🧐 Who's Winning the Ad Wars?

🔥 Our top 39 Social Media Marketing stories this week

Joshua Parkinson
September 15, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes

In partnership with

Top Story

Facebook ad costs rise 21% but outperform Google. The average Facebook lead ad now costs $27.66, up 21% from last year, while Google's sits at $70.11. Traffic CPCs dropped 6.7% on Facebook, though lead conversion rates fell to 7.72%.

Better CPL and reach decide who’s going to win this! 🚀 ~TWISM

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How 433 Investors Unlocked 400X Return Potential

Institutional investors back startups to unlock outsized returns. Regular investors have to wait. But not anymore. Thanks to regulatory updates, some companies are doing things differently.

Take Revolut. In 2016, 433 regular people invested an average of $2,730. Today? They got a 400X buyout offer from the company, as Revolut’s valuation increased 89,900% in the same timeframe.

No wonder 10K+ everyday people are taking the chance on Pacaso.

Founded by a former Zillow exec, Pacaso’s co-ownership tech reshapes the $1.3T vacation home market. They’ve earned $110M+ in gross profit to date, including 41% YoY growth in 2024 alone. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

The same institutional investors behind Uber, Venmo, and eBay backed Pacaso. And you can join them. But not for long. Pacaso’s investment opportunity ends September 18.

Invest While You Still Can

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Instagram

Instagram expands Shots to more regions. Send a no-edit, no-filter image to a friend, and they get to view it once before it disappears. Only mutual followers can use Shots, pushing for more spontaneous, private interaction.

Instagram may allow links in posts soon. New code hints that users could add direct links to posts, ending the 'link in bio' workaround.

Brace yourselves for IG posts featuring links! 😏 ~TWISM

Instagram adds in-app audio splitting. Easily trim or divide audio tracks on your posts without needing external editing tools.

Instagram fixes Stories reach bug. Stories weren't reaching as many followers if creators posted lots in a single day, but Instagram says the glitch is now resolved.

Facebook & Meta

Facebook adjusts reach based on content quality. Posts now get more or less visibility depending on how Facebook rates their quality.

Create content with better quality if you want more reach on FB! 🤗 ~TWISM

Facebook shuts down the community chats feature. Meta will phase out Community Chats due to low group engagement. The tool launched in 2022 to boost real-time discussion, but never caught on with users.

Facebook adds Insights to broadcast channels. Page admins can now access analytics and performance data to track engagement and reach more effectively.

Facebook adds topic tags for Groups. Admins and members can now add or edit topic tags on posts, making it easier to organize and discover content by interest.

97% of Indians watch Reels daily, study finds. Meta research shows Reels easily beats TV and YouTube for daily short-form video viewership, especially among Gen Z. Reels is also driving higher engagement and brand discovery in India.

Meta adds AI-powered Reels and Threads ad updates. Advertisers with Meta reps can now test Reels trending ads and target by trend category, like pets or fashion. Plus, you can run Threads ads via Instagram accounts and use new "value rules" for more precise AI ad targeting.

Meta launches creator discovery APIs for Instagram and Facebook. Marketers can now search, filter, and evaluate creators with live audience and engagement stats, plus find lookalike creators to boost campaign reach.

Threads

Threads experiments with communities for focused discussions. The upcoming Communities feature lets users join topic-based groups, similar to X's Communities, powering more engagement and personalizing the Threads experience for marketers.

Threads unveils new app icon for iOS. The refreshed look may catch users' eyes in their app library and reinforce brand recognition.

Threads adds a podcast link feature for Spotify. Soon, you'll be able to showcase your podcast directly on your profile with a Spotify link.

Threads tests reply approval controls. You'll soon be able to approve replies before they appear under your posts, giving you more power to manage the convo.

If Threads gets this right, it could finally pull some loyal X users over. 🤔 ~TWISM

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YouTube

YouTube adds AI stickers for Shorts. Now you can generate custom stickers with the AI by describing your idea in the Shorts camera, pick your favorite, and personalize your video.

YouTube announces expansion of multi-language audio and thumbnail tools. Creators will be able to attach multiple language audio tracks and test localized thumbnails to reach global viewers without losing algorithm visibility.

