The latest developments from all the social platforms, in one place, to help you identify what comes next in social Search is being rewritten, moving away from traditional search engines and towards dynamic, conversational and multi-platform discovery. Across platforms, new features are being introduced allowing users to make hotel reservations, watch a series, or book sessions with a business expert without ever leaving the app. The lines between discovery and action are becoming increasingly blurred. The power of video is also dominating. From the rise in the clipping economy to Instagram doubling down on long-form video and LinkedIn bringing back the video feed the message is clear - shorter attention spans don’t mean shorter content, they demand better content. Welcome to the clipping economy Content clipping is the process of taking long form content (e.g YouTube video, livestream or podcast) and literally “clipping” it into short highlights shared across platforms like Instagram and TikTok Whilst that has been around for some time, the economy of Clipping is on the rise - with brands and creators paying “Clippers” to curate several viral-worthy short form pieces of content in return for a percentage based on the views their clips generate It means content or memes that are seemingly being posted by “genuine” profiles could actually be part of a much bigger ecosystem of creators being paid per view (especially outside of the UK where disclosure laws differ) And now Spotify has even introduced a tool that allows users to clip specific parts of a podcast to listen to later, share with friends or on other social platforms Instagram continues to position itself as the app that facilitates real connections, as opposed to solely entertainment Instants landed on Instagram this month, allowing users to send filterless images to their friends (defined by Instagram as those who follow you, and you follow them) which can be viewed only once and disappear after 24 hours Instagram has been testing giving users the ability to display their interests on their profile and connect with those with similar interests. Up to five topics could be chosen, and this would also influence the content surfaced to a user. For brands, this could improve interest-based discovery and targeting, and especially more niche communities. It also means that there is power in content increasingly being designed for discoverability and relevance for interest and topic based searching The platform has continued refining the carousel format (following recent updates such as being able to rearrange photo order after publication), testing a new update that would allow users to add a caption to each frame in a carousel. This would further increase the value of the already successful format, by enhancing storytelling ability and content clarity, which could yet again support more opportunities for discoverability Instagram is looking at long-form content’s place on its platform, especially when it comes to consuming content on the bigger screen, according to the platform’s Vice President of Product. YouTube’s success in outperforming other video streaming services, such as Netflix, is significant, as is LinkedIn’s recent rollout of Connected TV. While this is not yet a confirmed platform change, it is indicative of a wider shift into long-form content and connected TV viewing Creators who regularly post AI-generated content will now have an AI-creator label. This shows the platforms’ push for transparency of “authentic” content and users LinkedIn continues to refine its user experience by incorporating further AI features, reintroducing a video feed, and bringing business directly to users within the app LinkedIn’s dedicated video feed has officially returned to the UK and is now rolling out more globally, creating opportunities for content to surface beyond local audiences and existing networks. The platform has combined this rollout with advice for best practise video content, which includes consistent posting (with two videos a week being optimal), keeping to authentic points of view and clear communication LinkedIn is continuing to evolve from a networking platform into a business-generating platform, introducing a new feature which will allow consultants and experts to book paid sessions directly by users clicking on a ‘Get Advice From Me’ button on the consultant profile. This feature is available to LinkedIn’s Premium Business users currently and creates new opportunities for specialists, consultants and senior partners to generate leads and book 1-1s via their LinkedIn, making individual employee profiles an even more valuable tool The platform is incorporating more AI tools to improve the recommendations shown in users’ feeds. AI-powered generative recommendations look at a user's entire activity ecosystem moving beyond isolated actions. It means better quality relevant content should you find it’s way to you, and opens up the doors for individuals to get discovered Facebook continues to focus on AI with developments to an app to train AI, and developing AI agents. Meta has launched a new app, Forum, which offers a separate place for authentic group discussion, not dissimilar from a Reddit-style forum. All the groups that a user is a part of on Facebook are transferred to the app. This app is likely created as a source for Meta’s AI to train on - Reddit is now one of the most cited sources for AI chatbot answers, due to answers and opinions being vetted and upvotes to show relevancy Meta is focusing on developing agentic AI tools, which would be able to undertake tasks such as shopping on behalf of users. Although not yet a confirmed platform update, this is in line with wider trends moving beyond AI being used as simply a question-and-answer tool TikTok’s latest updates are indicative of a wider trend towards one-stop-shop commerce platforms that seamlessly combine content discovery, advertising and in-app purchasing. TikTok has introduced TikTok GO, which will allow users in the US to book local experiences, hotels and tours directly from the app. Users will discover these bookable options in the same way content is surfaced to them, and the platform has partnered with big names like Booking.com, Trip.com, and GetYourGuide. This will give content creators new earning opportunities, and drive bookings for businesses, while closing the attribution gap between a user getting inspired and making a purchase During the 6th annual TikTok World Summit, the platform introduced some new features. Some key updates include: The introduction of features such as AutoSelection and Summary, which analyse which ad content will perform the best and give actionable optimisation suggestions Following the launch of its mini-series feature, TikTok has introduced the ad solution TikTok Growth Max, meaning creators and brands can automatically target and monetise their short-form shows directly in the TikTok app Google has continued to deepen its enhancements to traditional search with AI features Google has published new Search guidance, confirming that traditional SEO fundamentals remain important for visibility in Google’s AI-generated results. It reinforces the importance of a strong SEO approach existing within a broader discoverability strategy for non-Google AI platforms They’ve also added new AI features including, what they say is their biggest update in over 25 years, to the Search box. AI-powered suggestions can help formulate user questions, and it is possible to search across different types of media - using text, image, files or Chrome tabs as input The development of information agents continues this summer (first for Google AI Pro and Ultra Subsrcribers). These new agents will scope the web, looking at blogs, news and social information to update users on key changes around their searches

What is clipping? Clipping means taking sections of longer video content, and clipping them to make them more digestible and relevant via short form video platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube shorts. The main challenge is to make the content comprehensible to someone who lacks context on the wider people or topic discussed. It involves grabbing attention through the short, snappy hooks. This act of Clipping then distributes the content more widely than the original content, via third party distribution and algorithms. Is clipping new? There’s a case to be made that ‘clipping’ is as old as the internet. Iconic memes such as ‘Charlie bit my finger’ are examples of the genre. Sports highlights have done the same principle since video could be distributed. Hollywood has done this for years with segments of films created to make compelling pre-release YouTube content. But, it began with streamers fans, who would take the relevant sections of Twitch streams and edit them to make it accessible to people who didn’t want to sit through hours of a Twitch stream. However, the rise of the ‘clipper’ is the more recent phenomenon. These are individuals who will ‘clip’ content from creators and distribute it. There were versions in the earlier social internet, who would retweet things for money, and this an evolution. Spotify has even introduced a feature right in the app to facilitate it. Why would someone clip content? Money. Clippers are paid, by the content creators, on a CPM basis, to distribute their content. So, for every thousand views they accrue for the original creator, they get paid. Whilst some do it for genuine fandom, most do it for £. How can brands get involved in clipping? Product placement in clipped content - e.g. a drink next to the mic for a podcast segment Create their own content which merits being clipped - and commission clipping. A challenge for most brands Is clipping for brands legal in the UK? The ASA and CMA regulations around content disclosure make it difficult to clip content without full #AD disclosure, which would undermine most clipping activity. So, in short, it’s possible, but it’s likely to be challenging in the algorithms. Then the US, with laxer disclosure rules is likely to retain a significantly higher share of activity. Examples of clipping Justin Bieber and Coachella Jay Shetty’s podcast Popular reality TV shows e.g. Married at First Sight, or Below Deck

