The biggest updates in social media | June 2024
Another month has gone by, and it’s again time for a social media news roundup. Join us as we uncover the key headlines in the social media industry for June.
Social media news
Meta
Meta offers money-back guarantee for Meta Verified
Live now
Meta is now offering a money-back guarantee for those who sign up to Meta Verified and do not see results within 14 days of sign-up.
Meta expands Broadcast channels
Live soon
Meta is rolling out access to its Broadcast channels feature to pages with over 10K followers.
Meta looks into A/B Reels testing
Live soon
Meta is testing the ability to allow creators to carry out A/B testing on their Reels by automatically creating alternative variations of your Reels to compare performance against your original Reel.
Instagram experiments with Chat Widgets
Live soon
Instagram has been experimenting with three new chat widgets, including a countdown widget (to create a countdown in the chat), a time zone widget (to display the local time of each person in the chat), and a pinned content widget (to access pinned content).
Instagram is testing video adds that stop you from scrolling
Live soon
New video ads are in testing that will stop users from being able to scroll past them in the feed until they’ve watched the full ad.
Instagram adds new features for Broadcast Channels
Live now
Channel owners can now run live Instagram broadcasts for channel members, set a custom background picture for the chat, choose which emojis their community can’t use within the chat, as well as make use of QR codes to connect people back to the channel.
Instagram tests text overlays and image formatting for carousel posts
Live soon
Creators can now add text overlays to individual images within a carousel and choose presentation formats for the images including original, portrait, or square. Instagram is also said to be experimenting with the ability to add more frames within carousel posts.
Instagram experiments with audience feedback for unpublished Reels
Live soon
Instagram is experimenting with the ability to share draft Reels with a friend for feedback before publishing. Additionally, a new option is also being tested that will allow creators to share Reels with a small group of non-followers before sharing a Reel publicly with their audience.
Instagram experiments with virtual pets for Stories
Live soon
Instagram is experimenting with a “Pals” Sticker for Instagram Stories which is essentially a virtual pet that changes in appearance depending on how much engagement you get.
Instagram tests ads overlaid on user Stories
Live now
Ads have been seen appearing within user Stories, in a new and intrusive way to bring attention to promotions.
Instagram soon to enable creators to build AI versions of themselves
Live soon
Instagram is soon to enable users to create an AI version of themselves with the aim of assisting creators in dealing with admin tasks such as responding to fan comments.
Threads tests updated link preview display for Instagram posts
Live soon
Instagram still image posts shared on Threads will soon display with a full-size image and the creator’s handle overlaid.
Instagram tests Creator Insight Profile Performance Overview
Live soon
Select creators now have a Creator Insights Profile Performance Overview appearing on their profile to summarize their total followers, accounts reached, and accounts engaged. The information is intended for brands to get an idea on whether they want to partner with a creator.
Instagram adds live streams for Close Friends
Live soon
Soon you’ll be able to create livestreams, visible only to your Close Friends. You’ll also be able to invite others on your Close Friends list to co-host or join the stream.
X (Twitter)
Livestreaming soon to become a Premium feature on X
Live soon
X has announced plans for live streaming on X to become a feature exclusive to X Premium subscribers in the coming weeks.
Further reading: What is X Premium and is it worth the price?
Updated ad analytics coming to X
Live soon
While much of the information provided within the ad analytics dashboard won’t be new, the updated presentation will make viewing data much more intuitive with tabs and clickable links to more easily track the performance of campaigns.
X to provide insights into when your audience is active
Live soon
X is soon to update its analytics offering with insight into when your audience is most engaged in the app.
X adds option to filter searches by verified accounts
Live now
X has rolled out a new filter within search that allows users to filter for results from verified accounts only.
Likes are now private on X
Live now
X has rolled out a new update to make all Likes in the app private. You will still be able to see posts that you have liked, but others will not be able to.
X launches advanced analytics for premium subscribers
Live now
X has released updated analytics for X Premium subscribers. The new analytics center around a large bar chart display that you can use to get specific insights into performance over time, with data available on impressions, engagement rates, profile visits, video performance, link clicks, and more.
LinkedIn adds premium video ad placement and AI ad tools
Live soon
LinkedIn is launching a new video sponsorship program called “The Wire” which will enable brands to run in-stream video ads aligned with trusted publisher content. Additionally, it’s adding more AI elements to its “Accelerate” ad option, including enabling marketers to use generative AI to make their campaign creative, as well as the ability to add targeting exclusions via company and third-party lists. There will also be more AI recommendations coming on how to improve and refine your ads.
LinkedIn launches Premium Company Pages
Live now
LinkedIn is rolling out its new Premium Company Pages offering, with exciting new features like custom CTA buttons, auto-invitations for leads, and insights into visitor activity.
LinkedIn adds new AI assistance tools for job seekers
Live soon
Coming soon will be AI-based application feedback, cover letter assistance, and conversation queries to find open roles.
New elements added to newsletter creation platform
Live now
LinkedIn is releasing several new newsletter improvements, including a new display with comments visible to the right of the main display. Additionally, you will soon be able to embed LinkedIn profiles in your text, use “staging links” to view an article’s URL before it’s published, and make use of Microsoft Designer for AI image generation to create cover images for newsletters.
Further reading: How to create and promote a LinkedIn newsletter
TikTok
TikTok adds image search for similar products in TikTok Shop
Live now
Users can now search for products in TikTok Shop using images.
TikTok to enable businesses to sell products using virtual influencers
Live soon
“Symphony Digital Avatars” will allow brands to choose from a selection of digital characters that can sell their products for them on TikTok livestreams.
TikTok adds commercial music library integration for Adobe Express
Live now
There are now over a million copyright-free songs and sounds from TikTok’s Commercial Music Library available for use in Adobe Express.
TikTok expands “Out of Phone” Campaigns
Live now
TikTok is combining its “Out of Phone” offering with its interactive “Branded Mission” element that encourages creators to participate in brand campaigns, that can then be used in off-platform screens as user-generated content.
TikTok launches image-sharing app called Whee
Live now
TikTok has launched another photo-sharing app called Whee, which presents users with a feed full of images, not unlike Instagram, that is designed to be shared with friends only.
Pinterest improves board-sharing across other apps
Live now
Pinterest has improved board-sharing to allow users to share boards across other social apps using templates — ideal for sharing Pinterest boards on Instagram Stories in particular.
Further reading: How to get more followers on Pinterest
Key Takeaways
- TikTok launches image sharing app Whee.
- TikTok and Instagram invest in AI influencers and creators.
- X makes improvements to analytics offering.
- Instagram may soon allow for Reel A/B testing with AI generated alternatives.
- Meta continues to add new features to Broadcast channels.