60% of Instagram Reels Recommendations Are Original 📈

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With Election Day tomorrow in the U.S., this edition comes a bit earlier and is a lighter read.

TODAY’S EDITION

• Instagram adds new direct message features to help creators manage their inboxes.

• Meta reports that 60% of Instagram Reels recommended to U.S. users are original posts.

• LinkedIn’s redesigned post-sharing experience makes it easier to share posts with others.

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NEWS, TRENDS & INSIGHTS

Currently, 60% of recommendations for Instagram Reels in the U.S. come from original posts. Meta previously reported that more than half of these recommendations were also from original content. This slight increase indicates that Meta is advancing its efforts to help more smaller, original content creators get discovered. While some see its approach of downgrading low-performing posts as contradictory to this goal, the ongoing rise in recommendations for original content is a positive step forward.

Instagram has rolled out a pair of new direct message features. First, creators can filter their direct message results by account type—such as creator or business, verified accounts, and accounts that subscribe to them. They can also sort these messages based on follower count and recency. Second, creators can view all Story replies in a new, separate folder within DMs. As messages can be overwhelming for creators, these features will help them better manage their inbox and prioritize the messages that matter most.

TikTok has officially announced that its STEM feed is now available to all users in the U.S., Canada, UK, and Ireland. After successful launches in Europe and the U.S. earlier this year, the platform reports that 25% of teens visit the STEM feed weekly, prompting an expansion to a broader audience. The feed will soon roll out in additional markets and begin featuring local language content in Europe.

YouTube expanded its Paid Partnership label, allowing creators to disclose both short-form and long-form sponsored content on mobile and desktop. This update will help more creators properly disclose their content and adhere to advertising guidelines. With influencer marketing being the most popular strategy for marketers on YouTube this year, this update is especially timely.

Weekly immersive video views have increased 6x quarter-over-quarter, and total video viewership on LinkedIn is up 36% year-over-year. As video continues to be the fastest-growing format on LinkedIn, there’s a massive opportunity for those who share video content on LinkedIn right now. In case you missed last week’s edition, here’s why you should be going all in on video.

LinkedIn launched a redesigned post-sharing experience. Now, when users tap the Share button, there is an updated experience to Repost and Repost With Your Thoughts. There is also a “Send as a message” button where they can search for a specific person to send the post to or tap on people they’ve recently interacted with below. LinkedIn is making it easier for users to share posts they come across with others, aligning with the trend that Instagram is leading—around people sharing content in more private settings.

AI-powered search engine Perplexity AI launched a Curator Program for its Discover Feed. The program seeks creators across areas such as Tech & Science, Arts & Culture, Entertainment, and Sports to curate content for Discover, Perplexity's feed of trending topics, deep dives, and perspectives. Selected curators will have the opportunity to reach a global audience, receive a verified badge, and enjoy a free Perplexity Pro subscription. This initiative reflects a broader trend of companies leveraging creators to curate and share recommendations, with another recent example being Uber Eats with the launch of Lists.

Snapchat is now offering Snapchat+ gift cards for annual subscriptions at Target stores across the U.S. and online via Amazon and Walmart, expanding last year's efforts when gift cards were only available through Amazon. With over 12 million subscribers and counting, these additional retail touchpoints should help Snapchat boost subscriptions as parents seek out Snapchat+ gift cards for stocking stuffers this holiday season.

Lemon8, TikTok's sister app, launched a new Share Profile option. Users can share their profiles in various ways, including generating a QR code and posting to Instagram Stories by adding the profile URL as a Link Sticker. With several options for creators to promote their profiles, they can grow their followers while also bringing new users to the app. This follows a number of similar moves by YouTube with Creator QR Codes and Instagram with Profile Cards, designed to help creators share their accounts both online and offline.

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