What’s shifting on LinkedIn Last month we covered the feed overhaul: LinkedIn rebuilt ranking to reward original, specific, structured content. This month, three developments extend that same logic, one inside LinkedIn's feed, one in how AI search engines use LinkedIn, and one across the platform's wider recommendation engine. The pattern for execs is consistent: specific, genuine, expertise-led content is rewarded; generic content is increasingly penalised. LinkedIn is now suppressing AI "slop” Generic AI content now gets limited reach by default. Genuine perspective is what travels. LinkedIn has introduced detection systems, built with its editorial team, that identify "AI slop", content that reads as polished but adds no real perspective, context or expertise. When a post or comment is flagged as generic, its distribution is capped: it's far less likely to reach anyone beyond the author's immediate network. The system also targets two specific behaviours: comments posted at scale through automation tools and comments that simply restate the original post. Separately, LinkedIn has extended its verified-member filter to comments and feed conversations, so members can now screen for the 100M+ verified accounts when they engage. 94% - LinkedIn's reported accuracy at identifying generic content in early testing. Implication: This raises the cost of AI-drafted posting. An exec using AI to produce polished but generic content isn't just getting weaker engagement; they may be getting actively limited reach. It also works in favour of execs who post with genuine expertise: as slop is suppressed, well-sourced content has less noise to compete with. Action: Audit how AI is used in your exec's posting process. AI is fine for tightening language or structure, but the post needs a specific point of view, first-hand experience, or expertise the model couldn't produce alone. Before publishing, apply one test: could anyone in this role have posted this? If yes, it needs more of the exec in it. LinkedIn content is now feeding AI search answers AI search answers are increasingly built from LinkedIn, and it's individual execs, not company pages, that get cited. New research from Meltwater analysed 9.5 million AI citations across six models, including ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini. It found that LinkedIn is the second most-cited source for B2B answers, behind only YouTube. Two findings matter most for exec comms. First, 75% of LinkedIn citations came from individual member profiles, not company pages, AI tools lean on identifiable expert voices. Second, structured content wins: articles and text posts made up 83% of citations, and the most-cited pieces used clear headings, lists, specific names, data and pricing. Generic thought leadership rarely gets cited. 75% share of LinkedIn's AI-search citations that come from individual profiles, not company pages. Implication: This adds a second reason for execs to post, beyond feed reach. Content an exec publishes now also shapes whether they, and their company, surface when someone asks an AI tool about their domain. It reinforces last month's finding: structured, specific content wins, and it's now winning in two places. Action: Frame at least one exec post or article each month around a question a buyer would genuinely ask an AI tool, a comparison, a how-to, a decision framework, structured with clear headings and specifics. This is the same structured-content principle from last month's document-post recommendation, applied to a second channel. LinkedIn's recommendation engine is being rebuilt around the whole profile LinkedIn is rebuilding recommendations to read members as a continuous professional story, making a consistent signal across the whole profile matter more than before. LinkedIn's CTO has set out the next phase of its recommendation technology: a shift to "generative recommenders", sequence-based models that interpret a member's behaviour over time rather than scoring each interaction in isolation. Practically, this connects systems that used to run separately. Engagement with content in the feed can now influence the jobs a member is shown, the people suggested to them, and the notifications they receive. LinkedIn's framing is that professional identity evolves over time, so its systems should read members as a continuous trajectory, not a series of one-off moments. "Activity in one part of LinkedIn now shapes recommendations across the whole platform." Implication: An exec's professional signal is now cumulative and cross-platform. A profile, posting history and engagement that consistently point at the same expertise will compound, the system gets a clearer, more confident read. A scattered presence gives it less to work with. This is the direction set by last month's feed and people-search changes, now applied platform-wide. Action: Treat consistency as a deliverable. The exec's headline, About section, posting topics and the content they engage with should all point at the same expertise. This builds on last month's profile audit, the goal is a coherent signal across everything the exec does on LinkedIn, not just an optimised profile. GOOD POSTS THIS MONTH Event Spotlight: UKREiiF How a major industry event actually played out on LinkedIn, and what broke through. Most event coverage was reflection. The posts that broke through made an argument. UKREiiF brought more than 16,000 delegates to Leeds over three days (19-21 May), and with them a wave of LinkedIn content, pre-event promotion, live-from-the-floor posts, and a flood of post-event reflections. We looked across the most visible coverage of the event to see what most people did, and what actually cut through. What most people posted The bulk of coverage was reflection. Individuals posted on the value of networking, what a worthwhile few days it had been, and thank-yous to session hosts and contributors. A thinner, more substantive layer sat underneath, takes on the tone of the forecasts (split between optimism and political uncertainty) and the future of industry recruitment. Executives, where they posted, leaned towards promoting their company's presence and thanking their teams. Brand pages were notably quiet, only a handful of major contractors (Wates, Balfour Beatty, Laing O'Rourke, Mace) covered the event from their company pages at all, with Morgan Sindall sitting it out entirely. People-led coverage was the dominant mode by some distance. The takeaway: most event coverage is warm, personal and largely interchangeable, good for relationships, close to invisible for reach. ~1 in 3 UKREiiF ads ran from an executive's personal profile, not a company page. Of 332 UKREiiF ads live on LinkedIn, roughly a third came from executives rather than brand pages, with the most active advertiser, AECOM, promoting executive attendance through personal accounts. The signal: brands are increasingly putting paid weight behind their executives' personal profiles, not just the company page. What broke through The clearest finding from a 100-post sample of the most visible coverage: the two highest-engaged posts both made an argument and carried no images at all. Against a backdrop of personal photos and thanks, pure substantive commentary outperformed everything else. The #1 post was a critique of the event itself, an architect calling out the lack of representation for smaller construction industry companies. The #2 was Tom Goodall, CEO of Related Argent, who built his post around a single concrete argument: that the second staircase requirement for tall residential buildings is disproportionate. He backed it with figures he cited from his session panel, one death prevented every 6,135 years against an estimated 18,000 London homes a year going unbuilt. The post drew 355 reactions, 28 comments and 11 reposts, with comment density well above the reflection posts, signalling genuine debate rather than passive acknowledgement. The top