Category: SOCIAL MEDIA

  • TikTok Publishes Guide on Lead Generation Best Practices

    TikTok Publishes Guide on Lead Generation Best Practices

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    TikTok has partnered with Hubspot on a new guide to effective lead generation in the app, which includes a range of tips on TikTok ads best practices, campaign notes, case studies, and more.

    The full 25-page guide, which is aimed at APAC marketers, is available to download here (with email sign-up), but in this post, we’ll take a look at some of the key elements.

    First off, the guide provides an overview of TikTok’s main lead gen options, and how they work.

    TikTok Lead Finders guide

    There’s also an overview of the ideal workflow for lead generation using TikTok’s solutions, which could help in your campaign planning.

    TikTok Lead Finders guide

    There are also notes on how to integrate your TikTok ads process into Hubspot, and bring your ad campaign management into a single platform.

    The guide also provides Lead Ads and Lead Gen Form best practices, outlined in key steps:

    TikTok Lead Finders guide

    There are also creative tips, notes on how to use CapCut to edit and create video clips, and a case study to present the notes in action.

    There are some handy notes here, and even if you’re confident that you know what you’re doing with your TikTok approach, it’s likely worth downloading and reading through the notes, in case there are some elements that you may have overlooked.

    You can download TikTok’s full “Lead Finders” playbook here.

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  • YouTube Tests New Audience Filters for its Video Retention Stats

    YouTube Tests New Audience Filters for its Video Retention Stats

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    YouTube’s testing an update within its viewer retention charts in YouTube Studio, which will soon enable creators to dig into how different segments of their audience are engaging with their content.

    YouTube retention charts

    As you can see in this example, shared by YouTube creator expert Mario Joos, creators will soon be able to examine viewer retention based on:

    • Subscribers and non-subscribers
    • New and returning viewers
    • Organic and paid traffic

    That’ll provide more ways to understand specific audience behaviors, and how you’re engaging, say, those who come to your videos via paid promotions, or whether subscribers like certain clips more than non-subs, etc.

    YouTube Creator Liaison Rene Ritchie has confirmed that YouTube is testing this new option with a limited number of creators before an expanded roll out soon.

    It’s another handy analytics element from YouTube, which continues to refine its data tools, and provide more ways to analyze and assess the performance of your uploads.

    Every other week, YouTube adds another data option, with a view to helping creators maximize their content, and tap into new opportunities.

    This year alone, YouTube has added:

    It’s also close to launching its new thumbnail A/B testing option, which will provide more data insights into comparative performance for your planning.

    Retention audiences is yet another step in this direction, which could play a significant role in your strategy.  



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  • X Tests New, Additional Display of Pinned Posts In-Feed

    X Tests New, Additional Display of Pinned Posts In-Feed

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    I’m not sure that this will make a big difference, and I would love to see the stats on how many X (formerly Twitter) users are actually using the “For You” feed, as opposed to the “Following” option. But X is currently working on a new display which would ensure that your followers are shown your pinned posts in the app, via a new, dedicated breakout display in-stream.

    X Pinned Posts display

    As you can see in this example, shared by X engineer Enrique Barragan, the new display would show your pinned posts to your followers via a side-scrolling update feed, which would be inserted into the “For You” listing.

    It’s not clear if the same unit would be displayed in the “Following” feed also, but the idea is that if you’re highlighting your best posts by pinning them, ensuring that your audience sees them should help to increase overall engagement.

    Though I’m not sure that it’ll actually work that way in practice.

    The concept was actually suggested by X owner Elon Musk last month, who proclaimed that:

    So, I’m not sure that this would necessarily mean that all of your followers end up seeing your pinned posts, as they would seemingly need to scroll through this unit for that to happen. And for users who follow a lot of profiles, that could be a lot of posts to swipe through, even with the noted limit of one pinned post, per profile every 48 hours to be featured.

    Not everyone’s going to pin posts, of course, and X’s own data shows that only 20% of its users ever post anything at all in the app, reducing the potential usage of the feature by a lot. But the non-intuitive, side-scrolling unit seems like a compromise in what Musk initially pledged on this, in terms of visibility.

    Though I guess X would essentially be facilitating broader reach, if users choose to use it?

    In any event, I’m not sure that this will end up being an amazing addition for general users, though for those looking to get more reach and traction, it could be another consideration in your X posting strategy.

    It could be that competition for space in these display units ends up being high, depending on how many people each of your followers also follow, but it could also be very low in many cases, which could then help you gain more traction and reach.

