Blog

Another month, another round of updates! This month we’re covering:

• Goodbye, public Instagram Likes!

• News consumption changes on FB and LI

• A virtual “try on” feature on Insta

• Snapchat’s newest ads product

• New looks on PIN and YT

• …and more!

Don’t forget to subscribe to get these updates and more each month!

Instagram Likes are officially disappearing

WATCH: Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri announces that the platform will start hiding likes for US audiences starting next week. It's the latest step in Instagram’s quest to become the safest place on the internet. https://t.co/BGkMG57rdk #WIRED25 pic.twitter.com/WNTyAPVhaD

— WIRED (@WIRED) November 9, 2019

Starting this week, Instagram said it will be testing out hidden Like counts in the USA.

We knew this was coming for a few months, as Instagram has been floating the idea of private like counts as a way to improve user happiness and de-radicalize content. This is part of a years-long “quest” to fix a big problem on the platform: mental health. Back in 2017, a study ranked IG as the worst platform for mental health, citing distortions of reality and anxiety-inducing experiences. Since then, Instagram created a Wellbeing Team and explored solutions such as this “Likes ban.”

Wired reports that platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are also experimenting with “demetrication” (the removal of public engagement metrics). Its effects on wellbeing are TBD, but the move is being closely scrutinized by those heavily invested in IG marketing, especially influencers—and those who partner with them—who rely on metrics such as Like counts to measure campaign ROI.

Worried about how this “Demetrication” will affect your Instagram Strategy?

Check out Matthew’s LinkedIn article, 3 Reasons the Instagram “Like Ban” Will Be Great for Brands, for more perspective on this change. Here’s one of the key take-aways:

“De-emphasizing Likes will encourage a movement away from vanity metrics.”

Big changes coming to news on Facebook and LinkedIn

According to a Pew Research Center report released in Oct. 2019, 55% of U.S. adults report getting their news from social media either “often” or “sometimes,” which is an 8% increase over last year.

Couple this with all the recent controversy regarding news and social media in recent months—including a recent report that 100 debunked news stories racked up 158.9 million views on Facebook this year—and any updates to news-related features on social become very interesting to watch!

Here are two notable examples from recent weeks.

Facebook

In late October, FB officially launched Facebook News as “a dedicated place for news on Facebook.” The new tab in the app feel a lot like the Apple News app and includes these key features:

• Today’s Stories

• Personalization

• Topic sections

• Your Subscriptions

• Controls (e.g. to hide certain topics and publishers)

(Side-note: Facebook is also embroiled in a new controversy regarding the companies refusal to fact-check political ads. Business Insider has a good explainer article.)

LinkedIn

To help professionals find the news they need in the middle of busy work schedules, these three features are coming to LinkedIn:

• The Daily Rundown – Selected stories from LinkedIn editors including top professional news, trends and career tips.

• Today’ News and Views – The renamed list of trending topics in the top right of the LinkedIn homepage and in the search section of the app.

• Newsletters – A “subscribe” feature allowing users to turn on notifications for regularly published articles written by thought leaders” such as Get Hired. (Note: LinkedIn is currently not accepting applications to write a Newsletter.)

Insta is testing a virtual “try on” feature in shopping ads

Soon, IG users clicking on shopping ads may have the ability to try on products with the help of augmented reality. This could be a fun and lucrative way for fashion retailers to engage their Instagram audience. Mashable reports that this is currently being used by cosmetics brands (Mac and Nars) and eyewear brands (Warby Parker and Ray-Ban). TBD on if/when it will be widely available.

AR technology has been used in Story filters for some time. The recent Starbucks Holiday AR Campaign, for example, allows people to “point the camera at one of the holiday cups and watch as the magic unfolds”:

Introducing “Dynamic Ads” on Snapchat

Snapchat announced another ads product that brings it more up-to-speed with offerings from IG, FB and Pinterest. Dynamic Ads are meant to provide “a simple way to create mobile ads at scale, while preserving the identity of a brand’s products through appealing mobile-native templates.”

Social Media Today explains it a little more simply: a Dynamic Ads campaign “will essentially create your Snap ads for you based on your uploaded product catalog.” So if your inventory/offerings change, so will your ads!

This is currently in Beta and only available in the U.S.

New layouts on the Pinterest app and YouTube

Social channels, as we know, are constantly tweaking their UIs in order to optimize functionality or make room for new features. Here are two recent examples that may have flown under your radar…

Pinterest

ICYMI, check out the new menu layouts on the Pinterest app’s home feed:

Here are all the big layouts that recently changed on the Pinterest app:

• Search is now in a main nav at the bottom of the screen. You’ll also now see trending searches when you tap into the search interface.

• The following tab can now be found at the top of the screen (this tab includes new ideas from the people you follow, in chronological order).

• Ideas for your most recently engaged boards will now show up first in the home feed.

• The profile screen was also updated with the goal to “make it easier for you to find the Pins you’ve saved.”

(Tap the images below to view full-screen.)

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

YouTube

YouTube rolled out a number of slight changes to the desktop home screen that could help strong video content reach a wider audience:

• Longer video titles

• Larger thumbnails

• Channel icons below each video

There is also a new option to “add to queue” on desktop for autoplaying purposes, as well as options to remove suggestions from channels you don’t want to watch.

More Links to Check Out

• The waning influence of mega-influencers (The Hustle)

• Launching Share to TikTok with Adobe Premiere Rush and More Partners (TikTok newsroom)

• “Facebook says that it will implement new limits on how many ads a Page can run as of mid-2020.” (Social Media Today)

• There’s a new “company brand” for the Facebook parent company (Facebook business blog)

• How to Sell Your Products on Instagram (Instagram business blog)

• Snapchat Holiday Marketing Guide 2019 (PDF link via Snapchat Ads blog)

• The Pinterest Holiday Shopping Report (Pinterest newsroom)

• Social customer service: the three stages of maturity (Twitter blog)

Looking for More Social Media Help?

The expert team at Dooley Social Studio helps brands get attention by being thoughtful about how they give it. Our goal is to make every social interaction with your company a remarkable one. Get in touch to find out how a partnership with Dooley Social Studio can grow your brand.

Catch up on last month's social media updates (October 2019) →

Subscribe to Our Newsletter →