Top News and Stories
Below are Linqia’s favorite stories shaping our industry.
Elon Musk wants cage fight with Mark Zuckerberg (yes, really)
TLDR: Musk called out Zuck, Zuck said he is in, and now the entire world wants to see it. We doubt it will actually happen, but based on how much training Musk has undergone our money is on him if it does.
Musk sets new daily limit for users
TLDR: Musk said unverified accounts are now limited to reading 1,000 posts a day, and accounts with “verified” status are currently limited to 10,000 posts a day. This is the biggest move toward a paid social media world any platform has taken and it has major implications, especially since this platform is one heavily used for news tracking.
Twitter will provide creators with the email addresses of their subscribers
TLDR: Subscribers who opt in to sharing their email addresses will do so with the creators they follow. This is a major step in letting creators leave a social platform & take their subscribers with them. It’s what creators have been asking for, and Musk is the first to give it to them.
Elon Musk Says that Twitter Will Start Sharing Revenue with Creators for Ads in Replies
TLDR: This is the next stage of Twitter’s creator monetization push, opening another revenue stream for creators. But it will be limited to Twitter Blue subscribers, and based on rough calculations you’ll be lucky to generate enough revenue to cover the costs of your Twitter Blue monthly subscription through this program alone.
YouTube launches A/B testing for thumbnails
TLDR: Your YouTube thumbnail may have the greatest impact on viewership, and this is a welcomed update for creators and brands to be able to test which thumbnail is working best in a split test. Everyone is celebrating this news, although it’s currently testing the feature with “a few hundred creators,” but plans to roll out a beta version in the coming months.
YouTube Tests New Option to Create Shorts Replies to Comments on Other People’s Videos
TLDR: This is in addition to the news a few months back that creators could reply to comments in their own feeds with Shorts. The added visual context of a Shorts video as a response could help improve engagement, while also making viewers feel more acknowledged for their comment.
Twitch is reversing its newly announced ads rules amidst backlash
TLDR: The rules prohibited “burned in” video, display, and audio ads, which were popular and common formats used by creators, who then took to social media to decry the changes. Twitch apologized for the rollout and rescinded the rules. It’s not a good look for Twitch, but at least they ended up doing the right thing, unlike Reddit as we will address below.
Over 7k subreddits went private in protest over API pricing increase
TLDR: Thousands of subreddits switched to private mode in protest over Reddit’s decision to increase the price of its API access, which will force many third-party Reddit apps to shut down as a result. Those 7,000 groups have a combined subscriber count of 2.7 billion, which is having a big impact on Reddit engagement. But Reddit’s CEO is not backing down, saying these are necessary steps that the app must take.
Instagram tests new user control for recommended posts, transparency tool for creators
TLDR: Now, when users see recommended posts, they can select an “Interested” button that will inform the app that they want to see more of that type of content. The company is also experimenting with new transparency notifications to help creators understand when the reach of their content, such as Reels, may be limited due to a watermark (wink wink TikTok). Transparency and user control are two major themes in social media land, so these are welcome features for most users.
Instagram Tests New AI Chatbot Experience in DMs
TLDR: Seemingly a lot like Snap’s “My AI”, the IG chatbot enables you to ask questions of the AI system within any chat thread. You can ask questions in-stream, and get advice on how to write more effective messages. It’s funny to see how chatbots are now in again with the rise of Generative AI.
Meta released an open-source AI-powered music generating tool called MusicGen
TLDR: The tool turns text descriptions or reference audio, like existing songs, into up to 12 seconds of audio. Meta says that all the music MusicGen was trained on was “covered by legal agreements with the right holders,” including a deal with Shutterstock. This is going to be a welcomed feature for brands who want music that fits the content without having to worry about paying for usage rights.
Meta’s launching a new ‘Inspiration Hub’ in the Facebook Professional Dashboard
TLDR: The hub will highlight top Reels trends, with data on the most popular hashtags, topics, and music at any given time. TikTok already released their creative center months ago, so this is Meta’s answer for brands looking for similar trends data.
