Instagram Launches Notes (60-Character Text Updates)
Instagram rolled out Notes, allowing users to share 60-character text snippets or emojis at the top of their inboxes for 24 hours. These can be shared with mutual followers or Close Friends, perfect for quick thoughts, song teasers, or emoji-based status updates. Replies appear as DMs, offering a lightweight, conversational alternative to full posts or Stories. Marks a push toward more personal, text-driven connections alongside visual content.
Instagram introduced in-app scheduling for Feed posts and Reels, letting users plan content up to 75 days ahead. This removes reliance on third-party tools and streamlines strategic planning for creators and marketers. Scheduling lives directly from the mobile app, enhancing workflows and consistency. A pivotal step toward Instagram becoming a fully DIY content hub.
Twitter started testing Advanced Search on mobile, bringing powerful desktop search filters—like date ranges, hashtags, accounts, mentions, and engagement levels—to its mobile app. This boost in search precision helps users, researchers, and brands dig deeper into conversations and trends. Expect smarter content curation and better trend-tracking in-app. A major improvement for discovery and data-driven strategy on-the-go.
TikTok’s “Heating” (Go Viral) Button Exposed
Reports revealed TikTok employees can use a secret “heating” button to elevate select videos into the For You feed. Heating affects about 1–2% of daily views, giving brands and creators boosted visibility beyond algorithmic discovery. This manual intervention highlights platform curation dynamics and raises transparency questions. TikTok says it’s limited and audited, aimed at content diversity and trending support.
Kevin Systrom & Mike Krieger Launch Artifact (AI News Reader)
Instagram’s co-founders launched Artifact on Jan 31—a personalized news aggregator that blends “artificial intelligence” with readability. Available globally on iOS and Android, Artifact surfaces stories based on user interests, mimicking TikTok’s content-scrolling experience—for text. Early reviews praised its intuitive interface and intelligent recommendations. A fresh challenge to the status quo in personalized news consumption.
Twitter Introduces Paid Verification via Twitter Blue
Elon Musk revamped verification, making Twitter Blue ($7.99/month) the only way to receive the verification checkmark. This caused a flurry of impersonations, prompting a temporary suspension and later relaunch with “Official” labels for businesses & governments. The shift aimed to reduce spam but raised concerns about authenticity and platform trust. 📌 Reference: major policy change under new ownership
Instagram rolled out Notes, a text-based feature that lets users share quick thoughts or emojis (up to 60 characters) with Close Friends or mutuals for 24 hours. Additionally, Instagram began testing Candid Stories (spontaneous capture mode) and Group Profiles, shared spaces for curated content with selected friends. These updates signal a step toward more intimate, conversation-like engagement beyond just images and videos.
Instagram began rolling out built-in scheduling tools for Reels, photos, and carousel posts—enabling creators and businesses to plan weeks of content ahead. LinkedIn followed with native post scheduling, removing the need for third-party tools and simplifying content planning for professionals and marketers. These moves reflect platforms leaning into creator-first tools and supporting more strategic content workflows.
Twitter added a view count beneath each tweet—mirroring metrics seen on video platforms—to show total impressions. This provided users with broader visibility into reach, and highlighted that “90% of Twitter users read tweets without interacting” The feature caters to creators and businesses seeking measurable proof of content performance.
Twitter expanded its Community Notes (formerly Birdwatch) globally, allowing users worldwide to add context or fact-check tweets collaboratively. The initiative uses crowd-sourced moderation, with votes determining visibility—aiming to improve misinformation detection in an open-source manner. This marks a shift from top-down moderation to community empowerment, aligning with Twitter’s transparency goals.
YouTube Introduces Ad Revenue Share for Shorts Creators
YouTube shifted from the $100 M Shorts Fund to a revenue-sharing model, enabling creators to earn a percentage of ad revenue directly from Shorts—making the format more sustainable long-term. It also revealed that playback speeds of 1.5× and 2× are most popular, showing users prefer faster content consumption. This update signals YouTube’s commitment to compete with TikTok for short-form video creators.
