Social media started the year with a bang. From a viral 9 month cruise to 30 minute TikTok’s to Michael Cera roaming the streets of New York with skin cleansers. There wasn’t a dull moment, so let’s take this opportunity to look back at the top stories, standout brand influencer campaigns, and reports worth reading
TOP SOCIAL NEWS
TIKTOK
TikTok’s Testing 30 Minute Uploads as it Looks to Expand Its Content Options
TLDR: Some users are now seeing the option to upload 30 min long videos. TikTok has been steadily increasing its maximum post limit for years, with the platform originally starting at 15 seconds per clip, which was then extended to 60 seconds, then 3 minutes, then 5 minutes, before rising to 10 minutes in 2022. 30-minute uploads could be another step towards expanded revenue sharing for TikTok creators, but can it compete with YouTube on long form content over the long term?
Universal Music Will Pull Its Tracks From TikTok
TLDR: After negotiations between TikTok and Universal Music Group failed to reach a new agreement on usage rights, Universal has announced that it will withdraw its music from the app, as of Feb. 1. Universal said that TikTok offered less than it had hoped on both compensation for its artists, as well as safeguards about generative AI usage.
TikTok reportedly plans to open live shopping studios for creators
TLDR: There have been rumors that TikTok plans to open studios in cities like Los Angeles where creators will be able to come and host shopping livestreams. TikTok is still deliberating the financial model for its studios, considering options such as charging creators a membership fee for access or exploring collaborations with brands, ad agencies, or manufacturers to subsidize production costs and provide resources.
TikTok test automatically identifies products in videos and offers purchase links
TLDR: TikTokis testing a new feature that automatically identifies products in the platform’s videos before offering a link to “Find similar items on TikTok Shop.” This would be a highly valuable tool for creators and brands to make their products shoppable, but if TikTok is using this to drive users to purchase other similar items on TikTok Shop that could cause a world of issues given the competing interests.
TikTok Shop Is Hiking Its US Seller Fees From 2% to 8%
TLDR: It’s a classic story of online app success: Enter the market with such low fees that no one can turn them down, establish a user base, and then hike those fees way up. Shop is gaining massive scale on TikTok, and the fees are still lower than Amazon, but most sellers are not going to be happy about this major hike.
META
Meta launches new Creator Management Tools to facilitate links between talent and managers
TLDR: This tool streamlines the relationship management between agencies and creators on Facebook by connecting accounts and granting access to assets, facilitating efficient collaboration at scale.
Instagram tests option to create private stories for friends, and launches Flipside, a feature enabling users to create a private version of their profile exclusively for friends.
TLDR: Some users are now seeing a new option in the Stories creation flow that enables them to share their Story to a friend, where the connection you share it to will be able to review it, and then add it to their Story. Assuming brands get access, this could provide a new avenue for sourcing UGC content, by prompting fans to submit their content to potentially be featured on the brands profile.
THE OTHERS
MrBeast is reportedly closing a $100 million TV show deal with Amazon
TLDR: MrBeast’s team began pitching a TV show to various streaming services last week. Amazon must have been eager to snap it up, because the deal is “now closing,”. Donaldson’s upcoming show will be an unscripted competition series styled after his usual YouTube videos.
YouTube introduced a new workflow to more easily transform long-form videos into Shorts
TLDR: With simple editing tools like this, creating engaging Shorts could be easier than you think, especially if you already have video assets to play with. You can use the tools to feature clips from your long-form content and zoom into+highlight action in your videos w/ split screen, vertical+square layouts.
BeReal is onboarding brands and celebs
TLDR: Beginning in early Feb, brands and celebrities can sign up as “RealBrands” or “RealPeople,” and fans can watch them share behind-the-scenes moments from their lives that they might not share elsewhere. Like other social platforms, BeReal needs to make money either through ads or premium features. Introducing brands could be a way for it to earn revenue.
Mr. Beast calls out “X” for lack of monetization, then posts to the platform and earns $260,000
TLDR: Jimmy posted to X saying.. “My videos cost millions to make and even if they got a billion views on X it wouldn’t fund a fraction of it :/,”. Musk then said that “creator rewards will increase significantly” on X in 2024, and Jimmy tested that theory by posting one of his videos to X, earning him an impressive $260k. Unfortunately he has called it a farse, claiming that advertisers saw the attention it was getting and bought ads on his video thus inflating his revenue per view.
Snapchat announces new measurement partnership with Samba TV
TLDR: Samba TV, which provides insights into TV viewing behaviors, will now be able to also share insights with Snap advertisers in the entertainment vertical as to the engagement and response to their in-app campaigns. So next time you run an influencer campaign on Snap, you may be able to get richer data on its viewership impact!
BRAND INFLUENCER HIGHLIGHTS
Peloton brings fitness classes to TikTok in bigger push for Gen Z
Pop-Tarts’ edible mascot made ‘ultimate sacrifice’ to win bowl season
Topicals influencer trip to Ghana shows how to do influencer excursions the right way
Inside the TikTok Cruise’s Unlikely Brand-Creator Partnership
Michael Cera has been spotted posing with CeraVe skincare products a lot
Why Nerds Is Betting Big on the Super Bowl With Addison Rae
REPORTS & DATA WORTH READING
Deloitte Digital report shows the power of social first brands
TLDR: The study shows that compared to low maturity organizations, social first brands are 8x as likely to have exceeded revenue goals by 25% or more in their B2C lines of business, and 107x as likely to report their creator / influencer strategy is extremely effective. Not only that, 9 in 10 consumers in the report say they trust creators / influencers they follow as sources of information, with 1 in 2 saying user-generated content such as reviews make them more likely to purchase a product on a social platform.
Over half (53%) of Gen Z consumers reported purchasing a product after watching a creator review
TLDR: A new report from Morning Consult on Gen Z engagement with social media, entertainment and technology shows how much the generation trusts creators. In terms of video types, “hauls” and “get ready with me” videos drove 40% and 37% of the 1,000 Gen Z consumers surveyed to make a purchase.
TikTok is Catching Up to Netflix As Gen Z’s Favorite Entertainment Source
TLDR: While Netflix has maintained its position as the top entertainment service Gen Z is using weekly or more, TikTok has quickly risen through the ranks to become their second biggest source of video content. This study from YPulse shows that the gap is closing between the two, from a +14pt difference to only +9pts. That gap shows just how much of an impact TikTok is having on mainstream entertainment—it’s not only outranking every other social media platform, but also outranking traditional media platforms by far.
Study from academic platform EduBirdie shows Gen Z’s predilection for a creator career
TLDR: 51% of Gen Zers consider becoming a TikTok creator a viable career path, and over a third (36%) have contemplated dropping out of college to become a full-time TikTok creator. 29% say the most attractive part of a social media career is the flexibility it offers and 71% said they view TikTok to be a “trustworthy source of information,” with 70% turning to the platform for career advice.
That’s it for this month. See you next time, and don’t forget to listen to the Influencer Marketing Roundup podcast to get all of this information delivered straight to your ears. Happy marketing!
