August 2024 Social Media Platform Updates
Thursday 5th September
by Beth Perrin
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The world of social media was busy once again in August, with many new features being released by all of the major platforms which will benefit both individual users and brand marketers. Let’s take a look at a selection of them below so you can decide which ones might be advantageous for your personal or professional use as we head into the autumn.
LinkedIn Company Page Verification
LinkedIn started the month by adding verification for company pages, providing a new way for brands to establish trust and credibility on the platform. Verified company pages will receive a grey check mark beside their name, which confirms that they’ve passed LinkedIn’s factors for identity and authenticity. These include:
• Accuracy of certain data points on the page (location, website URL etc)
• Active page admin presence
• The page being claimed (aka not a listing page)
• Compliance with LinkedIn policies
No More Ads for Premium+ Subscribers on X
X users who pay for the platform’s most expensive subscription package, Premium+, will now no longer see any ads on the platform. Previously, they wouldn’t see any ads in the For You and Following timelines but would still encounter sponsored content elsewhere on X, whereas now, their experience on the platform will be fully ad-free.
no more ads, anywhere on X
— X (@X) August 8, 2024
Premium+ is now *fully* ad free
sign up via https://t.co/TJn5WfMiAP
New Reply Sorting Options on X
X has rolled out a new reply sorting option, giving users the ability to choose the order in which replies are displayed beneath posts. This will help people customise their experience on the platform and access the most engaging discussions related to their favourite content. The three options available are:
• Trending
• Most recent
• Most liked
rolling out now: sort replies on any post by most relevant, recent, or liked pic.twitter.com/bBjaRliUxZ
— X (@X) August 9, 2024
Simplified Ad Setup Process on Snapchat
Snapchat has released a handy update for brands that use the platform for advertising. Its Ads Manager platform has been simplified to make the campaign creation process quicker and easier, mainly by reducing the steps required to set your campaign objectives. The amount of available objectives has been reduced from eleven to five, with similar targeting options being merged together to streamline the process. Previously, objectives were categorised under ‘Awareness’, ‘Consideration’ and ‘Conversions’, with a range of subtopics in each of these categories - but now, you’ll have fewer options to choose from, covering all of these previous elements.
More Profile Connections on Meta Business Suite
Meta is rolling out a new update for its Business Suite which will enable users to connect more profiles to their account, meaning they can easily switch between them when managing both their Facebook and Instagram presence. As you can see in the example below, shared by app researcher Jonah Manzano, you can now link up to 10 profiles to your Meta Business Suite account, so you won’t need to log out and back in to manage the business pages connected to each one.
Meta Business Suite now offers a faster way to switch user profiles—save up to 10 profiles! pic.twitter.com/Zo2AoTRZ9V
— Jonah Manzano (@jonah_manzano) August 12, 2024
TikTok Group Chats and DM Stickers
TikTok is looking to tap into the rising use of DMs, so it has introduced a couple of new features to enhance the messaging experience in the app. Firstly, it has added stickers to DMs, including video stickers that can be made from TikTok clips, and user-created sticker sets that can then be shared by others. The second new addition is group chats, with 32 participants now able to join a conversation. Only friends (followers you follow back) can invite you to join group chats - unless your DM privacy setting is set to ‘No one’.
New Threads Analytics Dashboard on Desktop
Threads users on desktop now have access to a new analytics dashboard, which provides a range of performance insights for profiles and makes it easier for users to learn about their communities. At the moment, you can view data for the last 7, 14 or 30 days. The metrics available include:
• Views on your profile by followers and non-followers
• Interactions with your content, including likes, replies, reposts and quotes
• Audience demographics such as location, age and gender
Post by @threadsView on Threads
AI Chat Summaries on YouTube Live Streams
YouTube began testing AI-generated chat summaries on regular videos last year, and now, live streams will also have the same feature. When you join a stream that has sufficient chat activity prior to you joining, you’ll now see a banner at the top of the chat that sums up what’s being said by other viewers, helping newcomers get a feel for the key discussion points and decide whether they want to participate.
Sticker Updates on WhatsApp
WhatsApp has introduced a range of sticker updates to give users more fun and creative ways to express themselves in their conversations.