    On balance, my assumption would be that this ends up being a minor element, but for those who are posting regularly on X, and are looking for growth strategies, it’ll definitely be worth an experiment.

    As Barragan notes, the new display is currently in limited testing, and will be rolling out more broadly soon.



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  • Snapchat Tests New Option Which Enables Users to Opt-Out of Auto-Deleting Messages

    Snapchat Tests New Option Which Enables Users to Opt-Out of Auto-Deleting Messages

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    Snapchat has announced a significant new update, at least in terms of its long-held design principles, with a new experiment that will enable Snapchatters to keep their messages in the app beyond the current 24 hour auto-delete threshold.

    Snapchat message retention

    As you can see in this example, Snapchat’s testing out a new option that would enable users to select “Never delete” in their messaging retention options, which would essentially make it much more like every other messaging app.

    Which could also dilute its key point of differentiation, but Snap clearly feels that it needs to take this step.  

    As explained by Snap:

    We’re constantly listening to and learning from Snapchatters, and thoughtfully innovating based on their needs. In response to feedback from our community, we’re excited to offer a new setting in chat that we hope provides even more flexibility and control over conversations with the people who matter most.”

    Users in the experiment, which is now underway in selected markets, will be able to enact this new setting on a conversation-by-conversation basis.

    “Participants in the conversation can update the settings at any time, and in-chat notices make sure the latest selections are clear.”

    So anyone within a chat can switch this off, ensuring that control remains in the hands of all participants.

    Snapchat also notes that conversations in the app will continue to auto-delete by default, with ephemerality remaining a core element of the app’s “design philosophy”. But with more people using Snapchat as their key messaging platform of choice, the option is designed to provide more capacity for those who may want to be able to keep a longer history of their chats.

    It’s a significant step for the app, which, as noted, has made its name as the disappearing message platform, and has become a popular tool among younger audiences based on this element. It seems like Snap would be better off retaining that focus, as it hasn’t needed longer message retention thus far, but then again, with more interaction switching to DMs, Snap likely also sees this as an opportunity to expand its value, and usage, among more people.

    That could particularly relate to older users, who may be more inclined to keep using Snapchat as they age up if it replicates the same functionality of other messaging apps.

    Maybe that’s the focus here, with Snap looking to enhance its appeal with a broader audience to stimulate more growth, and boost its ad potential.

    Will message retention help on this front?

    Clearly, it’s a much-requested feature, and enabling users to opt out seems like a reasonably safe way to at least experiment with this option.

    But will it also make Snap less unique?

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  • TikTok’s Reportedly Testing a New Instagram-Like ‘TikTok Photos’ App

    TikTok’s Reportedly Testing a New Instagram-Like ‘TikTok Photos’ App

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    TikTok could be eyeing a new way to take on Instagram, with a new “TikTok Photos” app reportedly in development.

    TikTok Photos

    As reported by The SpAndroid, in the back-end code of the current TikTok app, some new references to “TikTok Photos” have appeared within the code strings.

    The code appears to suggest that TikTok users will soon be prompted to share their still images to the new app, in order to “reach like-minded people who enjoy photo posts”.

    There’s also, apparently, a new welcome message for the app:

    TikTok Photos will be launched soon, we hope to help you gain new audiences in the new app. If the switch is on, we’ll sync your public photos to the new app, whether you close the pop-up or not.”

    The addition of a separate TikTok Photos app is not overly surprising, given that TikTok has already added a “photo mode” for still images in-stream, and has been encouraging users to post more photos of late.

    TikTok photos

    It also makes sense in the context of Chinese app trends.

    China’s own version of Instagram is the Tencent-backed Xiaohongshu, which has seen big success of late after incorporating eCommerce features.

    xiaohongshu app

    Xiaohongshu generated more than $500 million in net income in 2023, far exceeding expectations for the platform, and now has more than 200 million active users in the nation.

    Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, has also been emphasizing still image posts, though it seemingly hasn’t viewed this as a key priority. But maybe, now that Xiaohongshu is making big money, and expanding on its eCommerce potential, that’s now prompted TikTok owner ByteDance to make a bigger push on this element.

    So will it work?

    Well, it’s hard to see how an Instagram equivalent will compete in markets where IG itself exists but maybe, as an expansion of TikTok’s in-stream shopping push, there could be something there, which could make it a more viable project.

