Plus, what to do if you receive a privacy demand letter  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ NEWS | OCTOBER 14, 2026 By Cristy Posten Content Manager Hi Raptive, This week, we’re sharing practical ways to turn social engagement into lasting audience connections, including a holiday growth webinar with GRO and tips to bring followers to your site and grow your email list. We’re also highlighting how Raptive helps create more opportunities for participating creator sites during key shopping periods. Here’s what’s inside this week: See what new research says about trust in AI answers Learn what website privacy claims could mean for you Use Pin Builder your way, with or without AI Get our SEO team’s tips for Google’s Preferred Sources button WHAT’S NEW Join Raptive and GRO for a holiday growth webinar Thursday, October 29 1 pm ET Your Instagram and Facebook posts can do more than earn likes and views. With the right strategy, they can bring readers to your site, help grow your email list, and give you ways to reach those readers again after the holidays. Learn how to connect social, site traffic, and email in a practical holiday campaign. We’ll share ways to spot high-intent engagement, choose seasonal content worth promoting, and turn individual posts into campaigns that bring readers back. The webinar will include: Audience-growth insights GRO strategy and performance data A holiday playbook you can use right away Save your seat → RAPTIVE RESEARCH Does the source behind an AI answer matter? When someone gets an answer from AI, does it matter where the information came from? That’s the focus of a new Raptive research study: understanding how attribution affects trust in AI answers. We want to learn whether people respond differently when an AI answer draws on: A familiar publisher An unfamiliar source A trusted creator or expert No source at all For creators and publishers, this research explores whether the expertise and audience relationships you’ve built can carry into AI experiences. Learn more about the research → PRIVACY What to know about privacy-related lawsuits Some creators and publishers are receiving legal demand letters about privacy and tracking technologies on their websites. These claims are increasingly common and rely on decades-old wiretapping and privacy laws, including the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), and similar state laws. Courts have reached different conclusions, and a demand letter doesn’t mean a website has violated the law. Still, these claims can be expensive to defend, and some law firms pursue quick settlements. Here’s what you should know: 1 Start with your privacy policy and Terms of Service: Make sure they accurately reflect the technologies you use and how your site collects and shares information. Our Help Center has guidance to get you started. 2 Consider our additional privacy options: Beyond our standard controls, we offer disclosure notices and consent experiences that give visitors more information or control over ad technology. They can affect your ad revenue, sometimes significantly, and more restrictive doesn’t automatically mean better protection. 3 Remember your other website tools: Analytics, marketing pixels, plugins, and embedded content may need separate configuration, since a privacy policy doesn’t automatically control everything on your site. Learn how to connect them to our consent systems. If you receive a demand letter, share the full letter with Raptive and your counsel. No single solution guarantees protection from every legal claim, so work with your attorney to determine what’s appropriate for your business. Review privacy options → TOP RESOURCE Help social followers find their way to your site When someone wants your recipe, tutorial, or holiday gift guide, make it easy for them to get there. Auto-DM tools let followers comment on a post to receive a link in a direct message. That gives interested readers a simple path to your content or email sign-up. Our resource offers practical tips to help you get started. Drive traffic with auto-DMs → QUICK TIP Get more from Pin Builder, your way “Pin Builder can help you find Pin ideas and schedule posts, even if you prefer to create your own images. AI-generated Pins are optional. You can upload a Pin you’ve already made, use Pin Builder’s trending topics recommendations, and schedule your Pin there. If you choose to generate a Pin, try a few variations and use the inpainting tool to make edits before you post.” Sharon Profis SVP, Audience Strategy & Growth IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Guidance on Google’s Preferred Sources button Google’s Preferred Sources feature lets readers choose the sites they’d like to see more often in Top Stories. You may also hear it described as a “trusted source” feature. Here’s what our SEO team recommends: Use Google’s standard interactive button. Google and our team recommend the standard JavaScript implementation. Two lines of HTML add a button that automatically adapts to the reader’s language and opens a pop-up, letting them add your site while staying on your page. Keep the original design. Google offers a custom design option, but we recommend using the original button so readers can easily recognize Google branding and understand the action. Choose placements thoughtfully. A recipe card, footer, or About page can be a useful place to reach engaged readers. Multiple placements are fine, but avoid adding clutter around your byline. Invite your existing audience. Use Google’s direct-link option to add a linked button to your newsletter or a link-in-bio tool such as Linktree. A dedicated email can also encourage readers to add your site. TRY THIS LINE “Enjoy our content? Add us as a Preferred Source on Google to help you find more of our content in Top Stories.” WordPress plugins may make placement and settings easier to manage. Add as a Preferred Source on Google is one option, but we haven’t tested it and don’t recommend a specific plugin. If your developer adds the code manually, ask them to monitor Google’s guidance and check that the integration continues to work. Follow Google’s setup instructions → WHAT WE’RE READING Catch up on news from around the industry SEARCH ENGINE LAND Google September 2026 spam update is done rolling out › PINTEREST How to refresh your creative for Q5 › GOOGLE SEARCH CENTRAL Google opens applications for UGC Fresh Data Program › QUESTION OF THE WEEK What’s your biggest audience-growth priority this holiday season? Bringing more readers in from Pinterest Helping holiday planners discover my ideas Turning social engagement into site visits Giving my followers a reason to click Growing my email subscriber list Staying connected after the holidays Giving readers more reasons to return With a weekly series or fresh ideas Thanks for reading! Was this email helpful? 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