Welcome to the November instalment of Social Butterfly – TCD’s state-of-social-media wrap with Social Media Lead Jamie Hatch and Client Services Manager Tessa Charters.
We’re back, baby, and if we’re being honest – which we always are with you, because this is a safe space – things have been relatively quiet in the world of social media. That said, there’s still plenty to dig into; here’s what had us yapping this month.
The Adam Project
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, has been dropping some more truth bombs. In a recent Q&A, Mosseri admitted that the quality of how your videos display on Instagram, whether they be on Reels or Stories, comes down to one thing – performance.
What does this mean, exactly? Well, Instagram will actively reduce the quality of your video if it isn’t performing well (although it’s anyone guess how Adam defines ‘performing well’). This is v depressing, considering the TLC we invest into every single piece of content, but the good news is that if performance picks up, so does the quality. (But honestly, why would a low quality video start performing well?)
We recommend chucking Mosseri a follow, because he truly is letting people AMA these days, and the insights he’s sharing are actually helpful. He’s been covering everything from why Carousels are greater for reach than single images; why you should add music to your Carousels (spoiler alert, it’s because they become eligible to show up in video experiences as well as the general feed); and why posting Stories matters.
Instagram drafts out of control? Ours certainly are. Not to fear, version control is here. You can now name your drafts on Instagram and while you’re at it, why don’t you go ahead and schedule them?
Instagram has also blessed us with a new guide to DMs, helping us connect by breaking down all the features and telling us how to best use them. While the guide is skewed to personal relationships, there is a lot you can take away and implement for your brand.
Finally, Instagram is now testing showing on-screen tips for Reels, including hooks, average duration, little pearls of wisdom like “use text to build the narrative” etc. The platform is also testing the ability to add media to a Carousel after it’s been posted. Please – we need this!
Threads of wisdom
Threads isn’t messing around this month. With the launch of a new Educational Insights Hub to help boost your presence on the platform and deliver analytics straight to your mobile device, it’s never been easier to nail your Threads strategy (if that’s a thing you’re interested in nailing).
Oh, and you better be ready to own your ‘always online’ status, because Threads is now showing people when you’re active (if your online activity status is turned on). Brands can use this to let their audience know when they are ready to engage, or when they will BRB.
Ever composed the perfect post, only to notice you’re on your personal account rather than the brand account? Yep, us too. But it looks like Threads will soon allow us to switch between profiles within the post composer.
And for those still mourning Twitter, Threads may soon have you covered. Social sleuths have detected ‘Loop’ code, which if activated, will act similar to X Communities or sub-threads on Reddit.
Meta fiction
Meta has joined forces with Hollywood for its new AI tool – Movie Gen – which transforms a text prompt into a realistic-looking video clip with a music track. What was first seen as an attack on Hollywood has now turned into a power couple, with Meta turning to Hollywood filmmakers like producer Jason Blum and actor/director Casey Affleck to gather feedback on improving the tool.
The platform has also partnered up with GoFundMe to streamline social media donations. There’ll be improvements aimed at creating a more interactive experience, like a shiny new ‘donate’ button, and updates in real-time for funds raised and the number of donors.
Meta is also upping its security, something we love to hate as we juggle 2FA codes and account lockouts. Testing is currently taking place to fight scammers and help restore access to hacked accounts, which could look to utilise facial recognition – adios, catfishes!
Finally, Facebook is now suggesting certain (trending) songs in the note composer – a feature we are still yet to get around tbh.
The bits and pieces
Netflix wants a piece of the social pie, adding a new option to share clips from shows straight to our social media feeds, in a tool called Netflix Moments.
LinkedIn is launching new advertising capabilities to help brands engage and influence buyer behaviour.
TikTok is rolling out trending fonts and text animations for those looking to add a little extra flair to their content. And after laying their music app to rest last month, the platform is back in the music scene, with its Electronic Music Hub.
And YouTube is now pulling search results based on video comments, and allowing users to add Poll Stickers to Shorts, while YouTube Music is finally letting us add custom playlist thumbnails.
That’s goodbye for now, but not forever. Until next time…