Instagram began allowing creators to add topic tags (e.g., #fitness, #cooking) to Reels to enhance categorization and discovery. Marked by Matt Navarra in early September, this feature aims to make content more searchable and surfaceable through Explore and topic feeds. Tags are expected to improve Reel reach and help users find niche content more effectively.
LinkedIn introduced the ability to pin comments under replies to highlight valuable thoughts, drive engagement, or showcase user sentiment. This update is a boon for brands and professionals who want to spotlight praise, insights, or key remarks. Pinned comments provide better moderation and stimulate richer conversations on business-related content.
Testing Repost to allow resharing of others’ posts in Feed or Stories
60-second Stories, eliminating the 15‑second segment limit
Introduction of Templates to simplify Reel creation These tools aim to boost engagement, reduce friction in content creation, and maintain Reels’ momentum.
After years of demand, Twitter launched an Edit Tweet pilot in September, allowing users to modify tweets post-publication. Each edited tweet gets labeled and includes an edit history for transparency. The feature helps users fix typos and update content, demonstrating Twitter’s effort to modernize without sacrificing integrity.
Instagram announced that all new videos under 15 minutes would automatically publish as Reels, unifying its video formats and handing every creator the full Reels tool‑set (music, AR, templates, Dual camera). Existing videos also began migrating into a dedicated Reels tab, boosting their discoverability in Explore and cross‑posting to Facebook. The move simplifies content workflows and squarely positions Meta’s visual app against TikTok’s short‑form dominance. For marketers, it means prioritising vertical video and adding captions, audio and effects to stay competitive.
Facebook Debuts a ‘Feeds’ Tab for Chronological Posts
Meta split the Facebook home screen into two experiences: ‘Home’ (algorithm‑driven discovery of Reels and suggested content) and the brand‑new ‘Feeds’ tab that shows friends, Groups and Pages strictly in chronological order. Users can create a Favorites filter inside Feeds to spotlight their closest connections, while Home continues to surface short‑form video. The change answers long‑standing calls for more control and transparency, echoing similar feed options on Instagram and Twitter. Brands now need creative that can stand out in both discovery‑heavy Home and relationship‑focused Feeds.
Twitter launched a limited test of CoTweets, letting two accounts co-author a single tweet that displays both avatars and shares engagement metrics. Ideal for brand-influencer partnerships, event collaborations, and cross-promotion, CoTweets appear on both timelines and to the combined follower base. Only the initiator can pin or delete the post, while either party may untag themselves at any time. Although still experimental, the feature illustrates Twitter’s push to make conversations—and collaborations—more public and interactive.
Snap unveiled Snapchat+ at $3.99 per month, offering power users early‑access and exclusive extras: the ability to pin a “#1 BFF,” see Story re‑watch counts, custom app icons and priority support. The service rolled out in nine countries—including the U.S., UK and India—within days of the June 29 announcement, marking Snap’s first major foray into direct consumer revenue. Subscriptions give Snap a hedge against a volatile ads market and create a VIP tier for its most engaged community members. For creators and brands, Snapchat+ hints at future premium tools (analytics, commerce) that could sweeten audience engagement.
After months of beta testing, YouTube began a phased release of picture‑in‑picture (PiP) to all iPhone and iPad users in the U.S.—free for Premium members and gradually for ad-supported viewers. PiP lets videos float in a resizable window while users browse other apps, dramatically improving multitasking for tutorials, music, and news. The launch brings iOS parity with Android and may increase total watch time as viewers keep videos running in the background. Creators should optimize intros and on-screen text, knowing audiences may be watching in a smaller, movable frame.
Instagram kicked off its Web3 ambitions by letting a small group of U.S. creators showcase Ethereum‑ and Polygon‑based NFTs directly in their feed, Stories and DMs. There were no posting fees and each NFT appeared with a shimmer effect plus automatic creator attribution. Support for Flow and Solana chains was promised next. For brands and artists, the trial marked Meta’s first step toward native NFT monetisation on the world’s biggest visual platform.
TikTok announced “Pulse,” its first ad product that splits revenue 50/50 with eligible creators (≥100 k followers). Ads appear beside the top 4 % of trending videos, giving brands premium placement while paying creators for the first time. The programme debuted in the U.S. with other markets to follow, positioning TikTok closer to YouTube’s Partner Programme. For marketers, Pulse offered a brand‑safe gateway into viral culture; for creators, it opened a long‑awaited income stream beyond sponsorships.
