Social Minds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
Organic gets written off every few years. Too slow. Too hard to measure. But for Tinder, Primark and Channel 4, owned content is anything but an afterthought. In this panel, SocialChain's Eve Young sat down with Madeline Riley, and Aaron Gillies to unpack how organic has become a creative engine for cultural relevance, community connection and smarter paid decisions. From repeatable formats to reactive comments, pressure tests to IRL moments engineered for the feed, the session proved that the best organic strategies build the brand, shape the work and tell you what people actually care about. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
The waitlist for SocialMinds LIVE x Meta 2026 is still open! (For now...) Don't hang about, register to join us on 27 May in London: https://www.socialchain.com/socialminds-live-meta-2026/ On this episode of Social in Six, account manager Rachel Lea is back in the studio with Mil to break down the six key updates marketers need to know. This time, that includes Instagram expanding its crackdown on duplicate content beyond Reels, and testing new carousel caption formats to enable more structured storytelling. They're also unpacking TikTok's latest moves, from a new ad-free subscription tier in the UK to added keyword controls that could reshape how content shows up in search. Plus, YouTube begins testing AI-powered search with its new "Ask YouTube" feature, and Threads leans into real-time engagement with live chats built around cultural moments. Got a question or suggestion for the Social Minds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
At MAD//North, we spoke with loveholidays about its shift to a challenger mindset. In this episode, we continue the conversation with Jasmine Dye, Senior Social Media Manager, to explore how that mindset is brought to life across social, influencer, paid and community. In this episode, we explore what it takes for a brand to get people talking in a crowded category and how the " loveholidays twist" shapes creative decisions. Expect to learn how creators are now part of the creative process, not just a channel, and how the Book What You Love campaign is leaning into niche, hobby-led creators. We also unpack what success looks like beyond traditional metrics and how trust is evolving in an AI-driven travel landscape. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
SocialMinds LIVE is back for a fourth sellout event in London on 27 May! Join the waitlist: https://www.socialchain.com/socialminds-live-meta-2026/ On this episode of Social in Six, our social media manager Emily Harrison is back with Mil in the studio to break down the six key updates social marketers should know about. First up, two key updates from Meta including a major sales-focused update to Reels and a new feature that uses AI to diversify your creative in seconds. Instagram comments also get a handy upgrade, and TikTok has some big budget new ad options. Plus, Pinterest finally introduces boosting for Pins, and LinkedIn says articles are key for optimising for AI discovery on the platform. Got a question or suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
For years, brands have tried to maintain one consistent voice on social. But the most engaging content today comes from people, not polished brand posts. Primark has leaned into that shift with its colleague-generated content programme, training store teams to become creators and tell stories from a local perspective. In this episode, we're joined by Maria Duncan, Social Media & Community Management Officer at Primark, and Chelsea Noronha, Strategist at SocialChain , to go behind the scenes on how it work s from strategy to rollout and what they're learning so far. Expect to hear what sparked the programme, how stores bring their own personalities to content, the guardrails that keep it on brand, and why employee voices might be the key to social that actually connects . Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com
On this episode of Social in Six, SocialChain's senior account manager Taylor Mitchell joins Mil in the studio to unpack the hottest social headlines. This time that includes the news that Meta is experimenting with ads for its chatbot Meta AI and a big measurement update that should make reporting easier. Plus, TikTok has rolled out its Local feed to the US, Pinterest shares tips for better ad creativ e , and creators are speaking out against Instagram 's controversial shopping feature. Finally, X has quietly launched a new tool in the hopes of curbin g inappropriate Grok usa ge. Got a question or suggestion for the Social Minds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
Since we last heard from Kopparberg at our live podcast session at MAD//North in 2025 , a lot has happened for the UK's largest fruit cider brand – namely, the launch of i ts refreshed creator and influencer strategy last spring. Since then, the brand has been on a mission to entice its core audience of young adults and m aintain salience for shoppers in the Beer and Cider aisle through savvy partnerships with creators. In this episode, we're joined once again by Kopparberg's senior customer marketing manager Nancy Dales to deep d ive the role of creators in bringing creativity (one of Kopparberg's brand pillar s) to life on social. Expect to learn why Kopparberg had to learn to let go when handing over the creative reins , what it takes to get internal buy-in for your riskiest campaign ideas, and how to sustain cultural relevance outside of your busiest sales period . Got a question or suggestion for the Social Minds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
