Welcome back to this week’s TEAM LEWIS Social Round-Up.
This week, LinkedIn’s comments section is having a moment, Instagram is throwing serious money at creators, and TikTok has decided we need an entirely separate app to buy things we probably don’t need.
Meanwhile, Meta is giving its AI a voice, Reddit is already planning for 2027, and European regulators are questioning whether endless scrolling might actually be a bad thing. Who knew?
Plus, Christmas advertising season has officially arrived. We’ve got a festive special featuring a missing vegetable, a freshly shaved Santa and Barry from EastEnders singing Christmas songs.
Let’s get into it 👇
Latest News
💬 The comments section is having its main character moment
Forget the original post. New research shows 77% of US social media users regularly seek out comments, while LinkedIn reports an 18% year-on-year increase in time spent reading them. Creators are increasingly using comments to build audiences, attract clients and generate profile visits.
For brands, it’s a reminder that community management is content creation too. A genuinely funny or useful reply can reach people who never followed you in the first place. Just don’t be the brand commenting “Great insights!” under every LinkedIn post. 👉 Read More
🎬 Instagram’s Edits is coming for your desktop
Meta has launched a Mac version of Instagram Edits, bringing its free video editing tool to bigger screens. There’s a multi-track timeline, 4K watermark-free exports, automatic captions, brand fonts and colour-grading tools. And yes, it’s another competitor for CapCut.
For social teams, this could be genuinely useful for producing short-form video without jumping between apps. Instagram says Edits already has more than 50 million users. Adobe Premiere editors everywhere are pretending not to be concerned. 👉 Read More
💰 Instagram is offering creators up to $500,000 to make longer videos
Instagram is reportedly offering selected creators between US$50,000 and US$500,000 to produce long-form content for its new Features format, which supports videos up to 90 minutes. It’s a serious attempt to compete with YouTube and attract creators who normally publish elsewhere.
For brands, this could open up more opportunities for podcasts, interviews and episodic content on Instagram. Of course, most of us are still trying to convince people to watch a 30-second Reel, but apparently 90 minutes is the next big thing. 👉 Read More
📅 Reddit is already planning your 2027 marketing calendar
Reddit has released a 35-page marketing playbook for 2027, covering major cultural moments, seasonal trends and how its communities influence product discovery and shopping decisions. It’s a useful resource for brands looking to build more relevant campaigns around genuine audience interests.
The guide is particularly handy for social and content teams starting next year’s planning. Although, if you’re still trying to get your November content calendar approved, the thought of planning 2027 might be slightly upsetting. 👉 Read More
🛍️ TikTok launches an entirely separate app for shopping
TikTok has launched a standalone TikTok Shop app in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. It features personalised product recommendations, livestream shopping, exclusive deals and videos demonstrating products. Essentially, TikTok without all those annoying distractions between purchases.
For marketers, it’s another major step in TikTok’s evolution into a commerce platform. For everyone else, it’s another way to buy things you didn’t know existed five minutes ago. Just in time for Christmas. Wonderful. 👉 Read More
🗣️ Meta’s Muse can now talk back. Just what we needed.
Meta is introducing voice capabilities to its Muse AI agents, allowing users to have spoken conversations, choose custom voices and interact with expressive avatars. The idea is to make AI more natural for brainstorming, rehearsing presentations and working through ideas.
For communicators, it’s another interesting step towards conversational AI becoming part of everyday work. I’ve already been told I sound like the bloke from ChatGPT, so presumably it’s only a matter of time before there’s a Muse version of me attending meetings. Frankly, he’d probably be delighted. 👉 Read More
👻 Snapchat makes it harder for strangers to find children
Snapchat has begun disabling its Find Friends feature by default for children in the UK, following concerns from regulator Ofcom about online grooming. The change aims to reduce unwanted contact, with stronger age-verification measures also planned.
