The Social Receipts #20: Meta’s Big Messaging Update, Facebook’s Follower Shake-Up, and Instagram’s Cool New Features You Can’t Miss!

Each week, the team at Giraffe Social will be sharing our thoughts and opinions on the biggest stories in the world of social media! It’s your one-stop shop for all things social.

Want to get these updates sent straight to your inbox each week?

Subscribe to never miss a news story!

Meta’s Broadcast Channels Update

Meta is adding a new layer to its Broadcast Channels! Now, creators and fans can engage more directly through threaded replies tied to individual comments. Unlike a group chat, the main channel will still stay as a clean stream of updates from the creator, but fans can tap into comments to dive deeper into conversations. It’s a great way to keep things organised while boosting engagement. Some creators have had access to this for a while, but now, it’s rolling out to more users across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger.

This update is a great way to enhance the way creators and fans connect. By organising conversations into threads, it makes it easier for fans to engage with specific topics or comments without overwhelming the main channel. It’s a smarter, more efficient way to foster community and meaningful conversations while keeping the focus on the creator’s updates.

Facebook Phasing Out Public Followers on Profiles

Facebook is removing the option for personal profiles to have public followers. Instead, they’re encouraging creators and businesses to switch to Pages for public content. This shift is all about simplifying the platform — keeping personal profiles private and family-focused while giving Pages the tools needed for audience growth and engagement. If you’re a creator, this might be your cue to make the move!

This shift will certainly help creators and users to draw a clear line between personal content and content intended for a wider audience, which could be beneficial to their privacy on the platform. It will also generally keep Facebook more organised by setting a clear differentiation between private profiles and public pages. It will certainly be interesting to see how the algorithm's recommendations in our feeds will shift with all these new public pages on the horizon.

Instagram’s DM and Stories Upgrades

Instagram has rolled out some exciting updates for Stories and DMs. There are new stickers for sharing locations or recommending your favourite spots in Stories — making it super interactive. In DMs, they’ve added a ‘Friend Map’ for live location sharing, pinned chats for quick access, and even a feature to edit messages! These updates are all about improving personal connections while keeping the main feed fun and entertaining.

These new features highlight the platform's shift towards deeper, more personal engagement. On the positive side, interactive stickers and location-sharing enhance engagement, while tools like pinned chats and message editing improve communication. However, the shift toward Stories and DMs could reduce main feed visibility, adding pressure to adopt every feature. There are also some privacy concerns with live location sharing and the challenge of standing out in a crowded space are potential drawbacks. Success will depend on leveraging these tools strategically without overwhelming your audience or team.

Get to Work

Want to boost your Meta updates and increase engagement? Try using attention-grabbing headlines!

When crafting your updates, remember that the headline is often the first thing people see. Make it count by using action verbs, questions, or statements that create curiosity.

For example, instead of "New blog post!", try "Unlock the secrets to social media marketing in our latest blog post!" Review your previous updates and rewrite the headlines to make them more attention-grabbing.

Then, test them out on a new update and see how engagement increases!

Tune In

In this week’s podcast episode, we’re discussing cover topics such as LinkedIn’s new AI Hiring Assistant, how to make your content accessible on social media, and understanding the life cycle of a trend.

With special guests Annabel Greig, Digital Content and Social Media Officer at VIVID, as well as Iliy, Sam, Georgia, and Lottie from the Giraffe Social team.

Check out the latest episode of the Social in 10 podcast for all of that and more ??

https://thegsmpodcast.buzzsprout.co