It's All About Carousels 📸

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

TODAY’S EDITION

• Instagram is expanding the reach of Carousels by making them eligible for the Reels tab.

• Instagram gives creators digital business cards with the launch of Profile Cards.

• YouTube announces updates that enhance the viewing experience across mobile, desktop, and TV.

• LinkedIn will feature news content from traditional media and creators via a new banner experience.

• A discussion with Ahad Khan, the CEO of creator commerce platform Kajabi on the reality of today’s creator economy.

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DEEP DIVE

Instagram Expands the Reach of Carousels & Photos: Here’s Why It Matters

Instagram announced that Carousels and photos with music are now eligible to appear in the Reels tab. The platform also shared tips for creators to expand their reach with Carousels, such as adding text on the first slide, using "visually striking images" to evoke a reaction, and layering images with stickers.

Additionally, Instagram confirmed that Carousels generally outperform single-photo posts because they offer multiple slides for viewers to engage with. If viewers don’t swipe through all the slides, Instagram may resurface the unseen content later, treating it as “new content.”

The Build Up

This highlights Instagram’s growing emphasis on Carousels. With recent features like native text, music for Carousels with video, image stickers, and an increase to 20 slides, Carousels are now on par with Reels—Instagram views them as interchangeable formats. This makes sense, given that both formats are ideal for storytelling, incorporate multimedia, and are highly engaging. This is further reinforced by the fact that Carousels can appear alongside Reels.

For creators and brands who prefer to share photo content, this is great as it allows them to share high-quality images while benefiting from enhanced discovery in the Reels tab. They aren’t forced to make Reels just to improve their discoverability.

Why Carousels Should Always Be the Default for Photo Content

When it comes to photo content, Carousels should always be the default choice over single-photo posts unless there’s a specific reason otherwise. In addition to their higher potential for reach and engagement, Carousels can also be repurposed across TikTok, similar to short-form videos (with tweaks). With TikTok embracing this type of content, it presents the opportunity to strengthen one’s presence on that platform as well, using photos.

When to Choose Carousels Over Reels

Although Carousels and Reels share similarities, there may be some situations where Carousels are the better choice.

For example, when detailed storytelling or educational content is needed, Carousels offer a more structured, step-by-step approach. Users can swipe through slides, each presenting a clear point or ideal. In contrast, Reels, which are typically 30 to 90 seconds long, might not provide enough space to convey the same depth, making them less ideal for this type of content.

Another example is product showcases, such as creator-brand collaborations during the holiday season. Carousels allow creators to dedicate individual slides to different products in a gift guide, enabling them to add text overlays and image stickers for more product information. While creators can highlight multiple products in Reels, it can be challenging to provide sufficient context if there are many items to showcase.

A Bigger Trend: Unifying Content Formats

Overall, this update highlights one of the biggest trends that hasn’t received enough attention: platforms are increasingly integrating various content formats into unified feeds. This shift follows a period where they focused on building out dedicated feeds for specific formats. Other notable examples of this include:

• YouTube experimenting with showing long-form and live streams in the Shorts feed.

• TikTok featuring a mix of photos, short-form videos, and longer videos on the For You Page.

• Facebook launching a new video experience that combines short-form, long-form, and live content.

• LinkedIn testing an experience where photos lead to its short-form video feed.

These offer benefits for multiple parties: creators can produce content across various formats while gaining similar discoverability; viewers enjoy a more centralized experience for discovering relevant content; and platforms can create better advertising solutions for brands that capitalize on the distinct advantages of each content type.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SUPERFILIATE

Unlock the Power of TikTok Shop with Superfiliate

It’s no secret that the worlds of influencer marketing and affiliate programs are converging as brands seek performance-driven results from their creator partnerships. One standout example is the emergence of TikTok Shop, the platform’s native commerce solution that enables brands to collaborate with creators for shoppable content.

If you’re looking to get started or strengthen your existing TikTok Shop efforts, my friends at Superfiliate—who power creator, ambassador, and affiliate programs for hundreds of e-commerce brands—are worth checking out.

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• Discover thousands of relevant creators within your existing networks and new partners that align with your brand. 

• Automatically find creators eager to collaborate by setting filters and rules.

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• Access detailed performance metrics, developed in collaboration with the TikTok Shop team, to identify top performers and uncover key insights driving your success.

With Superfiliate, you get the right technology and the team you need to be successful with TikTok Shop. 

Learn more about Superfiliate and its TikTok Shop integration, and schedule a call with their team here. Mention that I sent you, and you’ll receive your first month FREE!

NEWS, TRENDS & INSIGHTS

Meta

Instagram Launches Digital Business Cards with Customizable Profile Cards

Instagram rolled out customizable Profile Cards globally. These two-sided cards, accessible via the "Share Profile" option, display a user’s bio, avatar, links, and music on one side, with a QR code on the other. Users can also personalize the background and share the card via text or across other platforms.

Why It Matters: As social media increasingly becomes a digital resume, particularly for Gen Z—where over half aspire to become influencers—Profile Cards function like digital business cards. Creators can use them to connect with brands and fellow creators for collaboration, while everyday users can easily share their profiles to connect with new friends.

Instagram Updates Reels Drafts with Custom Titles & Scheduling

Instagram added updates for Reels drafts. Users can now rename their drafts by adding custom titles. They can also schedule Reels to post at a future time directly from the drafts folder using the new scheduling option.

