Community | University 

Sept 18, 2025

Hello, GrowthHackers! 

Welcome to your Weekly unfair advantage.

Once a week, we cut through the noise to bring you sharp insights, fast news, and fresh sparks to light up your brain and fuel your hustle. From scrappy hacks to big tech moves, AI shifts to culture flips—this is your intel to stay ahead, move fast, and break boring.

Think of it as your growth-fueled espresso shot.
Short. Smart. Addictive.

Let’s dive in.👇

Quick Hits

1. Meta Announces New Reels and Threads Ad Options
   (Meta is monetizing every scroll.)

2. How can marketers adapt to LLM-powered search?
   (SEO is shifting from keywords to context.)

3. AI Transforms SEO: Backlinks Essential for Authority
   (Authority isn’t a metric, it’s the multiplier)

4. Kayak co-founder takes on Calendly with new Supercal scheduling platform
   (The scheduling wars are heating up.)

5. Gemini tops the App Store thanks to new AI image model, Nano Banana
   (Nano Banana proves that model updates can be distribution hacks)

The Growth joke of the day

Tried Gemini’s new Nano Banana model…
Now my SEO reports come in split-second. ⚡

3-Minute News Bulletin with
Growth Hackers

This week's 🙌 News Bulletin explores:
AI Innovations Reshape Business, Marketing, and Digital Platforms

🚀 This Week in Growth: AI Innovations Reshape Business, Marketing, and Digital Platforms

AI is rewriting the growth playbook across platforms, marketing, and business strategy. This week, GrowthRocks officially launched GrowthOS, our proprietary growth platform that integrates AI agents, APIs, and analytics into one frictionless loop for marketers.

In Silicon Valley, reinforcement learning labs are shaping the next generation of real-world AI agents, while OpenAI introduces new safeguards for minors using ChatGPT. Impulse Space is taking disruption orbital with same-day satellite delivery, and D-ID’s acquisition of Simpleshow signals a surge in enterprise AI video.

On the creator side, YouTube rolls out global tools for content ideation, dubbing, and identity protection, while Meta evolves WhatsApp ads into conversation-first funnels. Meanwhile, Google updates its Search Quality Rater Guidelines, putting the spotlight on quality over quantity no matter if content is human or AI-generated.

Latest Growth Hacking News

Strategies

• Google AI Max For Search Goes Global In Beta

  Google launches AI Max in global beta. It allows advertisers to run one-click experiments within search campaigns, optimize assets with AI, and manage brand-safe content via upcoming text guidelines.

• AI Model Switching Becoming Common Among Startups

  Startups are increasingly treating foundation AI models as interchangeable commodities, refocusing efforts on product design and customer growth  a notable shift affecting digital growth strategies.

• Why Klarna’s Formerly Flashy Marketing Might Seem ‘More Boring’

  The Swedish payments provider Klarna once sought the likes of entrepreneur and heiress Paris Hilton and rapper A$AP Rocky for flashy campaigns to grab consumer attention. The newly public company these days makes a far more understated pitch, trying to position itself as a utility.

• How do you optimize meta tags for SEO?

  Offers proven strategies for optimizing SEO meta tags with proper keyword placement, character limits, and personalized content. Methods like improving CTR through refined metadata support organic growth efforts.

• Google will autotmatically change store visit value, potentially raising ROAS with estimated – not actual – sales.

  Google is set to automatically add Store Visits as a primary conversion type – with a pre-set value assigned by Google itself. Some advertisers say this move could inflate performance metrics without reflecting real sales.

What's New in Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• A California bill that would regulate AI companion chatbots is close to becoming law

  California’s SB 243 would require AI chatbot companies to implement safeguards to protect minors and prohibit discussions around self-harm and explicit content. Companies must also provide transparency reports starting July 1, 2027.

• ChatGPT Will Soon Have Parental Controls. How Schools Can Help Parents Use Them
  Come October, Open AI will roll out parental controls for its popular generative AI tool, ChatGPT. Experts say that could be a first step toward helping schools curtail some of the harmful things students are using ChatGPT to produce.

• Awake’s new app requires heavy sleepers to complete tasks in order to turn off the alarm

  Awake's sleep app uses gamified physical and mental tasks to ensure users wake up, increasing morning engagement via scheduled content (weather, calendar, podcasts). The premium upgrade unlocks more advanced user-level tracking and a future “Wake Up Check” feature, showcasing innovative UX for engagement and user retention

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