Fifty, and Only What Works.
The thing I was wrong about for a whole year, the planning window closing on your 2027, and turning 50.
Hi friend,
Big week over here. First, the thing I was wrong about for a whole year. Then the one question that decides your 2027. And I saved the best for last: I’m turning 50, and for once I’m writing about me. Grab your coffee (or a mimosa, it’s my birthday).
Facebook Has Trial Reels
For a year I told you trial reels were an Instagram thing.
I was wrong.
Meta has been rolling trial reels out on Facebook for about a year and told almost nobody. You need professional mode on your profile, or a business page. The toggle sits in the reel composer, on mobile, above the caption, before you hit share. If what you see says “Test different thumbnails,” that is A/B testing, a different feature.
I checked all nineteen pages I run. Not one has it yet. Can’t find it? Neither can I. Meta’s rollout, Meta’s timeline.
When it lands, remember: trials stay on their own platform. An Instagram trial tests Instagram strangers. A Facebook trial tests Facebook strangers. And Facebook’s crowd is older and decides differently, so a hook that wins on Instagram can die on Facebook.
Test where your buyers live. Facebook-heavy audience, move your trials there. Instagram-heavy, stay put. Both if you have the hands.
Plan 2027 in Q4, or Pay for It All Year
Q4 decides your 2027. Most of you will spend it chasing holiday leads.
Before October ends, look at what you spent this year and ask one question of every line: did this bring me a customer? Keep what did. Cut what didn’t. Put the money where the proof is.
Boosted posts will not survive that question. You know it and I know it. Meta knows it too, and they would love for you to keep hitting the button anyway.
Two guides. Read them in this order.
What I’m Keeping at 50
Forty-year-old me was in the trenches of a divorce, and she felt like she had a lot to prove.
And she proved it. She knew exactly how to launch, scale, and run business after business. She also proved she could do it the hard way. Every single time.
In my late 40s I did a full reset. I reimagined what life could look like once I admitted it didn’t have to be that hard. Success didn’t have to drain me. I could love my work and not feel owned by it.
The choice is yours. (Yes, I recreated the Barbie scene. Of course I did.)
What I’m keeping: romanticizing my life. Buying myself flowers. Taking myself to places I love. Taking excellent care of me.
What I’m done with: making decisions from fear, or from a need to protect myself and everyone else. I’m good there. And I’m done worrying about whether anyone approves of my choices. I’m the only one living with them, so I’m the one who gets to approve.
What I love right now: how fast marketing is moving with AI. I spend a lot of time learning, and some days I still feel behind. Then I checked. I’m in the top 1% of AI users and implementers. Feeling behind from up there is pretty ironic.
And how am I celebrating? At Breakaway Music Festival in Charlotte, North Carolina, with my bestie. You’ll see the outfit on social media. Have no doubts there.
If I had one piece of advice for your next decade, it’s the same advice I’m giving myself. Your age is irrelevant. You can do anything you want. But most of all, I hope you enjoy it, and create the most beautiful memories with other humans.
I could love my work and not feel owned by it.
I’m the only one living with my choices, so I’m the one who gets to approve.
Check where your buyers live. Make every dollar prove itself before 2027 gets here. And keep only what works. Fifty years in, it’s the best rule I’ve got.
You are the magic the world needs. Especially in your business.
See you virtually, unless you catch me on my travels or at the gym. 💋 Leslie
P.S. Reply and tell me the one thing you’re cutting before 2027. I read every one, and the best answer might end up in the October 10 issue.