The Trial Reels Effect 📈

Just a week ago, Courtney Duffy and I kicked off our first creator economy meetup in Boston, bringing together over 50 creators, marketers, founders, and operators for a mixer. Thank you to all those who came out! We’ve already started planning our next one for the summer.

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TODAY’S EDITION

• Instagram’s Trial Reels feature is driving creators to post more and reach more non-followers.

• TikTok makes it easier for brands to turn UGC into performance ads, following Meta and YouTube’s lead.

• LinkedIn is testing new feed tabs that let users filter content to see what they want.

• Snapchat revealed it paid creators and publishers over half a billion dollars in 2024.

• A bipartisan Congressional Creators Caucus has launched to support the growing creator economy

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NEWS, TRENDS & INSIGHTS

Meta

Instagram found that 40% of creators who tried Trial Reels started posting Reels more often. Of those, 80% saw increased reach from non-followers. The stat comes from a new case study featuring comedic creator Sky McDonald, who tripled her audience using the feature. Trial Reels is proving to be a win-win. It helps creators experiment with low-pressure content while fueling Instagram’s video ecosystem.

Meta reportedly plans to fully automate ad campaigns by the end of 2026 using AI. A brand will provide a product image and budget, and AI will handle the rest—creative, targeting, and personalization. Big brands might hesitate to give up that much control, but small businesses and DTC brands may see it as a game-changer. This could also shift business away from some ad agencies.

Instagram added a "Suggested Fixes" feature for Reels. Tapping the lightbulb icon during publishing generates suggestions like adding hashtags. Ironically, Adam Mosseri has previously downplayed the value of hashtags in discoverability. But if this evolves into personalized recommendations, it could be a helpful tool for creators.

Instagram is encouraging full-screen content with a new “Tap to change size” prompt in Stories. Paired with the Expander tool and 3:4 aspect ratio support, this is part of a broader effort to create more immersive experiences.

Threads has been improving how links are ranked, and according to Mosseri, they’ve been “better” for over a month. With the rollout of multiple bio links and link analytics, Instagram seems to be courting creators and publishers looking to drive traffic beyond the platform

Edits, Instagram’s video editing app, is getting a teleprompter feature. Creators will be able to read scripts while recording, with adjustable speed and font size. Early reactions from creators have been positive, which should help Edits continue building momentum as it rolls out new features almost every week.

TikTok

TikTok unveiled the TikTok One Content Suite, a centralized hub where brands can view and filter UGC that mentions them. Brands can request creator permission to boost posts as ads, aligning TikTok with similiar new features from Meta and YouTube. It reflects a broader trend that organic, everyday content is increasingly fueling paid performance and playing a bigger role in influencer marketing strategies.

TikTok added Manage Topics, letting users fine-tune how often they see content from categories like Travel or Sports. It also launched a Smart Keyword Filter that uses AI to expand filters with related hashtags and synonyms. Both updates give users more control over their content experience.

TikTok launched TikTok for Artists, a new music insights dashboard for artists and their teams. It provides analytics on song and post performance, fan engagement, and more. This is a clear push to help artists use TikTok more strategically to grow their music careers.

TikTok also rolled out a Pre-Release tool for albums, building on its “Add to Music” feature. Artists can now let fans pre-save music on Spotify or Apple Music, supporting the entire launch timeline, from early buzz to full streaming release.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is testing new feed tabs with select U.S. mobile users. The “Following” tab shows posts from people and Pages users follow, along with ads. The “News” tab highlights top professional headlines curated by LinkedIn’s editorial team. The algorithm-driven feed, which is now named “For You”, remains the default, but these additions give users more control over the content they see and how they engage with the platform

LinkedIn announced new ad offerings. First Impression Ads let brands reserve a vertical video ad to be the first a user sees each day, while Reserved Ads guarantee top placement for sponsored content like Thought Leader ads. The platform has also partnered with Adobe to launch video ad templates, expanding on its existing Canva partnership. With 93% of marketers saying video drives stronger brand recall than images, these tools are designed to help advertisers create more impactful campaigns.

