Social Media updates and what they mean for you – July 27th

TikTok’s making it easier to create content, Threads is getting useful updates, Meta is going from strength to strength, Instagram continues to improve Reels, and Twitter has had a rebrand. Let’s dive into all the social media updates you need to know this week.

Threads
Lets start with the new kid on the block – Threads. After a record-breaking first week, growth has slowed on the platform to more normal levels, prompting Meta to share top tips for success. They’re pretty generic… Use stand-out visuals to announce you’ve arrived on the app, post pen-ended questions to encourage engagement, start conversations, use challenges and contests to boost interaction and reach, use Threads puns (this one’s a little left-field) and reference the app in your posts, and finally use safety tools.

The ‘Following’ feed has launched, showing you just the accounts you’re currently following. For the most part this will be the same profiles as you follow on IG, with them being automatically added every time someone signs up to the app. The feed is in chronological order.

Other great updates include: new sorting options for your ‘Activity’ feed, a new ‘Follow’ button within your followers list, and a full listing of the posts you’ve liked under ‘Settings’.

Rate limits have been introduced to stop data-scraping but unlike Twitter, sorry X *rolls eyes*, they’re focused on mass actions such as likes and comments as opposed to how many posts you can view.

What does this mean for me?
Follow the advice. We cannot stress this enough. Often people approach us looking for a golden bullet for social media but genuinely, following the advice the platform gives you (particularly with one as sparkling new as Threads) is the best tactic. Try it, tweak it, make it your own.

A lot of users were asking for the option of a ‘Following’ feed so it will be very well received. The best thing for you is that it allows you to engage with users who are already interested in your business because they took the time to follow you.

As long as you’re not spamming the hell out of people you should be fine. That being said, there is always a risk with automatic restrictions such as these that a few innocent bystanders will get caught in the net. If that happens, Mosseri has said to flag it to Threads and they’ll sort it ASAP.

Meta
Facebook is doubling-down on video with a few updates: renaming the ‘Watch’ tab to ‘Video’ because its where all the videos will live (imaginative), redesigning the ‘Explore’ elements to better highlight popular topics, integrating the Reels editing tools into the main feed to make it easier to create content, the ability to upload HDR videos, and the ability to view and write comments on IG Reels recommended to you on FB without having to switch between the apps (provided your accounts are connected).

Less of an update and more of a good to know – Meta has posted a strong Q2 performance with Facebook crossing 3 billion monthly active users. Most of this comes from uptake in the Asia Pacific region whereas usage in Europe and the US is actually declining. Threads could be the golden child of Meta, providing it with a lifeline moving forward.

Been toying with the idea of buying a blue checkmark to artificially inflate your ego increase your reach? Meta’s offering a new package to save money when you sign up to Meta Verified for both IG and FB.

What does this mean for me?
With fewer people posting personal updates to FB it makes sense for them to focus on the areas that are driving engagement, namely video. These updates aren’t ground-breaking but will make the overall usability of the platform a lot smoother for both creation and consumption of content.

There are a few good businessy ways to use Facebook – groups are great for support and promotion, videos can help you reach large audiences, and if your audience is “of a certain age” you page is probably thriving.

Realistically, Meta is probably going to go the same way as Twitter/X and start moving features behind a blue tick shaped paywall. Which means we may all end up signing up for it eventually. Right now though the only major benefit is dedicated, in-person customer support, which if you’ve ever tried to get support before is actually a pretty decent plus.

TikTok
Text-based posts have landed, giving you more options when it comes to sharing content. Think IG Stories with a TikTok twist.

TikTok and Warner Music have struck a deal allowing the platform access to Warner’s full music library on TikTok, TikTok Music, CapCut, and in TikTok’s Commercial Music Library. Big big news.

The new TikTok Ad Library gives you searchable insights into all of the ad campaigns running on the app, including targeting, regional reach, who paid for it, and more. It will work very similarly to Meta’s Ad Library.

Sticking with the ads theme, TikTok announced new partnerships with post-purchase survey providers KnoCommerce and Fairing.

What does this mean for me?
This could be a great way to stop the scroll by encouraging users to stop and read your content. It’s a very new feature but we’re willing to bet a lot of people will use it.

More info about how this will work will be released soon but this new deal gives a lot of scope for creating content within the app without having to “black market” your way around music licensing. This is big news for content creators and music artists.

This new ad library could be a great way to find out what’s working for others and apply it to your own campaigns, allowing you to skip parts of the awkward testing phase.

The best part about these deals is the ability to integrate surveys with your CRM system, helping streamline data collection and analytics. The more you know about what made people buy, the better.

LinkedIn
Another good to know – LinkedIn is reporting record engagement in their latest performance update. But what that actually means is hard to glean because they’re so cagey about how they measure engagement. Useful.

What does this mean for me?
Ignore what LinkedIn’s report says and use your own analytics to inform your content strategy. It’s much more meaningful.

X – The Platform Formally Known as Twitter
Why. Just why. Twitter is now X in what Musk himself is calling an “interim rebrand”, which is something every marketing and/or branding expert will tell you is a stupid idea. Or is it? His constant effing around does keep the platform in the limelight.

More stuff being moved behind the Twitter Blue (or is now X Blue, which sounds like it might be a ‘special pill’ one takes to *ahem* perform certain duties) paywall. What they’re calling ‘unverified accounts’ will have daily limits on the number of DMs they can send. But we don’t know what that number is right now. Helpful.

They’re offering certain ad partners a 50% discount on ads but only until July 31st and only on ads that run alongside a list of trending topics in the ‘Explore’ tab. Another big move is giving brands that spend over $1,000 per month on ads a gold Verification for Organizations checkmark by default. But stop spending and daddy takes it away.

What does this mean for me?
Nothing. The rebrand means nothing.

Look, if you want to keep using Twitter/X, you’re going to have to sign up to Twitter/X Blue eventually. So you can either commit and do it now, or wait and do it later.

Unless you’re a major ad partner like Samsung the discount is unlikely to mean anything. Just get the popcorn and watch this sinking ship with us.

Instagram
Instagram’s making it easier to create Reels using templates by making them easier to find and use. You can now search Reels templates in different categories, organized by ‘Recommended’, ‘Trending’, and those that you’ve previously saved. They’re also making the editor easier to use by automatically adding the audio, number of clips, duration of the clips, and AR effects from the original template to your reel, text and transitions will be coming soon.

What does this mean for me?
Templates definitely have their place, but we will always recommend adding your own flare to existing trends or even starting your own to stand out.

And that’s it for this week folks! Sign up for weekly updates direct to your inbox every Thursday and follow Jordan on LinkedIn for daily tips and tricks. See you next week!