Monthly Social Updates, May 2024

Are you struggling to keep up with the ever-changing world of social media? From Instagram’s latest algorithm revamp to YouTube’s new in-app games, read on as we take a deep dive into the notable social updates throughout May that will get you up to speed in no time. 

Marketers prefer Instagram to TikTok for video-based user acquisition 

A new study by Zoomd has revealed marketers much prefer to dedicate budget for video-based user acquisition to Instagram, rather than TikTok. Of the survey respondents, 79% put at least 75% of their budget into Instagram, whilst only 25% for TikTok. However, 53% of these respondents claimed that in 2023 they worked with both platforms. The survey was carried out prior to the announcement of the TikTok divestment bill in the United States, emphasising that the preference for Instagram has existed long before TikTok’s future was questionable. Zoomd CEO Omri Argaman claimed that the preference for Instagram is due to both the impact of Meta’s ad solutions for mobile marketers, and the user acquisition KPIs Instagram achieves. 

TikTok throws the first punch in legal challenge against US divestment bill 

TikTok has officially begun its legal challenge against the United States government and its divestment bill. The newly signed bill, which requires ByteDance to divest from TikTok in 9 months or face a ban on the app in the US, has been called unconstitutional by the platform. TikTok claims that the bill is specifically designed to reach a ban on the app in the US, for what it believes to be a mere “hypothetical possibility” of it causing a threat. Despite protests by US politicians, TikTok maintains that the bill is a total ban as it is impossible for it to divest to the amount required. 

Instagram’s new algorithm update will prioritise creators and original content

Instagram has announced a major algorithm update to help ensure that original content posters get more traction, as opposed to those who repost their work, giving smaller creators more opportunity. 

This update comes as part of Meta’s broader push to enhance its connection with creators and consists of four key elements:

Removing aggregator accounts from recommendations

Adding labels to reposted content

Replacing respots with original content in recommendations (with an emphasis on Reels)

Smaller creators will get more distribution

Until this update is rolled out, it’s hard to actualise what the repercussions will be. However, we expect it will change the user experience to some degree, as well as make a lot of creators very happy once they notice their reach increasing. 

X receives $6B in funding for its AI projects

New sources have reported that xAI, the team behind X’s Grok AI chatbot, has secured just under $6 billion in additional funding. The funding has been provided by a range of sources, including Tribe Capital, Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Andreessen Horowitz. This new round of funding brings xAI’s total value to an estimated $18 billion, and sets up Musk to achieve his mission of competing with market leaders such as OpenAI and Google. Musk gained the support of funders by reassuring them that xAI can catch-up to these well established leaders due to its connection with his other companies, which will provide data, technology, and early revenue. Given that AI is increasingly becoming a space where you have to pay to play (and pay big) it’s no surprise that Musk is becoming a name to watch. 

YouTube rolls out in-app ‘Playables’ to more users

After eight months of testing, YouTube has finally rolled its new in-app gaming feature ‘Playables’ to more users in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. 

With over 75 basic mobile games available, this feature was launched to try and keep people engaged for longer, while also expanding its offerings beyond video clips. YouTube said, “Playables are a fun, interactive way to experience YouTube, with lightweight, entertaining games like Angry Birds Showdown, Words of Wonders, Cut the Rope, Tomb of the Mask, and Trivia Crack and so many more that you can play right now.”

With many creators on the platform having links to gaming, and gaming content generating over 4 billion hours of watch time in-app in 2022, the new feature is likely to hold strong appeal. The challenge, however, will be in converting those who come to the app for video content and expanding user habits in general. 

If you’re part of the experiment, you’ll see the new ‘Playables’ menu feature appear in the Explore section.

Sprout Social releases the best times to post on social media

Every brand is different and so there is technically no “best time” to post on social media, but for argument’s sake, let’s dive into Sprout Social’s latest 2024 report.

For Facebook, the best times to post are weekdays between 9am and midday, with Sundays being the worst.