post in the 100-post sample carried no images at all. Argument outperformed everything else. People-focused imagery can help when used, but it didn't drive the top performers. Two further patterns worth noting. The top performers all came from accounts with at least a modest follower base, roughly 3-4K minimum. Argument carries, but it still needs some distribution to land. And one pre-event post stood out: the National Wealth Fund's CEO opened a real question about the focus of their work rather than the usual "looking forward to UKREiiF”, a useful reminder that pre-event is a much thinner field than post-event, and substantive intent cuts through more easily there. What to steal When your exec attends an event, the default post, "great few days, thanks to everyone”, is the one nobody remembers. The posts that break through take one specific idea from the event and make an argument with it, ideally with evidence. Specificity is the whole game. Three practical layers underneath. Tagging session chairs and contributors does meaningfully boost distribution, but treat it as a device to layer onto a substantive post, not the post itself. People-focused imagery helps engagement when you use it, though the top performers used none at all, argument is the lead, not the image. And the broader principle the data reinforces: individual voices outperform company pages on event coverage, even the best-performing brand post (240 engagements from a Wates careers entry) was comfortably outranked by the top individual posts. It's a people-over-pages moment. Zoe Yujnovich, CEO, National Grid Answer the question outsiders actually ask, with specifics, not abstractions. Yujnovich opens with the question people genuinely put to her, "How are grids changing? Isn't it still just… wires?", and then answers it. Not with strategy language, but with three concrete examples of what's actually happening: a software investment to manage 6 GW of incoming data centre demand, a project moving more power through existing lines in New York, and AI-plus-satellite work to predict outages in Massachusetts. Each example is a specific place, a specific technology, and a specific outcome. Only once the reader has seen those three tangible proof points does she introduce the headline figure, nearly $100bn of investment through 2031. By then it reads as real, because it's been earned. What she did: Took a complex, easily-ignored infrastructure topic and made it legible, opening with the layperson's question and answering it with concrete specifics rather than abstractions. Why it worked: The naive-question hook is disarming; it meets the reader where they are instead of assuming they already care. And the specifics carry the substance, "6 GW of data centre demand" and "predicting vegetation damage from satellite data" do the work that "investing in the future" never could. It's the opposite of the polished-but-empty post: concrete where Lockhart's was abstract. What to steal: If your exec works in a field outsiders find complex or dull, start with the question those outsiders actually ask, in their words, then answer it with one vivid, specific example rather than a paragraph of strategic language. And earn the big numbers: lead with the tangible proof, and the headline figure lands as credible rather than as a boast. WHAT LINKEDIN NEWS IS PRIORITISING (AND WHAT'S NEXT) Special: LinkedIn's new Top Voices The new Top Voices list is the clearest public statement LinkedIn gives of what it rewards, most useful to execs as a benchmark, not a target. LinkedIn News UK has named this quarter's Top Voices, its invite-only cohort of experts, leaders and creators the editorial team has chosen to elevate. It shows, in one place, the kind of content and contributor LinkedIn's editorial team actively backs. What they're looking for, and why LinkedIn publishes its criteria, and they line up with everything the feed itself now rewards: a genuine, original voice; demonstrated subject-matter expertise; consistency of presence; and content that is trustworthy and professional. Crucially, editorial judgement decides it, not data alone. The "why" is clearest in the posts LinkedIn singled out as ones it loved. Read across the cohort, and almost none are recaps or announcements; they explain something: how AI changes a specific job, what a piece of research actually means, why an economic shift matters to a particular sector. Specificity and a point of view, the same standard runs through this whole edition. The topics also signal what's resonating with LinkedIn's editorial right now: the limits and ethics of AI and the human role alongside it, economic and geopolitical instability, energy and power, and human judgment in an automated world. The cohort includes a strong run of genuine C-suite voices, among them the CEOs of Aldi, HSBC, Virgin Atlantic, Balfour Beatty and National Grid. What it takes to make it in LinkedIn's own guidance is simple, and it doubles as a checklist for any exec's posting: •Post consistently, not in occasional bursts •Stay within a defined area of genuine expertise •Add something, explain or argue, don't just announce •Vary topics and formats •Engage in the comments; treat posting as a conversation, not a broadcast Implication: The list is effectively a public rubric. It confirms that LinkedIn rewards exactly what the rest of this edition describes, original, specific, expertise-led content, and puts editorial weight behind it. But Top Voices is invite-only and editorially decided, so it isn't a goal an exec can directly engineer. Its real value is as a clear, external standard of what "good" looks like on the platform. Action: Use the criteria as a benchmark, not a target to chase. Audit your posting against the cohort's standard, consistent, anchored in a defined expertise, explaining rather than announcing. If the content already meets that bar, recognition tends to follow; if it doesn't, that gap is the work. Top Voices isn’t the goal; it should be positioned as the standard your content should meet. THE MONTH AHEAD UK CALENDAR WINDOWS June 11 onward – FIFA World Cup. The tournament runs 11 June to 19 July, with England and Scotland both competing. Expect professional attention to dip around major match windows, avoid scheduling important posts into an England or Scotland kick-off. Treat it as a content topic with caution: post about it only with a genuine connection, and be wary of the well-worn sport-as-leadership-metaphor. June 15 – One-off Bank Holiday in Scotland. Marking Scotland's World Cup qualification. For Scotland-based execs and audiences, a lower-engagement day, post either side. June - Pride Month. A high-volume posting period. As with Mental Health Awareness Week in May, the risk is performative content. Execs should post only with something specific and genuine, a concrete commitment, a policy, a real position, not a generic statement of support. THE MONTH AHEAD US CALENDAR WINDOWS June 12 onward – FIFA World Cup. The US is a host nation and plays its opening match on 12 June, so this is a major domestic attention event, not just a sporting one. Same guidance as the UK: mind the dip around big matches, and only treat it as a content topic with a real connection. June 19 – Juneteenth. The one federal holiday in June, federal offices and banks close, and it falls on a Friday, so expect a long weekend dip in activity from midweek. It is also a significant cultural moment: if a US exec posts about Juneteenth itself, it needs genuine substance, a real commitment or perspective, not a brief acknowledgement, which tends to read as hollow. June 30 – End of Q2. A natural business-cycle marker. For finance and corporate execs there's a content window around a considered half-year reflection - provided it's specific and grounded, not a generic "halfway through the year" post. June - Pride Month. As in the UK, a high-volume period, but in the US, corporate participation has become a more politically contested and deliberate decision than it once was. Execs should be clear on their own and their company's genuine position before posting, and post only with specific intent. THE MONTH AHEAD: BUILDING THEMES AI is consolidating around authenticity and governance. The thread running through this whole edition, LinkedIn's slop crackdown, AI search, the Top Voices themes, points one way: the conversation has moved from AI capability to AI trust, the human role, and responsible use. Execs who can speak to specific, real-world, responsibly implemented AI have the strongest window; generic AI commentary will land flat. The economic mood won't lighten. Inflation, cost pressure and workforce uncertainty remain the backdrop into summer. Practical, specific content grounded in real operational experience continues to outperform aspirational or abstract takes. Summer travel and energy costs will sharpen. The disruption flagged as building in May matures this month as the booking season peaks. Travel, hospitality, energy and consumer-sector execs have a natural content window opening, a chance to speak to a story their audiences are now living.