Twitter rolled out Circle—a “close‑friends” list of up to 150 people who alone can see and reply to selected tweets. Creators toggle visibility per tweet, mixing public and private content without extra accounts. The move paralleled Instagram’s Close Friends and addressed user demand for nuanced audience controls. Early testers reported higher engagement and more candid conversation inside Circles.
WhatsApp Adds Emoji Reactions, 2 GB File‑Sharing & 512‑Member Groups
WhatsApp users gained inline emoji reactions, cutting message clutter while keeping chats expressive. File‑size limits jumped from 100 MB to 2 GB, meeting remote‑work and classroom needs; a transfer timer shows upload progress. Group capacity doubled to 512 members, paving the way for Communities and larger brand or school clusters. All updates remained end‑to‑end encrypted, reinforcing WhatsApp’s privacy stance alongside fresh utility.
YouTube Shorts introduced a TikTok‑style Green Screen effect, letting creators sample up to 60 seconds from any eligible YouTube video as a dynamic backdrop. It joined other remix tools like Cut and Retouch, turning YouTube’s vast archive into interactive, bite‑sized canvases. Original creators receive attribution links, driving traffic back to longer videos. The feature, iOS first with Android to follow, further blurred lines between short‑form and traditional YouTube content.
What happened? TikTok extended its maximum video length from 3 minutes to 10 minutes, allowing creators to publish longer-form content like tutorials, storytelling, and deeper narratives.
Why it matters: This shift broadens creative possibilities, pushing TikTok into competition with platforms like YouTube and potentially boosting watch-time and ad revenues.
Instagram Introduces Private Story Likes & Auto Captions
Private Story Likes: Users could now like Stories with a heart tap, visible only to the creator—enhancing engagement without spamming notifications.
Auto-generated Captions: Instagram added optional closed captions to Feed videos in 17 languages, improving accessibility for captioned viewing.
Tweet Awards appeared as a gift icon under tweets—allowing fans to directly tip favorite creators. Meanwhile, Twitter’s Creator Dashboard gave deeper insights into earnings from tips, Super Follows, ads, and Tweet Awards. Benefit: These tools enhanced transparency and diversified monetization for content creators.
Facebook & Instagram Reels Go Global
Facebook officially launched Reels globally, while Instagram paused its creator fund in the U.S. and continued promoting Reels and shopping integrations. Impact: Shows Meta’s commitment to competing in short-form video and enabling commerce-driven content.
Snapchat Introduces Mid-roll Ads & Pinterest Rolls Out AR Try-On
Snapchat added mid-roll ads in Stories, helping creators monetize traditional Stories alongside Spotlight.
Pinterest debuted AR Try-On for home decor, allowing virtual placement of furniture and decor in users’ space—bridging inspiration and shopping.
For years, users requested the return of the chronological feed—and Instagram finally responded. In January 2022, Instagram began testing three different feed options:
Home – The standard algorithm-based feed.
Following – A classic chronological feed showing all posts from followed accounts.
Favorites – A personalized list to see posts from selected accounts more prominently.
This test gave users more transparency and control over what they see, countering complaints about algorithmic filtering.
Instagram Launches Paid Subscriptions for Creators (US)
In an effort to support creators, Instagram began testing paid subscriptions in the U.S. This allowed influencers and content creators to offer exclusive content to their subscribers:
Subscriber-only Lives
Subscriber-only Stories
Special subscriber badges
Subscription prices ranged from $0.99 to $99.99/month, giving creators more control over their income while keeping audiences within the Instagram ecosystem.
Twitter rolled out a test for ‘Flock’, a new way to share tweets only with a selected group of up to 150 people. This feature, similar to Instagram’s “Close Friends,” was designed to support private engagement, smaller communities, and more meaningful interactions.
Key features:
Only Flock members can view and reply to these tweets.
In January 2022, Twitter expanded its misinformation reporting tool to more countries, including Brazil, Spain, and the Philippines, after a successful pilot in the U.S., South Korea, and Australia.
