May 2023 Social Platform Updates

This is a monthly newsletter about social platform updates and new features. To receive Social Navigator in your inbox each month,?subscribe here .

TikTok launched a new creator fund. YouTube is getting rid of stories. And Pinterest enabled users to add external links to pins (finally!).

Here's everything you missed from social platforms last month:

Discord ???

? Made the controversial decision to get rid of its four-digit username discriminators (e.g. #0001) and switch to handles.

Facebook ???

? Introduced new discovery and personalization options for Reels (i.e. 'Show More' and 'Show Less' options).

? Added labels to Reels to explain why you’re seeing a specific video.

? Enabled users to scroll between Reels and long-form video.

? Spun out the Kustomer CRM platform it acquired for $1B in 2020 as a standalone company at a $250M valuation.

? Announced new editing tools for Reels, including?playback speed controls and the ability to split clips.

Instagram ???

? Testing an option to help brands feature UGC in their IG shop.

? Enabled support for gifs in comments. (Finally!)

? Added Stories to its Graph API to enable post scheduling via 3rd party tools.

? Officially announced “Collaborators” as a way to invite other creators to join a live broadcast channel.

? Reportedly working on a feature to play voice messages outside chat and control playback speed.

LinkedIn ???

? Rolled out a custom CTA button for LinkedIn Premium member profiles.

? Reportedly testing a 'Draft Using AI' feature. (Who isn't at this point?)

Heading to VidCon later this month?

Chris Erwin and I are hosting a media x commerce exec cocktails ?event on Tuesday, June 20th in LA. Space is limited, so register soon.

A big thank you to our presenting sponsor?Tipalti , a finance automation platform for global payments! We're also grateful to our other sponsors,?Stubbs Alderton & Markiles and Wheelhouse .

Other sponsorship spots are available, so ping me if you'd like to get involved!

Pinterest ??

? Partnered with 亚马逊 for ad campaign extensions on Pinterest.

? Enabled individual users (not just business accounts) to add external links to Pins -- a big win for affiliate marketers!

Snap Inc. ???

? Rolled out Spotlight ads globally.

? Introduced ads from My AI in the form of sponsored links.

? Launched its own Creator Marketplace called the “Snap Star Collab Studio.” (Really rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?)

TikTok ??

? Testing a disclosure tool for AI generated content. (Read more. )

? Rumored to soon launch a book publisher called 8th Note Press. (Get it?)

? Launched a new creator fund called the Creativity Program Beta, which is open to U.S. creators with 10K followers and 100K video views in the last 30 days.

? Unveiled a TikTok search widget for iPhone.

? Announced a new Effect Creator Rewards fund to compensate creators for effects they make in the AR development platform Effect House.

? Launched?a “#NewMusic” search feature to improve music discovery.

? Got banned in Montana, effective Jan 1, 2024. (Read my take here. )

? Launched TikTok Sans, the app’s official new typeface.

? Testing an AI chatbot?called Tako.

Twitch ???

? Introduced a Clip Editor that converts clips to portrait mode, ads creators’ Twitch usernames, and automatically uploads the videos to connected accounts on YouTube Shorts and TikTok.

Twitter ???

? Enabled media publishers to charge users on a per article basis.

? Extended the max video upload for Twitter Blue subscribers to 2 hours.

? Reportedly adding a playback speed feature for videos.

? Introduced a new Pro pricing tier for its developer API subscriptions at $5,000 per month.

ICYMI: I shared my Twitter growth hacking tips earlier this month!

YouTube ???

? Brought back the “sort by oldest” option on channel pages.

? Added podcasts to YouTube Music.

? Introduced 2 new ad targeting options: "Gen Z Music” and "Trending Music on Shorts.”

? Experimenting with ways to stop ad blockers on the platform.

? Rolled out 30-second non-skippable ads and "Pause ads" on connected TVs.

? Decided to no longer delete videos from inactive accounts.

? Introduced a new mental health awareness hub.

? Announced plans to deprecate the YouTube stories feature on June 26th.?

Thanks for reading!?Follow me on LinkedIn ?for the latest insights into social media and the creator economy.

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