Everyone is asking, ‘what is Instagram Instant?’ Here’s a breakdown on the new feature, how it works, and whether it belongs in your brand strategy. What is Instagram Instant? Instant on Instagram is a new feature for brands, consumers and influencers, that lets users send disappearing, unedited photos directly to friends via DMs. Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri frames it as a way to share casual and in-the-moment content - no filters, no editing, and no uploaded branded assets. This feature fits neatly into Instagram’s push for authenticity and creator/community content on the platform. To use it, head to your DM tab, tap the photo pile in the bottom-right corner, and your camera opens instantly. Snap, send, gone. Once it’s viewed, the photo disappears forever. Screenshots are blocked too. It’s got some broad similarities to BeReal and Snapchat, therefore. Can brands use it? Yes. However, there is one important constraint for brands: Instant in Instagram only works between mutually-followed accounts. So, your brand page would need to follow users back, or have added them to a close-friends list before they can receive your Instants. The following back is a key aspect which will limit the effectiveness for many brands, who choose not to do this at scale. Should brand marketers care? Right now, the honest answer is that there are bigger priorities for brands to pursue in the platform. It’s most useful for niche, community-first use cases right now, due to the need to follow back. It will especially not benefit brands pursuing broad reach, or performance marketing. Here’s a quick breakdown on the pros and cons: Where it can work Where it falls short Teasing a launch to a tight VIP close friends list No paid placements (organic only) Behind-the-scenes content that feels exclusive No analytics or reporting (so far) Building intimacy with a small, highly engaged community No camera roll uploads or branded assets Reach is limited to mutual followers only For any activity requiring scale, measurement or designed brand assets, Instagram stories remain your best bet. It already does the job, and does it better. Our verdict: Instagram Instant is one to watch, but not one to activate right now. Add this to your test-and-learn list, but don’t deprioritise Stories in its favour. If community-building is a key pillar of your strategy, a curated close friends list could be a low-effort way to experiment.

What’s shifting on LinkedIn Last month, we covered LinkedIn's feed ranking overhaul: the platform now uses LLMs to match profiles to content semantically. New benchmark data suggests the shift is already changing what formats get rewarded. The content formats winning on LinkedIn have changed Socialinsider's 2026 benchmarks report analysed 1.3 million LinkedIn posts across 16,645 business pages (Jan 2024–Dec 2025). Three findings stand out: 1.Native document posts (PDFs uploaded as carousels) now lead engagement at 7.00%, a 14% year-on-year increase. They outperform video, image, and text posts. This mirrors what's working on other platforms: carousels give the algorithm strong interest signals (each swipe is a fresh engagement) and a second chance to hook the reader if the opening frame doesn't land 2.Video views have dropped 36% year-on-year across every page size. One caveat: this is brand-page data, individual execs with authority on a topic can still travel well on video. But the broader signal stands. LinkedIn is not a video-first platform 3.Overall engagement is up 8% to an average of 5.20%, with gains across all formats except polls and links The picture for exec-level posting is clear: original, structured, information-rich content is being rewarded. This aligns with the feed changes from last month, the algorithm is matching content to audience intent, and document posts deliver the kind of specific, quotable value it's looking for. Implication: Execs who default to short text posts or reshared links are leaving reach on the table. The feed is rewarding depth and specificity. Action: Test a monthly document post, a framework, a set of principles, a data-backed perspective on an industry shift. These don't need to be designed. A clean PDF with a clear point will outperform a polished video with a generic one. LinkedIn is rebuilding how people search works LinkedIn has expanded AI-powered people search to all US members, moving it beyond the Premium tier where it launched last year. The search now uses natural language, members describe who they're looking for the way they'd say it out loud, and the system matches on intent rather than exact keywords. Alongside this, LinkedIn is rolling out AI-generated profile summaries in search results. These show why a person appeared in results, drawing on their experience and any shared history with the searcher (previous company, school, mutual connections). Verification badges now also appear directly in search results. This matters because it extends the same logic we flagged last month: LinkedIn's systems are now reading profiles semantically, not literally. Last month it was the feed doing this for content distribution. Now it's search doing it for people discovery. Implication: Your exec's profile is now working in two directions, determining what content reaches which audience and determining whether they show up when someone searches for expertise in their space. A vague or outdated profile costs them on both fronts. Action: Revisit the profile audit from last month with search in mind. The headline, About section, and skills fields now need to work for two systems, not one. If your exec is a CFO who talks about capital allocation, their profile should say that, not just "Finance Leader | Driving Growth." LinkedIn now reaches professional audiences on connected TV LinkedIn has launched CTV (Connected TV) Ads, extending its professional targeting to streaming platforms. Advertisers can now reach LinkedIn audiences while they watch content on services including NBCUniversal. The relevant data point: LinkedIn reported that its CTV ads were 11x more cost-effective than linear TV at reaching B2B audiences, and extended unique campaign reach by more than 70% beyond linear TV in a Salesforce case study. This is primarily an advertising product, but it signals where LinkedIn is heading, professional identity as a cross-platform targeting layer, not just an on-platform content feed. Implication: This is also where video earns its place. The brand-page data shows declining video views on the feed, but CTV is a video-first environment by definition. For B2B campaigns, the strategic split is becoming clearer, text and document posts for organic feed reach, video for paid distribution across CTV and other screens. Action: For exec comms specifically, no immediate action, but worth tracking as LinkedIn's identity graph expands beyond the platform. GOOD POSTS THIS MONTH Eva Benn, Principal Microsoft Security Name the uncomfortable truth, then give the playbook. Eva takes the Fast Company report on AI sabotage, 29% of workers actively undermining their company's AI strategy, and does something most commentators didn't: she explains why it's happening and what to do about it. She reframes the story away from employee blame and toward a leadership failure. Workers aren't resisting because they don't understand AI. They're resisting because they don't trust how it's being implemented. From there she gives four specific actions: remove ambiguity, make incentives explicit, invest in real enablement, measure behaviour not rollout. 