In partnership with
🌱 Hey Cultivators…
Sometimes life is going too fast and we forget the little things,I realized while I was putting this issue together that we launched this website 2 years ago… on September 15th, 2024… to kick off Latino Heritage Month.
As a gift to you all… I redesigned the newsletter a little bit to make it look a little cleaner.
Here are the news stories I slected from my timeline to share with you all.
The Trend: Instagram Wants to Open on Reels
Instagram is testing a setting that lets you open the app straight to Reels instead of your regular feed. Stories stay at the top, you can swipe over to the old feed, and you can switch back whenever you want. It’s a test and optional for now, but Reels already take up more than half of the time people spend in the app, and Social Media Today expects it could become the default if engagement keeps climbing.
My take after 30 years online: platforms keep moving the furniture, so build the house somewhere you own it. Your email list, your website, and your community are the rooms no app update can rearrange.
Mental Health Moment: Take Back One Window
More video means more reasons to stay on the app, so let’s talk about the off switch. In a randomized controlled trial, researchers had people block internet on their phones for two weeks (calls and texts still worked). Participants reported better mental health and well-being, and they did better on an objective test of sustained attention. About 9 in 10 improved on at least one of those, and they spent more time with people, exercising, and outside.
Real talk: only about a quarter fully stuck with the block, it was one study of mostly people who wanted to cut back, and the authors say simply using your phone less may be enough. So this week, pick one window (a Sunday morning, a dinner, the first hour of your day) and keep your phone’s internet out of it. Then hit reply and tell me how it felt.
How do I keep up with Instagram’s changes without burning out?
You don’t. At least, not all of them.
I’ve been online for 30 years, and I’ve watched platforms rearrange the furniture over and over. Every time, creators panic and chase the change. The ones who last pick a few things to follow and let the rest go by.
Here’s how I’d do it:
1. Keep up with the direction, not every feature. This week it’s Reels moving to the front door. That’s the signal. The five new editing tools and test buttons behind it are noise. If you know where the platform is heading, you can decide what to do about it.
2. Pick one day a week to catch up. Don’t check the news every morning. Read the update once, on your schedule, and then close it. That’s why this newsletter exists, so you don’t have to chase it.
3. Test small before you rebuild. If Instagram pushes something new, try one post. If it works for your audience, do more of it. If not, you lost one post, not your whole strategy.
4. Own the rooms the app can’t touch. Your email list, your website, and your community don’t change when Instagram updates. The more of your audience lives there, the less each update matters.
5. Protect your window. Take one stretch of your week where your phone isn’t the boss. You can’t make good work from a tired brain, and no algorithm is worth that.
Got a question? Send it my way.
I’m building this newsletter around what you’re actually wrestling with, not just what the platforms are announcing. Whether it’s about growing your audience, getting booked, handling burnout, or figuring out your next move, hit reply and ask. No question is too small, and if a lot of you are asking the same thing, I’ll answer it in a future issue.
Hit reply. I’d love to hear from you.
You're invited to the world's largest virtual email marketing conference.
Become an email marketing GURU for FREE.
GURU Conference, powered by Constant Contact, is back November 12–13. It's 100% virtual and 100% free, and it's packed with tactics you can use right away on newsletters, deliverability, design trends, AI, and what NOT to do with email.
What to expect:
Speakers including Molly Ringwald, Dan Levy, Amy Porterfield, Frank Vella + more
Sessions from world-class marketers at top brands
Networking every day
DJs, world-record breaking, and an alarming amount of rom-com fun!
Last year, 29,000+ marketers joined us. This year is even bigger, and spots are limited.
For the Artists: A Grant Doesn’t Care What Your Reels Did This Week
The Hopper Prize Fall 2026 call is open. It’s six unrestricted grants totaling $13,000: two at $4,500 and four at $1,000. It’s open to visual artists 18 and older anywhere in the world, in any medium. There’s a $40 submission fee, the application takes about 20 minutes, and 30 shortlisted artists get their work archived on the Hopper site. Deadline: November 17, 2026.
Your grid can shift with the app. Your work deserves a home that doesn’t.
Read Now →
https://hopperprize.org
For Entrepreneurs and Coaches: Buyers Are Asking AI Who to Call
LinkedIn just published a B2B marketing checklist with a blunt message: buyers research and compare providers long before they talk to anyone, and now they ask AI tools to shortlist who to consider. That means a lot of the decision happens where you can’t see it. LinkedIn’s advice is to understand your audience, reach everyone who shapes the buying decision, match your content to each stage of the process, and measure each stage instead of only counting leads at the end.
It’s written for B2B marketers, but if you sell coaching, consulting, or services to other businesses, it’s about you. Your content is doing the selling before anyone books a call. Stop judging a post by DMs alone and start asking which one made someone say, “I need to talk to this person.”
For Activists and Community Builders: Two Dates to Circle
If your cause runs ads on Facebook or Instagram, Meta just posted its midterm calendar. No new ads about social issues, elections, or politics can start in the U.S. from October 27 through November 3. Ads that were already running with a valid disclaimer, and had at least one impression before then, can continue with limited edits. To run these ads at all, you need to finish ad authorization by this Tuesday, October 13, and Meta recommends submitting your ads by October 20. “Social issues” covers topics like civil rights, education, health, immigration, and the environment, so check whether your work counts.
And whether you advertise or not, your email list and your group chat have no restriction period. Community is the real algorithm.
Read Now →
https://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/2026/10/06/upcoming-2026-restriction-period-for-us-ads/
Stay Connected
If something in here hit home, don’t let it end in your inbox.
Hit reply and tell me which section landed. I’d love to hear it.
Visit www.siembraconnect.com to see what we’re growing.
Come sit with us in The Cultivators community on Skool.
Want a hand with your next move?
Book a call with me:
Pa’lante 💪
George
🌱 Siembra Connect