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April 2024 Social Media Platform Updates

Thursday 9th May

Blog Author Beth Perrin by Beth Perrin

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The world of social media was busy once again in April, with many new features being released which will not only make it easier for individual users to consume their favourite content, but will also help brands and businesses enhance their marketing strategies. Let’s take a look at a selection of them below so you can assess which ones might benefit your online experience as we head towards the summer.

 

Vertical Video Display on Facebook

Facebook began the month by rolling out a new full-screen video player, which means all videos posted to the app will now expand into a vertical format that looks just like TikTok and Instagram Reels when tapped on. The new display will apply whether you’re watching a Reel, a longer video, or a live stream - and for horizontal videos, you’ll see an option to flip your device to watch them in landscape view.

 

 

Instagram Notify Sticker

Instagram has added a ‘Notify’ story sticker for creators, which will provide a new way for them to ensure that their audience members don’t miss any of their updates and content. Once a viewer taps on the Notify sticker, they’ll then be able to choose which elements they’d like to get notifications about from that creator - posts, stories, Reels and Live videos. The sticker is available to anyone with a professional account.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Instagram’s @Creators (@creators)

 
 

Threads Bonus Program

Business Insider has reported that Meta is currently trialling a ‘Threads Bonus program’, in order to keep popular users posting to the app. Eligible creators will be able to earn money from their Threads content based on the performance of posts or the number of posts shared to the app, so it’s similar to the Reels Play scheme that Instagram launched initially to encourage creators to make Reels during the feature’s early stages.

According to Business Insider: “If you are invited [to the program], you will receive a pop-up notification and an invite that appears in your Professional Dashboard on the Instagram app”. The popup states: “Threads bonus - Get paid up to $5,000 to post on Threads”. Once the feature becomes available to you, you’ll need to set up bonuses on Instagram before the eligibility expires. Posts and replies must get 10,000 or more views in order to be eligible for a payout, and you’ll also need to make sure your account is public.

 

 
Post by @mattnavarra
View on Threads

 
 

Messenger Updates

Meta announced some new updates for Messenger that it hopes will make users’ conversations and connections even better.

• High-definition photos: You can now send clearer, crisper photos in your chats. To send an HD photo, select an image from your chat composer, then turn the HD toggle on and tap Send.

• Shared photo albums: Within group chats, you can now create albums of photos and videos in order to “share, organise and reminisce over the best memories and moments”. To create a new album, select multiple photos from your chat composer, then tap ‘Create album’. You can also long press a photo in the chat and tap Create album. From there, everyone in the group chat can view, add, delete and download pictures and videos from the album.

• Add friends via QR code: You no longer have to type out someone’s name or phone number to add them on Messenger – you can easily connect with people by scanning their Messenger QR code or by sharing yours via a link.

• 100MB file limit: You can now send files up to 100MB via Messenger, including Word, PDF and Excel files.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Messenger (@messenger)

 
 

Instagram Profile Notes

Instagram announced via its ‘Double Tap’ newsletter that Notes, which previously only appeared at the top of your mutual followers’ DMs, are going to be expanded to profiles, giving users a new, fun way to customise their presence in the app. Like stories, Notes will remain on a user’s profile for 24 hours before disappearing.


Instagram profile Notes

 
 

LinkedIn Recruiter Verification

LinkedIn has introduced a handy new verification badge for recruiters, which it hopes will combat the high level of recruitment scams that are unfortunately rife on the platform at the moment. Recruiters will be able to confirm their identity via LinkedIn Recruiter, where this will soon be included as an optional process - similar to the platform’s ID system for regular users which provides a verification tick, denoting that the user has gone through the ID process.


 
 

Ad Credits for Verified Organisations on X

In order to incentivise brands to sign up for its Verified Organisations scheme, X has launched a new offer that will give equal ad credits to accounts that join the program. Any business that signs up to the Basic Verified Organisations package, which costs $2,000 per year, will now have $2,000 in ad credits added to their account - and those that sign up to the Full Access package will receive $10,000 worth of credits.

 

 
 

Threads DM Test

Meta has launched a live test of DMs on Threads, with some users now seeing a new ‘Message’ CTA button on people’s profiles. This will technically enable you to send messages to users via the app - however, messages won’t be sent via Threads itself. Instead, you’ll actually be sending your DM to their Instagram inbox, which could be a handy way to keep all of your communications in one place.

 
 

WhatsApp Chat Filters

WhatsApp has added a range of new Chat Filters, which it says “will make it easier for people to stay organised and find their most important conversations and help navigate through messages more efficiently”. Chats can now be sorted by:

• All: The default view of all your messages. • Unread: This shows messages that are either marked by you as unread or haven’t been opened yet, so you can prioritise your responses. • Groups: All your group chats will now be viewable in one place, making it easier to find your favourite ones.

 
 

Threads Post Archive Test

Some Threads users are now able to set an auto-archive time for their posts, which effectively deletes them from public view after a certain period of time. Back in February, the platform’s chief, Adam Mosseri, ran a poll asking users if they’d like a full version of this feature to be implemented, whereby all posts would be deleted automatically by default after a month - but users weren’t keen on the idea, with 83% of respondents voting against it. That’s why he has made it clear that the new archive tool is completely optional, with users being able to manually set it up for specific posts, or for all of their content if they choose.

 

 
Post by @mosseri
View on Threads

 
 

Hidden Words on Threads

Another Threads update - Hidden Words. Users can now specify words, phrases and emojis that they don’t want to see on the app, which will then exclude posts that include these elements from their feed, search results and profile view. Adam Mosseri hopes that this tool will “give [users] more control over [their] experience on Threads and help keep it a place for positive conversation”.

 

 
Post by @mosseri
View on Threads

 
 

Summary

If you’ve used any of these new features over the last few weeks - either for your business or as a casual user - find us on X @3sixfivepro and let us know which ones you’ve benefited from so far. We’d love to hear which updates you’re planning to incorporate into your upcoming social media marketing or customer service strategy, or which ones have made it easier for you to connect with friends and family on your favourite platforms.


 
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