For brands and communicators, it’s another reminder that platform safety is becoming a major part of the social conversation. Particularly for anyone marketing to younger audiences, understanding how platforms protect users is increasingly important. Not quite as exciting as a new filter, but considerably more useful. 👉 Read More
🇪🇺 Europe has some questions about TikTok’s endless scrolling
The European Commission issued preliminary findings suggesting TikTok’s For You feed may breach the Digital Services Act because of potentially addictive design features. Regulators are questioning the platform’s reliance on viewing-time signals and recommendation systems. TikTok disputes the findings, and no final decision has been made.
It’s a significant development for social platforms built around keeping people watching. For marketers, any future changes to recommendation algorithms could affect reach and discovery. Apparently, designing an app that’s almost impossible to put down eventually attracts attention from people other than advertisers. 👉 Read More
🔧 Quick Tip of the Week
Stop ignoring your comments section.
Following this week’s research, here’s something every social team can try without spending a dollar.
Spend 10 minutes a day engaging with relevant conversations outside your own posts.
Don’t sell. Don’t drop links. And please don’t write “Great insights!” under someone’s 1,500-word LinkedIn essay.
Sometimes the best social content isn’t something you publish. It’s something you say.
🎄 Campaigns We Love: Christmas Special 🎄
Apparently, November is now officially Christmas. Last week saw a ridiculous number of festive campaigns launch, with everyone from John Lewis to Lidl rolling out their big-budget Christmas cheer. Here are five that caught our eye.
🎁 John Lewis: You can’t always get what you want. Unless you’re a dog.
John Lewis is back with another festive tearjerker, this time starring Kristin Scott Thomas and a talking wooden dog. With Sam Fender providing the soundtrack, it’s another charming reminder that thoughtful gifts beat cash in a card. Apparently. Get your tissues ready
🥕 Aldi: Kevin the Carrot is having a ruff Christmas
Kevin returns for another Christmas adventure, this time searching for his family’s missing Cauli Dog. It’s emotional, it’s ridiculous, and somehow we’re all invested in the wellbeing of animated vegetables. Will Kevin find his furry friend?
🎅 M&S: Santa’s had a glow-up
James Norton plays Father Christmas, who shaves off his beard and heads undercover to do some Christmas shopping. It’s festive, glamorous and a clever way to showcase everything M&S sells. Mrs Claus seems pretty pleased too. See Santa’s new look
🐶 Barbour: Cracking Christmas, Gromit!
Wallace and Gromit reunite with Barbour for another festive adventure featuring a disastrous invention, snowy countryside and plenty of tartan. A brilliant brand partnership. And frankly, Gromit deserves a pay rise. Watch the cracking Christmas adventure
🎤 Lidl: Barry from EastEnders has entered his Christmas pop-star era
Lidl has recruited Shaun Williamson to perform a festive parody of Slade’s Christmas classic, complete with supermarket goodies and cameos from Chris Kamara and friends. It’s gloriously cheesy, brilliantly British and proof that sometimes all you need is Barry belting out a song about Brussels sprouts. Barry Christmas, everybody!
🗓️ Mark Your Calendars
Opportunities to celebrate this week
- Wednesday November 11 – Remembrance Day 🌺
- Thursday 12 November – Happy Hour Day 🍹
- Friday 13 November – World Kindness Day 💛 & Friday the 13th 😱
- Saturday 14 November – World Diabetes Day 💙
- Sunday 15 November – Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day 🧊
- Monday 16 November – International Day for Tolerance 🌍
- Tuesday 17 November – International Students’ Day 🎓
And next…
- Wednesday 18 November – Mickey Mouse Day 🐭
- Thursday 19 November – International Men’s Day 👨
- Thursday 19 November – World Toilet Day 🚽
- Friday 20 November – World Children’s Day 🌍
- Saturday 21 November – World Television Day 📺
- Sunday 22 November – Go For A Ride Day 🚲
That’s a wrap for this week!
I’m off to leave some insightful comments on LinkedIn, buy something I don’t need on TikTok Shop and see if Meta can create an AI version of me to do all the work. That should free up some time to watch Barry from EastEnders save Christmas.
See you next week, bye 👋
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