What’s New in Social Media - September

Social Media is constantly changing and to be a good marketeer, you have to keep up! Here are some of the most recent changes, key updates, new features or announcements from your favourite Social Media platforms. Keep reading to learn more...

TikTok Stories

Tiktok is testing its own ‘Stories’ feature, in an attempt to help users bring ideas for life in the form of ephemeral content. They are currently testing in markets outside the US. While TikTok Stories will be very similar to Instagram or LinkedIn Stories, TikTok will be allowing users to comment publicly on stories and there will be the option to see publicly how many people have viewed the story. TikTok has also announced they are testing a new vertical feed to watch Stories however this will not detract from the existing For You page feed. TikTok stories will also be able to be accessed by tapping on the creator’s profile picture, very similar to Instagram. 

LinkedIn X Jumprope

Professional Social Network LinkedIn has acquired the video app, Jumprope. Jumprope is a video app for ‘how-to’ and tutorial videos and since LinkedIn has acquired it, the app will cease to exist. There are plenty of video tutorials already on LinkedIn, and now they will have a native way to create videos on the platform. They hope it’ll encourage users to share more video content on the platform, as Youtube videos shared to LinkedIn provide a 75% increase in engagement. The new feature should be especially good for LinkedIn learning and LinkedIn stories and they also hope that current Jumprope users will migrate to its platform. 

Reels on Facebook

Instagram is testing ‘recommending reels’ on Facebook. Facebook has said they want to use its huge user base to its advantage and increase engagement and growth on Reels. The option to recommend reels on Facebook will be available once you share on Instagram and anyone will be able to engage and remix with that reel. The test is only in Beta for now but the recommended reels won’t be limited to the creator’s audience. It should boost reach and discoverability tenfold rivalling the gain seen from TikTok’s For You Page.

A vertical feed for Instagram Explore

The Instagram Explore page is going through a few changes! Though the Explore page will remain the same with posts laid out in a collage style, once you tap on a post, a ‘reels-like’ screen will pop up and you will be able to navigate through the content by scrolling down. Even Carousel style posts, containing multiple photos will behave like stories and you’ll be able to tap through to see them. With this new update, It’s no secret that Instagram is taking inspiration from TikTok, but they hope to drive more engagement on users/accounts that you don’t necessarily follow. 

Paid Partnerships and Product tagging on Pinterest

Pinterest is introducing new ways for creators to make money and partner with brands. The new features will allow creators to monetize their content for the first time! However, the changes can also be utilised by anyone with a business account. 77% of weekly pinners are now discovering a new brand or product on Pinterest and the new monetizing features will include this. The platform is known for sparking Inspiration in its users but they hope to also help brands and advertisers to be more visible on the platform and encourage purchase. 

Shopping Sections on Twitter

A big announcement for Twitter, as they are currently testing in-profile shops with a dozen brands! The new feature will allow brands to add a shopping section to their profile, including a carousel of featured products. Users can buy the products without leaving the Twitter app! Twitter hopes the update will build a bridge between conversation about brands and products and the discovery of brands and products.

Interested in finding out more about the Social Media platforms and their exciting new features? Head to our website today to read another article or just click here!