Hello friends,
It’s Tuesday 31st March, and I’m back in your inbox with your weekly tea.
We’ve got everything from Instagram confirming that vanity metrics aren’t dead, and social media now being the top source for breaking news to our subscriber’s latest hot take about B2B influencer marketing and the Social Tea Hotline answering how to actually grow on social media if you have no budget.
👋 Remember: if you have a social media question that you'd like answered, just hit reply to this email and it might feature in a future edition. I love reading emails from you guys, and will always reply, even if it’s a week later.
SO, without further ado, grab a cup of tea + a snack, and let’s dive into the latest social media updates.
👋 THE TOP STORIES THIS WEEK:
→ Instagram confirms that vanity metrics aren’t dead, as Adam Mosseri explains that likes AND shares are just as important as each other when it comes to growth
A user asked the Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, if likes or shares were more important when trying to grow on the platform.
His answer? Both!
He confirmed that Instagram has two different ranking systems when determining who to show your content to when it comes to followers and non-followers. And that likes are more important for reaching your existing followers, and shares are more important for reaching non-followers. But that your content is served to both of these ranking systems.
And it makes sense, as the most popular content on the platform has a good mix of these signals, meaning that it’s then surfaced to the maximum amount of users possible.
It’s worth remembering that each surface on Instagram (like Reels, Search, Explore) have their own ranking systems. If you’d like me to cover this in a future edition of The Social Tea, please let me know by replying to this email 👋
→ TikTok is starting to develop its own original short dramas
I told ya, everyone else has been telling ya, serialised social media content is only going to get bigger and bigger. It’s what makes brands and creators stand out, with content that makes users keep coming back to their profiles, sharing + recommending to their friends.
This move by TikTok is a little different to the serialised content trend we’ve seen grow over the last year, though because TikTok is looking to take a piece of a very big pie.
Companies that specialise in mini dramas have helped the category grow into a $1.4 billion market, so it’s no wonder why TikTok want in.
MORE INFO: TikTok filed a trademark application for “TikTok Drama” back in November 2025, which covers the development of short drama series, television programmes and webisodes. And the platform has allegedly begun casting actors, according to an email seen by Business Insider.
😣 THIS WEEK’S HOT TAKE: YOUR INFLUENCER MARKETING ISN’T BAD BECAUSE OF THE CREATORS.
Big thank you to the amazing Ife for this week’s hot take. I’ve worked with Ife and Creatorbuzz on several campaigns, and they are the antithesis to corporate, strict and bland B2B influencer marketing.
🔥 Do you agree?
💌 THE REST OF THIS WEEK’S UPDATES:
→ Instagram is testing Instagram PLUS with perks including: the ability to create multiple story audiences, story rewatch insights + being able to search your story viewer list.
→ Newsletter platform Beehiiv is launching a podcast platform.
→ Instagram to sell Reels Ads for viral TV, movies and cultural moments, joining existing categories like fashion, beauty, pets and sports) – Reels “trending ads” appear within the Reels tab on Instagram, and come immediately after top trending organic reels in the categories or topics you select.
→ Social media is now the top source for breaking news (led by Gen Z) according to new data by Sprout Social. However, trust in the news users are seeing on social media – with the rise of misinformation and AI slop – has declined.
→ Instagram Edits has a bunch of new features, including: new fonts + templates, as well as better search tools.
→ LinkedIn will no longer allow spontaneous livestreams, so if you want to go live on the platform, it’ll have to be scheduled in advance.
→ LinkedIn shared tips on how to use articles to enhance engagement: use data, make content easy to digest, highlight thought leaders + more.
📞 Ring ring… What’s that? I think I can hear the phone ringing!
🎙️ Welcome to the Social Tea Hotline where the people behind the feed answer your burning questions about the state of social media. This week, we have the incredible Christina Pearo. Christina heads up Social + Community at Slate and everything she touches turns to gold.
Christina answers our anonymous subscriber’s burning question, and it’s something we all want to know: how do you grow on social media when you have no budget?
(Transcript for this week’s episode can be found here.)
And that’s all for now folks! What a week.
Not to be that person but (!!) there’s so much fun stuff coming up that I can’t wait to share with you all. Something I’m particularly excited about is a FREE resource I’ll be offering which covers everything you need to know about social media SEO + there’s a fun little workbook to take you through the whole process of keyword research to creating the content and getting it live.
And I’m working with brands to get ya’ll exclusive discounts and freebies for tools, events and resources because ya’ll are the best.
As always, if you’ve spotted anything interesting in your feeds recently, hit reply to this email and let’s chat. My favourite part of the week is chatting with you all. Whether it’s platform tests, weird trends or you just want to have a vent about the state of social — I want to hear it all.
💬 Now it’s time for my favourite part of the newsletter, which fake update should be included in my Wednesday roundup?
🤭 Which fake update should I use this week?
See you next week.
TTYL,
AM @ Girl Power Marketing xx