For Instagram, the best times to post are weekdays between 9am and 2pm, with Fridays and weekends seeing significantly less engagement.

For LinkedIn, the best times to post are Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10am and 12pm.

For Pinterest, the best times to post are Tuesdays to Fridays at 1am.

For TikTok, the best times to post are weekdays from 2pm-6pm.

For X, the best times to post are weekdays between 9am and 3pm.

Again, these are just guidelines, so do with this information whatever you wish!

TikTok announces new ad tools at World event

At its TikTok World 2024 event, TikTok announced a range of updates to help streamline its use of various ad tools, including:

Symphony

TikTok One

Unified Lift – incorporates existing campaign measurement functions into a single performance measurement

Interactive add-ons for TopView – allowing pop-out elements and countdown stickers within TopView campaigns

Duet with Branded Mission – allows brands to invite creators to Duet with their Branded Mission posts

TikTok’s new creative AI suite, called Symphony, will provide AI assistance in writing scripts, producing videos, brainstorming ideas, and more. However, there are concerns over its originality, seeing as the platform already launched an AI ad script generator and its Creative Assistant tool last year. 

TikTok has also announced a new, centralised location for all of its marketing tools, called TikTok One. Similar to Meta’s Business Suite, brands will be able to tap into this one-stop-shop to access creators, production partners, and insights as well as leverage TikTok’s creative tools to implement and scale successful campaigns. This is set to launch later this year.

Despite most of the announcements are just streamlining the existing ad tools, it will allow more brands to tap into AI creation assistance.

Instagram releases new Stickers for Stories

Instagram has launched four new Stickers for Stories, including:

Add Yours Music

Frames

Reveal 

Cutouts

The Add Yours Music Sticker allows users to jump on current music trends, by adding their favourites to suit the vibe/mood of the Story. Followers can then add theirs too.

Frames turn any photo into an instant print. To reveal the content inside, followers will have to shake their phone to develop the image. This speaks to Instagram’s overall mission to champion more participatory content.

With the Reveal Sticker, you can post a hidden Story for your friends to uncover. The only way to see it is by sending you a DM.

Cutouts lets you turn any part of a video or photo in your camera roll into a Cutout Sticker that you can add to your Reels or Stories. Once created, you can easily find them all in your Sticker tray, allowing you to come back time and time again.

Meta offers $5k bonus for users who post Threads

Latest figures suggest that Threads usage is rising in the US. To further encourage in-app engagement, Meta is offering high-profile creators financial incentives to post on the app.

Meta is offering creators on its other apps up to $5000 to post on Threads, and if the post received upwards of 10,000 views, they could be eligible for a payout, which some Threads creators are already generating (though this option isn’t available to them). The catch? This is an invite-only bonus program, meaning Meta has the final say over who can be involved.

This is the next step in Meta’s plan to boost Threads’ growth momentum once again. Maybe if enough prominent stars/influencers come across and bring their audiences, Meta’s plan to stimulate growth just might work.

@matthewlphifer

Meta will pay you to post on threads #socialmediamarketing #socialmediamanager #contentcreator

♬ Sky’s the Limit (Instrumental) [2014 Remaster] – The Notorious B.I.G.

Heinz petitions for ketchup emoji to be labelled

Ever noticed that there’s no ketchup emoji? Heinz is running a campaign to grab the attention of Unicode (the people who create and launch our favourite emojis) for a ketchup emoji, placing mini billboards with images of its ketchup bottle and catchy phrases all around Unicode’s headquarters in Los Angeles.

In addition, Heinz also created a miniature ketchup bottle to get the people talking (and hopefully realising how much of a necessity this is), as well as recruiting the help of influencers like singer Lucaas Carlos to spread the message and get more people asking for the new emoji. 

But what does Heinz want in return? For the inevitable ketchup emoji to be branded with its logo. After all, when we think of ketchup, our minds immediately turn to Heinz.

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