The Social Scoop - Week 35

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.

Will series linked increase your video views and profile visits? 👀

A month ago, Instagram was testing linking Reels. The feature has been launched in the meantime and it’s quite promising we must say! We’re seeing more and more creators split their videos into two (or more) parts. Not because they can’t tell the story in one go, but because it’s a smart way to work with the algorithm. You kill two birds with one stone: extra video views and increased account visibility. This strategy seems to work, and Instagram did listen! The feature is live and lets you run multiple Reels as a continuous series, with a “Watch Part 2” button. It’s a simple way to keep your series organized and your audience engaged for longer.

TikTok limits the amount of hashtags to 5 🚫

Hashtags overload? Not anymore. TikTok is rolling out a five-hashtag limit for manually posted content. The change is aimed at improving the user experience and bringing back the relevance of hashtags by encouraging more intentional use. But this raises the bigger question: are hashtags still relevant at all? The short answer is yes, but their role has shifted. These days, hashtags do more than support your social posts. They can also help your brand show up in search, especially as Instagram and other platforms lean more on SEO for discovery. Research shows that hashtags can still boost engagement rate of your social media posts by 12%.

Does posting more increase your followers? 📈

A recent study from Buffer shows more posting increases your engagement and reach, suggesting that the more you post, the better. By analyzing over 2 million posts, Buffer found that posting 3 to 5 times per week can double your followers, while posting 6 to 9 times (or more) accelerates follower growth even further. That said, quality and relevance matter: nine irrelevant posts won’t help you reach your follower goals. Make sure your content resonates with your audience to see real growth.

Is the new Meta AI translations for video legit? 🌍

Meta has rolled out AI-powered voice translation with lip sync for Reels. While it’s currently only available in the U.S., we wanted to see how accurate it is and how easily it can be applied to your videos. At launch, it supports English ↔ Spanish, and it works remarkably well, as shown in this example. Adding the translations to your Reels is equally quick and straightforward. This is a feature worth watching, as it marks a major step toward making global campaigns easier and more authentic. So EU users, stay tuned! Based in the U.S.? Here’s your guide to try it out.