    And ByteDance has shown a willingness to experiment with new apps, including Lemon8, which also looks very much like Instagram, though with a clear eCommerce tilt.

    Lemon8

    Lemon8 drew significant interest quickly after its U.S. launch early last year, but has seemingly lost momentum of late.  

    Maybe, a TikTok-branded photo app would fare better, and facilitate more opportunities in Western markets.

    And maybe, given that TikTok is facing a ban once again in the U.S., it wants to get it out now, in order to test the waters before a ban is enacted.

    There’s not a heap to go on as yet, but the signs do suggest that ByteDance could be looking to enhance its eCommerce appeal through an image-based app.

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  • X Launches Long-Form Articles Option for Premium+ Subscribers

    X Launches Long-Form Articles Option for Premium+ Subscribers

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    X is taking the next steps to advance beyond its short-form content roots, with the introduction of X Articles, which is essentially a blogging platform built into the X system.

    X Articles

    As you can see in this example, X Articles includes all the basic elements of a blogging tool, including a title and header image for your post, and various in-stream formatting options (like bold, italics, numbers lists, links, etc.)

    Users will also be able to embed images and videos into their Articles, providing more ways to differentiate Articles from long-form posts in the app.

    Which have also had several upgrades to bring them up to speed with other blogging tools. But Articles is a more dedicated option for long-form content.

    X Articles will appear on your profile in a new Articles tab, as well as in your followers’ timeline, just like regular X posts.

    “Articles will also be easily distinguishable thanks to a unique icon and layout, ensuring that your long-form content stands out.”

    X is hoping that the new format will see more publishers and creators share their content direct to the app, which is what X owner Elon Musk really wants.

    Musk, of course, is pushing to convert the platform formerly known as Twitter into his vision for an “everything app”, which would enable all kinds of different functions and processes in-stream.

    Long-form content, in particular, has been a key focus for Musk’s “freedom of speech” push, with Musk repeatedly calling on “citizen journalists” to share their views on X, in order to challenge the mainstream media.

    Whom Musk is convinced is biased, often against him, and as such, Elon’s hope is that by giving more people more ways to share their thoughts in the app, that will help to establish a new information ecosystem, free of outside interference.

    Though that’s not really true, given that Musk has also penalized or suspended various publications and journalists that he disagrees with. But that bias, at least from Elon’s perspective, is actually more balanced, because he’s the one who controls it. So all good, I guess.

    So, will this see more people posting long-form content in the app?

    Well, it is limited to Premium+ and Verified Organizations subscribers, so not everybody can use it, only those that are willing to pay at least $16 per month for the app.

    Which is mostly Elon superfans, and for that cohort of users, it could be a valuable way to document their love of Tesla, or SpaceX, or just to post long-form Elon Musk fan fiction.

    Yeah, it’s super weird, but for that group, I can see X articles being of value. But I don’t see many publications or journalists actually paying to use the option.

    Maybe, for media organizations that are already paying for Verification for Organizations, they could try it out, and X will likely also look to provide some sort of monetization potential in future. That’ll draw some interest, but it remains to be seen whether users actually want to consume long-form content in the app.

    Because that’s a significant behavioral shift, though Elon Musk did report back in September that longer posts in the app were seeing 3 billion views per day.

    I mean, the specifics here are relevant. Are longer posts actually seeing 3 billion views, or are people just tapping on the “More” CTA that many times? Is X measuring time spent reading?

    It’s harder to measure because you need to factor in consumption time within the app, as opposed to time spent after tapping a link. But basically, as with all of the metrics that X shares, it doesn’t really, definitively say that this is reflective of popularity and/or engagement.

    But maybe it is, and maybe X Articles will also draw interest.

    It’s hard to see why publishers would post direct in the app, but over time, X could develop more incentives on this front.



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  • US Senators Raise New Push to Ban TikTok

    US Senators Raise New Push to Ban TikTok

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    Just when you thought that TikTok was safe, and that the U.S. Government had moved on from the possibility of banning the app, another group of regulators have proposed new action against the company, which could see TikTok face removal from the U.S. once again.

    As reported by Reuters:

    A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is introducing legislation that would give China’s ByteDance about six months to divest popular short video app TikTok or face a U.S. ban.”

    The new action, led by Rep. Mike Gallagher and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, is aimed to “address national security concerns posed by Chinese ownership of the app”.

    Which remains a point of contention, given that TikTok is owned by Chinese multi-national ByteDance, and as such, is beholden to China’s contentious cybersecurity laws, which, among other elements, include provisions that could technically compel TikTok to provide U.S. user data to the CCP on request.

