😎 TikTok stays alive!

TikTok US sale sealed with Oracle-led investor group. After months of wrangling, ByteDance plans to sell its U.S. operations into a new joint venture effective Jan 22, 2026, keeping the app live. Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX will oversee U.S. ops and re-train the algorithm on U.S.-only data.

Start testing creative and paid plans now; algorithm changes could reshape reach around key moments. ⚠️ ~TWISM

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Instagram limits hashtags to five per post. Instagram now caps hashtags at five per post and Reel caption to reduce spam. AI now prioritizes captions, on-screen text, and visuals, so shift focus away from hashtag stuffing toward keyword-rich captions.

Audit your hashtag lists and test which five actually move the needle. 🔍 ~TWISM

Instagram pushes Reels to smart TVs. Instagram is testing sending Reels to viewers' TV screens so people can watch clips together and brands can reach living-room audiences. This makes Reels a living-room format with lean-back reach and ad potential.

Instagram adds object-targeted effects in Edits. Meta's Edits now uses AI segmentation to apply effects (Tag, Scribble, Outline, Dither, Blur, Pixel, Sparkle) to specific people or objects, plus updated Storyboards and Titles.

Instagram tests re-adding the Save button in Reels. Instagram is testing a Save icon in the main Reels feed so users can bookmark clips without opening them.

Instagram adds looping carousels. Carousels now loop to the first slide when you keep swiping, so viewers can continuously scroll, and overall impressions and completion rates may rise.

Instagram adds New Year's effects and Edits tools. Instagram rolls out holiday AR effects you can use in Stories and Reels, plus glitter text, keyword-triggered emojis in Notes and Story comments, an EOY 'Add Yours' sticker and festive AI Restyle presets.

Facebook adds profile avatars. Facebook adds customizable avatar profile photos and stickers, letting brands and creators use a consistent cartoon persona without new photos.

Facebook may charge Pages for posting links. Meta is testing charging business Pages to post extra external links on Facebook. Most professional profiles and Pages face monthly caps on organic links unless they buy Meta Verified ($14.99+/month).

Audit where your links send traffic and budget for distribution if this rolls out. 😬 ~TWISM

Meta 2025 highlights: AI & glasses. Meta launched the Meta AI app (Llama 4), an Edits video app, and four AI-powered glasses, alongside data center and teen-safety updates.

Meta shares Reels hooks and ad diversification tips. Meta urges brands to nail Reels hooks and audio choices, supply varied creatives to Advantage+, and prioritize replies on Threads to spark conversation-led growth

Threads rolls out the Shop the Look button. Meta shows a Shop the Look button at the top of Threads comments and in Reels, surfacing shoppable tags so users can tap products without leaving the platform.

Impulse shopping just got easier. 🛍️ ~TWISM

Threads expands communities and adds Champion Badges. 200+ topic communities, plus Community Champion badges and member flair to spotlight leaders and show niche interests.

Threads wants to be your morning app. Meta says Threads favors sports, entertainment, and creators; Ads are live in four countries, "Dear Algo" lets users temporarily shape feeds, but creator monetization is still missing.

YouTube launches Playables Builder beta. A Gemini 3-powered web app turns short text, image, or video prompts into bite-sized games; select creators can publish early titles, and viewers in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia can play them.

YouTube expands voice replies and AI creation tools. YouTube's final 2025 update rolls out voice replies to millions, iOS Create app, auto-dubbing prefs, Nano Banana image AI (18+ in the US, Canada, NZ, India), Superchat Goals for vertical streams, Shorts clip suggestions, and comment summaries.

More ways to add personality, monetize live streams, and auto-generate Shorts. 🧐 ~TWISM

YouTube merges Dislike and Not Interested on Shorts. YouTube tests combining 'Dislike' and 'Not interested' into one thumbs-down tucked behind the three-dot menu; participants may see a survey after downvoting.

YouTube brings back in-app DMs. YouTube is piloting content-centric DM in Ireland and Poland (18+, verified, mobile-only, invite-based).

YouTube podcast TV viewing jumps to 700M+ hours. People streamed 700M+ hours of YouTube podcasts on TV in October, up from 400M a year earlier.

