A New Way to Connect Over Content 📝

TODAY’S EDITION

• Instagram introduces Notes on Reels and Feed posts, enhancing its mission to connect people over discovered content.

• Instagram now supports Multitrack Audio in Reels, allowing creators to craft tailored mixes for their videos.

• TikTok partners with Eventbrite to enable in-app ticket sales.

• YouTube is testing Community Spaces, a subreddit-like experience for creator-fan interaction.

• YouTube is developing new features for customizing Shorts thumbnails but has no plans to launch the feature creators really want.

DEEP DIVE

Instagram Introduces Notes on Reels and Feed Posts: A New Way to Connect Over Content

Instagram has launched the ability to leave Notes directly on Reels and Feed posts.

How It Works

Now, when users click the airplane icon on a post, they can tap an "Add Note" option, choose either "Close Friends" or "Followers you follow back," type out a Note of up to 60 characters, and share it.

The Note will appear as an overlay on the post and will only be visible to the user and their selected audience for up to three days. The author of the post can only see the Note if they are part of the selected audience. Users can like or reply to Notes, and replying will start a chat.

Creators can control whether people can add Notes to their posts. Similar to Posts and Stories, users can also mute Notes from accounts.

Supporting Instagram’s Mission

This launch supports several priorities for Instagram. It continues to expand Notes, which are the second most popular format for sharing among teens. Teens are about 10 times more likely to create a Note than others, making Notes a key driver for this sought-after demographic.

More importantly, it supports Instagram’s mission of connecting people through discovered content (‘shareable content’). It provides another avenue for discovering content through friend recommendations, acting as a middle ground between sharing a post via direct messaging and tagging someone in the comments.

Impact for Creators

While this feature is geared towards everyday users, there’s often a tie-in for creators with such updates. Notes left on posts are likely to appear in friends' feeds, giving creators the chance to reach new audiences. It’s reminiscent of how LinkedIn surfaces content in your feed that your connections engage with.

In some testing, I added a Note to a post from 2020 on a secondary account of mine. The post was shown to a notable number of people who follow me on my primary account, leading to a few dozen new likes and followers on the secondary account in just an hour or so.

Currently, creators don’t have a way to track how Notes impact performance. Instagram doesn’t notify creators when Notes are added or who adds them to their content, but it’s not far-fetched to think that creators might eventually be able to see the number of Notes left on their posts in the future.

The Potential Downsize

Based on how the feature works, a few issues could arise. One potential problem is that creators might abuse the feature by participating in Notes engagement pods to boost each other’s content.

For users who follow accounts actively using Notes, it could become annoying to see an excessive amount of Notes content in their feed, especially if it’s content they don’t like. This could also result in users seeing less content from the accounts they follow, which is already a concern for some. However, the muting option helps address this issue.

No Slowing Down

2024 has quickly become the year of shareable content for Instagram. For several consecutive weeks, Instagram has been driving this focus. With this new update, alongside the recent testing of a prominent share button in the navigation bar that replaces the post button, it’s clear that more changes are on the way. Creators, brands, and social media managers will need to continue to think about how to make their content shareable—whether through DMs, reposting to Stories, or leaving a Note on posts.

NEWS, TRENDS & INSIGHTS

Instagram

Instagram Adds Support for Multitrack Audio in Reels

Instagram rolled out Multitrack Audio in Reels. This feature allows creators to add up to 20 songs or clips to their videos and visually align audio with elements like text, stickers, and clips during editing. Creators' unique mixes will be attributed to them and can be saved and reused by others.

Why It Matters: By blending different songs and clips, creators can craft customized audio mixes tailored to their videos. For example, travel creators can use New York-themed songs to highlight visits to NYC, while beauty creators can match songs with different moods for 'Before' and 'After' transformations.

Similar to Reel Templates, it provides a new discovery pathway for creators if their mixes gain traction and are used by others.

The Perfect Pairing: Music and short-form video go together, prompting platforms to develop new ways for creators to leverage audio. Instagram recently added support for music in Carousels featuring videos, while YouTube is testing AI-generated instrumentals.

TikTok

TikTok Partners with Eventbrite for In-App Ticket Purchases

TikTok announced a new partnership with Eventbrite. The partnership allows users to add links to Eventbrite events directly in their videos. Viewers can then click through to explore event details and purchase tickets within the TikTok app.

Why It Matters: This integration empowers creators in communities like #BookTok, #NewMusic, and #FoodTok to promote festivals, concerts, and neighborhood gatherings through TikTok. Users can seamlessly transition from discovering an event to purchasing tickets with just a few clicks.

Partnerships Matter: This partnership expands TikTok’s integrations, including recent additions like AXS for event tickets, streaming giants such as Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify, and music distributor DistroKid. By enabling in-app actions, TikTok eliminates friction, making it easier for users to take action. This is a plus for partners seeking to drive revenue through social media, where users are spending significant amounts of time today.

YouTube

YouTube Beta Tests Community Spaces for Creators

YouTube is currently beta-testing a new feature called Community Spaces with selected creators, including FroggyCrossing. This feature provides dedicated spaces where creators and their communities can share posts, interact, and engage in conversations. Communities can be either public or private, and users have the option to filter posts by Top, Latest, and Creator Posts.

Why It Matters: Community Spaces cater to people’s growing preference for smaller, more intimate environments, offering a native platform for creators to connect with their communities. Similar to subreddits, Instagram Broadcast Channels, and Facebook Groups, it can help creators understand their audience based on discussions, which can also inform their content strategy.

Goodbye, Patreon?: YouTube could eventually allow creators to paywall their Community Spaces, enabling them to manage their communities directly on YouTube instead of relying on third-party apps like Patreon. This would be more convenient not only for creators but also for their fans, who can seamlessly transition from consuming content to engaging with creators and other fans.

YouTube to Expand Thumbnail Customization Options for Shorts

YouTube is set to introduce new features for Shorts thumbnails this year, including the ability to edit thumbnails post-upload and add text and filters. However, YouTube currently does not plan to allow creators to upload custom thumbnails for Shorts, citing that most watch time originates from the Shorts feed where thumbnails are not prominently displayed.

Why It Matters: These upcoming editing capabilities for Shorts thumbnails provide an alternative to custom thumbnails. Post-upload editing will allow creators to experiment with different frames, add text, and apply filters for further customization. Native text tools could help creators add compelling copy to their thumbnails, enticing viewers to watch when they visit the creators’ channel.

Shorts Versus Long: Creators have varying opinions on the value of Shorts compared to long-form content. However, YouTube's continuous investment in its short-form offering con. When platforms heavily invest in a feature or tool, it often presents opportunities for enhanced discovery and potential revenue for creators.

WHAT I’M READING

How partnerships between athletes and brands are beginning to resemble influencer deals (Digiday)

Athlete-brand partnerships have traditionally been long-term. However, they now resemble creator-brand deals—shorter and less complex. Sam Bradley explores this shift and its benefits for athletes and marketers.

Beyond the bio: The evolution of link in bio and its role in shaping the creator economy (TechRadar)

‘Link in bio’ has evolved from a simple traffic driver to a hybrid of websites and social platforms. Squarespace’s Rodolphe Ködderitzsch discusses this evolution and its impact.

IAB: Digital video advertising KPIs shift, with business outcomes on top (Marketing Dive)

Reach has long been a priority KPI for video ads, but the focus is shifting towards business outcomes like sales. Peter Adams recaps some of the key takeaways from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) report, including the gap in measurement tools for these outcomes.

THANK YOU

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