Categories

Blog

18 October 2021
1

Social Media News to Know: October 2021

Kaetlyn Hernandez   |   Insights   |   No comment

​​

At Tripepi Smith, we know it’s hard to stay up to speed on social media platforms when they constantly change. You may not always have the time to learn about the latest and greatest social media trends (let alone the luxury of resources and budget to implement them). Instead, let us provide you with a regular roundup of social media news we think you need to know:

  1. Instagram released official guidelines on hashtag usage. Hashtags are helpful for delivering content to people who are interested in particular topics. In the past, Instagram accounts may have included as many as 15-20 hashtags in a single post, hoping this would further spread their reach. Instagram confirmed a best practice now is to only use 3-5 relevant hashtags maximum.
  2. Instagram is combining Instagram TV (IGTV) and regular Feed videos into one format called “Instagram Video.” In addition, an account’s Instagram Video content will live within a dedicated tab on their profile, separate from regular posts. Instagram Live, Reels and Stories will continue to exist on the platform as-is.
  3. Instagram is experimenting with a new option for users to “like” Instagram Stories, providing an alternate form of engagement. If this feature makes it past the test phase, the new Stories “like” button would appear alongside the message field at the bottom of the Stories display. The number of likes would only be visible to the content creator, and would not be shared with the public.
  4. Twitter is currently testing a new ad placement option, allowing ads to appear in Tweet Replies (after the first, third or eighth reply). The new option might incentivize prominent users to directly monetize their tweets, but might also cause a backlash from regular users who are averse to platform changes.
  5. YouTube has announced some new developments in its video captioning tools, which will make it easier for more channels to add caption text to their video clips. YouTube will be making automatic captions for live-streams available for all creators (in English only for now; more languages may be available in the future). Live automatic captions can be enabled within YouTube Studio, via your Stream Settings. This update will provide more ways to connect with different audiences and viewers.

For more #AlwaysBeLearning insights from Tripepi Smith: