New Features on Social Networks in November 2022

Key Takeaways

• Twitter automatically certifies accounts using a gray “checkmark” that can be purchased via payment
• Chinese video app TikTok
• Introduces Audience Insights in TikTok Ads Manager to drill down into specific demographic details
• Now rates creators according to their ability to partner with brands
• Instagram allows
• Add music to posts
• Scheduling posts and reels 75 days in advance
• YouTube launches new shopping features for YouTube shorts creators* can now earn money through a new shopping feature

Trends in social networks are fast-moving and companies are constantly working on improvements to their services. Most important for Q4 in 2022 was the focus on video, e-commerce integration across all platforms, and competitive ways of monetization for creators to keep them on their respective platforms and not see them migrate.

We structure this overview according to the networks, some of which are announcing or have already implemented an update, and some of which are announcing multiple updates. Most recently, Elon Musk made the biggest waves in the industry when it was published that the South African multi-billionaire had bought the short message service for around $44b after a long back and forth. Read an overview-like introduction to the topic on Kolsquare, including how Musk’s ideas may change Twitter and what that may mean for influencer marketing on Twitter.

But back to the November 2022 updates: we start with Twitter, as mentioned, then explain what TikTok is planning. Afterward, we go into what Instagram is currently working on and later explain what YouTube is up to.

Twitter Introduces a Monthly Payment Model

A blue hook means that a profile is verified. We know this from Instagram or even Tinder. Users can be sure that they are seeing a real profile on their screen. Yet, on Twitter, Musk now wants to make users pay for a verification hook. As the Washington Post reports, for only $7.99 a month users on Twitter get a “blue checkmark […] just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow.”

Editor of the Washington newspaper Geoffrey A. Fowler wanted to know more precisely and find out what a verified account but Twitter really means and what the users get for their money. In consultation with comedian Blaire Erskines, he set up a fake second profile for her. Only 15 minutes later, Erskines’ second – and thus false – account also had a blue hook. Hence, Fowler concludes that a blue checkmark on Twitter no longer means what we’ve learned it means. He criticizes: It “makes Twitter a much less reliable source of information.”

TikTok Mulls Rating System and Launches Audio Insights

Mainly, the focus of tech companies is on the American market. This is hardly surprising when you consider that, in terms of national GDP, the U.S. is the largest global economy in the world, ahead of China. But creators are unhappy with this U.S.-centricity when options for monetizing content are only available in the States. For example, TikTok Pulse, a program for short and feature-length filmmakers, is only available in the US for the first time. This generally leads to an uncertain climate among creative professionals, as they cannot rely on long-term revenue and partnerships, reports the website Digital Information World.

Moreover critical are current considerations regarding a rating system on TikTok. As Market Watch reports after viewing documents, creators on the platform are to be rated according to their ability to sell goods and generate traction. This is expected to result in a ranking that ranks creators according to a realm of proprietary metrics, such as the so-called “cooperation or diligence index.”

By contrast, the Audio Insights announcement is a thoroughly positive one. While Facebook & Co. are distancing themselves from audio in videos, TikTok is emphasizing the importance of audio for an all-encompassing user experience. That’s why the app, which is part of ByteDance, is launching a series of insights that evaluate and contextualize the importance of sound. This can be of interest to marketers, especially for branding and user engagement.

Music in Posts and Scheduling Content on Instagram

Speaking of the importance of music to successful content? Instagram must have peeked a bit into TikTok’s “Evolution of Sound” series because the app now allows you to add music to photos within the Instagram feed. It’s simple: you pick the photo you want to post as usual. Before you share it, they click “Add Music” and scroll through categories like “Trending” or the personal selection for you. Similar to how the feature works for Instagram Stories, you can choose a duration of clips for posts from a minimum of five seconds to a maximum of 90 seconds.

What do you think of this update? Social Media Today writer and social media manager Andrew Hutchinson thinks the feature is a bit superfluous: “[It’s] just a still image after all. Does it need a soundtrack? Would that enhance your post?” We think it’s a nice-to-have, but not an essential new feature for Instagram.

Furthermore, new on Instagram in November 2022 is that we can now schedule posts and reels on Instagram directly in the app. This was previously only possible with external tools and websites or Meta’s desktop solution, Business Suite. Professional accounts now have the ability to schedule content in the iOS and Android mobile apps up to 75days in advance. A must-have for any brand anyway, upgrading to a professional account is easy, free, and provides key insights into your stats.

The News for YouTube Shorts in November 2022

YouTube focuses on short videos just like Meta and tries to make its own format even more attractive for creators. YouTube has long understood that the satisfaction of creators is extremely important and thus brings more users in a domino effect. The new shopping feature should now enable YouTubers to earn money with their content in yet another way.

In November 2022, a small number of influencers will be able to tag products from their stores to showcase to viewers from the US, Brazil, Canada, India, and Australia. The feature seems promising, according to the report, and may be expanded to a larger group as early as next year. A YouTube spokesperson stated: “We firmly believe YouTube is the best place for creators to build a business, and shopping is a piece of that.”