Welcome back to this week’s TEAM LEWIS Social Round-Up.
Pinterest is quietly building a shopping machine, LinkedIn wants your $99 a month, Instagram might be turning into a soap opera, Facebook is animating everything that moves, regulators are hosting safety workshops, and Meta is considering yet another app. Subtle shifts. Strategic intent. Plenty to unpack.
Let’s dive in 👇
Latest News
📌 Pinterest posts strong Q4 results
Pinterest added another 19 million users in Q4, taking it to 619 million monthly actives. Revenue hit $1.3 billion for the quarter and $4.2 billion for the year, both double-digit growth. The platform is now facilitating 80 billion searches per month, continuing to refine search qualifiers, product categorisation and AI-powered recommendations that actually align with how people use it.
Unlike some platforms bolting AI onto everything that moves, Pinterest’s AI push feels guided by behaviour. Assistant tools and smarter recommendations fit neatly into discovery. The risk is AI clutter. Users are already flagging generative Pins overwhelming some categories. But if you sell something visual and searchable, Pinterest remains one of the clearest intent-driven plays. 👉 Read More
💼 LinkedIn launches Premium All-in-One for SMBs
LinkedIn has introduced a $99 per month Premium subscription aimed squarely at small business owners. The All-in-One dashboard bundles prospecting, marketing and hiring tools with AI guidance, plus $100 in ad credits and $50 in boost credit each month.
LinkedIn says there has been a 60% rise in members adding “founder” to their profile globally, and this package is built for people wearing all the hats. With subscription revenue now hitting $2 billion annually, LinkedIn is clearly serious about Premium. For SMBs already investing in ads or content, the maths might stack up. But as always, follow where your buyers actually spend time. 👉 Read More
🎭 Instagram looks to tap into mini dramas
Mini dramas are booming on TikTok. Soap-style storylines broken into short, cliffhanger-led episodes designed for scroll behaviour. The format reportedly generated $1.3 billion in the US last year, largely via direct viewer payments. Instagram is now testing its own Short Drama feature, allowing users to follow episodic series inside the app.
Serialized storytelling is not new. It is just being reformatted for vertical consumption. If this rolls out widely, brands will need to think beyond one-off posts and into narrative arcs that reward return viewing. Engagement is no longer just about reach. It is about retention. 👉 Read More
🎨 Facebook adds animated profiles and AI restyling
Facebook is introducing animated profile pictures, AI-powered image restyling for Stories and Memories, and animated backgrounds for text posts. The aim is clearly to inject more playful self-expression, particularly for younger users.
With 2.1 billion daily active users, Facebook remains enormous, but relevance among Gen Z is the challenge. These AI tools lean into stylisation and experimentation. For brands, this signals continued AI normalisation in everyday creative. The question is whether novelty turns into habit. 👉 Read More
🛡️ Parents offered TikTok and Snapchat safety workshops
In Guernsey, the Office of the Data Protection Authority is running workshops for parents focused on TikTok, Snapchat and Roblox safety. The sessions respond to growing concerns around AI misuse and deepfake imagery involving children.
It may be a local initiative, but the signal is global. Parental anxiety around AI and youth platforms is intensifying. For brands operating in younger spaces, transparency and safety positioning are becoming as important as creativity. 👉 Read More
📸 Meta experiments with new image-sharing app ‘Instants’
Meta is internally testing a separate image-sharing app called Instants. Think no filters, no edits, view once and disappear. A blend of BeReal and Snapchat designed to drive spontaneous sharing.
Whether it launches or not, the intent is clear. Meta wants lower-pressure posting and more casual interaction, especially among younger users. The bigger question is simple. Does anyone want another app icon? 👉 Read More
🔧 Quick Tip of the Week
If you run a small business and are already boosting posts or running LinkedIn ads, check whether Premium All-in-One effectively discounts itself via ad credits. Just make sure your audience is active before committing. Subscription value should be strategic, not sentimental.
✨ Campaigns We Love ✨
🛒 Asda’s “Open to Chat” red baskets
Red basket means you are single and open to conversation. Green means milk and out. Low-tech dating, aisle three. Romance meets retail. ❤️ Handle with heart
🧼 Dove flyposts Reddit reviews across New York
Dove plastered real Reddit reviews, good and bad, across the city. No polish. No spin. Just the internet speaking for itself. When authenticity is the headline, you let the comments do the talking. 🗣️ Unfiltered opinions
🗓️ Mark Your Calendars
Opportunities to celebrate this week
- Wednesday February 18 – Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day 🍦
- Thursday February 19 – International Tug of War Day 🪢
- Friday February 20 – World Care Day 🤍
- Saturday February 21 – World Pangolin Day 🦔
- Sunday February 22 – National Margarita Day🍹
- Monday February 23 – Curling is Cool Day 🥌
- Tuesday February 24 – National Tortilla Chip Day 🌮
And next…
- Wednesday February 25 – National Pink Shirt Day 🎀
- Thursday February 26 – National Carpe Diem Day ⏳
- Friday February 27 – National Pokémon Day ⚡
- Saturday February 28 – National Science Day 🔬
- Sunday March 1 – International Wheelchair Day ♿
- Monday March 2 – National Tater Tot Day 🥔
- Tuesday March 3 – Doggy Date Night 🐶
- Wednesday March 4 – National Homemade Soup Day 🍲
That’s a wrap for this week!
If anyone needs me, I’ll be storyboarding a mini drama about a guy that does a weekly Social Round Up, who buys LinkedIn Premium, discovers Pinterest search intent, and falls in love in an Asda aisle. Cliffhanger guaranteed.
See you next week, bye 👋
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