Social in Six 89
1. TikTok’s building on in-app shopping with a new platform integration
The story:
- Reportedly, TikTok is integrating with the LTK (formerly LikeToKnow.it), an affiliate marketing platform that lets users shop directly from creators’ wardrobes.
- When a creator uses the new LTK integration, a link to the item on LTK will appear at the top of the comments section as “Related product – click to view.”
- The integration looks to be in testing with select creators and is visible to app users only.Following the success of the Search Ads Toggle option introduced in August last year, TikTok is expanding its remit with Search Ads Campaign, a new ad type that gives advertisers full control over how their content appears on TikTok’s search results page.
So what?
Setting up a TikTok Shop requires a little more work, but using LTK means influencers and creators will be directing people from TikTok to your already existing website to purchase your products. No set-up required on the brand’s side. An added plus of this integration is that users go directly to the specific product on LTK through the label in the comments – whereas before, users would be taken to the creator’s LTK profile, often containing a multitude of links. This makes the path to purchase that bit smoother by cutting out the extra step of finding the specific product.
2. Instagram has confirmed it lowers the quality of less popular videos
View on Threads
The story:
- Adam Mosseri confirmed in an Instagram Stories Q&A that the platform will lower the quality of a video if it’s had a lull in engagement and watch time.
- He explains: “If something isn’t watched for a long time, because the vast majority of views are in the beginning [after initial posting], we will move to a lower quality video, and then if it’s watched again a lot, then we’ll re-render the higher quality video.”
- After his comment sparked online discussion, he clarified that the platform shows higher quality videos “for creators who drive more views…it’s not a binary threshold, but rather a sliding scale.”
- He insinuated, but didn’t explicitly confirm, that the same applies to photos as well – which implies this isn’t confined to Reels but also Stories and still images.
So what?
Adam Mosseri did clarify that the shift in quality “isn’t huge”, but then again this isn’t the most specific of statements. The big takeaway from this is worry less about whether your video will get downgraded and more about creating content that’s entertaining, inspiring, or adds value. That doesn’t have to mean high-production value shot in 4K – you just have to be thinking about how you can connect with your audience and not fill up the content calendar.
3. YouTube is making it easier for brands to work with emerging Shorts creators
The story:
- Where previously YouTube allowed advertisers to reach out to creators about sponsoring content that featured their brand, now YouTube is putting the onus on creators to prompt brands to partner with them when they feature their products.
- Now, creators in YouTube’s Partner Programme with more than 4,000 subscribers can add a brand partner to their Shorts by sending a request to the relevant advertiser via YouTube Studio.
- YouTube will recommend this content to brands. If they accept the creator’s request and choose to run ads, they’ll have the ability to view its organic video performance in Google Ads.
- Creators don’t take a cut from content that’s promoted in this way.
So what?
Because only select creators are eligible to add a brand partner, it’s safe to assume you’ll get some high-quality content hitting your inbox – and hopefully YouTube filters out any lower-quality stuff before it reaches you. People trust people, so if someone else is doing the hard work for you and marketing your product to their followers, why not run with it and show it to an even bigger audience?
4. Don’t worry, your sponsored creator content isn’t downranked for reach
The story:
- This week, Adam Mosseri cleared up an Instagram myth via a recent video: that the platform penalises sponsored content by showing it to fewer people.
- Adam confirmed Instagram doesn’t downrank reach for sponsored content, contrary to the theory, which would put brands at a disadvantage by having to pay more for increased reach.
- However, it’s worth noting that Adam talked about this in the context of sponsored creator content, explaining: “It’s important for creators to mark things as sponsored without fear of downranking so that they can comply with local laws.”
So what?
It’s nice to have peace of mind for both creators and brands that their creator partnerships aren’t suffering at the hands of the algorithm. Users in the comments of Mosseri’s video remain sceptical, but it might be that people are subconsciously less inclined to engage with a creator’s post if it’s an ad – an unfortunate obstacle brands have to tackle. Of course, we’d always advise you to ensure creators disclose their creator partnerships appropriately.
5. LinkedIn has shared some tips for video on the platform
The story:
- After introducing its full-screen 9:16 feed, LinkedIn has posted hints and tips on how to get the best cut-through on your video content.
- First and foremost, you should shoot and post in 9:16 to ensure you’re optimised for mobile.
- Other tips include keeping the video to two minutes or under and restricting your caption to 50 words or less, with a focus on actionable takeaways.
So what?
These are all pretty standard tips for best practice, and it means you won’t have to switch up your shooting style too much when posting on LinkedIn compared to Instagram and TikTok. Just remember to tailor content accordingly – switching up your hashtags, captions, audio or varying the videos hook for each platform are all ways to do so.
6. Bluesky and Threads are becoming popular X alternatives following the US election
The story:
- Bluesky says it’s seen 700k new users join the platform, largely from North America and the UK, in the week since the election. The platform is now at 14.5 million users worldwide, up from 9 million in September.
- Likewise, Threads, which has 275 million monthly active users this month according to the platform’s latest reports, was the top-rated free app in Apple’s US App Store as of Tuesday 5th (the day of the US election).
- Bluesky began as part of X (then Twitter) but became independent in 2022. It’s a decentralised microblogging platform that works in much the same way as X UI-wise.
So what?
For brands that found success on Twitter it could be an easy pivot to these platforms. Platforms always reward early adopters and it’s often quicker and easier to grow on platforms at the beginning, so it could definitely be something worth exploring if you have a bird shaped hole in your social media strategy.
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