The Bulletin May 2023

This month Instagram began testing a new tool to help brands discover UGC and use it. The team at Social Media Today shows us that what starts as a prompt can lead to more in-stream content. According to Instagram, “When a user tags a brand in a post, that brand will have the ability to request permission to feature their products in that post… It will also allow users’ content to surface on brand-owned spaces, such as the product’s PDP or Instagram shop.” Businesses will also be able to request direct tagging within any post where they’ve been mentioned, with some exceptions. If this new tool becomes mainstream, brands and agencies could find themselves sourcing UGC content more easily, while creators could see more demand for their work too. A win win?

Looking for design that lasts? Well we couldn’t look away from this article from It’s Nice That. Tune in as they talk to top creatives about work that inspires them and how to constantly think outside of the box to make an impact. We all know how hard it can be to walk the line between branding, experimentation and storytelling, so how do the pros do it?

A new in-app music hub released by TikTok this month suggests they’re branching out into the realm of music. Well, TikTok has always been a key promotional platform for musicians, with trends led by music and with many musicians using TikTok fame “as a springboard” for their careers. With these new music tools, TikTok aims to make it easier. According to TikTok, the #NewMusic hub will highlight the latest trending tracks, with a focus on well-known artists and their new releases. TikTok says that the new hub will “enable fans to discover the best new music before it’s heard anywhere else, while also enhancing the exposure potential for emerging artists” – however if the focus is on well known artists, only time will tell how useful the tool will be to help emerging artists grow their fanbases.

Many of us experienced them first in the form of emails, but chain letters have been around for generations, taking on new forms as they encounter new forms of media. The newest place to find this trend is on TikTok. According to the team at Dazed Digital these TikToks, taking the form of those typical interactive emails, can be found in the corners of TikTok where spiritual content runs rampant. Each one compels users to interact, share and “use this sound” to “supposedly call in the life of their dreams or else risk immense misfortune.” It’s an age old formula that elicits an emotional response, so will it ever go out of fashion? Explore the history of this trend and its future with Dazed at the link below.

With Smartly.io recently on board, TikTok’s updated Marketing Partners Program aims to provide a new pathway to facilitate in-stream commerce. With this new video shopping ads partner, TikTok’s Ads will guide users from a video clip to check-out within the app. This streamlining with Smartly will enable brands to integrate their product catalogue and offers all within the TikTok app, making things seamless for the buyer. And it’s great news for advertisers too as “Smartly.io’s Video Shopping Ads solution allows advertisers to have access to automated workflows that help them to scale, optimise, and test ads that drive results.” Basically creating your campaigns just became a whole lot easier.

Amid the shifting landscape at the Twitter-verse (shifting or collapsing?) many professional social media users are looking elsewhere to reach a similar audience. And with a huge potential to reach a wide audience and constant record-breaking proof of in-stream engagement, LinkedIn appears to be a top choice. So how best do you maximise your brand’s use of this platform? The team at Social Media Today have created an infographic that could help. Building on research conducted by LinkedIn expert Richard van der Blom, there are also some new key LinkedIn algorithm recommendations. Some include:
– Text between 1200 and 1800 characters.
– Answering comments within 12 hours
– Using no more than 4 emojis per line, and a maximum of 10 per post
Click the link below to learn more.

“While logging onto social media obviously isn’t the same as dropping a tab of acid, the internet is innately psychedelic; it bends and distorts our perceptions of time and space, unlike anything that came before it.” With this we, and the team at Dazed Digital, dive into the new age of psychedelia – the digital age. Read more below as they explore AI-generated psychedelia driven by AI advancements in technology such as Chat GPT and deepfakes. These technologies can be used to create immersive and mind-altering experiences as the boundaries between artist and technology and viewer blur, but the social, cultural and ethical implications are also cause for concern, as with most things AI at the moment.