Welcome back to this week’s TEAM LEWIS Social Round-Up. Instagram’s testing a BeReal-like “Shots” feature, Meta’s rolling out new Reels and Threads ad tools, and CapCut has added a LinkedIn button. Plus: older adults are surging on TikTok, smart ways to research trends, and a handy LinkedIn ads refresher.
Let’s get into it 👇
Latest News
📸 Instagram Expands ‘Shots’ (BeReal-ish image pings)
Instagram is widening access to Shots, a “no-edit, no-filter” one-view photo you can send to mutual followers. Think BeReal meets Snapchat — quick, temporary, and aimed at sparking DM-level interaction. Your sent Shots live in your archive; recipients see them once, then poof. It’s a small feature with big intent: keep people chatting in-app. 👉 Take your shot…
🧵 Meta Announces New Reels + Threads Ad Options
At its Brand Building Summit, Meta expanded Reels Trending Ads (AI-curated, culture-adjacent placements) and unveiled new Threads formats like carousels and 4:5 single image/video. Catalog ads are coming, and you can even run Threads ads without a Threads account. Bonus: value rules now apply to awareness/engagement, giving you more steer over high-value audiences. Handy for holiday plans. 👉 Read about the update
✂️ CapCut Adds LinkedIn Integration + New Gen-AI Tools
CapCut now lets you export directly to LinkedIn (with a “Made with CapCut” label). That’s useful as LinkedIn leans harder into video. Also new: text-to-video, external AI model hooks (e.g., Veo3/Seedream), avatars, and beefed-up editing (AutoCut, AI Clipper, Transcript), plus multilingual translations. Faster pipeline, easier cross-posting, broader reach. 👉 Check it out
👴 Older Adults Now Outpacing Younger Growth on TikTok
Since 2019, the share of U.S. TikTok users 45+ has grown 13x. Nearly 39% of U.S. adults use TikTok multiple times a week, and KFF finds TikTok is slightly more trusted for health info than other platforms. Don’t pigeonhole TikTok; target creative content for older demos who are there for both fun and advice. 👉 See the research
🔎 5 Tools to Research Trends for Better Social Ads
Research is everything, but if you’re struggling with it, our pals at Social Media Today have written this fantastic guide to the tools to use. Quick breakdown, TikTok Trends (industry tags, creators, styles), Reddit Pro Trends (real human product chatter), Pinterest Trends (shopping intent signals), Grok on X (near-real-time topic cues), plus each platform’s AI ad tools (Meta Advantage+, TikTok Symphony, Pinterest Performance+, LinkedIn Accelerate). Use them to shape creative and audience hypotheses. 👉 Read the guide
📊 6 Steps for Better LinkedIn Ad Measurement (Infographic)
LinkedIn’s new cheat sheet covers choosing the right objectives, setup fundamentals, and the latest formats/placements and analytics. With the platform at 1.2 billion members and video climbing, it’s worth a refresh even for seasoned hands — especially pre-Q4. 👉 View LinkedIn’s post
🔧 Quick Tip of the Week
On LinkedIn, try this easy trio for a fast lift:
- Post 2–4x/week (mix in quick POVs and native video),
- Add UTM tags to every link so you can see what truly drives traffic/leads,
- Spin your top post into a Document Ad or Carousel to extend reach without reinventing the wheel.
✨ Campaigns We Love ✨
💄 Mary Kay – “Miss Conceptions”
A myth-busting short-form series aimed at Gen Z (“Isn’t Mary Kay just for grandmas?”). Lean, social-native, and clever positioning to modernise perception. 👉 Have a watch
🚲 Lime – Reactive OOH when the Tube stops
Right place, right time, right tone. A neat masterclass in reactive marketing that feels earned, not forced. 👉 Ride over and check it out
🧩 LEGO x Tom Holland – “Never Stop Playing”
Something we wholeheartedly agree with: ay, a wonderful rallying cry to keep creativity alive at any age, talent, craft, and brand truth all lining up nicely. 👉 Go play
🗓️ Mark Your Calendars
Opportunities to celebrate this week
- Wednesday September 17 – International Country Music Day 🎶
- Thursday September 18 – World Bamboo Day 🎋
- Friday September 19 – Talk Like a Pirate Day 🏴☠️
- Saturday September 20 – Batman Day 🦇
- Sunday September 21 – World Gratitude Day 🙏
- Monday September 22 – Hobbit Day 🧙♂️
- Tuesday September 23 – International Day of Sign Languages 🤟
- Wednesday September 24 – International Age Diversity Day 👵
And next…
- Thursday September 25 – World Maritime Day ⚓
- Friday September 26 – Save The Koala Day 🐨
- Saturday September 27 – International Astronomy Day 🔭
- Sunday September 28 – World Rivers Day 🌊
- Monday September 29 – International Day of Awareness of Food Loss & Waste ♻️
- Tuesday September 30 – International Podcast Day 🎙️
- Wednesday October 1 – International Coffee Day ☕
That’s a wrap for this week!
There’s plenty for you to get stuck into! Go do some research, share a LinkedIn video via Capcut, try a shot or two, and target the older crowds on TikTok.
And remember, please reach out if you want to chat about any of these stories.
Same time next week? Bye 👋
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