Instagram Launches Creator Testimonials ✍🏾

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TODAY’S EDITION

• Instagram expands Partnership Ads with new creator testimonials.

• LinkedIn adds long-awaited email-specific analytics for Newsletters.

• Amazon bids farewell to its TikTok-like feed, Inspire.

• YouTube experiments with Voice Replies for comments.

• Mastercard launches new debit and credit cards tailored for creators.

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THE KEY STORIES

Instagram Rolls Out Creator Testimonials for Partnership Ads

Instagram is rolling out Testimonials, a new type of Partnership Ad. Initially tested last year, these are text-only endorsements by creators that appear in ads.

Creators can write a message of up to 125 characters about a relevant product or service and share it with their brand partner, who can then add it to Feed Post and Reel ads. Testimonials will be pinned to the top of the Comments section.

Why It Matters: This update gives creators another way to monetize and offers brands a new way to leverage creators' endorsements. While testimonials are common on brand websites, Instagram now brings this experience directly to the app.

With social commerce growing and social media becoming a primary way for consumers to shop, integrating testimonials into Instagram mirrors the experience of interacting with product reviews on a brand’s site.

Testimonials can be great for new product launches, where social proof can drive interest. Additionally, because they're a low-effort option, they offer a fast turnaround for creators and brands. While creator content is often the best hero asset for paid media ads (since it resonates more with consumers), there are situations where a brand’s product shots may be more fitting. In these cases, adding a testimonial helps inject a creator's powerful voice into the ad.

LinkedIn Adds Email-Specific Analytics for Newsletters

LinkedIn quietly launched email-specific analytics for LinkedIn Newsletters.

Now available on the Newsletter Analytics Page, creators can access the following metrics over a selected date range:

• Email Sends: The number of subscribers who received an email for an article.

• Email Open Rate: The percentage of subscribers who opened the email for an article. This number is an estimate and may not be precise.

Why It Matters: Email-specific analytics have been a long-requested feature among creators and marketers, which is surprising, given that newsletters are inherently email-based.

While these metrics are basic, they represent a step in the right direction by providing creators with more data. Until now, creators had no way of knowing how many people actually received their newsletter via email. These new metrics help provide clarity around that, while also offering insight into how often recipients are opening their emails.

For those like myself, who use LinkedIn alongside another newsletter platform for distribution, these metrics offer a more direct comparison of performance across channels, providing a more holistic view. This is also useful for newsletter sponsorships, as creators can now provide brands with more accurate data to gauge the ROI of their ads.

The most important data remains missing, though—the email addresses of subscribers. Until this is made available, LinkedIn won't be a fully-fledged newsletter solution. This could lead to creators abandoning the feature and create a barrier for new users to adopt it.

Amazon Sunsets Inspire, Its TikTok-Style Feed

Amazon got rid of Inspire, its TikTok-style feed. Launched in 2022, it allowed shoppers to discover and purchase new products through creators, customers, and brands.

The Inspire tab is no longer available in the app, and Amazon is now redirecting users to Rufus, its AI-powered shopping assistant. However, Amazon continues to showcase creator content via a feed on the “Shop by Interest” tab.

Why It Matters: This move is somewhat surprising, especially considering the ongoing uncertainty surrounding TikTok and the growing openness of both creators and consumers to alternatives right now. While Inspire showed promise, its impact on product discovery and conversion seems to have been minimal.

This shift also gives context to Amazon deepening partnerships with social media platforms. Amazon has teamed up with Meta, Snapchat, Pinterest, and TikTok for in-app shopping and has more recently been testing affiliate product link integrations with TikTok and Meta. The shutdown of Inspire and other social media features like Spark, along with expanding collaborations, suggests that Amazon sees its social commerce future tied to platforms where people are already consuming content.

Amazon’s pivot to Rufus reflects the broader trend of AI-powered shopping experiences. For example, AI search engine Perplexity launched Perplexity Shopping, and Google revamped Google Shopping with AI features. Meta, with its developing AI assistant Meta AI, is likely to follow suit.

My bet is that all of these experiences will eventually include creator content.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BREAKR

Say Goodbye to Late Creator Payments with BreakrPay™

Net 30, 60, even 90? Creators often wait months to get paid.

Creators power today’s marketing, yet outdated systems continue to delay their payments. Having been on both the creator and marketer sides of campaigns, I understand the frustration of waiting to get paid, while also recognizing the challenges that cause these delays.

