Platforms Lean on Creator-Powered Advertising at IAB NewFronts 🤳🏿

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TODAY’S EDITION

• Meta, YouTube, Snapchat, and LinkedIn’s announced a boatload of creator-led advertising solutions at IAB NewFronts.

• Pinterest turns to visual search to help with personalization.

• Spotify adds a new public-facing metric for podcasts with Plays.

• Netflix becomes the latest streamer to add a TikTok-like vertical video feed.

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NEWS, TRENDS & INSIGHTS

Meta

Meta unveiled several updates to its creator-brand advertising solutions. Highlights are:

• Reels Trending Ads: Brands can deliver ads after popular, engaging creator Reels, such as top overall trending Reels or top trending topical lineups like beauty and sports.

• Trends in Instagram Creator Marketplace": It highlights and ranks topics that are trending on Instagram Reels, and recommends creators based on those topics.

• Creator Marketplace: Brands can use AI-powered keyword search suggestions to find creators and view metrics like hook rate, interaction rate, and past brand partnerships to elevate them.

• Recommendations: AI-powered suggestions for which organic creator content to use in Partnership Ads, based on what will likely perform best. Meta will also surface users and creators who have posted about a brand.

• Creator Marketplace Discovery API: Meta is testing a new API that will allow third parties to connect with Instagram’s Creator Marketplace to discover creators at scale.

• Facebook Live Partnership Ads: Advertisers can now boost Facebook Live videos via Partnership Ads.

• Video Ads on Threads: Select advertisers can test 16:9 or 1:1 video ads that appear between organic posts in the feed.

Why It Matters: Meta is adding new and improved ways for brands to partner with creators across its family of apps.

With Reels Trending Ads, it gives advertisers the ability to show up alongside trending content, similar to TikTok Pulse. With the Trends tab, search updates, and AI-powered recommendations, brands have new ways to discover and assess creators based on their content and likely performance.

Partnership Ads for Facebook Live and new ad units on Threads open fresh opportunities for brand placements. The Facebook Live update is especially notable, given Meta had been pulling back from live. This suggests it may be watching TikTok’s live shopping success and considering re-entering the space.

More: Instagram head Adam Mosseri revealed in his antitrust case testimony that the platform has invested as much as $700 million in a year to attract creators, Instagram partnered with The Weeknd to showcase its unlockable Reels feature, Edits added new updates, and Facebook launched a new Instagram account dedicated to creators.

YouTube

YouTube announced new tools for creator-brand collaborations:

• Insights Finder: Brands can now search for YouTube creators based on specific topics and audience attributes.

• Creator Partnership Hub: Brands can discover recommended creators, search for creators, view creators who have already posted about their brand, and track the performance of both organic and paid content.

• New APIs: YouTube is rolling out new APIs, including one for BrandConnect, to enable influencer marketing platforms and agencies to integrate with its creator-brand tools.

Why It Matters: YouTube is continuing to move from a passive to a more aggressive approach to its role in influencer marketing.

These updates make it easier to find and evaluate creators, with a focus on content and audience fit, while making sure brands can measure the organic and paid impact of their creator collaborations.

The BrandConnect API is the standout update (I previously said this would be a key move), as it opens the door for third-party platforms and agencies to help scale YouTube creator partnerships. That could lead to more brands running influencer campaigns on YouTube and boosting creator content with ad spend, a model that's worked well for TikTok.

More: YouTube is testing a Premium plan for two people at a reduced cost.

TikTok

TikTok expanded TikTok Pulse, its contextual advertising solution. New offerings include Pulse Custom Lineups, which let advertisers place ads next to top user-generated content by category or seasonal moment.

It also introduced Content Sponsorship Packages, allowing brands to appear around specific searches, content themes, interactive features, and more.

Why It Matters: Despite ongoing legal challenges in the U.S., TikTok is doubling down on contextual advertising. These offerings give brands more targeted, high-impact placements across top content, creators, and cultural moments.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn announced First Impression Ads, a new video ad unit that appears at the top of users’ Feeds for one day. It is the first ad a target audience sees and opens in full-screen when tapped.

This was announced alongside BrandLink, which allows brands to place ads alongside top B2B creators who are launching new LinkedIn Shows. LinkedIn previewed this ahead of its first-ever NewFronts.

Why It Matters: First Impression Ads offer a bold, broadcast-style way for brands to stand out. It’s especially valuable for launches, tentpole moments, or announcements that demand visibility right away.

Pinterest

Pinterest introduced new visual search capabilities. It will now decode images into descriptive words to help users discover more shopping content. A new refinement bar lets users narrow results by preferences like color, style, and fabric. The Search Image button is also being added to more places across the app.

Why It Matters: Pinterest is leaning into its strength as a visual discovery platform to drive more personalized shopping. This should create a better user experience and encourage product exploration and conversion.

Snapchat

Snapchat is expanding its Sponsored Snaps offering. Brands can now send sponsored messages directly from a creator’s handle in the Chat Feed.

Why It Matters: Messaging is Snapchat’s main feature, so this lets brands show up where users are most active. While ads in inboxes can feel intrusive, coming from familiar creators makes the approach more organic.

Given how central messaging is to Instagram, this format could be something it replicates for Partnership Ads.

More: Snap Map hit 400 million monthly active users.

Reddit

Reddit added profile tools for Reddit Pro, its suite of tools for businesses. When creating a profile, businesses provide the URL for their website and get AI-powered suggestions for their profile bio. They can also cross-post relevant community posts and comments directly to their profile.

Why It Matters: This makes it easier for businesses to set up their profiles quickly by leveraging AI and existing user-generated content to establish their identity.

The former reduces the pressure to develop a full Reddit strategy upfront. Instead, brands can lean on the social proof of communities to populate their profile with credible, relevant content.

Spotify

Spotify introduced a new podcast metric called Plays, showing how many times an episode has been listened to or watched. Play counts are visible on homepages, show pages, and episode pages. During the first 24 hours of a podcast’s release, a "New" label appears instead of a count.

Why It Matters: This is Spotify’s version of a view count, similar to YouTube.
It gives creators a clear performance benchmark and helps users discover what’s trending.

However, some smaller podcasters are skeptical, as it may further amplify the biggest shows, creating a feedback loop where big podcasts keep getting bigger.

Related: The Golden Globes is adding a Best Podcast of the Year category.

Netflix

Netflix will begin testing a vertical video feed in its mobile app as part of a broader redesign. The feed will feature short clips from Netflix shows and movies, allowing users to scroll through content and tap to watch the full title, add it to My List, or share it with friends.

Why It Matters: Netflix is joining other streamers like Peacock and Tubi in adopting TikTok-like video formats. This feature will drive discovery, engagement, and shareability, particularly among younger viewers.

It also paves the way for the potential addition of video podcasts in the future and supports Netflix's broader focus on building features that enable users to share and create content.

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