TikTok's Testing Collab Posts; While Instagram's pushing short Reels

The social apps continue to morph into dupes of each other as they borrow successful features and formats.

? 1-SECOND SUMMARY

• The dots are gone! Instagram carousels look just like Threads?
• Meta Verified for Business has new tiers of support from $50 to $350 per month
• Instagram told creators to keep videos less than 90 seconds
• TikTok is testing a “Collaboration” feature to add up to 5 creators on a post
• TikTok sued the US government for forcing ByteDance to sell off the app
• YouTube is testing a new AI tool to help you come up with video ideas
• The influencer-to-red-carpet-reporter pipeline was strong at the Met Gala
• Celebrities are joining LinkedIn as part of a new L’Oreal campaign ?

?? ROADMAP

?? Meta Updates

• During an event with creators on Thursday, Instagram discouraged long videos, saying that Reels that are longer than 90 seconds can “hurt distribution,” according to The Information’s Sylvia Varnham O’Regan.?
• Meta added three new tiers to its Meta Verified for Business plan. In addition to the standard $14.99 plan, they’re offering the $44.99/month “Plus” plan, the $119.99 “Premium” plan and $349.99/month “Max” plan, all of which have varying degrees of support, safety features, improved discovery and the ability to add links to Reels posts. Some people love it, others hate it.?
• The dots are gone! Instagram is testing their carousel UX. Some users (including me!) now have IG carousels that resemble the Threads carousel experience.
• Meta is running a global test to let users cross-post images from Instagram to Threads. Note: if you opt in your hashtags will be converted into plain text so you’ll still want to go in and edit for inconsistencies.

?? TikTok Updates

• A new collaboration feature has been spotted on TikTok that would allow creators to invite up to 5 other creators to collab on a post — similar to Instagram’s collaboration feature. See an example from Will Smith and his E1 team Westbrook Racing here.
• As expected, TikTok sued the US government over the new act that would force the app to be divested from its China-based parent company ByteDance or face a ban in the US. So, what happens next: The courts have to balance First Amendment rights versus national security concerns.

• TikTok will automatically label AI-generated content when it's uploaded from certain platforms.
• TikTok is hosting a "Creative Made Simple" webinar on May 16th for small to mid-sized businesses. RSVP here.

?? LinkedIn Updates

• Eva Longoria, Helen Mirren and Jane Fonda were among the celebrities who joined LinkedIn this week as part of a L’Oreal campaign. The women were invited to add their profiles and share stories of setbacks to prove how failure can be a stepping stone to success. The professional platform is a clever twist for a beauty campaign. But do these ghost accounts — that may never post again — diminish the platform experience for everyone else?

?? YouTube Updates

• YouTube is testing an AI tool that helps generate new video ideas. Creators in the invite-only experiment will find the content inspiration tool on desktop by navigating Studio > Analytics > Research.??

?? Pinterest Updates

• Pinterest launched a Media Buyer Certification program in the Pinterest Academy.

?? Substack Updates

• Newsletter platform Substack launched a Creator Studio fellowship to support emerging video creators who want to develop subscription-based communities.?

?? Met Gala Creator Rewind

The influencer-to-red-carpet-reporter pipeline is strong. TikTok had two “creator correspondents” on the Met Gala carpet: @hellotefi and @guywithamoviecamera; E! News tapped @HayleyyBaylee as its guest host; while Emma Chamberlain returned as Vogue’s YouTube host.??

• TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew was the Met Gala’s honorary chair and the app celebrated with a dedicated hub and sweepstakes.?
• Pinterest partnered with celebrity stylist Mimi Cuttrell to reveal her private board of inspiration behind Gigi Hadid, Ariana Grande and Madelyn Cline's Met Gala looks.
• Instagram’s Adam Mosseri attended the Met Gala in a jacket that was compared to Instagram’s Story sticker tray.
• AI generated images of Katy Perry and Rihanna circulated on social media but neither star was actually there. Don’t believe everything you see!

?? Social Commerce Summit Recap

I presented a “state of the social” overview at the Social Commerce Summit on Wednesday to a crowd of social leaders in the fashion and beauty space.?

I also shared an evaluation framework for new apps and platform features that help me distinguish the nice-to-know from the need-to-have. Subscribe to the email version of this letter to get the formula: ICYMI newsletter ??

?? IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

• MrBeast is parting ways with his high-profile talent management company, Night Media -Semafor
• From MrBeast to Logan Paul: Why Wall Street Is Infatuated With Influencers -The Hollywood Reporter
• Hank Green says TikTok won't tell him how much it's paying him -Mashable
• 'Intellectual influencers' will soon be taking over your social-media feeds -Business Insider
• Helen Mirren, Jane Fonda and Eva Longoria joined LinkedIn as part of a l’Oreal campaign -AdAge
• Kendrick Lamar and Drake release copyright claims on their diss tracks which allowed creators to monetize associated content -TubeFilter
• Apple has apologized for that iPad Pro ad crushed creative objects -AdAge

Thanks for reading!