🤑 IG makes it rain??

Top News of the Week

Top Story

Instagram offers creators up to $20,000 for new user referrals. Instagram is paying select US creators $100 per signup or every 1,000 eligible visits via referral links, with a $20K cap over six weeks.

Expect a rush of “link in bio” pitches everywhere! 😂 ~TWISM

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Instagram

Instagram friend content views drop as Reels dominate. US users now spend just 7% of their time on posts from friends, down from 11%. Reels now account for over half of Instagram usage.

Instagram adds an improved crop tool to the Edits app. You can now fine-tune videos on iOS by picking a specific area or aspect ratio.

This saves hassle for anyone repurposing Reels or Stories 🎉 ~TWISM

Instagram adds color controls for text and backgrounds in Reels. Now you can tweak the color of text and its background in Reels.

Facebook&Meta

Facebook launched the Ads Partner Excellence Program in India. The initiative trains digital agencies to help millions of small businesses use Click to Message Ads for more personalized, one-on-one engagement.

Meta opens early access to AI ad tools. Selected advertisers will soon get to test Meta’s experimental AI features for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads ads before public rollout.

Trying these features could give brands a real edge—if you can get in! 👀 ~TWISM

Meta gets EU approval for AI data training. Starting May 27, Meta can use EU users' data to train its AI after updating transparency and opt-out policies.

Meta adds trends feed to Creator Marketplace. Advertisers can now spot trending topics and examples from Instagram Reels.

Threads

Threads ads now available via Meta Marketing API. Manage and launch Threads feed ads from third-party platforms. Ads must use a Threads profile and require Instagram Feed placement as well.

Watch this space—more ad dollars are coming! 🤑~TWISM

Threads lets some EU users create profiles without Instagram. You can now sign up for Threads using just an email or phone number, no IG login is needed.

Threads is testing a desktop-like UI on iOS. The new design aims to make multitasking and navigation on mobile easier for power users.

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YouTube

YouTube expands its Foundry program for indie musicians. Select artists to get mentorship, early access to YouTube Music features, financial grants, and billboard promotion, plus a new "Foundry Rising" micro-grant for early-stage talent.

YouTube is becoming even more attractive to music creators. 🎵 ~TWISM

YouTube paid creators $70B+ in three years. The platform’s US partnerships chief explains its NFL content push and reveals that over 3M creators earned money from 20B videos.

F1 creators shift YouTube into high gear. YouTube spotlights fans, drivers, and experts growing Formula 1’s reach through vlogs, tech breakdowns, and behind-the-scenes content.

TikTok

TikTok rolls out Link Stickers in Stories. Creators can now add clickable URLs to Stories with custom text and colors, letting them drive traffic to websites or promo links.

This finally brings Stories in line with Instagram—marketers, rejoice! 😍 ~TWISM

TikTok launches AI Seller Assistant chatbot. Merchants can now get instant advice on product listings, marketing, and sales performance.

TikTok rolls out Shoppable Live for live events. Hosts can now tag products in live streams, making it easy for viewers to buy while they watch.

TikTok faces stricter age and content rules in the EU. European officials want to clamp down on harmful trends and require parental consent for under-16s.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn enhances B2B campaign attribution reports. Now you can track how people from the same company engage with your LinkedIn ads, giving you clearer insight into the full path to purchase and which stakeholders matter most.

LinkedIn influencers roasted for "cringe" posts. The platform's influencer culture is getting mocked for humble-bragging and over-the-top motivational advice.

X/Twitter

FTC investigates Media Matters for X ad boycott. The FTC wants emails and lawsuit records after claims that Media Matters persuaded brands to pull ads from X.

X suffers platform-wide glitches after a major outage. Some users still see broken timelines, missing messages, and slow loading, more than a day after the incident began.

Platform instability is the new normal? 😬~TWISM

X Grok adds charts and sketch inputs. Now you can create data visualizations and upload rough sketches to communicate ideas with the Grok AI chatbot.

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Et cetera

Publicis acquires Captiv8 to boost influencer marketing. This move brings a network of 15 million creators and advanced social commerce tools under Publicis, making it easier for brands to manage influencer campaigns at scale.

Reddit opens dynamic product ads to everyone. All advertisers can now automatically display products next to relevant subreddit conversations.

Google unveils new AI ad tools for marketers. Google is giving marketers more ways to automate, manage, and optimize ads across its ecosystem.

Sprite launches tea by riding a TikTok trend. Sprite used a trending TikTok format to generate buzz for its new tea, showing how brands can turn social moments into product launches.

That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading. Now…

Go BIG or go home!

~ Josh from “This Week in Social Media”

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