Arts marketing changes at the speed of digital—blink and you’ll miss it! As a result, it can be hard to keep up with the latest truths, trends, and best use of your organization’s limited budget. Here are candid answers to some of the most popular myths Capacity hears circulating around the sector.
There’s no data to support the idea that organic traction leads to eventual better paid outcomes on an individual post. There is so much competition in the feed that your existing followers are the most likely to see your organic content—and recent numbers show that in 2025, the average Instagram post reached just 3.5% of an account’s followers. On Facebook, it was even lower at 1.65%.
Moreover, in Meta’s October 2025 algorithm update, the company reported that its recommendation engine surfaces around 50% more content that was published that day. In practice, that means content you’ve published more than 24 hours prior is unlikely to “take off” organically if it hasn’t already.
We are of course aware that there is an environmental impact to AI, just as there is an environmental impact to many commercial and technological advancements that are part of our everyday realities. As such, we do recommend using mindful AI habits, including starting new threads for new topics to avoid re-processing irrelevant data, and avoiding sending unnecessary messages (like a ‘thank you’ when a task is complete). These add up over time and are comparable to recycling your seltzer cans, turning off water while brushing your teeth, turning off lights when you leave a room, etc. Capacity’s Jen Taylor, Director, AI Strategy & Integration, has a whole section of her Intro to AI webinar on this (starting around the 14:30 mark).
This December episode of Hard Fork (now behind a paywall, sorry!) puts some perspective on a common fear about AI and the environment. The hosts talk with Andy Masley, who challenges the widespread narrative that AI is a massive drain on water and energy resources, arguing that much of the panic comes from misleading figures and relative comparisons that don’t hold up when measured against everyday benchmarks. Jen thinks it’s a helpful listen for anyone worried that using AI is inherently environmentally catastrophic.
According to Pew Research Center, 64% of Americans 65 and up are using YouTube (for 50-64 year olds, that number is 85%, and it only goes up as you look at younger people). For Facebook, those numbers are 57% for 65+ and 74% for 50-64. And overall, 83% of U.S. adults use streaming services (the age breakdowns for streaming trend extremely similarly to YouTube usage).
Also worth noting in the Pew data: adults in the “upper income” category are at 91% for streaming service usage. A similar trend holds for social media usage, with 89% of upper income adults using YouTube (and 71% Facebook). Those same percentages for YouTube and Facebook usage apply to “College graduates,” as well.
Trust us: while your audiences may be holding out on print media, broadcast radio and TV, they are highly likely to also be on social media and streaming—where you can target and measure your investment far more effectively.
AI is certainly dominating the SEO conversation. Google retains about 84% of U.S. search share as of February 2026, and the user base for Google’s AI Overviews grew from 1.5 billion in the first quarter of last year to over 2 billion by July.
But those AI overviews have to be fed by something…and the “something” is the data that Google has collected on your websites, which is helping it understand information in context. In other words: what you put on your website affects how Google displays information. Because Google searching represents a key interaction a user has with your organization, you need to continue to be purposeful in how you communicate information that is critical to your brand.
Technical SEO focuses on making your site readable to Google’s robots. These same optimizations will be crucial for communicating with AI engines like ChatGPT and Gemini, ensuring that schema, tag design, content layout, and site structure are easily understood by all crawlers.
Plus: your distinct perspective, programming, and language are what establish your recognizability and trustworthiness, regardless of where someone discovers you. AI tools are increasingly looking for a “source of truth” within your organization to understand and represent your brand accurately.
For more, check out “What Does AI Mean for Organic Search?” and “AEO, AI Search, and How To Prepare for What Audiences Ask ChatGPT.”