    To be clear, no such request has ever been reported, and TikTok has long maintained that it remains separate from its Chinese ownership. Yet, at the same time, various reports have continued to raise concerns, including a recent update which found that U.S. user data is still being routed to China in some cases, and that ByteDance has many former and current CCP staffers in its ranks.

    In essence, a direct link between TikTok and the Chinese Government is fairly clear, though that still doesn’t necessarily mean that TikTok is being influenced or utilized by CCP officials in any way. But that concern is enough to maintain tensions among various cybersecurity and government officials, who continue to raise the specter of CCP interference at regular intervals.

    Which may be right, and given broader geopolitical movements, there could be logical reason to ban the app, or force a more definitive disconnect between TikTok and its homeland. And at the same time, you can be assured that lobbyists representing American social apps are also looking to prompt action whenever they can.

    So will TikTok actually be banned?

    My personal contention is that the U.S. Government remains hesitant to take any further action against TikTok due to fears of retaliatory action that could impact other elements of U.S.-China trade. The Chinese Government would not take the banning of a Chinese company from operating in the U.S. lightly, and until there’s a more definitive reason for concern, it does seem like the U.S. Government is happy to reserve judgment on the app.

    But that may not be the case, and maybe, with this new push, TikTok will come under renewed scrutiny, which could see it cop a full ban in the region. And if the U.S. bans the app, you can bet that many other Western nations will follow-suit.

    There is also the ongoing TikTok separation project (Project Texas), within which TikTok’s U.S. user data would be stored on completely isolated U.S.-based servers, under official oversight. TikTok’s also building a similar project in Europe, and really, given the money involved, you would think that this is more likely to be enacted before a full ban would be implemented.

    Nothing is pending as yet, and neither approach is definitely going to happen. But it’s another reminder that TikTok could indeed be banned at some stage based on lingering concerns.  

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  • Threads Launches Live Test of its API, Enabling Content Scheduling in Some Third Party Apps

    Threads Launches Live Test of its API, Enabling Content Scheduling in Some Third Party Apps

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    Good news for social media managers, and a potentially significant update for Threads engagement overall, with Meta’s Twitter-like platform now live testing its API with selected partners, enabling, among other things, post scheduling in the app.

    As explained by Jesse Chen, an engineer working on Threads, the Threads team has now partnered with a range of third party platforms on the first stage of live testing for its API, which has been in development for the past few months.

    As per Chen:

    The API currently enables users to authenticate, publish threads, and fetch the content they posted through these tools – and soon, we will enable reply moderation and insights capabilities. We are now testing with a small number of partners – Grabyo, Hootsuite, Social Newsdesk, Sprinklr, Sprout Social, and Techmeme – as well as a few independent developers.”

    Which obviously opens up a range of new possibilities, including, as noted, post scheduling, which will enable brands and publishers to more easily manage their Threads presence (and subsequently become more active in the app), while the addition of analytics will also provide more ways for businesses to focus on Threads engagement, and make it a bigger focus.

    Of course, Threads doesn’t necessarily want brands to come in and clutter up the conversation, as it’s focused on building a more engaging, friendlier version of what Twitter had eventually become. But it also needs to maximize its content avenues in order to grow, and considering that the vast majority of content on Twitter comes from only a small sub-section of users (20% of Twitter users create 100% of the content), it makes sense that Threads would also need to facilitate more posting pathways wherever it can.

    But it remains hesitant on how it implements such features.

    Already, the Threads team has resisted several common growth pathways in this respect, like chronological search, and Trending Topics, which Threads chief Adam Mosseri says could both open the app up to more spammers and scammers.

    Based on the lessons that Meta’s learned from Facebook, where divisive politics became a significant annoyance for many, Mosseri and Co. are seeking alternate approaches to facilitating Threads growth, which also means being careful with the roll out of tools like the Threads API, in case bad actors get a hold of them and start pumping in endless streams of junk.

    It’s not clear whether Threads will be able to avoid such, as the more audience reach it provides, the more scammers are going to target it either way. But maybe, if the Threads team can tread carefully, there could be a way to limit negative elements, and make Threads a more positive space.

    Which is the overarching aim, whether Twitter cast-offs like it or not.

    Last October, when outlining his plan on how to grow Threads into the next billion-user app, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted that:

    “I’ve thought for a long time there should be a billion-person public conversations app that is a bit more positive. I think that if we keep at this for a few more years, then I think we have a good chance of achieving our vision there.” 

