No chaos, no curveballs, just your friendly Wednesday reminder that social is still evolving at full tilt. From Instagram’s handy post strategy guide to TikTok’s latest safety updates and a sneaky new setting from Meta that could override your ad links, there’s plenty to bookmark this week. Oh, and Threads got another upgrade. Because of course it did.
Let’s get stuck in 👇
Latest News
📊 Instagram’s Post Type Playbook
Instagram shared a new infographic showing when to use Stories, Reels, Carousels, and Channels across the buyer journey. Reels remain the MVP, they now account for over half of all time spent on IG, and 61% of users say Reels ads drive brand consideration. Carousels and Channels also have unique perks, so the guide is worth keeping in your back pocket when planning content. 👉 Check it out
💼 LinkedIn Highlights Its Reach (Again)
LinkedIn is back on its self-promo game, dropping fresh stats to show off its growing ad potential. The platform now boasts 1.2 billion members, with video content 20x more likely to be shared and 1.4x more engaging than other formats. With more B2B decision-makers scrolling the feed, it’s another nudge to consider LinkedIn as more than a hiring tool. 👉 View the stats
🚫 IG Live Locked to 1K+ Followers
Instagram is now requiring users to have 1,000 followers to go live. No official word from Meta, but it’s likely a mix of reducing moderation costs, cutting spammy accounts, and aligning with TikTok’s own livestream threshold. It’s a blow for small creators, but may lead to better-quality streams overall. 👉 Read more
🧒 TikTok Adds Parental Alerts for Public Posts
TikTok has updated its Family Pairing features to notify parents when their teen posts a public video or reports content. It comes just days after new UK online safety laws kicked in, and shows platforms are stepping up youth protections (or at least appearing to). 👉 More info
🧰 Threads API Gets a Boost
Meta has expanded the Threads API, giving third-party tools the ability to tag locations, add polls, pull more engagement data, and search posts by topic and time range. It’s a big step toward making Threads easier to manage as part of your broader social strategy, especially for brands using external dashboards. 👉 See the updates
⚙️ Meta’s “Optimise Website Destination” Feature
Meta just quietly rolled out a feature that can override the URL in your ad. “Optimise Website Destination” uses image recognition to determine where it thinks users should land, even if you’ve set a different page. It could help conversion, or totally mess with custom landing pages and tracking setups. Use with caution. 👉 Read the fine print
✏️ Edits App Adds 100+ Fonts, Draft Saving & More
Meta’s Edits app got a chunky update, 150+ new fonts, the ability to save drafts directly to Instagram, longer audio tracks, and automatic silence trimming. Great news for creators, casual editors, or anyone trying to get content out faster without leaving the app. 👉 Check it out
🔧 Quick Tip of the Week
Running Meta product ads? Check your settings, “Optimise Website Destination” might be on by default. That means Meta can send users to a product page it picks based on ad content, rather than your chosen URL. If that breaks tracking or messes with your funnel, turn it off.
✨ Campaigns We Love ✨
🐿️ Guide Dogs use remote-controlled squirrels for training
Guide Dogs just unveiled an innovative distraction tactic, remote-controlled squirrel cars, to teach future pups to ignore bushy-tailed chaos. 👉 See it in action
📉 TD Bank sneaks brands into their billboards
In a clever creative workaround, TD Bank billboards feature cutaway panels exposing the likes of Nike, Apple and Coca-Cola logos, all without naming them directly. 👉 Check it out
🗓️ Mark Your Calendars
Opportunities to celebrate this week
- Wednesday August 6 – International Scuba Day 🤿
- Thursday August 7 – Professional Speakers Day 🗣
- Friday August 8 – International Cat Day 🐱
- Saturday August 9 – National Book Lovers Day 📚
- Sunday August 10 – World Lion Day 🦁
- Monday August 11 – Global Kinetic Sand Day 🌊
- Tuesday August 12 – National Vinyl Record Day 🎧
- Wednesday August 13 – World Calligraphy Day 🖋
And next…
- Thursday August 14 – World Lizard Day🦎
- Friday August 15- World Greatness Day 🤗
- Saturday August 16 – National Rum Day 🥃
- Sunday August 17- Baby Boomers Recognition Day 🧑🍼
- Monday August 18 – National Pinot Noir Day🍷
- Tuesday August 19 – World Photography Day 📸
- Wednesday August 20 – World Mosquito Day 🦟
That’s a wrap!
If you need help making sense of these changes (or want to try out your own remote squirrel strategy), give us a shout, we’re here to help with all your creative, digital, social and content needs.
See you next week! 👋
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