Why It Matters: The ability to rename drafts helps creators and brands stay organized, especially when managing multiple videos. Scheduling Reels from the drafts folder improves efficiency, allowing content to be batch-created and posted at optimal times.

These updates, along with Content Scheduling, Multiple Links, and Grid Preview, demonstrate Instagram's gradual incorporation of functionalities typically associated with third-party apps into its platform. While somewhat limited, they provide options for users who prefer free, in-platform solutions.

Instagram Launches New Integration to Allow Users to Add Songs from Posts Directly to Spotify

Instagram and Spotify have announced a new integration that enables users to link their Spotify accounts to Instagram. When users come across a post or Story featuring a song, they can tap it for more information and the option to add the song to their Spotify library and in "Liked Songs" playlist.

Why It Matters: This integration streamlines the process for users to discover and save songs they encounter on Instagram, making it easier to listen to the full versions later. As music discovery increasingly occurs through social media, this feature creates a more direct connection between users encountering song snippets in content and their ability to expand their music library.

Instagram has been steadily adding new music-related features, often partnering with artists to launch these features as well. This is likely an attempt to play a more significant role in breaking new artists and facilitating music discovery, similar to TikTok, which continues to build out its music capabilities.

YouTube

YouTube Announces New Design, Functionality & Collaboration Updates

YouTube announced a bundle of updates across its web, mobile, and TV experiences. Here are the key highlights:

• New Miniplayer: Viewers can now enjoy videos while browsing YouTube simultaneously, thanks to a new miniplayer that can be resized and moved around the screen.

• Fine-Tunable Playback Speed: Viewers can now adjust video playback speed in smaller increments for a more tailored viewing experience.

• YouTube TV Enhancements: YouTube is rolling out visual updates to its web, mobile, and TV apps, featuring pops of pink and light. Additionally, a revamped UI for Shorts on TV allows viewers to read comments or browse a shop without interrupting the video.

• Collaborative Playlists: Users can create and share playlists with others via a link, with plans for a QR code feature for TV users. They can personalize their playlists with custom thumbnails or generate them through AI. Later this year, users will also be able to vote on videos in a playlist, adjusting the content order.

• Badges: Viewers can earn badges for various milestones, such as being among the first paid members of a creator’s channel, being a top listener of an artist, or having a creator heart their comment.

Why It Matters: These updates enhance both design and functionality while fostering collaboration between creators and viewers. Features like the new miniplayer and fine-tunable playback speed empower users with greater control over their viewing experiences. Additionally, improvements to the TV app align it with the interfaces of traditional streaming services.

Collaborative playlists provide new opportunities for viewers to interact with each other and creators. With more users watching on TV, these playlists will be handy for friends to curate collections for social gatherings, similar to creating music playlists for parties.

The forthcoming voting feature will allow viewers to express their preferences as well as enable creators to tap into their communities and discover which videos resonate best within specific playlists.

YouTube Rolls Out Comment-Based Search Shortcuts for Long-Form Videos and Shorts

YouTube now allows users to search directly from video comments on both long-form videos and Shorts. Popular search terms in the comments are displayed as clickable, bolded shortcuts, accompanied by a magnifying glass icon. When clicked, these terms lead users to related content while the original video continues playing in a mini-player. For Shorts, the feature narrows search results to other Shorts content.

Why It Matters: This will help increase content discovery by enabling viewers to seamlessly explore related topics through highlighted search terms in the comments. Users can dive deeper into areas of interest and potentially uncover videos they might not have found otherwise. However, there could be a downside for creators, as this feature may reduce watch time and viewer retention if users are diverted to other creators' content.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn Expands Thought Leader Ads to Live Events

LinkedIn is expanding its Thought Leader Ads to include Live Events. Later this year, companies will be able to promote a user’s post about a Live Event hosted by their Company Page, using Thought Leader Ads—LinkedIn’s answer to Meta’s Partnership Ads and TikTok’s Spark Ads—which will link directly to the event.

Why It Matters: With 67% of buyers stating that influencer content plays a critical role in the consideration stage of the buying process, LinkedIn is expanding opportunities for businesses to collaborate with creators and their internal thought leaders.

In addition to posts, newsletters, and articles, which are already eligible for Thought Leader Ads, companies can now leverage creators to drive registrations and engagement for live events. This update comes as Live Events on LinkedIn have increased by 14.4% over the past year.

LinkedIn to Experiment with News Banner Highlighting Professional Stories

LinkedIn is set to experiment with a news banner at the top of users’ feeds, designed to spotlight new and developing stories relevant to the professional world. Curated by LinkedIn's editorial team, the banner will allow users to click through and explore related articles and posts from a variety of sources, including publishers, journalists, and creators.

While platforms like Facebook and X are moving away from news content and publishers, LinkedIn is leaning further into this space. Recently, the platform has increased its collaboration with publishers like helping them optimize their content on LinkedIn, offering opportunities to break company news with amplification support, and launching an ad revenue-sharing initiative with video publishers.

This gives users greater access to business-related news, blending traditional media, with insights from LinkedIn members. By doing so, LinkedIn will create a richer mix of perspectives, similar to how platforms like YouTube offer a combination of premium streaming and creator-driven content.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

I sent out a bonus edition of the newsletter earlier this week around a conversation I had with Ahad Khan, CEO of the creator commerce platform Kajabi, about the realities of the creator economy and what is needed to build a true creator middle class.

If you didn’t see it in your inbox, be sure to check your spam folder or read the article below.

THANK YOU

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