What’s new in influencer marketing March

TikTok

TikTok grilled by US lawmakers during congressional hearing

TLDR: TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress as they showered him with questions about privacy concerns and Chinese influence. It was clear the members of Congress had made up their mind before walking in the door and Chew did little to quell their fears.

TikTok Lets You Start Over by Refreshing Your Algorithmic Recommendations

TLDR: For users who feel like their feed recommendations are no longer catered toward their interests, you can now reset your For You feed and start fresh. This is a welcomed addition as the platform’s algorithm can quickly pigeon hole content in categories that are no longer of high interest to the user.

TikTok Provides New Insights into Top Performing Ad Copy via ‘Keyword Insights’

TLDR: Keyword Insights can be found in the Creative Center, and enables you to find more info on which keywords and phrases are resonating best in TikTok ads. In combination with Top Products, Top Ads and Ad Creative data, there’s now a heap of ways to glean more insight into effective TikTok content approaches

TikTok launches ‘Series’, allowing creators to charge for premium content

TLDR: Each individual Series can include up to 80 videos, each up to 20 minutes long. Creators can choose the price for their Series, and the content can be purchased directly in-video links or via a creator’s profile page. For a limited time, creators will receive 100% of their Series earnings (after platform and processing fees). It’s unclear what the revenue split may be in the longer term.

TikTok is adding a dedicated feed for STEM content

TLDR: The feed aims to give users a dedicated space to explore videos related to science, technology, engineering and math. The company says STEM-related hashtags have received over 110 billion views to date.

TikTok to set one-hour daily screen time limit by default for users under 18

TLDR: The feature change could bolster the digital well-being of younger users. If the 60-minute limit is reached, users will be prompted to enter a passcode — requiring them to make an active decision to extend their time spent swiping through videos on the app.

TikTok begins blocking links to app store pages from creators’ bios

TLDR: TikTok has begun blocking links to app stores in creators’ bios, which will have significant impact on CPI (cost per install) campaign deals between creators and brands. Brands can still include these links on their business pages, but this is an obvious push to keep activity inside of the app.

YouTube

YouTube Shorts is coming up short for creators

TLDR: It’s only been six weeks since YouTube has offered the ability to monetize Shorts. But creators are far from sold on the idea. Many creators are reporting only earning $0.01-$0.02 RPM’s, not nearly enough to make the content creation effort worth the time.

General Social

Spotify got a TikTokified makeover. And so did Reddit

TLDR: The new search feature will let people swipe through short videos, called Canvas clips, and the redesigned home page will feature short videos created by musicians, called previews. This will allow artists to connect more deeply with their audiences.

Snap is offering its AR tools to enterprise customers

TLDR: Companies can integrate Snap’s AR features directly into their apps or websites, so customers can engage with them while checking out products. The “Shopping Suite” is a SaaS offering that lets enterprises host and manage all digital assets, create AR experiences using Snap’s SDK and look at performance analytics… as well as help from the Snap’s team to customize client’s solutions.

What is Lemon8 and why is everyone talking about it on TikTok?

TLDR: Social media influencers have described the app as if “Instagram and Pinterest had a baby”. Content created on the app usually centers around a specific topic, with top trending topics including fashion, beauty, food, wellness, and travel. Under each topic are suggestions, recommendations, get-ready-with-me style videos, and perfectly curated, aesthetically pleasing content.

Twitter limits “For You” feed to verified accounts

TLDR: Musk announced in a Tweet that starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations. Musk claims this is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms. Voting in polls will also require verification for the same reason.

Brand Influencer Highlights:

Reports Worth Reading:

When it comes to in-app purchases, TikTok outearned Facebook, Twitter, Snap, and Instagram combined

TLDR: In-app purchases (IAP) are a growing priority for social platforms as they try to reduce their reliance on ad revenue, and TikTok has earned $205 Million More Than Facebook, Twitter, Snap And Instagram combined on IAP In 2023.

Gen Zers aren’t the only TikTok addicts

TLDR: According to Insider Intelligence data, TikTok users ages 25-54 spend over 45 minutes per day on the app. This pails in comparison to the 79 minutes per day 18-24-year-olds spend on the app, but is well above time spent on other social platforms for the same age group.

Social Media Usage Trends

TLDR: Facebook use has plateaued, TikTok has taken a step back after a meteoric rise, and Discord is on the up.

Influencers have greatest impact on consumer sustainability choices, Unilever finds

TLDR: Influencers have the single largest impact on consumers’ sustainability choices, ahead of TV documentaries, news articles and government campaigns. Three-quarters of consumers surveyed said that social media content made them more likely to adopt sustainable behaviors, with 83% of consumers saying that TikTok and Instagram are helpful places to seek out advice on how to be greener at home.

Pricing for the Creator Economy Is All Over the Map

TLDR: The report, by Later and Mavrck, surveyed more than 500 creators and showed that more than a third (37%) set their rates by guessing. Creators also confirmed their followers are worth more on Instagram than TikTok because high follower counts are generally seen as harder to achieve on Instagram and therefore, could translate to a more attentive audience.

Infographic: 15+ Reasons B2B Brands are Leveraging Influencer Marketing

TLDR: Influencer marketing has emerged as the key way B2B brands can create impact and help recession proof their marketing strategy, with 65% pinpointing influencer marketing as a top priority over the coming 3 to 5 years according to ANA research.