198 reactions, 73 comments, 36 reposts. The comment-to-reaction ratio is the standout, more than one comment for every three reactions. That signals genuine debate, not passive scrolling. What they did: Took a headline stat and reframed it as a leadership problem with a concrete response. Why it worked: She has direct credibility (security at Microsoft), the post has a clear point of view without being inflammatory, and the four actions give readers something to take away. It's also perfectly timed against the AI backlash theme running through LinkedIn News this month. What they did: When a provocative stat lands, don't just react to it, reframe who it's really about and give your audience a short, action list. The structure is: here's the headline, here's what's actually driving it, here's what to do. Susan Kohlhaas, Executive Director of Research and Partnerships, Alzheimer's Research UK Correct the headline. Show your working. A Cochrane review generated headlines claiming Alzheimer's drugs "don't work." Susan pushes back, carefully. She explains the methodological issue (pooling failed drugs with newer treatments that show modest benefit dilutes the signal), flags where the review's conclusions go further than the evidence, and then does something rare: she acknowledges the limitations honestly. These treatments aren't a cure. They offer modest benefits with real risks. But that's not the same as saying they don't work. 321 reactions, 50 comments, 54 reposts. The repost number is telling, people wanted to amplify this, not just agree with it. What they did: Took a misleading headline, broke down exactly where it went wrong, and offered a nuanced correction without overclaiming. Why it worked: This is the Julia Crosby model from last month, don't reshare the news, translate it. Susan goes one step further by tagging the specific researchers worth listening to, positioning herself as a connector, not just a commentator. Her profile aligns exactly with her content, which is what the current feed rewards. What to steal: When a headline misrepresents something in your exec's domain, the post writes itself: here's what the headline says → here's what the evidence actually shows → here's what still matters. Close by tagging the voices worth following. It builds authority and earns reposts. Andy Briggs MBE, Group CEO, Standard Life plc The acquisition post that earns reactions but misses conversation. Andy announces Standard Life's acquisition of Aegon UK, a major deal giving the combined business £480bn in assets and 16 million customers. It's clearly significant. He includes a personal line ("this long-term savings challenge is something I've cared deeply about throughout my career") and welcomes colleagues from Aegon. 1,366 reactions, 20 comments, 24 reposts. The reaction count is strong. But 20 comments on a post with that many reactions is a ratio of roughly 1:68, compared to Eva Benn's 1:3 and Susan Kohlhaas's 1:6. The audience acknowledged it, but they didn't engage with it. What they did: Announced a major acquisition with a clear strategic rationale and a personal note. Why it fell short of its potential: The structure reads like a press release with a personal paragraph grafted on. The strategic rationale is there, but the human layer, the story of why this moment matters to him specifically, what the journey looked like, what was hard, is thin. What to steal: When your exec has a major announcement, the press release will already be public. The LinkedIn post needs to be the version only they can write. Lead with the personal, explain the "why" through their eyes, name people. The information will reach the audience anyway, the post's job is to make them feel something about it. WHAT LINKEDIN NEWS IS PRIORITISING (AND WHAT'S NEXT) Economic pressure is hardening The cautious mood we flagged last month has sharpened. Through April, LinkedIn News has consistently surfaced stories on UK food inflation reaching 9%, the IMF warning of global recession risk, further inflation warnings, BBC cutting 2,000 jobs, and the EU relaxing competition rules. This isn't a single news cycle, it's a sustained editorial thread. Implication: LinkedIn's audience is reading this backdrop every day. Exec content that ignores it or defaults to optimism will feel disconnected. Action: Execs in finance, advisory, and leadership roles should be grounding their content in this reality. Practical perspectives on navigating cost pressure, workforce planning under uncertainty, or what a tighter environment actually means for their sector will resonate. Abstract commentary won't. AI backlash has overtaken AI curiosity Last month we noted the shift from hype to anxiety. In April, it's gone further, LinkedIn News is now running stories about active resistance: "one in three sabotage AI at work," "workers complain of AI workslop," "white-collar risks need humans," "when AI is not the answer," "a chatbot is not a doctor." Implication: The audience mood around AI has moved from curiosity through concern into scepticism. Pure AI enthusiasm from execs will land poorly. Action: Posts that acknowledge the tension, opportunity alongside genuine risk, will outperform those that pick a side. Execs with direct experience implementing AI responsibly have the strongest angle here. Those without specific expertise should be cautious about wading in. Energy disruption is building quietly Jet fuel shortages, flight delays across Europe, and a scramble to avert a broader fuel crisis have appeared repeatedly through April. These aren't headline-dominating yet, but they're accumulating. With summer approaching and oil prices under pressure from ongoing US/Iran tensions, this is likely to sharpen. Flight costs, supply chain stress, and cost-of-living knock-ons will all become more visible. Implication: This is an emerging story, not a current one. But for execs in energy, logistics, travel, or consumer-facing sectors, it's about to become their audience's primary concern. Action: No need to post reactively now. But if your exec operates in an affected sector, start preparing a perspective for late May or June when the story matures. THE MONTH AHEAD CALENDAR WINDOWS May 4 - Early May Bank Holiday. Lower posting volume, lower engagement. Post either side, not during. May 7 - Local, Scottish Parliament, Senedd, and mayoral elections. A major moment across the UK. LinkedIn News will cover it. For execs in policy-adjacent sectors (property, infrastructure, public services, devolved industries), there's a content window around what results mean for their space. For everyone else, stay out unless there's a direct connection. May 11–17 - Mental Health Awareness Week. This is a high-volume posting period on LinkedIn. The risk is performative content that adds nothing. Execs should only post here if they have something specific to say, a policy their company has implemented, a personal experience, a concrete commitment. Generic "mental health matters" posts will be lost in the noise. May 25 - Spring Bank Holiday. Same as May 4 - reduced attention. Plan around it. THE MONTH AHEAD BUILDING THEMES US/Iran tensions will keep running. Even with the two-week ceasefire in early April, the downstream effects, energy prices, supply chain disruption, geopolitical uncertainty, will persist. This story isn't going away in May. Execs in energy, defence, logistics, and financial services should be prepared for it to escalate. AI regulation will intensify. If regulators are already responding to capability claims in April, expect legislative and institutional noise to pick up through May. This favours execs who can speak to governance, responsible implementation, or sector-specific implications, not general AI commentary. The economic mood won't lighten. Inflation, recession risk, and workforce restructuring will remain the backdrop. Content that is practical, specific, and grounded in real operational experience will continue to outperform aspirational or abstract takes. Summer travel costs will sharpen. As booking season peaks, the energy disruption story from this month will become a consumer-facing one. Travel, hospitality, and consumer-sector execs have a natural content window opening.