• GIPHY stickers: A new integration with GIPHY lets users find and share relevant and engaging stickers, without having to leave the app.
• Custom sticker maker: Previously only available on iOS, this tool is now available on Android so users can easily create, edit and share their own stickers. You can turn your photos into personalised stickers, or customise existing ones using editing tools like crop text, and draw.
• AI stickers: If you can’t find the perfect sticker for the moment, you can also use Meta AI to create more custom stickers.
• Sticker organisation: You can now easily discover new sticker packs from WhatsApp by previewing them in the sticker tray below your downloaded ones.
Post by @whatsappView on Threads
Multiple Drafts & Post Scheduling on Threads
Up until now, Threads users have only been able to write and save one draft post - but thanks to a recent update, this number has been increased to 100, allowing users to save more of their best ideas to share when they’re ready.
Secondly, users have been able to schedule posts in selected third party apps since June, when Threads released its API - but a native scheduling feature is on its way which will enable users to share posts at a later date. You can schedule multiple posts a day, multiple days in advance.
Post by @threadsView on Threads
Crosspost to Threads from Facebook & Instagram
Threads users are now able to cross-post from both Instagram and Facebook to Threads, allowing them to share their updates across all three apps at once and therefore access a wider network of followers with their content. It’s worth noting that:
• You can’t crosspost Reels at this stage
• You can activate auto-sharing to Threads for all of your Instagram posts
• You can’t cross-post Facebook videos - only text and link posts
• When you crosspost from Instagram, your post caption will become the main text of your Threads post, and hashtags will be converted into plain text
Add Music to Your Instagram Profile
Here’s a nostalgic update for anyone who used to love MySpace! You can now add music to your Instagram profile, allowing you to showcase your current favourite song or give people an idea of the bands and artists you like to listen to. Your chosen song will stay on your profile until you switch it out for another one, and unlike the old MySpace version, it won’t autoplay when people visit your page.
View this post on Instagram
Create Your Own AI Voiceover on TikTok
TikTok now enables users to create an AI simulation of their own voice, meaning they can speak over their TikTok clips in their own digital voice, instead of the generic voices currently available in the app. When selected, the process allows you to create your AI voice by talking into your device. You can then use this voice on your future clips, saving you from having to speak out loud if you don’t want to at that time.
(NEW) TikTok now has a new feature that allows you to create your own AI voice for text-to-speech in videos. pic.twitter.com/AlGEZBGIOl
— Jonah Manzano (@jonah_manzano) August 24, 2024
New Labels for Messenger Business Chats
In order to clarify how its data collection process works within business chats on Messenger, Meta has added some new labels that differentiate between business and personal interactions in the app. Conversations with brands and businesses will now include a ‘Business Chat’ label in the top title bar, as well as a new ‘Business chats and your privacy’ link, which, when tapped, will display an explainer screen with more info.
New Text & Sticker Options on Instagram
Instagram has added a range of new creative visual options, starting with some new and unique fonts, animations and effects in a simplified text tool for both Reels and Stories. Simply open the tool and tap on the text button to see the new fonts, choose your favourite, then animate your text or add an effect. You can also now add text and stickers, which were previously only available on Stories and Reels, to your photos and carousels, giving you more ways to entertain and tell stories via your content. And lastly, you can now include up to 20 photos in your carousel posts, meaning you’ll have more space to fully capture the moment and engage viewers.
View this post on Instagram
Rearrange Columns on Desktop Threads
That’s right - another Threads update! Users can now rearrange the columns for their desktop display, giving them more control over their feed and enabling them to build a more personalised experience on the web version of the app. Threads launched the new column display on desktop back in May, which is very similar to the appearance of TweetDeck or Hootsuite, and allows users to monitor separate streams based on keywords, topics and people in addition to the standard ‘Following’ and ‘For You’ feeds.
Post by @threadsView on Threads
Summary
Have you used any of these new features over the last few weeks, either for your brand or as a casual user? Reach out to us on X @3sixfivepro and let us know which ones you’ve been enjoying so far - we’d love to hear which updates you’re planning to incorporate into your upcoming social media marketing strategy, or which ones have made it easier for you to connect with friends and family on your favourite platforms.
