State of Social 04: The essential April recap

Spring cleaning, failed DIY attempts and the hard launch of ‘Fool’s Spring’.

It may still feel a bit like winter, but fear not, in this latest State of Social, Verity warms up the cockles of your social-starved heart with a whole host of social media updates fresh out the oven.

Sit back, relax and let us talk you through all the latest news across the landscape of social, digital and everything content creator-led. 

Instagram’s Notify Sticker

Instagram has launched a new sticker for creators to add to their Stories, allowing followers to subscribe to notifications. Think of this as Instagram’s answer to ‘clicking the bell’ on YouTube; this little addition will be a big to help when it comes to maximising, and building on, fan connections.   

We’ve seen notifications through main profiles, but we see this new Sticker feature as a way for the platform to further push Stories. With Adam (Head of Instagram) Mosseri focussing on Stories more, we’ve seen recent releases and updates such as the polaroid ‘shake to reveal’ frames, cutouts, and 'add yours' music sticker. But more on that next month!

LinkedIn to launch Premium Company Pages

LinkedIn has been working on a new Premium subscription for Company Pages. With the subscription fee starting at $99/month per page – this new premium service includes; AI-written content, tools to grow follower numbers, the creation of call-to-action buttons, and a whole host of other new features setting premium pages apart from the rest.

Subscribed companies will also have exclusive use of key LinkedIn metrics and features, in order to attract the right kind of new customers, build credibility, and even receive a golden badge of honour – the utmost coveted badge in the world of LinkedIn verification.

This change, we predict, has come from previously unregulated Company Pages given a false sense of authority, contributing to the spread of misinformation and potential harm to other brands. This change is only a positive thing (despite the hefty price tag) as having a safe space to broadcast, and build a credible profile on LinkedIn, helps everyone in the fight for authenticity.

So fresh and so clean!  

It’s been rumoured that Instagram is testing a ‘clear mode’ option within Reels.

Have you ever spent fiddly hours creating a Reel just to have it illegible in places due to the clunky UI buttons on Reel clips? Us too…

In this test, Instagram are experimenting with a new option that would enable cleaner, clearer viewing within Reels, with the ability to hide both the description, song choice, and shop links.

This ‘wider screen’, optimised viewing experience would be activated by long pressing on a Reel, allowing watchers to remain fully focussed and emmersed in the video content.

Of course TikTok already has a Clear Display option, which can be enabled by long-pressing on a clip. However, this only lasts for the video that you’re watching, and must be re-enabled each time. Can Mosseri do one better and enforce it as a ‘viewing mode’? Let’s see! 

WhatsApp Community Events 

WhatsApp have announced new updates for their “Communities” feature - the place for users to connect via group chats based on interests, locations, clubs etc.

The creation of Community Events is the perfect place to promote upcoming events in-stream, and can be organised and highlighted within group chats.

WhatsApp said:

“With events, it’s now easier for people to plan their get togethers directly in WhatsApp, whether it’s setting up a virtual meeting or birthday dinner. Anyone can create an event and others can respond so the whole group knows who is coming.”

Events can be found within the group chat when announced, plus the group’s information page, where members can keep track of upcoming goings on. Group members can interact, set reminders, and ‘attend’ to receive exclusive notifications.

As more social comms look to take place behind closed doors more recently see (State of Social 01) this move towards a more privately-led communication style seems to be going nowhere fast! Have you tried it yet?

Want more of the social stuff?

Get in touch with Verity by sending us an email to hello@greatstate.co.