The Social Scoop - Week 23

Welcome to The Social Scoop! Your go-to bi-weekly update on all things social media: brand new features, key trends and platform shifts, all in one place.

Livestreams = prime time: YouTube launches new ad format 📲

YouTube is introducing side-by-side ads, a new mid-roll format where ads appear next to livestreams instead of taking over the full screen. This move aligns with a broader trend where platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram are heavily investing in live video, a format known for its urgency, high engagement, and ability to drive impulse purchases. Side-by-side ads allow for visibility without fully interrupting the viewing experience – a smart step in the rapidly growing live content space.

Meta pushes toward fully AI-generated ads 📈

Meta is building toward a future where brands can fully automate ad creation using AI. The idea is simple: provide a goal, a product image, and a budget and AI handles the rest. From visuals and copy to targeting. While this could benefit smaller businesses with limited resources, some larger brands remain cautious, concerned about creative quality and loss of control.

LinkedIn expands post analytics to show deeper impact 🚀

LinkedIn is rolling out more advanced analytics, allowing users to see how individual posts drive profile views, new followers and clicks to the premium custom button. This makes it easier to see which content contributes most to your goals. Meanwhile video remains LinkedIn’s fastest growing format, with a 36% increase in views year over year, as the platform continues investing in video creation and discovery.

Instagram updates photo ratios, adding 3:4 images 📸

Instagram has made it possible to post stills or carousels in the ratio of 3:4, instead of 4:5. The 3:4 image is a reflection of how the picture has been made on your phone. While the difference between the two ratios is not extremely visible, the new update makes it easier for users to translate the original idea of their picture onto Instagram. You will still be able to post 4:5 and 1:1 pictures if wanted. While the update has been announced by Instagram, it will differ between phones and accounts who have the update first. We recommend continuing posting 4:5 ratios on our accounts, as the difference between the two is minimal.

100K+ Club Perk: Extra comment filters for Instagram users with 100K followers 🤩

A new update has been added to Instagram for creators who have a following above 100.000 users. The update makes it possible to filter through your comments in three new ways:

1. Top comments. Filter comments on the amount of engagement they have gathered.
2. New comments. Filter to see the latest new comments who have been added to your post.
3. Follower count. Filter comments on the amount of following the contributor of the comment has.

Unfortunately, you do need more than 100K followers. But the update does make it easier and quicker to see how people are responding to your post. Connecting with your following or analysing the sentiment.