IGS hacks, TikTok safety and the marketing moments of the year

Platform News

Instagram outlines the importance of IGS engagement

Adam Mosseri shared this week that Instagram Stories are primarily designed for sharing with friends and are less optimized for discovery. However, with more users posting to Stories or using DMs than posting to the main feed each day, there are ways to signal to the algorithm that you want to see a particular account’s Stories first. This is quite simple: engaging with Stories through likes, comments, replies, or interactive features like polls, quizzes, and question boxes tells the algorithm that you enjoy this content and want to see more of it. From a brand perspective, this insight highlights the importance of creating engaging content to stay at the forefront of users' Stories feeds. To fully leverage the potential of Instagram Stories, brands must encourage interaction and engagement to maximize visibility and impact.

Instagram explains the new image dimensions layout

Following the recent update introducing a 4:5 display on profile feeds, Instagram has clarified the ideal image sizes for presenting content effectively on the platform. To align with social best practices, still feed posts should now be in a 4:5 ratio, while Reels and Instagram Stories (IGS) should be in a 9:16 format for both videos and still images. While other formats are still possible, we highly recommend sticking to these specifications to ensure your brand remains optimized for Instagram and maintains a strong social-first presence.

Threads and Bluesky introduce specific media tabs

This week, Threads introduced a ‘Media’ tab, allowing users to view only posts containing pictures or videos, while Bluesky also launched a video-only tab within the main feed. Although these updates aren’t groundbreaking, they reinforce the current social media landscape—where visual content reigns supreme over text-based posts. More than ever, platforms are converging in their features, offering increasingly similar user experiences. As a result, the distinctions between apps and their original purposes are becoming increasingly blurred.

Need to Know

Your official marketing moments guides for 2025 are here

This week, Pinterest and TikTok have both released their guides to calendar moments we should all have an eye on throughout 2025. These guides are great starting points for content planning, but we should be vetting the occasions we want to celebrate based on the strategy for that account and the brand TOV. For example, would you really celebrate National Foundation Day if you’re selling Children's books? We think not. However, these content guides are perfect to help us get ahead of post planning this year!?

TikTok’s taking data privacy seriously?

Amid U.S. concerns over safety and the current ban, TikTok has outlined the ways users can see how their data is collected and used. The platform highlights its transparency efforts, including the launch of its Privacy Center, which provides users with clearer insights into data usage. Additionally, TikTok’s Transparency Center shares details on actions taken within the app. To address regulatory concerns, TikTok has also introduced various initiatives to ensure that U.S. and EU user data is not transferred to its Chinese headquarters. While the timing of these updates may seem strategic, TikTok asserts that many of these measures have been in place for some time. However, in response to the U.S. court case, the company is now implementing even more checks and balances than ever before.

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