New social media features and updates to know this week
From LinkedIn’s sponsored newsletter option to new video tools.
LinkedIn has a series of new tools aimed at helping PR professionals and marketers better communicate with specific audiences. But the business-centric platform isn’t the only social media giant to announce big changes.
Both Pinterest and Snapchat created additional business tools of their own. Meanwhile, X, YouTube and Instagram focused on user experience enhancements this week. WhatsApp added new in-app measures to cut down on spammers.
Here’s what you need to know:
LinkedIn recently introduced new functionality to its automated B2B marketing campaign tool, Accelerate. Originally launched in October as a pilot, Accelerate now includes the ability to draft content with Microsoft Designer and refine targeting by allowing users to exclude companies and third-party lists. The tool also features a new AI marketing assistant.
Lindsey Edwards, VP of product management at LinkedIn, said Accelerate helped advertisers create campaigns 15% more efficiently during its test run, driving a 52% lower cost per action than with Classic campaigns.
LinkedIn also recently added newsletters to its growing list of ad content. Newsletters can be sponsored as a single-image ad to build brand awareness and strengthen engagement.
Like LinkedIn articles, sponsored newsletters include a “promoted” tag at the top of the ad.
Only newsletter articles authored by a company and part of an organic company page post can be sponsored, per LinkedIn. The company said it intends to add member-authored newsletter sponsorship in the future.
Big (potential) news on the collaborator advertising front from Instagram. App head Adam Mosseri posted a video responding to a comment about some of the quirks of tagging collaborators in IG posts. Right now, you can’t go back and retroactively tag a collaborator, so if they’re not included in the original post, you’re out of luck.
Mosseri referred to the situation as an “oversight” by the IG team and something “we should try to fix.” While it looks like the change will happen sometime soon, Mosseri didn’t provide a timeline.
Pinterest’s new Canvas feature is an AI text-to-image generation process designed to create backgrounds without affecting the appearance of the image in the foreground. The platform’s engineering team said it hopes to offer a training model that can “visualize or reimagine real ideas or products in new contexts.”
Snapchat
Snapchat has a new partnership with VideoAmp to generate first-of-their-kind reach planning and measurement tools. The tools will help users better understand how their campaign drives key metrics, such as incremental reach to TV buys and TV Tune-in. Snapchat officials said it was the first planning tool to integrate all inventory, including video and AR.
When it comes to communication, nothing is more important than being able to trust the messenger. WhatsApp is doubling down on that belief by adding more information about its chat groups and their members to help users make more informed decisions before they join.
Users will receive notifications about who added them to the group and the group’s creator. WhatsApp will also share specifics about the group, when available.
These new elements aim to cut down on spam groups and users.
X
X appears to be moving forward with a downvote or dislike button. Aaron Perris, a contributing writer for MacRumors, posted an image of three broken heart icons, which he said will be coming to X in the new future.
Social Media Today noted that the dislike button will display on post replies only, as a method for helping to prioritize responses.
YouTube
YouTube is stepping up its short-form video game by adding a new feature familiar to users of TikTok and Instagram. The company is testing a new “add yours” sticker that allows video creators to add prompts to Shorts that encourage viewers to engage with the video.
The option is in limited testing right now, but it’s a safe bet we’ll see more of it in the future.
Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.