Users could now flag tweets they believe are misleading, helping Twitter moderate harmful content more effectively.
Twitter took a big step into Web3 by allowing Twitter Blue subscribers (iOS only) to set NFTs as their profile picture. These avatars appear in a hexagonal shape to distinguish them from standard profile photos and connect to users’ crypto wallets.
This feature added value for NFT owners and tapped into the growing digital collectibles space.
Facebook Announces Integration of Messenger and Instagram Direct, Adds New Messaging Features
Facebook has taken the next big step in its messaging integration plan by announcing new cross-messaging functionality that will link Messenger and Instagram Direct, in various ways. You can cross message from Messenger and Instagram, and you’ll be able to see your Messenger threads in Instagram Direct. But your existing Instagram messages and call details will only be available on Instagram, at least at this point.
Other new elements:
Selfie stickers – Animated stickers that are “a unique hybrid of Boomerang, emojis, and selfies”, and provide a new way to react to conversations.
Watch together – Instagram users will also now be able to join Watch Together video co-watching parties via Messenger. The new integration will also enable Watch Together parties focused on IGTV and Reels content
Vanish Mode – enable users to send messages that automatically disappear after they’re seen
Chat colours, Custom emoji reactions, and Message controls
How to Run an Effective Giveaway Campaign on Instagram
A follower ‘loop’ is a process that has been devised to maximize post reach.
90% of the time the followers gained via loop giveaways are not high-quality followers who will stick around for your content and engage with your profile long term. There’s a generally large drop off rate, typically 50% or more, at the conclusion of a loop process. If your only goal is to generate followers, then it might be a good mechanism, but for the far majority of businesses, loops won’t work well as a growth strategy.
Here’s a sample giveaway strategy that you can use:
Pick a niche prize that your audience will love – As noted, targeting your specific target audience will attract a more focused audience subset
Promote your giveaway across your social media following and email list – Getting more people interested will further boost exposure for your campaign
Run Instagram advertisements for your giveaway – Retargeting your own audience will help to boost exposure among those already interested in your products while utilizing Lookalike Audiences will help you gain new, like-minded followers
Leverage micro-influencers with similar audience – Collaborate and do a mini-giveaway with each micro-influencer, so they help promote your larger giveaway, again among targeted, interested groups
Utilize entrant data – After your giveaway ends, you can run a retargeting campaign offering a free gift to followers who sign-up to your email list
Laneige Makes Use of IG Filter for Foundation Launch
During a period where it’s difficult for users to purchase foundation (due to no testers allowed at various stores because of COVID19, Laneige has cleverly made use of an IG Filter to allow for users to choose a foundation that may match their skin tone.
Facebook’s Removing its 28-Day Attribution Model for Conversions from Ads
Facebook has announced that it’s removing its 28-day attribution window option for Facebook ads, which will mean that advertisers will no longer be able to track direct actions based on their campaigns over a longer period. It will be reduced to 7 days and will take effect on 12 Oct.
Facebook Expands Test of New Hashtag Use Metrics Within Post Composer
Facebook appears to be expanding the test of its new listings of hashtag usage stats within the post composer when recommending relevant tags to add to your post. The recommended tag listings show not only the top tags based on predictive text but also a listing of how many posts are already on Facebook using that tag. It’s similar to Instagram’s Explore listings, which display hashtag usage within the search suggestions.
Facebook Threatens to Leave Europe Due to Proposed New Data-Sharing Regulations
Earlier this month, the European Union privacy regulator sent a preliminary order to Facebook which called for it to suspend data transfers about its EU users back to the US. According to the order, EU officials are increasingly concerned about potential surveillance practices by the US Government and are now looking to limit such by restricting the flow of user information.
Facebook has issued an official response, saying that, if such rules are implemented, it may be forced to stop operating both Facebook and Instagram in Europe.
IKEA released their latest Sleep campaign, titled ‘Tomorrow Starts Tonight’, with an interesting execution unique for TVC and digital, and another for print.