    Which is why Threads is looking to go about things differently.

    So while some have been annoyed that Threads hasn’t added Lists, or regular hashtags, or that it’s actively looking to limit political discussion in the app, the thing is, Threads isn’t actually trying to be the Twitter replacement that you want.

    It’s trying to be something different, in alignment with emerging usage behaviors, which is also why Mosseri is proposing things like auto-archiving posts after 30 days, despite users clearly not wanting such.

    Because the thing is, what people think that they want, and what they actually spend time doing, are often very different.

    Facebook users, for example, have long complained about the News Feed algorithm ruining the user experience, but it’s actually increased in-app engagement significantly over time. Instagram users have complained because posts from profiles that they follow are being pushed out of the main feed in favor of AI recommended content, but IG engagement actually increased by 6% over the past year as a result of those AI highlights.

    Sometimes, the noisy minority don’t reflect what actually drives growth, and in many ways, Threads feels like an experiment based around this very fact, with its cautious approach to more common features, like its API, exemplifying how Meta’s looking to test its various theories on this front.

    Will that work out in the end? We’ll have to wait and see, but clearly, the Threads team is taking a different approach to what many would expect.

    But philosophical approaches aside, you can now schedule Threads posts in some management apps, which is a big bonus for social media managers.

    The Threads team says that it’s aiming for a broader launch of its API “by the end of June”.



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  • X Launches Live Test of Video in Spaces

    X Launches Live Test of Video in Spaces

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    X’s new video Spaces option is now in live testing, with some X Premium subscribers able to launch Spaces chats with video in-stream.

    As you can see in this example, posted by DogeDesigner, now, when launching a Spaces session, you can flip the “Enable video” toggle in the set-up, which will then open the Spaces window with your own device video active.

    That’ll add another aspect to Spaces discussions, with people able to interact via live video link, which could provide another level of context.

    It could also be good for in-the-moment discussions of news events, with the host able to share a live look at whatever is happening, or even a TV news report, and users then able to discuss such in the audio stream. Brands could also showcase new products, production lines, internal insights, etc., and host a Spaces session for fans to engage around such, while industry events could share a stream of what’s happening to let more people join in the discussion.

    There’s a range of ways that this could be of value, and it’ll be interesting to see how users adapt to the new Spaces options, and what sorts of engagement we see as a result.

    X owner Elon Musk said that video Spaces would be coming soon back in December, and also detailed how video Spaces would work with guests.

    We’re working on adding video to Spaces so that it’ll just be a simple thing where you can turn the video on or off. And then the person who is speaking, the video will switch to them, like a group call or something like that.”

    So, theoretically at least, all participants will be able to participate via video link as well, not just the host.

    Spaces have become a bigger focus for the app of late, with X reporting that it’s now hosting over 80,000 Spaces chats per day in the app.

    Which seems like a lot, but with so many people looking to engage in Spaces (including Musk himself), it makes sense that X would be exploring more ways to facilitate engagement within the option.

    Video is a new shift in this sense, and again, it’ll be interesting to see how X users adapt to the new consideration.



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  • X Expands Audio and Video Calls to Non-Paying Users

    X Expands Audio and Video Calls to Non-Paying Users

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    Look, I don’t know why this would be considered revolutionary or an advance, or even a significant step in any direction really. But for some reason, Elon Musk and his team believe that facilitating audio and video calls in X is a really big deal.

    And now, it’s expanding its audio and video calling features to all non-Premium subscribers in the app, so you don’t even have to be a paying user to access the new connection options.

    X launched audio and video calls with X Premium subscribers on iOS last October, then brought them to paying users on Android last month. And now, it’s expanding access once again.

    But, like, you can already make audio and video calls on your phone, on WhatsApp, in Messenger, etc. Like, nobody is hanging out waiting to be able to make calls on X.

    But Elon says that he’s getting rid of his phone number, because X will now replace his telecommunications, and given the reflexive head-nodding among his most dedicated disciples in response to his every utterance, no doubt many of them will also follow suit.

    But I’m guessing not many other people will actually care.

    But, if you do, soon, you’ll be able to kick off an audio or video call with your X connections, and there could be some value within that for brands that are looking to use the platform for customer service.

    I suspect most X users won’t even notice, but for those who are conducting a lot of connection activity in the app, it is worth considering as a strategic expansion.



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