This is why I’m excited about BreakrPay™, a new instant payment solution from creator marketing platform Breakr. It allows brands, labels, and agencies to fund creator campaigns instantly, so creators can get paid in real time.

This creator-first infrastructure is the result of a new partnership with Live Nation Urban, which is investing in Breakr through the Black Lily Capital venture fund.

Breakr will also empower Live Nation Urban and its partners to collaborate with creative agencies, scale creator marketing campaigns, and drive impact.

NEWS, TRENDS & INSIGHTS

Instagram is testing a private dislike button for comments. Users can tap it to signal a comment they don’t like for any reason. Instagram may eventually use this feedback to rank comments, moving disliked ones lower. While comments are core to Instagram, they can sometimes be negative. This feature gives users a way to provide feedback and helps shape a more positive comment experience.

Instagram introduced several updates to Direct Messages. Notable additions include Message Translations, enabling users to translate messages in 99 different languages; QR Codes, allowing easy group chat invitations; and the ability to schedule messages for a specific time and date. These updates increase connectivity and bring Instagram more in line with other messaging experiences, like Apple iMessage.

Instagram is now displaying vertical profile grids on desktop. Similar to mobile, posts on profiles are shifting from a square to a vertical format. While not everyone welcomes the change, maintaining a uniform experience across mobile and desktop ensures that creators' thumbnails appear consistently, regardless of the viewing device.

Facebook will auto-delete Live Videos after 30 days. Starting February 19th, new live broadcasts will be available for replay, download, or sharing for 30 days before being removed. Older live videos will also be deleted. To support creators, Facebook is adding tools to download videos, transfer them to Dropbox/Google Drive, and clip segments for Reels. Given Facebook's major AI investments, this change is likely aimed at reducing storage costs.

YouTube is testing Voice Replies with select U.S. creators. This feature allows creators to respond to comments with a 30-second voice memo in the main YouTube app on iOS. While only creators can record them, all users can interact. Voice Replies offer a more dynamic, personal way to engage—whether answering questions, responding to feedback, or thanking fans.

YouTube introduced a Promote option for Shorts. Ceators can use this to boost their short-form videos quickly and easily, without the use of Google Ads. YouTube joins Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and others in offering similar paid media tools designed for creators and small businesses.

LinkedIn redesigned the Activity Section. The photos and videos shared in posts will now appear much larger in this section. This makes the section even more visually appealing, benefiting those who share photo and video content, as it will be more prominent.

Twitch is implementing a 100-hour storage limit for Highlights and Uploads. Currently, only 0.5% of streamers exceed this limit. To help manage this, Twitch is launching a video storage tracker. This move aims to reduce storage costs while shifting focus to newer features like Clips and the Discovery Feed, which are proving more effective for engagement and discovery.

Twitch updated its Enforcement System, adding expiration periods for Community Guidelines violations. Minor violations will expire after 90 days, while more severe ones will remain for 1–2 years. Extreme violations will result in an indefinite suspension, with possible reinstatement after six months. Twitch follows Meta and YouTube in updating enforcement policies to lessen long-term consequences for minor infractions.

Bluesky rolled out Followers-Only Replies and Post Search on Profiles. The former gives users more control over who can engage with their posts, making discussions more manageable, while the latter improves content discovery by allowing users to quickly find specific posts within a profile.

Substack launched video publishing in its app. Previously limited to desktop, creators can now share video posts, notify subscribers, and place videos behind a paywall. This move deepens its investment in video while further evolving into a hybrid of a social media platform and Patreon.

Mastercard unveiled the Business Builder program for creators. It features debt and card products designed specifically to meet the needs of creators, as well as other benefits like mentorship and networking opportunities with brands and other creators. Similar to Visa, Mastercard is providing a suite of tools for creators, who are a growing segment of today’s small businesses with unique challenges. It’s yet another example of legacy companies seeing creators as a distinct consumer segment.

WHAT I’M READING

State of Create (Patreon)

What We Know About TikTok Content Creators (Pew Research Center)

Gen Z Teens Tell Us Why They Stopped Trusting Experts in Favor of Influencers on TikTok (Fortune)

Creators Trailblazing to the Top List (American Influencer Council)

LTK Unveils the Most Loved Products According to Creators and Shoppers (LTK)

DICK’s Sporting Goods Opens Internal Influencer Program to the Public (DICK’S)

Lidl’s TikTok Shop Launch Sells Out in 18 Minutes (The Grocer)

THANK YOU

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