Facebook Wants You to Pay for Links | Austin's AI Newsletter

Gemini Took Over Google — and Syllaby’s About to Take Over Video

Author

Austin Armstrong
December 18, 2025

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Hey friends,
Austin here.

Every week, I try to cut through the noise and focus on what actually matters if you are building content, growing an audience, or running a business with AI.

This week hits close to home.

Facebook is testing limits on outbound links.
AI tools just got faster and more practical.
And I am finally sharing the tools that quietly save me the most time behind the scenes.

Let’s jump in.

In This Week’s Issue

  • Breaking News:  Facebook Might Start Charging for Your Links 🔗💸

  • This Week in AI: Smarter Chat, All-In-One Productivity & Better Music Metrics

  • My Secret AI Stack: The Tools I Actually Use

  • Syllaby: Quick Favor for 40% Off?

Breaking News: Facebook Might Start Charging for Your Links

Photo credit: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Facebook is testing a new restriction that caps how many external link posts professional accounts and Pages can publish each month unless they pay.

In short:
Post too many links?
Upgrade to Meta Verified… or stop linking out.

Why this matters:
If you rely on Facebook to drive traffic to a newsletter, offer, or affiliate link, this changes the game. External clicks are starting to look like a premium feature.

What to do now:
Use links more intentionally. Build reach with Reels and native posts, then drop links only when it really matters.

This Week in AI - Smarter Chat, All-In-One Productivity & Better Music Metrics

1. Google Launches Gemini 3 Flash — Faster, Smarter, Default Mode

Image Credits: GOOGLE

Google just made Gemini 3 Flash the default AI model in the Gemini app — meaning faster responses, sharper reasoning, and better context handling across chats and workflows.

Why it matters: Creators who want quick insights, smarter briefs, and faster drafting just got a performance boost — no extra clicks, no premium switch.

👉 Quick takeaway: Ask Gemini 3 Flash for tighter hooks, sharper outlines, or smarter content ideas this week.

👉 Read More

2. ClickUp 4.0 — 50+ Apps Collapsed Into One AI Workspace 🧠🚀

ClickUp just dropped version 4.0, combining tasks, docs, chat, automation, calendars, and more — all with integrated AI to supercharge productivity across the board.

Why it matters: Instead of bouncing between seven tools, you can plan, write, assign, automate, and track all in one place — with AI suggestions baked in.

👉 Hot tip: Use AI in ClickUp to draft briefs, assign tasks, and auto-generate status updates in seconds.

3. YouTube Is Changing How It Measures Music Success 🎵🎯

Image Credits:Olly Curtis/Future / Getty Images

YouTube is pulling music data from Billboard charts because it wasn’t satisfied with the old ranking formula — and this could shift how tracks get visibility on the platform.

Why it matters: Artists, creators, and socials will start seeing YouTube-native signals drive discovery — not old external charts.

👉 If you’re posting music content, watch how YouTube ranks trending sounds this week — your next viral hook might depend on it.

Top AI Tools of the Week - Tools That Actually Make You Look Like You Know What You’re Doing 

  1. FastPhoto — How I Stopped Overthinking Visuals
    This one quietly changed my workflow.

    I used to overthink visuals. Stock photos felt cheap. Custom design took too long. FastPhoto solved both.

    I generate hyper realistic, on brand visuals in minutes.

    • Great for thumbnails, ads, and social posts
    • Always original with no copyright stress
    • Looks premium without the premium cost

    This tool alone saves me hours every week.

    👉 Create with FastPhoto

  1. GoHighLevel — The Tool That Replaced My Entire Tech Stack 

    At one point, my business lived across too many tools.

    GoHighLevel is what finally cleaned that up.

    Funnels, CRM, email, SMS, scheduling, and automations all live in one system.

    • Scales without breaking
    • Saves real money
    • Way less mental clutter


    Once everything moved here, my workflow finally made sense.

    👉 Try GoHighLevel

  1. Bibley — The Tool I Didn’t Expect to Love (But Do)
    I did not expect an AI tool to impact how I study scripture, but Bibley genuinely did.


    It adds depth and context without watering anything down.

    • Thoughtful and grounded
    • Feels like a study partner, not a bot


    If scripture plays a role in your life or content, this is worth exploring.


    👉 Revolutionize Your Faith Journey

Sponsored by Syllaby

Quick Favor (This One Means a Lot to Me 🙏)

We just launched Syllaby V3 on Product Hunt, and this update has genuinely helped me a ton — faster workflows, cleaner videos, way less friction creating content.

We’re pushing for Product of the Week, and if Syllaby has ever helped you create, stay consistent, or save time… an upvote would mean the world.

(Seriously — it takes 10 seconds and helps more than you know.)

Introducing the first AI-native CRM

Connect your email, and you’ll instantly get a CRM with enriched customer insights and a platform that grows with your business.

With AI at the core, Attio lets you:

  • Prospect and route leads with research agents

  • Get real-time insights during customer calls

  • Build powerful automations for your complex workflows

Join industry leaders like Granola, Taskrabbit, Flatfile and more.

Between Facebook tightening control over links, AI tools collapsing entire workflows, and creators needing to do more with less, one thing is clear.

The advantage is not having more tools.
It is using the right ones with intention.

Create smarter.
Post with purpose.
And never give platforms full control over traffic you worked hard to earn.

More next week.

Stay awesome,
Austin Armstrong, CEO
Syllaby, Inc.