As we look toward 2026 and beyond, one thing is crystal clear: organic social can’t be an afterthought anymore.

On this episode of Novel Ideas, I talk with digital strategist and creator Gabriella Zutrau about what it actually takes to build the kind of always-on social infrastructure our movements need.

We get into:

* How Gabbi turned a viral moment with Zohran Mamdani’s campaign into 144,000 automated messages and 45,000 click-throughs using ManyChat — and what that model could look like for other campaigns

* Why organic social should be treated as core infrastructure, not a side project

* How under-valuing social holds us back — and what it looks like to treat it like the serious role it is

* Why campaigns should start hiring for “extremely online” skills - even from outside politics - and then train into the political context

* Practical ideas for building a culture of experimentation that help us learn, evolve, and scale.

If you’re planning for 2026 or thinking about long-term progressive infrastructure, this episode is basically a blueprint for how to do organic social better. And Follow Gabriella Zutrau on LinkedIn and check out @extremelyonlinefriend on instagram

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit novelmessaging.substack.com