July 2024 Social Media Platform Updates
Thursday 1st August
by Beth Perrin
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Whether you’re a business owner, brand marketer, influencer or casual scroller, it’s always a good idea to stay up to date with the latest features and new tools released by each social media platform. July was another busy month for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and more - and of course there was the huge news that Threads had reached 175 million users on its first birthday! (You can read more about that in this blog post). Join us as we recap all the top stories from the last few weeks to discover which updates might be beneficial for you or your business.
New AI Labels on Facebook & Instagram
To start the month, Meta announced a slight change to the ‘Made with AI’ labels that appear on both Facebook and Instagram, in order to clarify what these indicators mean when displayed above content. According to feedback from users, the previous AI labels “weren’t always aligned with people’s expectations and didn’t always provide enough context” - for example, some content that only included minor modifications using AI (such as simple retouching tools) had been labelled as ‘Made with AI’. Because of this, the label has now been changed to say ‘AI info’ instead, which people can click on for more information.
‘Add Yours’ Sticker on YouTube Shorts
YouTube has added its own version of Instagram’s ‘Add Yours’ sticker, which encourages user participation by prompting viewers with a challenge or question. To try it out, record a YouTube Short, tap ‘Next’, then tap the sticker icon. Select ‘Add Yours’ and type in what you would like others to respond to. Viewers will then be able to add their own take on your prompt by clicking on it.
TikTok £1 Million Club
TikTok is trying out a new way to get businesses here in the UK to sell their products via the app, called the ‘£1 Million Club’ - an initiative which aims to help British retailers reach £1 million in revenue from TikTok Shop sales. The program will offer special incentives to help UK merchants specifically to build their TikTok shopping presence, with the 5 key benefits of the program being:
• Up to 90 days of commission-free sales
• Free fulfilment via TikTok Shop to reduce product storage and logistics costs
• Support via TikTok experts
• Merchant training via TikTok’s Seller Academy
• Marketing tips and assistance
More Group Chat Transparency on WhatsApp
WhatsApp has added some new safety tools for group chats, meaning users will now be given more context surrounding who has added them to a group, and what the group is about, before they decide whether they want to join. The new popup will show users who created the group and when it was created, whether the invitation has come from a contact or non-contact, and the group description (if available). This will hopefully make it easier for people to avoid spam groups and those that they’re being added to by strangers for scams or other fraudulent purposes.
We’re rolling out a new safety tool on @WhatsApp to give you more context on groups you’re added to. pic.twitter.com/kKz4hfvATc
— Meta Newsroom (@MetaNewsroom) July 9, 2024
New Creative Options for YouTube Shorts
YouTube has rolled out some new Shorts features that will give users more creativity when assembling their video clips.
• Auto layout: This will help users transform long-form content into Shorts by tracking the main subject of the video and therefore narrowing the field of view to better fit the vertical Shorts format.
• Text to speech: Any text included in your Shorts will be narrated or read out loud.
• Minecraft effects: To celebrate Minecraft’s 15th anniversary, some visual effects and a mini game have been added to Shorts.
• Auto-generated captions: These will make Shorts more accessible and can be customised with different fonts and colours.
• Remix a remix: Previously, users could only Remix original Shorts, but now it’s possible to Remix a video that’s already been remixed by someone else.
‘Accelerate’ Campaigns on LinkedIn
Back in October, LinkedIn began trialling a new B2B ad campaign option called ‘Accelerate’, which utilises AI to automate the entire campaign creation process and offers optimisation recommendations that allow businesses to make ads more quickly. In fact, advertisers using the tool have reportedly been able to create campaigns 15% more efficiently and have seen a 52% lower cost per action than with classic campaigns. As a result of this success, Accelerate has now been expanded to more advertisers globally, and some new functions have been added - including the ability to assemble creative assets using Microsoft Designer and refine your targeting more specifically.
Pinterest AI Product Background Generator
And speaking of AI - Pinterest has launched a new text-to-image tool called Canvas that will help brands create better visuals for their ads by generating eye-catching backgrounds for product shots. According to Pinterest, Canvas “understands what objects look like, what their names are, and how they are typically composed into scenes”, meaning it will hopefully be able to display items in realistic settings that brands can then use to market their products more effectively.
WhatsApp Favourites Tab
WhatsApp has added a new ‘Favourites’ tab to help users keep up with their most important conversations. Once you’ve chosen your favourites, they will then appear at the top of your calls tab for speed dialling, and as a filter for your chats.
• From your chats screen, select the ‘favourites’ filter, then choose your desired contacts or groups there.
• From the calls tab, tap ‘Add favourite’ and select your desired contacts or groups.