There’s a LinkedIn product that very few are making the most of. It’s not video. It’s not ads. It’s LinkedIn Newsletters . What are LinkedIn Newsletters? Newsletters are a way to talk about a professional topic you’re passionate about on a regular basis through LinkedIn. They can be set up by brands or people for all LinkedIn members to subscribe to. Here’s the useful bit: when you create a newsletter, existing followers are alerted to it, inviting them to subscribe so you can create a following from day one. They also make it easy to create buzz around them, with push, in-app, and email notifications pinged to subscribers every time you post. Why do LinkedIn Newsletters matter more now? LinkedIn recently published guidance on getting cited by AI tools. Key here was Articles, which drive around 60% of citations. Why? Their longer-form nature allows for depth of insight which LLMs LOVE 💚 The same is true for Newsletters. Because they’re longer-form, regular pieces of content, that often dive deep into niche topics, they’re great for AI visibility. PLUS, they’re easy to distribute and get in front of key audiences, meaning metrics can be great on them too. When attention matters more than ever, that’s important. What content to include in a LinkedIn Newsletter? Your LinkedIn Newsletters can be whatever you want to make it. Broadly, we see four different types of Newsletter, including: A regular post round-up  in which you pull out key posts from the past month, helping extend their organic reach, and giving them a new lease of life (this is a great way to fuel a Newsletter with no additional effort or content creation!) Long-form topic deep-dives , or personal notes, especially for execs, providing a format to go all-in on a niche topic, or round-up of recent events (similar to LinkedIn articles) A collection of third-party content  you find interesting, whether from employees across the business, wider industry commentators, or broader news sources You could also consider LinkedIn Newsletters to be a Substack equivalent, distributed straight to your existing followers with the potential to grow your audience too.  Who does LinkedIn Newsletters well? Newsletters can be used by both brand pages, and people, and can centre on any topic. A few we think are interesting are: Google’s Monthly AI Recap , published each month to summarise their AI announcements, updates, and breakthroughs PwC’s ‘The Spotlight’ , a monthly deep dive into the issues affecting us all, told through short-form video bites featuring senior execs Vodafone’s monthly policy digest  from telecoms across Europe Virgin Media 02’s Monthly Social Wrap , re-linking to key content shared throughout the month  BP Energy in Focus , a bi-weekly summary of corporate announcements from across the organisation   Priniple Perspectives by Ray Dalio , an ongoing flow of research and perspectives about the economy, markets, life and work Ask Richard by Richard Branson , used as a format for answering audience questions with long-form answers JLL’s Christian Ulbrich on Leadership Perspectives , reviewing key events both within, and outside JLL, from Davos, to their latest organisational strategy So, what’s the opportunity? We see Newsletters as LinkedIn’s most underutilised feature. Here are three ways you can trial them: As a brand page, to share regular summaries of company news, or a download of content from the past month (ICYMI!) From an exec page, to demonstrate deep expertise in specialist topic areas Within a paid journey , with ads re-targeting users who opened and engaged with your Newsletter, forming part of a wider customer journey

Ofcom published their latest research, ‘ Adults' Media Use and Attitudes 2026 ’. The report delves into our online lives and relationships with media. At a high level, the findings suggest a more cautious approach emerging to both digital consumption and contribution, including within social media… Behaviours While social platform membership remains high (89%, rising to 97% among 16-34 year olds), almost half (49%) of people express concern that posting online could cause them problems in the future (up 6% YoY) Unsurprisingly, this has meant a decline in the proportion of people actively posting, sharing or commenting on social media (down 22% to 49%) The remainder of users are becoming more passive - 25% ‘like’ things that others have posted, while 24% read things without interacting much The people more likely to share, post or comment include younger adults aged 16-34 (58%) and those in AB socio-economic households (57%) Attitudes The proportion of adult social media users who feel social media is good for their mental health has fallen this year. After rising to 42% in 2024, this measure has dropped back to 36% (similar to 2022 levels) A potential driver of this is the content within platforms, with 56% of users saying they have seen false or misleading news in the past year This rises to around two-thirds (65%) for social media users aged 16-34  Those who do seek to check accuracy are most often: comparing information with other sources (43%)  checking the original source (42%) looking at the comments section for indications of credibility (41%, demonstrating the importance of other users’ reactions in shaping trust in social media) Adults who have had negative online experiences were far more likely to disagree (27%) that social media apps were good for their mental health versus the average adult (16%) In many of these cases, it demonstrates that our experiences are more markedly shaping our opinions, and leading to pronounced behavioural changes. Some of these datapoints are marked shifts year-on-year, which is unusual in research of this kind. It shows the rapid pace of change in how we are behaving online and our attitudes to our experiences, making it more important than ever to consider how to maintain trust with an audience. In this context, discovery becomes more challenging and authenticity all the more important. More closely at the intersection between brands and online content, there are indications that our ability to understand, and have trust in, what we’re seeing is stalling.  Just over half (52%) of search engine users correctly identified paid placements, which is unchanged since last year Interestingly, those aged 55-74 were more likely to identify sponsored links accurately (58% of 55-64s and 59% of 65-74s), whereas younger adults were least likely to Although eight in ten (81%) of adults felt confident in recognising advertising, just three in ten (30%) felt ‘very’ confident, which is a 16% decline since 2019, and half (51%) felt just ‘fairly’ confident in their ability When it comes to brand discovery, 17% said they believe that if a website appears in search results it will contain accurate and unbiased information, which is down from 27% last year Further key findings include that: The proportion of people exploring new websites has fallen 14% (to 56%), with 40% saying they’ve used no new websites whatsoever While most adults (85%) say they use mainstream media for news, an almost equal proportion of people say they always trust it to be accurate (19%), versus always questioning its accuracy (21%) However, just 57% of adults say they would trust AI-generated news more than a human-written story, showing that there are still limits to how far the tool has infiltrated our lives despite adoption sitting at 54% To find out more, see Ofcom’s website

