New social media features and updates to know this week
Updates to X, Meta, TikTok and more.
It’s Tuesday, PR pros and that means another edition of social media updates! This week’s edition has everything you need, from small changes to platforms to massive happenings. Stick with us to learn the deets.
X
X said that clickable timestamp links are available for lengthier videos, according to X Help Center. “When you’re posting a video, you can add timestamps to provide more context about your video, help viewers navigate through your video, and let them easily rewatch different parts of the video,” according to X Help Center.
X’s Community Notes posted that it’s ramping up efforts to notify users who interacted with a post that later had a Community Note added. The post said X could now handle notifications on “even the most visible and highly engaged posts.”
Meta
Users can now link their Instagram and Facebook accounts to Amazon, CNBC reported. Users can make Amazon purchases by tapping on promotions directly from their feeds. “Customers in the U.S. will see real-time pricing, Prime eligibility, delivery estimates, and product details on select Amazon product ads in Facebook and Instagram as part of the new experience,” according to an Amazon statement, CNBC reported.
Meta announced new lead generation ad updates, including the option to start a WhatsApp chat with a business through Instagram ads. This option is already on Instagram Direct and Messenger. “Also, advertisers that choose to engage people through click to message ads on Instagram Direct can now offer people a coupon for completing the question-and-answer flow, and those discounts can be applied to their next purchase or service,” Meta said.
Meta is also testing out an “instant form ad format” that lets people submit their information to multiple businesses at the same time – for instance, a hair salon and a massage studio. “This means added convenience for people and for small businesses, more opportunities to be discovered by people who may be interested in your business,” Meta said.
Meta announced a policy that requires advertisers to share when they digitally alter an advertisement in the social issue or political space on Instagram or Facebook. This includes the use of AI. Advertisers must now share when they post a political ad that was digitally changed to:
- “Depict a real person as saying or doing something they did not say or do.”
- Portray an event that allegedly happened but using a false video, audio recording or image with it.
- Portray a life-like person who is not alive or an event that did not happen or adjust footage of an actual event that took place.
Advertisers don’t have to reveal minor changes, like image size altering, cropping and color adjustment. “If we determine that an advertiser doesn’t disclose as required, we will reject the ad and repeated failure to disclose may result in penalties against the advertiser,” Meta said. “We will share additional details about the specific process advertisers will go through during the ad creation process.”
Meta announced a new holiday bonus test for creators in the U.S., Japan and South Korea. Meta’s invite-only test gives creators money for sharing their creative skills via photos (including carousels and single images) and reels. Creators who are invited to participate can get paid for the performance of their reels or posts. “Creators will earn based on the number of reels plays and photo views they receive during the bonus period, as long as the content passes Content Monetization Policies,” according to Meta.
Instagram is finding new ways to keep younger audiences engaged, Social Media Today reported. Instagram is letting a small pool of users reply to inbox Notes with audio clips, GIFs, stickers, videos, photos and more.
The Verge revealed that Instagram will let users disable their read receipts in direct messages soon. This option is in the testing stage and Facebook might be next in line.
Instagram will now allow creators to post follower replies in Stories, according to the Instagram Creators account.
TikTok
TikTok for Business debuted a revamped Events API, allowing advertisers to keep up with how their ad campaign performed. “Events API is a secure server-to-server (S2S) integration with TikTok that allows advertisers to share marketing data with us in a secure connection directly from their server,” according to TikTok for Business. “By sharing this marketing data with TikTok, advertisers are able to unlock the performance advertising benefits of better optimization and delivery.”
TikTok is debuting its Creativity Program Beta, which will give creators a chance to receive rewards for longer-form videos. Users must:
- Have a U.S.-based account.
- Be 18 or older.
- Have at least 10,000 followers.
- Have at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days.
For those already involved in the soon-defunct Creator Fund visit here to join.
Snapchat
Snap said that Snapchat will have AR lenses that use ChatGPT. Snap joined forces with Open AI to debut ChatGPT Remote API. This allows wearers to discover, chat and explore within Snap’s AR technology. Users would be able to generate text-based content from ChatGPT. When using Lenses, users could formulate quizzes created by ChatGPT for example or give it other prompts and see them come to life. “Also, a new 3D face mask generator enables anyone to build their first potentially viral self-expression Lens within a matter of seconds, combining Gen AI and our state-of-the-art face mesh capabilities,” according to Snap.
YouTube
Creator Insider publicized that it is unveiling improvements to its copyright claim notification emails soon. This includes an updated UI that’s easier to use and new email send techniques, according to Creator Insider. “If your video receives multiple claims on the same video, you’ll no longer receive multiple claim emails,” according to the Creator Insider announcement YouTube video. “Instead, you will receive a single, consolidated email that includes all of your claim information.” If a creator uses Creator Music (a YouTube library of copyright-free audio), they can find options within the claim email to obtain free music tracks or buy a license from Creator Music and more.
YouTube Help announced testing out generative AI features in the comment section of videos. YouTube is experimenting with organizing the comments into themes to help creators navigate discussions more quickly and develop new content based on what commenters want.
Social media expert Matt Navarra posted on Threads that LinkedIn confirmed it would remove profile videos, carousels and the option to embed clickable links in videos or images beginning on Dec. 14. While the embedded links will still be visible in a video or image, the link won’t work. Users could still share external links in post descriptions, according to LinkedIn. “This is not the carousels created by uploading PDFs,” he announced in his post.
Sherri Kolade is a writer and conference producer at Ragan Communications. She enjoys watching old films, reading and building an authentically curated life. Follow her on LinkedIn. Have a great PR/comms speaker in mind for one of Ragan’s events? Email her at sherrik@ragan.com.
