Social Media Industry Round-Up #100: X Has Been Banned In Brazil, Interest Targeting Revamp on TikTok, Sponsored Snap Ads & Custom Frames for Shorts

Social Media Industry Round-Up #100: X Has Been Banned In Brazil, Interest Targeting Revamp on TikTok, Sponsored Snap Ads & Custom Frames for Shorts

Every week, the Marketing team at The Social Shepherd puts together all the relevant industry updates in a round-up newsletter sent every Tuesday morning.

This way, we keep our team, clients and interested marketers up to date with what's going on in the social media industry :)

Don't forget to subscribe if you want to be updated every week.


X is Banned, We're Avoiding the Q4 Scaries & Other Social Media News.

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X Has Been Banned In Brazil & VPN Usage Has Increased 1,600%.?

Brazil has banned X (21 million users, according to VpnMentor) after the company refused to comply with local laws. The case judge said that the social media company ‘considered itself above the rule of law’.?

As a response, Elon Musk shared a post about VPNs: it’s [s]uper easy to use a VPN if a website is restricted in your location.” It’s worth mentioning that users who are caught using a VPN to access X under the Brazilian ban could be fined 50,000 reais ($8,900) per day.

Surprisingly, VPN usage in the country increased 1,600%.?

As a result, users migrated to Threads or Bluesky, which registered almost 2 million new users in 4 days.?

Instagram Is Rolling Out Comments on Stories.?

Instagram is rolling out comments on Stories, as the platform continues to invest in developing this vertical.?

How does it work??

  • Just like stories, comments will disappear after 24 hours.?
  • Only followers can see the comments.?
  • Those you follow back can leave a comment.?
  • You can turn comments on/off for any Story you post.

TikTok Releases Instagram Notes-Like Functionality.?

Some users have been prompted to share a text-based ‘thought’ on top of their TikTok inboxes, which will also appear on the user’s profile picture.?

This new option is very similar to Instagram’s new Notes, which has been a total hit among younger audiences, according to Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram.?

Interest Targeting Revamp on TikTok.?

TikTok has refined Interest Targeting segments in TikTok Ads Manager so audiences are more precise.?

Marketers might have noticed a drop in your audience sizes, so the platform suggests adding 1 or 2 additional interests or behaviours.

Google Improves Its Try-On Shopping Feature.

Launched last year, Google’s ‘Virtual Try-On’ feature for Shopping so users can find the body type that represents them best and see how the garment would look on them before purchasing.?

Google has now improved this tool so it includes more clothing types, expanding it to dresses as well.?

As a reminder, this tool is only available in the US so far, but we expect them to roll it out to more countries soon.

Meta Has Released a Reels Performance Playbook.?

Meta has released a new guide on how to improve Reels, with helpful notes on how to compose effective videos, tap into trends, storytelling, performance stats, and more.?

In a nutshell:?

  • Make them entertaining, digestible and relatable?
  • Explore audio (voice-overs, music, sound effects and trending sounds)?
  • Use filters, effects and editing techniques (transitions)?
  • Use stickers and overlays (NEW)?
  • Nail the hook?

Then it suggests different content types (Q&A, before and after, testimonials, listicles…) and some data to back up their efficiency.

Snapchat Will Start Introducing Ads Next To Your Friends' Messages.?

Snapchat will soon start testing sponsored messages next to chat threads from friends, according to CEO Evan Spiegel.

These “Sponsored Snaps” from brands will appear as unread messages in Snapchat’s main Chat tab, implying that they’ll sit above messages from a person’s contacts until they’re acted on.?

This is the first time Snap will show ads in the most used part of its app.

Customise Your Thumb Frames for Shorts.?

YouTube keeps working on ways that creators can customise their Shorts thumbnails, by allowing them to add text and filters once the Short has been uploaded.?

Creators will be able to choose a frame from within the video and then customise it, instead of allowing the users to upload a ready-made thumbnail as many other platforms do.?

This is because YouTube keeps reiterating that users come across Shorts by scrolling through the feed, so custom thumbnails are not necessary. On the contrary, custom thumbnails for long-form are needed as those sit on the homepage & channel display, and these play an important role in CTR.

Social Media Usage Will Surpass TV Viewers in the US in 2025.?

Did you know that YouTube surpassed TV viewers back in 2015 and is still at the forefront??

The latest forecast is that social is expected to reach second position by 2025 in the US, even though its share of media time is declining YoY. Adults will spend two hours and 49 minutes per day with linear TV, compared with social video’s 53 minutes and YouTube’s 37 minutes.

Buying Fake Followers In The US Could End Up In Legal Action.?

The Federal Trade Commission announced that they will combat fake reviews and testimonials by prohibiting their sale or purchase and allowing the agency to seek civil penalties against knowing violators.

This includes fake or false consumer reviews (positive or negative, by insiders or outsiders), consumer & celebrity testimonials, and company-controlled review websites.?

But, most importantly for us, misuse of social media indicators, which bans anyone from selling or buying fake indicators of social media influence, such as followers or views generated by a bot or hijacked account. This prohibition is limited to situations in which the buyer knew or should have known that the indicators were fake and misrepresent the buyer’s influence or importance for a commercial purpose.

Jo Moore

Head of Social for GetCrisp | Freelance Content Creator Supporting Teachers Looking to Leave the Classroom

5 个月

Thanks for the update round-up!

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