What comes next for communications is people > pages. LinkedIn is where that happens for corporate reputation and B2B. The Feed has changed. Your exec profile now determines reach. LinkedIn has quietly rebuilt how distribution works, and it changes where you should focus. Your profile is now the targeting layer On March 12, LinkedIn confirmed it has overhauled Feed ranking using LLMs and generative recommenders. The system now reads profile fields (headline, About, skills, industry) and matches them semantically to content. Not keywords, meaning it understands that “supply chain resilience” and “operational risk” are related. It also adapts in real time. If an exec starts posting on a new topic, distribution adjusts within the same session. Implication: Your profile is no longer a shopfront. It’s infrastructure. If your exec’s About section is vague or misaligned with what they post, reach will suffer, even if the content is strong. Action: Audit profiles and align them tightly to content themes. Engagement bait is being actively filtered out LinkedIn is now suppressing: “Comment YES if you agree” prompts Posts with mismatched video/text designed to game reach Generic, low-substance thought leadership This builds on last month’s crackdown on automated comments. Now, the posts themselves are being filtered. Implication: Formulaic engagement tactics don’t just underperform; they may be actively limited. Action: Review recent posts. Keep CTAs, but remove anything that feels templated or manipulative. Links aren’t penalised (officially), but behaviour says otherwise LinkedIn has stated that: External links Hashtags Scheduling tools do not reduce reach. Their position is clear: the Feed rewards value, not tactics. However, third-party data still shows posts with links underperforming. Implication: There is a gap between what LinkedIn says and what the Feed does. Action: Use links, but don’t rely on them. The post itself needs to carry the value. LinkedIn is now optimising for AI visibility LinkedIn has published guidance on getting cited by AI tools. Key points: Articles drive ~60% of citations Posts account for ~40% 800–1,200-word articles perform best Structure matters: clear, quotable, specific Implication: If your exec only posts short-form content, you are missing discoverability outside LinkedIn. Action : Introduce a monthly article or newsletter focused on core expertise. GOOD POSTS THIS MONTH Same news. Two posts. Completely different outcomes. When Danone acquired Huel, both CEOs posted within hours. The contrast is instructive. James McMaster (Huel) Personal, narrative-driven, specific. He tells the nine-year story, explains why Danone, credits people by name, and writes like someone reflecting on a defining moment. Antoine de Saint-Affrique (Danone) Clear but corporate. Reads like a press release. Strategic rationale is there, but the human layer is missing. McMaster had ~1.6x the followers, but nearly 6x the comments. What this shows: The algorithm changes in Section One are already visible in outcomes. Posts that: Sounds like a person Show context and journey Carry emotional weight are outperforming those that simply communicate information. Action: When your exec has a major announcement, resist the instinct to formalise. That’s exactly where performance is lost. Don’t share the news. Translate it. Julie Crosby, Indie Producer Julie takes a Ted Sarandos interview and does something simple but powerful: she explains what it actually means for her audience. Opens with curiosity (“Wait — what did he just say?”) Pulls out the key shift Breaks it into three clear takeaways Adds her own interpretation The numbers are modest. The engagement quality isn’t. More than one comment for every two reactions signals real conversation, not passive engagement. What this shows: Relevance beats reach. Her profile aligns perfectly with her content, exactly what the new Feed rewards. Action: When a major voice says something, don’t reshare it. Answer: What does this mean for my audience? Add one layer of context that others miss Raynor de Best, Financial Industry Expert On Revolut’s UK banking licence, Raynor does three things well: Adds overlooked context ties it to Barclays’ earlier criticism Structures his take three short, specific points Uses a visual that does the work Revolut’s scale vs competitors is instantly clear This is content designed to be saved and shared, which is exactly what the algorithm now prioritises. What this shows: You don’t need a hot take. You need a useful one. Action: For reactive content: State the fact Add one new angle Structure the insight Include a visual that earns attention WHAT LINKEDIN NEWS IS PRIORITISING (AND WHAT'S NEXT) AI has shifted from hype to anxiety Early March focused on funding and deals. By mid-month, the narrative changed: AI-linked layoffs workforce disruption job risk (especially for women) Implication: The audience is no longer just curious about AI. They are concerned about it. Action:  Posts that acknowledge both opportunity and disruption will land better than pure optimism. Gender didn’t stop at International Women’s Day Coverage extended well beyond IWD: workplace culture AI impact on women representation and leadership Implication : This is a sustained editorial theme, not a calendar moment. Action : Don’t confine this content to March. There is space for it year-round. Economic pressure remains the backdrop Recurring themes: weak UK growth hiring slowdown rate uncertainty Alongside: restructuring workforce cuts shifting investment strategies Implication:  The mood is cautious. Action : Content that is practical, grounded, and forward-looking will outperform abstract commentary. WHAT TO WATCH: APRIL Tax changes create a short window of attention From 6 April: dividend tax increases IHT reform Making Tax Digital expansion National Living Wage rise Implication : There will be a brief surge in demand for clarity. Action : For finance and advisory leaders, early April is the moment to post practical guidance. Easter will reduce competition and attention The long weekend (Good Friday–Easter Monday) will: Lower posting volume Reduce engagement overall Action : Post just before or just after, not during. AI + workforce stories will accelerate Action : Leaders in tech, finance, and professional services should be ready to contribute, with nuance. Middle East tensions may reshape the agenda If energy prices rise, expect: Inflation Supply chains Cost pressures to dominate coverage Action : Only contribute where there is genuine expertise. Otherwise, stay out. Employment rights changes will surface New policies (e.g. day-one rights) are expected to gain traction. Action : Strong opportunity for HR and people leaders to provide clarity and interpretation.

Our guiding principle at OneFifty is to try “to do the right thing” - which is why we’re proud to be a BCorp  accredited business. March is BCorp Month,  the annual celebration of the power of business to promote all of the communities we operate in.  How does this come to life for us? It’s about the consideration of our commercial decisions -for example, when we needed a new coffee supplier, we wanted to select a fellow BCorp, knowing that coffee production has historically let down some of the communities involved (thanks ChimneyFire  for the great beans!). In other cases it is about how we travel, the impact of the work we do, and even the clients we do and don’t wish to engage with. Whatever the decision, we’re focused on trying to do the right thing - and BCorp is one expression of that. So, this month, do take a look, and engage with the positive potential of business.