It's our first Social in Six episode of 2026 ! T his time our social media manager Emily Harrison is joining Mil to unpack all the latest and greatest from the world of social. First up, they're breaking down what brands need to know about X's ongoing AI image controversy, plus a handful of Instagram updates including: Customise Your Algorithm, an official launch for its new CTV app, and a so-called "likes recession ". Elsewhere, YouTube has a new post format for Shorts, and Mil and Em unpack why Pinterest is increasingly becoming Gen Z's favourite platform. Got a question or suggestion for the Social Minds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
When Argos 's social team set out to level up their social channels a year ago, they had their work cut out for them. Now, their TikToks are pulling in views by the millions. Whether it's dance trends on the shop floor or the account's ongoing beef with Currys , your childhood favourite retail er has viewers hooked. In this episode, we chat to Aimée Scanlon, Social Media Lead at Argos, to unpack how the high street giant rewired decades of catalogue culture into a community-first, creator-style social presence. From making colleagues the stars of the show to turning TikTok comments into strategy gold, Aimée shares why employee-generated content outperforms product content, why you should treat the comments section like your boss , and what it takes to modernise nostalgia without becoming a museum piece.
2025 was the year of sardine tees, filthy martinis and red leather – but we already knew that thanks to Pinterest Predicts' trend forecasts for Fisherman Aesthetic, Pickle Fix, and Cherry Coded. For 2026, Wilderkind , Poetcore , and FunHaus are among the many trend predi cti ons our favourite visual discovery engine has in store for us this year. To tell us about how brands, marketers and creators can all leverage this year's biggest vibes, we're joined once again by Pinterest's Director of Marketing, Louise Foley. Expect to discover why your audience is turning to imaginative escapism, why tren ds are growing 4.4x faster than seven years ago, and the difference between a shoppable and a successful trend. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com Pinterest Predicts - https://business.pinterest.com/en-gb/pinterest-predicts
On our 100 th Social in Six episode , SocialChain influencer executive Rachel Lea joins Mil in the studio to cover off the top six need-to-know updates from the world of social. This time, that includes two updates from Instagram : a new watch history feature and a crackdown on duplicate content that's got some news accounts rattled. They're also talking all about Sora, the latest AI video/social platform from ChatGPT's parent company OpenAI. Plus, new AI tools from TikTok that let creators streamline both the edit and video scripting process; Reddit's guide to optimising for AEO (not a typo, that's Answer Engine Optimisation), and finally...find out which platform marketers ranked top priority in Emplifi's State of Social report . Got a question or suggestion for the Social Minds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
Recorded in front of a live audience at SocialMinds Live 2025, we go behind the scenes of Primark's bold social-first strategy with Primark's Kymberley Thomson in this raw, unfiltered conversation between client and creative. From concept to execution, we lift the lid on the work and the wins that put community at the heart of the brand, and how collective creativity turned one of fashion's biggest names into a cultural conversation starter. Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
On this episode of Social in Six, SocialChain strategist Chelsea Noronha returns to the studio to help Mil break down social's biggest updates . They cover Meta's ad-free subscription tier launching in the UK, plus the news that Instagram is trialling opening the app to the full -screen Reels feed. They also discuss two updates from Facebook , including keyword search suggestions for Reels , and the platform's rising popularity as a news source. Finally, they cove r TikTok Travel Ads and YouTube's AI tool that generates alternate endings for Shorts . Got a question or suggestion for the Social Minds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
Your most successful activations will be the ones that makes stakeholders squirm. Just a little. Still, most organisations are more fearful of perceived backlash than ever before - but not Channel4. As the 'alternative' UK broadcaster with shows that range from Virgin Island to Trump V The Truth, the nature of its programming opens doors for the nature of its marketing. In this episode, 4Studio's senior content strategist Aaron Gillies tells all. Whether it's sending Handmaids in full regalia to parade The Palace of Westminster a week after Roe Vs Wade was overturned, or letting mischievous Yorkshire teens take over your socials and post things like "Channel4 is for people who belong in a nursing home", this broadcaster is no stranger to bold tactics. Is its reputation risked or ruined? No. Far, far, far from it.Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com .