Instagram Will Now Allow Users to Download Publicly Posted Reels Content
TLDR: This one’s pretty self explanatory, we just don’t know why it took Instagram so long to get with the program. It’s also worth noting that creators can opt out of enabling downloads of their content in their Account Settings.
TikTok Is First App To Surpass $1B In Quarterly Consumer Spend
TLDR: In Q1 2023, TikTok became the first mobile app ever to surpass $1 billion in worldwide consumer spend across iOS and Google Play in a single quarter. TikTok was the only non-gaming title among the top 10 by one-time purchase revenue in the U.S.
TikTok opening its own online US store
TLDR: TikTok is planning to launch an online retail store in the U.S. as soon as next month, putting it in direct competition with e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Shein, and Temu. On one hand, entering the retail industry itself might be one of the only ways for TikTok to convince more brands to join TikTok Shop. On the other, it may force US retail brands to treat TikTok more like a competitor than a partner.
TikTok Adds New AI Ad Script Generator Tool in Creative Center
TLDR: Enter in your industry vertical, product name, a description of the item, and any relevant keywords that you want to highlight or include, and select whether you want a 15-30 second or 31-60 second video. Press ‘Generate scripts’ and the system will then churn out a selection of sample video scripts to consider, each including a hook, scene, and a call to action, with both audio and visual cues to include. This is a game changer for creators to help with content ideation.
TikTok new Creative Challenge feature allows brands to turn creator-submitted videos into ads
TLDR: Brands request videos from qualified creators (have at least 50,000 followers) to run as in-feed ads, and creators who get selected earn a cut of the revenue from their videos. It certainly makes a lot of sense for brands, but creators doing work for no guaranteed money may not sit well with them.
TikTok Adds ‘Open Applications’ to Facilitate Connection Between Creators and Brands
TLDR: TikTok’s been testing this out since February, but now it’s being made available to all brands able within TikTok’s Creator Marketplace. Each creator application includes a short pitch or concept, examples of relevant TikTok videos they’ve created, contact information, and their proposed fee. Brands can then decide who to work with.
SAG-AFTRA Approves New Influencer Agreement
TLDR: The new influencer agreement allows anyone who is paid to advertise products via their individual social media platforms to be covered by the union. Previously the union covered advertising done by YouTubers, but now it will cover advertising work across all social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitch, and TikTok. This is good or bad news depending on who you talk to, brands certainly are not excited to work with even more SAG talent.
Brand Influencer Highlights:
Airbnb saves day for TikToker Alix Earle with Italian villa after scam
How State Farm meets the challenge of Gen Z marketing with esports
How Sephora Is Partnering With Creators for Brand Impact
How C4 Energy is auditioning creators with its new TikTok program
Heinz connects with past viral stars for new sauce drops
Unilever taps into #CleanTok craze with global TikTok partnership
Reports & Data Worth Reading:
TLDR: The Traackr report found that 28% of marketers spend between $10,000 and $50,000 on product gifting campaigns each year, while 25% spend between $50,000 and $200,000. And about one in five marketers reported spending more than $200,000 in a single year on gifting products to influencers
Study finds black creators drive higher media value for marketers
TLDR: A new report from Group Black and Nielsen reveals Black creators have larger and more engaged followings than their non-Black peers. But these creators have gone “largely unrecognized” by brands and marketers and are often overlooked and underpaid for influencer marketing campaigns.
TikTok influencers and celebrities overtaking journalists as news source
TLDR: According to a report published by the Reuters Institute, TikTok influencers and celebrities are becoming the primary source of news for young people, surpassing journalists. The study found that 55% of TikTok and Snapchat users and 52% of Instagram users rely on “”personalities”” for news, compared to 33-42% who turn to mainstream media and journalists on those platforms.
