How Instagram Broadcast Channels Are Evolving 📣

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TODAY’S EDITION

• Instagram evolves Broadcast Channels from one-to-many messaging to a more interactive, two-way communication channel between creators and fans with new features.

• Threads introduces insights for specific posts, providing creators with a clearer view of what resonates with audiences.

• Spotify deepens its focus on audiobooks with Spotify for Authors.

• LinkedIn targets ad dollars from creators with a post-boosting option.

• Most creators don’t fact-check information before sharing it with their followers.

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NEWS, TRENDS & INSIGHTS

Instagram Updates Broadcast Channels with New Ways for Creators & Fans to Interact

Instagram added new features for Broadcast Channels, which are now seeing over 1.5 billion messages per month.

• Replies: Creators can turn on replies to engage in back-and-forth conversations with fans. Messages are organized into threads, and creators can delete or report comments.

• Prompts: Creators can use Prompts—either their own ideas or suggested topics—to encourage fans to respond with text or photos for up to 24 hours.

• Insights & Best Practices: Creators now have access to new metrics, including total interactions, Story shares, and poll votes, to track their content's performance. They can also set goals for their channels and receive personalized recommendations on how to achieve them

Why It Matters: Broadcast Channels are evolving to foster deeper interaction between creators and fans. By enabling replies, channels shift from a one-to-many messaging platform to a more interactive, two-way communication channel.

Additionally, insights and best practices allow creators to measure their channels, as they would with other formats, and receive actionable advice on how to improve.

With these updates, Broadcast Channels are becoming more appealing for sponsored content, too. As the holiday season approaches, creators can leverage these channels to share exclusive promotions and discounts with their audiences.

Historically, creators have used third-party apps like Discord or Circle to host and manage their communities. But, with the emergence of Broadcast Channels and YouTube’s recent Communities feature, social media platforms are introducing native tools that allow creators to build communities directly alongside their content.

Meta Expands Training Policy to Help First-Time Violators Remove Strikes

Meta is expanding its training policy for first-time violators to all Facebook users and is beginning to roll it out on Instagram as well. Launched in the summer, this allows creators to erase their first strike when they violate Community Guidelines and reset account restrictions by completing an educational training program.

According to Meta, there has been a 15% increase in users who understand the platform’s policies and enforcement actions, following successful completion of training after violations.

Why It Matters: The expansion of the program follows Meta's recent admission that it had over-moderated content. Bringing it to more people will be helpful in helping users understand and follow its policies by putting an emphasis on education as opposed to punishment.

Because of the powerful tool that social media is for creators, there’s been more of an initiative for platforms like Meta and YouTube, which has a similar program, to try to balance enforcement of their policies and guidelines with limiting the impact on creators’ livelihoods.

Threads Adds Post-Specific Insights to Help Creators Better Understand Their Content

Threads is testing updates for insights. Users will be able to see insights for specific posts, after previously only seeing aggregated post metrics. They can sort posts by the number of views, likes, and replies, along with a breakdown of views and interactions versus followers and non-followers, and how many people have followed them from a specific post.

Why It Matters: Creators will gain deeper insights into the performance of their posts, including what performs best across specific metrics and audiences. With Threads now showing users more content from those they follow, this feature will help understand how much content from people who opt in to see it is actually being viewed.

This is the latest update from Threads, which has been on a roll over the past two weeks with new features, including support for landscape videos, the ability to set a default feed, advanced search filters, the option to follow people from other Fediverse servers, and more.

LinkedIn Tests Post-Boosting Option to Help Creators Reach People Outside Their Network

LinkedIn is testing a post-boosting feature with a small group of users. Those with access can use the feature for eligible text, image, article, video, and newsletter posts. They can set a budget and target an audience based on criteria such as location, job title, company industry, and more. Additionally, they can track metrics for both the organic and boosted performance of their posts.

Why It Matters: LinkedIn is tapping into a broader trend where social media platforms like Meta, TikTok, and YouTube are launching similar boosting features to cater to creators and small businesses.

They help them capture ad revenue beyond brands and agencies, offering users who may lack the time, resources, or expertise to manage full-scale ad campaigns an accessible way to amplify priority content—such as a creator boosting a sponsored post on behalf of a brand.

ICYMI: LinkedIn Introduces Dynamic Cover Images for Premium Subscribers to Turn Profile Banners into Slideshows

Spotify Makes Its Case for Authors & Publishers with Spotify for Authors

Spotify has launched Spotify for Authors, a new suite of tools designed to provide insights, growth opportunities, and promotional support for authors and publishers.

• Listener Data: Aggregated age and gender demographics of audiobook listeners on Spotify.

• Redemption Codes: Allow authors to share royalty-free copies of titles with reviewers, superfans, and collaborators.

• Promo Cards: Professionally designed, shareable assets for promoting titles with just one click.

Why It Matters: These tools complement Spotify's other recent experiments for audiobooks, such as Author Pages and Video Clips, empowering authors to build their digital presence and promote their work. Today, authors are expected to maintain an online presence akin to digital creators, as follower counts often serve as a proxy for potential sales in the eyes of book publishers.

Supporting authors also aligns with Spotify’s strategy to expand its audiobook offerings. Last year, Spotify made hundreds of thousands of audiobooks available to paying subscribers, and this week, it introduced the first-ever Spotify Wrapped for Authors, highlighting its interest in the audiobook market.

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WHAT I’M READING

Pinterest Predicts 2025 (Pinterest)

Pinterest’s annual trend report highlights 20 ‘bold.’ trends expected to dominate in 2025, based on search data and engagement from Pinners. Highlights include 'Cherry-Coded,' 'Terra Futura,' and 'Peak Travel.' With an 80% accuracy rate for predicted trends that fruition, this report is a must-read for brands aiming to tap into emerging trends and capture their audience’s attention.

Behind the Screens: Insights from Digital Content Creators (UNESDOC)

A new study by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization reveals that 62% of creators do not engage in rigorous and systematic fact-checking before sharing information. While this may not come as a surprise, it raises concerns, as creators are increasingly becoming key sources of information on topics like news, politics, finance, and health, where inaccuracies can have serious consequences. On a positive note, it's encouraging that 73% of creators express interest in being trained in fact-checking.

PEOPLE’s 2024 Creators of the Year (People Magazine)

For its inaugural Creators of the Year List, People magazine highlighted over 40 'creatives, disruptors, and influencers who dominated 2024.' The list includes names like Drew Afualo, Amelia Dimoldenberg, Reesa Teesa, Khaby Lame, and Jools Lebron. It joins other traditional media outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter and Forbes, which have also compiled their own top creator lists.

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