Hello friends, 

I’m back in your inbox with the most delectable tea. 

We’ve got everything from Instagram testing clickable links (kinda) and LinkedIn confirming that posts with links and hashtags aren’t downranked to Disney rolling out its TikTok-esque vertical feed, and Substack launching a built-in recording studio. 

And if missed it last week, we’ve got some new additions to the newsletter that require YOUR involvement: 

→ A hot marketing take: are you tired of unhinged marketing? do you secretly think social media is easy? 

→ The Social Tea Hotline: where an expert will answer your burning questions.  

→ You choose the fake update: I write fake updates every week on LinkedIn as people steal my social roundups, and you not only get to see the fake updates before everyone else, but you decide which one goes live. 

SO, without further ado, grab a cup of tea + a snack, and let’s dive into the latest social media updates.

→ Instagram is testing links in captions but there’s a catch. Well, a few.

I’m writing this just before midnight on Monday 16th March, and I’m seeing misinformation spread in real-time on LinkedIn already. Instagram is testing links in captions but you need to pay-to-play, obviously. It’s Meta, after all. It’s being tested by some creators who are subscribed to Meta Verified, and it only allows them to share up to ten links per month.

It’s clear that Meta is trying to get more creators to sign up to Meta Verified by testing this most-wanted feature, but it could leave some brands with a sour taste in their mouth as this is only available to users with a personal or creator account, not a business account. Alongside this, more mystery remains around this potential new feature: Will anyone subscribed to Meta Verified gain access to links? Or will it be for select creators approved by Meta?

→ According to a new report, creators fear algorithm changes over burnout. 

Creators talk a lot about burnout, but the biggest risk to growth is something they can’t control: the platforms themselves. A recent CreatorIQ survey found algorithm changes and platform volatility are the top barrier to growth for creators globally, narrowly ahead of the lack of consistent brand deals.

That concern isn’t theoretical. The uncertainty around TikTok’s ownership earlier this year showed how quickly creator income can fluctuate when a platform’s future is in question. Visibility, reach and sponsored posts dipped before the deal was finalised and then rebounded once things stabilised (and then dipped again a couple of more times after the US takeover) a reminder that many creator businesses still depend heavily on decisions made far outside their control.

→ LinkedIn confirmed that posts with links and hashtags aren’t automatically downranked. And that scheduling with third-party tools will not impact the performance of your content. 

As much as we want to blame everything else but ourselves, LinkedIn confirmed in a briefing call with journalists last week that posts containing links or hashtags aren’t automatically downranked, and scheduling through third-party tools won’t hurt reach either.

In other words, the tactics people obsess over aren’t what determines performance. LinkedIn says its feed prioritises value and relevance.

And it’s from me.

→ Disney starts to roll out its TikTok-esque vertical feed called ‘Verts’ which is starting as a way to "showcase clips from content on Disney+” but will eventually feature content from creators that will reflect fandoms. 

→ Substack launches a built-in recording studio to help creators pre-record and publish video content. 

→ LinkedIn has updated its algorithm with the LLMs it uses now understanding the topic and meaning of posts, not just keywords. 

→ Reddit is positioning itself as a B2B marketing hub – a similar move to Snapchat – as it releases its new report “The Hidden B2B Journey” 

→  Meta is hiking ad prices in six countries to cover “location-specific fees and taxes” with Austria incurring the highest additional charge at 5%. 

→ WhatsApp is copying Instagram as it tests showing Status updates at the top of your chats tab 

→  WhatsApp is testing the ability to invite people to chat without having an account via a secure invite link. 

→ Adam Mosseri confirms that adding music to carousels, on average, will help them get recommended as they’re then eligible for the Reels feed. 

→ Adam Mosseri says that the “biggest” misconception about growing on Instagram is that a lot of users think IG suppresses their reach in order to convince them to buy ads but Mosseri insists this would be bad business. 

→  Instagram is, allegedly and finally, testing comment editing. 

→ Apple is winning users hearts over on TikTok with “Steve Jobs-style brain rot” 

🎙️ Welcome to our second edition of the Social Tea Hotline, and this week, our expert is the one and only Gabriel Gomez. He heads up Social & Creators at MCoBeauty (US), and writes a fabulous Substack called Make It Make Sense, where he unpacks modern marketing, internet culture, and the decisions behind what actually works online.

Gabriel answers Alice’s burning question: Is the Instagram feed dead? And if so, what can I do about it? Listen to find out!

(Transcript for this week’s episode can be found here.)

And we’ve completed our second week. How are we finding the new format of the newsletter so far?

As always, if you’ve seen anything interesting floating around your feeds lately, reply and tell me. Platform tests, strange trends, features quietly appearing where they shouldn’t — looking at you, Instagram. I’m always curious what other people are noticing, and what their feeds are serving.

💬 Now it’s time for my favourite new feature, which fake update should be included in my Wednesday roundup?

See you next week.

TTYL,

AM @ Girl Power Marketing xx