This is massive for channel growth and less hassle than dealing with pricey third-party services. 🌏 ~TWISM

YouTube Shorts ads drive more teen purchases than TikTok ads. 75% of surveyed U.S. teens asked parents to buy after seeing YouTube Shorts ads, beating TikTok and Instagram for teen purchase influence.

YouTube breaks NFL live-streaming record. Over 17 million people watched the NFL Opening Night on YouTube, making it the platform's biggest live audience yet. Global viewership highlights YouTube's shift into mainstream sports broadcasting.

TikTok

TikTok search ads drive major purchase lift. New data shows TikTok Search Ads can double the purchase rate compared to regular campaigns, especially among younger shoppers hunting for beauty, fashion, and entertainment products.

TikTok Shop attracts brands like Crocs and Pacsun as live shopping stalls. Big brands are flocking to TikTok Shop and driving U.S. sales up 120% year-over-year, but American shoppers still prefer short, pre-recorded videos over livestreams for e-commerce buys.

TikTok microdramas drive $7B industry. 1–3 minute, ultra-addictive story episodes on TikTok are grabbing massive engagement. Platforms like Vigloo and ReelShort are cashing in as short-format mobile shows explode in popularity among viewers.

TikTok announces big changes to subscriptions. Major updates roll out September 15; mark your calendar if you offer paid content on TikTok.

TikTok launches PhotoSwap for private pic sharing. Snap and send a photo to see your friend's pic. No peeking until you share yours first.

TikTok adds shared feed for friends. Now you can invite a friend and get a personalized daily feed just for the two of you. It's a new way to share content and bond over videos directly.

Adults 45+ are now TikTok's fastest-growing group. Users 45 and up make up 26% of TikTok in 2025, up from just 2% in 2019. Weekly use among all U.S. adults is now 39%.

This shift opens up TikTok to brands targeting older audiences. 🧐 ~TWISM

LinkedIn shares fresh video marketing tips. Video posts are now shared 20x more than others, and LinkedIn dropped a free 17-page guide with tips, stats, ad advice, and platform comparisons.

LinkedIn adds send and save post insights. Now you can see how often your posts are saved or shared in DMs, perfect for tracking what really engages your audience.

X/Twitter

X reveals what really boosts your reach. Replies that spark more replies get 75x more weight than Likes or Retweets. Videos, verification, bookmarks, quotes, and how long users view your post also matter.

So if you want more reach, focus on real conversations! 😲 ~TWISM

X still has no CEO, months after Yaccarino's exit. There's a 51% chance the CEO spot remains unfilled through 2025, according to Polymarket odds. Nikita Bier leads as a potential pick, but with just 19% odds.

X was fined in Canada for refusing an explicit image. The platform got hit with a C$100,000 penalty for not deleting a non-consensual nude photo, geofencing it in Canada instead. Extra fines could stack up if X doesn't comply.

Bluesky

Bluesky adds strict age checks in South Dakota and Wyoming. Users now need a card, ID scan, or face scan to access DMs and adult content, as Bluesky works to meet state laws. The platform warns that these rules threaten user privacy and could make things tough for smaller networks.

Bluesky introduces private bookmarks. Save posts quietly for future reference; no one else will see your curated picks.

No more cluttered replies just to save content! About time, honestly. 😅 ~TWISM

Et cetera

WhatsApp tests Instagram link verification through Meta Accounts Center. iOS users may soon verify their Instagram profile directly in WhatsApp using Meta's central hub, making cross-app authentication simpler for marketers.

Reddit ads deliver top ROAS for tech marketers. New Reddit–TransUnion study reveals text ads on Reddit outperform other social platforms, with a 211% return on ad spend. Their new AI targeting engine auto-optimizes campaigns for better conversions.

Personalized Pins drive holiday Pinterest sales. Over half of Pinterest users start shopping early, and 55% want gift ideas curated by relationship or price point. Pins designed to be saved get bought more often.

Winnie the cow goes viral on Twitch for mooing at live chat. Viewers donate treats that drop when she moos, and clips are flooding TikTok, Instagram, and X. She's even got her own plush toy now!

This is peak livestream interactivity, and proof that animal creators are just unstoppable. 🐄😂 ~TWISM

Spotify and TikTok launch BookTok audiobook hub. U.S. users can explore viral #BookTok books as audiobooks, with trend-driven playlists and new collections updated every two weeks.

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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