The Filter: the updates you need

Hey Reader,

I know some of you were wondering if I was going to continue with The Roundup after my rebrand. But don't worry, the social media + industry roundup you know and love isn't going anywhere.

Once a month, I'll drop in with the biggest updates worth knowing, so you don't have to filter through the noise yourself.

Here's what made the cut...

📸 SOCIAL MEDIA

Individual captions per slide on Instagram Carousels

What is it: Every slide in your carousel post can now have its own unique caption. When you go to post a carousel, click the caption area and select Multiple Captions. Instagram says it's "Your audience gets the right context at the right moment."

My take: Perfect for tutorials, product breakdowns and storytelling posts. I'll be testing if it boosts SEO but either way, more context per slide should mean more swipe-throughs. Interesting update for sure!

​See it in action →​

🔍 SEO & GOOGLE

UK regulator tells Google to share how search results are ranked

What's happening: The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has ordered Google to be more transparent about how it decides which websites show up at the top of its search results.

My take: It's unlikely that Google will share full details about their algorithm, but I'll be keeping a close eye on this over the next 6 months. It would be great to have new tools showing why website rank how they do.

​Read more here →​

​Bonus: What Google’s May 2026 updates mean for small businesses​

📱 QUICK HITS

• ​Collaboration posts are coming to LinkedIn for profiles + pages
• LinkedIn is testing suggested feeds based on engagement
• Website owners allowed to opt out of Generative AI features​
• Gemini can connect to your Google Business Profile​
• Google reinforces that llms.txt files won't help or hurt your rankings​
• Google introduces Search Profiles for US creators with over 100K
• AI visibility reports are now available in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools​

🔥 TRENDING CONTENT

• "Imagine the stories BLANK could tell / If Netflix did a documentary about BLANK" [example] – share relatable statements about your niche
• The Empire State Building Climber Flag [example] – share a big update, strong opinion, relatable statement or fun promotion
• "Wait, let me wipe the camera" [example] – show a before/after

That's everything worth your attention this month.

Before you go, how do you feel about this new format? Anything else you'd like to see me cover in these filtered roundups? Hit reply and let me know!

See you in the next one,
Elaine XO

Elaine Malone Marketing Malone (formerly XOmisse)

PS. You can manage what lands in your inbox, including the weekly Notes, monthly Filter and occasional offer updates, via the preferences link in the footer.

You're receiving this email at Reader because you signed up via my website or Kit Network.

No longer interested? No problem! Update your content preferences or unsubscribe from all future emails.

​This email may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn commission at no additional cost to you.

​Elaine, 600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246