Our first-ever OneFifty Managing Director - shout out to Lucy Barrett We have a long-standing goal of 50% or more of the business being ‘home-grown’, so it’s fitting our first-ever Managing Director would have started their career with us. Nearly a decade on, she’s leading the business. And she’s just getting started… About Lucy Barrett: Lucy Barrett is Managing Director of OneFifty and an experienced social media leader who supports a diverse range of brands navigate complex challenges and implement solutions that drive measurable results. From global FTSE 100's to challenger brands, her expertise is in business strategy, planning, identifying influence, and digital creative & production.

The worlds of Ballet and Opera erupted on social media this weekend, following a punchy statement from Timothee Chalamet about a lack of interest in these arts.  In February, Timothee Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey spoke to a live audience at The University of Texas at Austin’s Moody College of Communication for the Variety & CNN Town Hall. In a conversation discussing efforts to preserve cinema, Timmy made a fairly flippant comment… "I don't want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it's like, 'Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this anymore.' But, London institutes (and many all over the world) have used this statement as an opportunity to propel themselves - albeit maybe unintentionally - to new audiences. The Royal Ballet School  has generated over 800K views in less than 24 hours (making it their most successful post of all time) and The Royal Ballet and Opera House  have even invited Timothee to a show to reconsider, along with 2M other users.  Google searches around terms related to opera and ballet have increased - ballet london tickets 7%, philadelphia ballet 130%, american theatre ballet tickets 70%.  Using reactive content, in this example to get in front of a new audience in an interesting way has proved successful - sometimes the opportunities create themselves, but reacting to them interestingly is how you win. This all being said, when the world’s elite dance institutions' best-ever posts are a) in response to critique and b) do 20% of what Timothee’s famous Girlfriend gets on posts about a new product , it shows the challenge isn't just to grab this moment, but how to sustain the interest longer term to build a next-generation audience. The next step, for Timmy, ballet & opera? Front row tickets for Kylie and him at the Nutcracker - to show everyone is friends again 💚

The latest developments from all the social platforms, in one place, to help you identify what comes next in social. This month is all about AI features, and ad product optimisation, whilst LinkedIn battles AI slop with algorithm evolution. Meta is still talking a big AI game to keep pace with Google and OpenAI. So far, the ‘strongarmed’ implementation of Advantage+ has had its benefits and drawbacks, but there’s a new feature on the horizon... • Meta has introduced Manus AI into Ads Manager, to automate campaign management and decision-making. The aim here is to improve their agentic capabilities, to build research reports, and to monitor and improve social strategies. It’s brand new, so, we’re still testing it out • They’ve also introduced Advantage+ lead campaigns - they work similarly to how Advantage+ has worked thus far, and use Meta’s inbuilt AI to optimise lead generation. Use with caution... as with the rest of Adv+, ‘optimisation’ often comes at the cost of control and defined audiences • They’re also introducing an AI audience targeting feature, which allows you to prompt with full text or keywords, to describe the audience you’d like to target. In practice, this might make ad setup easier for inexperienced users at the cost of detailed targeting Instagram continues to lean into short-form content, and carries on pinching platform features from TikTok in order to compete. • Instagram is testing making Reels the first page users see when they open the app. The aim is to increase engagement with short-form video, and compete more directly with TikTok-style content consumption. Late last year they trialled this in India, but they appear to be rolling out the trials across a few other markets (although it’s unclear which). Should it hit the mainstream, it’s another nod to the ever growing importance of short-form video • Instagram explores a “Short Drama” format, consisting of episodic, short-form video series, similar to the storytelling formats popular on TikTok. It’s currently in early testing, and not yet available to the public, but it would allow users to be immersed in longer-form content through a series of cutdowns, and offers brands the opportunity to experiment with episodic storytelling - watch this space YouTube continues their ascendancy, scooping eyeballs on small and big screen, whilst leveraging Google integration to impact search, as well as entertainment. • YouTube has added a reporting metric (Attributable Branded Searches), which tracks when users see a YouTube ad, and later search for the brand on Google. In theory, this closes a big attribution gap in what Google have historically referred to as “The Messy Middle”. There’s huge application here to demonstrate the commercials of brand campaigns, and indirect traffic thanks to YouTube viewing • Google integrates Gemini AI more deeply with YouTube, using watch history alongside other Google data to personalise recommendations and responses. This means content relevance, information structure, and audience engagement are even more important for discoverability through AI engines and GEO visibility - there’s an argument to be made for content creation that’s never designed to be watched organically, but is instead designed to surface information on key topics to AI engines • They’ve also introduced Shoppable Connected TV, enabling viewers to seamlessly browse and purchase products while watching YouTube ads on the big screen. It’s a new opportunity for brands to make the most of dual- screen viewing, unlocking audiences wallets on the small screen, after grabbing their attention on the big one LinkedIn develops its algorithm to prioritise content relevance, and increase the importance of author credibility, in another nod to the power of people over pages. • In February, there was also an evolution of the LinkedIn Algorithm. For brands, it means content needs to be more relevant, and be aimed to drive conversation in the comments section with community management here becoming increasingly important. The changes themselves were: • Profile about section and headlines are now context tags, giving credibility signals • Comments are now far stronger algorithmic signals of content quality than likes • Dwell time becomes an increasingly important ranking factor TikTok continues to develop its capabilities outside of core content consumption, improving Shop features and developing its search planning infrastructure. • TikTok has introduced more features on TikTok shop for sellers, including an AI assistant chatbot, automated sample approvals, and AI-recommended creator partnerships. This aims to make social commerce easier for brands, and shows TikTok continuing to double down on e-commerce. In practice for established brands, these new features aren’t revolutionary, but they do demonstrate a clear direction of travel • TikTok has launched a Keyword Planner, which works similarly to how Google's does. It allows you to quantify the volume of search on TikTok for specific terms. This makes planning for both Social Search campaigns, and Search Ads simpler, and more concrete. Right now, it gives relatively broad ranges of results, but we’d expect to see this become more refined Reddit is hitting headlines at the moment thanks to its partnership with Google sky-rocketing its visibility in AI search, but back on the platform itself, they’re developing improved AI and shopping features, to keep up with the likes of Meta and TikTok. • Reddit has introduced a new AI-based ad tool, Max Campaign, that automates audience selection for ads, which they say will lower costs and increase conversions. In practice, this looks very similar to Meta’s Advantage+, albeit Reddit themselves are claiming there will be a greater level of visibility as to what their AI optimisation has done • The platform’s also testing AI-powered shopping search, which would result in products appearing in shopping-related searches, linking directly to purchase pages. This signals a move toward product discovery and commerce within the platform