YouTube creators boosted holiday shopping. YouTube says viewers are 98% more likely to trust creator holiday recommendations, and Shorts ads lift purchase intent 8.8%, so brands use creators for shoppable, tutorial, and emotional moments.

TikTok holds first-ever US creator awards. TikTok crowned winners, creator highlights, and on-site brand activations, while spotlighting monetization paths like TikTok Shop, CapCut, and TikTok One.

TikTok extends FIS winter sports partnership. Last season, FIS content hit 400M+ views and massive engagement. Marketers can tap passionate, global winter-sports fans and athlete-led content for discovery and sponsorships ahead of the Winter Olympics.

Start mapping athlete partners and short-form creative now. ❄️ ~TWISM

Nespresso's $40K TikTok campaign drove $705K in revenue. A catchy song plus 100 seeded creators sparked 400+ creator videos, 30M impressions, and a surge in bookings, showing TikTok can deliver big ROI for travel brands without massive ad spend.

TikTok adds accessibility tools. TikTok adds alt text for photos, a screen reader for easier navigation, adjustable text size, dark mode toggle, and a way to remove photosensitive videos.

LinkedIn shares tips to boost in-app performance. LinkedIn VP outlines posting tips for 2026: post 2–5 times weekly, favor original career insights and video hooks, use AI only to augment, and expect tougher competition as more people post.

Use AI to edit, not invent, and remember that real stories win. 😉 ~TWISM.

LinkedIn cracks down on engagement pods. LinkedIn removed Groups tied to engagement pods and warned thousands using automated commenting, threatening account restrictions and removal from programs like Top Voices.

LinkedIn Wrapped launches. Personalized year-in-review shows top posts, Profile viewers, and engagement, use it to highlight wins and repurpose top content.

LinkedIn verification surges. LinkedIn added 30M checkmarks in 2025 (up 38% YoY); India grew ~80% and verified accounts get higher visibility and engagement.

X: Use Q5 as a low-competition launchpad. X says 'Q5' (late Dec–mid-Jan) sees spikes in travel, fitness, sports, and CES conversation, while big brands reduce ad spend.

Plan promos and lightweight creative now, you can find cheap reach with small spends. 🤩 ~TWISM

X adds Creator Studio hub on mobile. Mobile Creator Studio surfaces Revenue Sharing, Subscriptions, Analytics, Payment Settings, and creator support, plus an Inspiration tab of top posts.

X reveals top topics of 2025. X published its 2025 trends, music (Stray Kids 45.7M), Netflix shows (Stranger Things 12.4M), and the Premier League (582.7M) drove most discussion.

X adds spam-flagging for posts. Users can now flag posts as spam; flags may trigger moderation and reduce visibility, so brands should monitor notifications, review false positives, and adjust moderation flows.

X launches ratio finder. A new Xratios tool ranks accounts by reply/like counts to show the most 'ratioed' users. Useful for spotting controversy or active responders, but its formula can misread sentiment.

X launches a standalone chat app for desktop. X adds chat.x.com so you can manage X DMs outside the main feed; mobile X Chat is in development and signals a push toward payments and a WeChat-like "everything app."

X adds the Inspiration option for creators. X surfaces post ideas and prompts so creators and marketing teams can draft content faster and beat idea block.

Pinterest integrates Trends with WPP Media for better planning. Pinterest Trends data is now integrated into WPP Media's GroupM planning tools, giving agencies and brands real-time trend insights to inform media buys and creative strategies.

Smart move for agencies: trend data + media planning = better ROI and faster pivots. 🤝 ~TWISM

Snapchat study: Users welcome brand DMs. Survey of 12,800 finds 94% accept brand outreach across Email, SMS, DMs and chat alerts; 93% notice Sponsored Snaps and 59% open them, so expressive formats (emojis, GIFs, stickers) can boost conversational re-engagement.

Snapchat launches Quick Cut auto-edit tool. Quick Cut auto-syncs clips to music, adds Lenses and swaps audio directly from Memories, Camera Roll, or other Snaps. iOS now; Android later.

Google brings Gemini image tools to YouTube. Google lets YouTube creators generate and edit images with Google Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana), so you can create thumbnails and channel art without leaving the platform.

That’s all for today. Thanks for reading. Now…

Go BIG or go home!

~ Josh from “This Week in Social Media”

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