We get it!
You're busy scheduling content and engaging with your followers, so it can be difficult to make time to sit down and read about the latest Instagram algorithm update or how brands are reacting to the latest changes.
But, hey, it's important to carve out time to learn about new ways to improve your social media strategy.
So, take 5 minutes and indulge in reading about recent social media updates that will keep you in the loop.
Instagram Updates
Read Receipts
Instagram has this week rolled out the capacity for users to switch off read receipts for their DMs, so you can control when “Read” and “Seen” indicators appear (or don’t) for the sender within message streams.
The setting is available within each individual chat. To activate the new option, you can tap on the users’ name (or group chat name), then select “Privacy & Safety” and toggle off “Read Receipts”.
Custom Stickers
Instagram’s added a new option that enables you to cut out elements of still image posts, which you can then re-use as stickers in your own Stories and Reels.
Instagram’s new “Create a cutout sticker” is available within the three dots menu display on any publicly posted still image post.
When you activate it, Instagram’s system will then identify the focus entity in the image, which you can then save as a separate sticker.
‘Flip-side’
Instagram is testing yet another feature meant to give users an alternative to finstas. It’s called “flipside” and it allows people to create a secondary photo grid that only designated friends can see.
It’s another way for IG to lean into more private sharing, which has been a key trend of note in social apps of late. Fewer people are now posting to their public feeds, with more preferring to maintain smaller, closer knit engagement communities, which Instagram, in particular, has noted as a significant shift.
‘Made for you’
Instagram added a “Made for you” Reels feature in the create menu.
It creates ready-made reels from your photos and videos, the new feature will provide you with music suggestions but you can still edit the reel as you wish!
The only downside to this feature is that you have to give Instagram permission to access your devices camera roll ANYTIME it wants, to auto-create new Reels “made for you”
TikTok
No more music from Universal Music Group
This week, Universal Music Group announced it will stop licensing its songs to TikTok starting February 1st due to pay disagreements.
Universal Music Group shared in an open letter that TikTok only makes up around 1% of its total revenue, and their decision to end their licensing contract was partly swung by how “little TikTok compensates artists and songwriters, despite its massive and growing user base”.
What does this mean for users?
All music on the platform from artists such as Taylor Swift, SZA, The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Drake, Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, Adele, Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone will be removed - and videos using the deleted audios will now be muted.
30-Minute Videos
Yes, you read that right. TikTok, which is known for its short and snappy videos is now looking into increasing post limits again and this time up to 30 minutes!
TikTok already consumes a lot of our time (I am guilty of this) so it will be interesting to see how consumers react to this new feature.
Do you think it will be loved or hated?
Accessibility feature
TikTok’s rolling out a new accessibility option, with users now able to adjust the text size display in the app, making it easier to read displayed system text.
Video Editor
TikTok’s added a handy new video editing tool which makes it easier to add an alternative background to your clips.
The new “Cutout” editing option enables you to easily replace the background of your video with an alternative scene, by isolating the focus element of the clip.
Which is pretty much the same as the green screen effect, which people have been using in the app for years, but this provides more editing capacity without having to plan ahead, which could be good for situations where you don’t like the look of your setting or can’t get the lighting right.
LinkedIn Creators
This week, LinkedIn has changed the name of its “Linkedin for Creators” profile to “LinkedIn Guide to Creating”, as it refocuses its efforts on guiding creators within the app.
The new approach will see LinkedIn share more content designed to help users maximise engagement in the app, and boost their presence.
Sponsored Posts
LinkedIn’s rolling out a new ad consideration, with sponsored posts coming to all users, providing another way to generate leads from your LinkedIn content.
Now, when a company page posts an article to LinkedIn, admins will have the option to promote it, which will include the capacity to add a CTA button, like “Unlock Article”, that requires user sign-up to read the rest.
That provides another lead generation tool in the app, which could enable a more direct means to measure response, and maximise LinkedIn content performance.
X
Videos on X
X is looking to reinforce its new “video-first platform” approach, with a new media tab incoming, that will make it easier to discover the latest video content in the app.
Previous insights from Twitter showed that tweets with video generate 10x more engagement than non video posts, while X also recently shared that 80% of user sessions now include video consumption, with over 100 million people consuming full-screen vertical video in the app every day.
That would suggest that a bigger focus on video is the logical approach to boost user engagement, and it’ll be interesting to see exactly how X might look to use the new tab to keep users glued to the app.
And that is your monthly round-up.
If you enjoyed this month’s latest updates blog and have any thoughts on what was discussed or you want to know more, feel free to pop me a DM on LinkedIn.
We will be back with more updates at the end of February.
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