In the print version, they toyed with the idea that sleep is a boost that every person needs, and they take it in the form of energy drinks, vitamin pills, and even beauty creams. Using these ideas, they’ve smartly incorporated their range of sleep products to the creatives. Their TVC and digital campaign use the hare and tortoise story that we are all used to, to reinforce how sleep is important to win the race.
Facebook Provides Tips on Utilizing Video Playlists and Series Collections
Aside from helping to guide viewers through your series’ and sets in sequential order, Facebook also notes that grouping your content can increase engagement by keeping people looking through more content that you’ve created. In addition to this, Facebook notes that when you organize your content into themes and topics, you increase your chances of being found in related searches.
#PRAwards highlight: How Watsons rose to top of minds with micro-influencers
Through its “Watsons Wellness Campaign”, the beauty brand tapped on micro-influencers to position itself as the go-to brand when it comes to adopting a healthier lifestyle choice.
In line with their announcement regarding deprecating the 20% rule for boosted posts and ads, Facebook has removed the Text Overlay Tool. While the ad text rule removal is slowly being rolled out in the various markets, we still need to be mindful to ensure that content is not penalized for being heavy in text.
Reddit Launches Ad Inventory Types to Give Advertisers More Control Over Their Campaigns (to not make their ad appear next to questionable content)
Expanded Inventory – This category enables advertisers to access Reddit’s maximum inventory pool, and appear next to the broadest range of content.
Standard Inventory – This option provides “balanced reach and protection” to fit the needs of most advertisers. In other words, the more controversial subreddits are not included, ensuring brand safety.
Limited Inventory – This option provides optimal brand safety via a partnership with Oracle Data Cloud’s contextual intelligence tool, adding an extra stage of verification to ensure your ads don’t appear alongside questionable content.
Facebook Outlines How to Make Best Use of its New Video Insights Within Creator Studio
The detailed listing provides a range of helpful metrics – for example, for the first 48 hours after upload, you can see how your video performed by the hour, which, Facebook notes, could help in your scheduling for future uploads based on audience response.
Facebook Announces New Advances in VR and AR, Including AR Glasses Coming Next Year
FB is providing an overview of the latest advances in its next level virtual and augmented reality tools: ie. Project Aria smart glasses.
The initial Aria prototypes will not provide AR overlays within the lenses, but will essentially be research devices, helping Facebook gather data to support the development of things like head-tracking, eye-tracking, and audio algorithms. The next step, then, will be consumer AR glasses – for which, Facebook is partnering with EssilorLuxottica, the makers of Ray-Ban, to build fashionable, Ray-Ban branded smart glasses, which will are set for release in 2021.
Facebook Launches ‘Facebook Business Suite’, an All-in-One Management Tool for Facebook and Instagram
Facebook has launched yet another Facebook management platform, with this one, called ‘Facebook Business Suite’, which is focused on making it easier for small businesses to manage their Facebook and Instagram presence from a single platform. The new Business Suite platform incorporates all of your Facebook Page and Instagram profile options into one space and will be available on desktop or in a new mobile app. As per Facebook, Business Suite enables users to:
Save time – Post to Facebook and Instagram at the same time and manage posts in one place to stay connected to both communities.
Stay up-to-date – Get all of your Facebook and Instagram messages, notifications and alerts in one place so you can stay up to date and respond to all of your customers more easily.
Business results – See what’s working with Facebook and Instagram insights and learn what your customers are looking for.
Google Adds New Listing Details to Streamline In-Store Purchases
Now, in listings on Google’s Shopping tab, users can select the ‘Nearby’ filter at the top of the page and view all the product options that are available in their local stores, which they can pick up that day. You can check each business’s opening and closing hours, as well as how far each store is from you. You’ll also get a preview of the items they sell that match what you searched for, with a carousel you can scroll through to see pictures and prices of the available products. A lot of this info was already available in different forms, but Google has now made it much easier to get all of the relevant detail on a single page, improving its shopping search and discovery process, while there’s also a click-to-call option on every business page, where such data is available.
Based on the documentary The Social Dilemma, there’s a new trend of celebrities and users encouraging social media detoxes, and there are widespread concerns about the addictive features of social media. This, in conjunction with iOS 14 may result in updates to users that were previously sharing a lot more of their data with Facebook.