• Or, simply manage your favourites from your settings by going to Settings > Favourites > Add to Favourites. You can reorder them at any time.
it’s okay to play favorites 😏
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) July 16, 2024
easily find the people you talk to most at the top of your calls tab and filter for them in chats by adding them to your Favorites pic.twitter.com/EAUh05IkQp
Add Up to 20 Audio Tracks to Instagram Reels
Instagram users can now add up to 20 audio tracks to a Reel, meaning a wider variety of soundtrack elements can be included in a single video. Songs and soundbites can also be edited to overlap or merge into each other in order to fit what’s happening at each stage of the Reel. There’s a range of creative ways in which this could be applied, such as making fun music mashups or adding an abrupt change of focus to a video, so we can expect to see plenty of new audio trends arising in the app over the coming weeks. Users will also be able to access a full listing of the tracks that a creator has used in their Reel, making it even easier for them to create their own video using the same audio mashup.
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Reels Overlay Ads
Another update for Reels - this time for advertisers. Meta is rolling out a new ad format for Facebook called ‘Reels overlay ads’ that can appear either as a banner on top of a Reel, or in between Reels. They come with a large CTA prompt, and can include either single images or carousels. To publish ads on Reels, don’t forget to select either ‘Advantage+ placements’, ‘Manual placements > Overlay and post-loop ads on Reels’ or ‘Manual placements > Stories and Reels’ when putting together your ad set in Meta’s Ads Manager.
Instagram Notes on Reels and Feed Posts
Instagram Notes, which have proven to be a popular feature among Gen Z users, were previously only available in the DM inbox and on profiles - but now they’ve been expanded to include Reels and feed posts too. On Reels, users can add a note from the ‘Share’ menu, while on feed posts, users can put a note directly on the post, essentially acting as a Post-It-note style message that is then attached to that piece of content. Notes are temporary, only showing up for 3 days, can be up to 60 characters in length, and can only be left by mutual followers, making them a simple way to spark interaction among friends.
🚨 New 🚨
— Instagram (@instagram) July 18, 2024
You can now add Notes on Feed posts or Reels — for your friends’ eyes only ✨ pic.twitter.com/KJ2YDxE3Yu
Request Community Notes on X
X users can now request Community Notes on posts they believe may contain questionable information, sensationalised news or false facts. If enough requests are received on a post, Community Notes contributors who have earned Top Writer status will see an alert, and can then choose to add a note based on users’ suggestions. This gives non-contributors a way to help improve the quality of content on the platform, and lets contributors know where notes might be found helpful. To request a note, simply tap on the 3 dots menu on a post, then tap on ‘Request Community Note’. At the moment, users can make up to 5 requests per day.
Introducing — by popular demand — Request a Community Note. Think a post could benefit from a note? Request one. If there are enough requests, top contributors will be alerted and can propose notes. For everyone on X, it’s a way to help. For contributors, it’s a way to see where… pic.twitter.com/SJ56GkM19R
— Community Notes (@CommunityNotes) July 18, 2024
Pinch to Combine Threads Carousel Images
Threads has rolled out a new option that enables you to pinch images together to combine a carousel into one long image, helping to drive more engagement and creativity in the app. The platform’s chief Adam Mosseri also confirmed that an update is on its way that will remove the borders and rounded corners from photos when pinching the images together, making panoramic images look even more seamless.
Post by @mosseriView on Threads
Custom Thumbnails on TikTok
Some great news for TikTok creators - you can now upload your own custom images for your video thumbnails! Previously, users could only use still frames from their TikToks, but now they’ll have much more creativity over the way their videos look on their profile and on the search results page before viewers hit play. It’s worth noting however that the majority of content discovery on TikTok is done via the main feed and FYP, so thumbnails are unlikely to have the same impact as they do on platforms like YouTube - but they’re definitely still a good way to add some more personality to your videos, and could be a handy option for businesses that want their TikTok profile to look more branded.
Post by @mattnavarraView on Threads
Meta’s AI Studio
To conclude the month, Meta introduced its brand new AI Studio, which lets users create conversational AI characters that can either be based on Meta’s templates or your own description. You can then ask your AI character questions within your Instagram DMs and receive advice on various tasks such as cooking, gaming, movies and more, all of which are based on Meta’s Llama model.
You can also create a second AI that’s more like an extension of your real self, which can answer DMs and story replies from fans on your behalf, using your unique tone of voice and conversational style. This could potentially save time and effort for busy creators who are unable to respond to all of their incoming messages but still want to sound like themselves, rather than a robot, in their replies. You can refine your AI based on your Instagram and Threads content, provide facts about yourself to help it respond to people accurately, and tell it which topics to avoid. You can even add links to products or previous pieces of content that it can then send to users who message you.
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Summary
July was definitely a big month for AI features - what do you think about the rise of bots and automation on social media? Are these tools genuinely helpful and entertaining, or should we be concerned about the negative effects they will potentially have on human interaction and connection online? Find us on X @3sixfivepro to share your thoughts on this or any of the other platform updates we’ve shared this time.