LinkedIn shared 13 tips for creating compelling B2B video content. Highlights include optimizing for mobile viewing, keeping videos between 15–30 seconds, hooking viewers within the first few seconds, and supplementing with strong text captions. Nothing groundbreaking, but a helpful reminder for optimizing video on LinkedIn.

(Related: Why LinkedIn video is your next big opportunity)

LinkedIn released a new B2B influencer marketing guide. It outlines how brands can work with B2B creators, preferred content formats (with video at the top), and how to use creator-powered solutions, BrandLink, and Thought Leader ads. Creator-powered B2B content on LinkedIn is seeing strong traction right now.

(Related: How to work with LinkedIn creators)

YouTube

YouTube will blur thumbnails in search results that often surface sexual or mature content. Titles, channel names, and descriptions remain visible, but viewers must click to unblur. This move is meant to create a safer experience, especially for younger users or those looking to avoid sensitive content.

Snapchat

Snapchat paid out more than half a billion dollars to creators and media partners so far this year. CEO Evan Spiegel revealed this during a conversation with Kaya Yurieff at The Information’s Future of Influence event. While it’s a small fraction compared to YouTube’s $70 billion payouts to creators, artists, and media over three years, it marks an important milestone in Snapchat’s growing ability to support creators and publishers with monetization.

Snapchat launched a dedicated Lens Studio app and web tool for faster AR lens creation. Users can build lenses in minutes using editing tools or text prompts. This is part of a broader trend toward standalone apps that help social media platforms drive toward initiatives.

Snapchat announced a new Apple Watch app, allowing users to view and respond to messages directly from their wrists. Viewing images and videos isn’t supported yet, though. This move expands Snapchat’s footprint across devices at a time when most platforms are focused on bigger screens, making its shift to smaller ones like smartwatches stand out.

Reddit

Reddit updated user profile visibility controls. Under “Content and Activity Settings,” users can choose to show everything, only specific content, or hide it all. This flexibility could encourage more participation from users who are concerned about privacy or past posts.

Twitch

Twitch will recommend engaging moments from a live stream for streamers to use as Clips. Instead of guessing which moments to share as short-form videos, streamers get a helpful starting point to choose from, speeding up clip publishing and increasing their chances of reaching new audiences.

Twitch is testing the ability for viewers to be able to pause and rewind live streams. This lets viewers catch up on missed moments, whether they join late or need to step away without losing context.

WHAT I’M READING

Creators deserve a seat at the table—the Congressional Creators Caucus is a step in the right direction (Patreon)

This bipartisan initiative signals growing recognition of creators as key economic players. Having a dedicated voice in Congress could shape more creator-friendly policies around digital rights and content monetization.

Get Real: The Data on Influencer Marketing (Typeform)

Typeform gathered insights from over 1,300 creators, marketers, and consumers to uncover the real truth about influencer marketing, including where brands often miss the mark.

How Ulta is tapping in-store associates for content creation with new ‘Ulta Beauties’ internal ambassador program (Glossy)

Through Ulta Beauties, a new internal ambassador program, the beauty retailer is empowering its store associates to create and share content in exchange for products, the chance to appear in Ulta commercials, and more. This content is often outperforming the retailer’s external creator partnerships.

A third of Gen Z feels ‘pressure’ to become social media creators — and most say their schools encourage it (Fast Company)

The rise of creator culture is influencing education and career expectations for Gen Z, showing how the traditional career path is evolving to include digital entrepreneurship as a viable, stressful option.

Marketers can rely on affiliate marketing for predictability and full-funnel value (eMarketer)

Affiliate marketing is maturing beyond simple promo codes. Integrating creators with tools like storefronts creates more measurable, full-funnel impact, making creator partnerships a must-have for brands focused on performance.

THANK YOU

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