Huge news for Instagram users this week, with Instagram announcing carousel posts with a song added will now be eligible to appear in the Reels feed, reaching a wider audience and improving engagement! Also, Instagram is attempting to encourage the use of QR codes for profile sharing AGAIN! There are heaps of exciting updates and useful recommendations in this week’s digital updates dump, so make sure you don’t miss a thing!

What’s new with Meta?

Users are reporting excessive bans and restrictions on Meta platform, Threads. Accounts are being deleted for minor infractions, and the automated system is adding incorrect fact checks and throttling posts. These issues are making the platforms less useful for many users.

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What’s new with Instagram?

New Profile Cards on Instagram

So, Instagram just dropped “profile cards”, a revamp of their QR code feature to share account details. Think of them as your digital business cards but for your social media account. These new profile cards provide a QR code for an easy and seamless connection with a little profile overview. They can be customized with a background image and song of your choice. Instagram hopes this feature will help users connect with brands and share their profiles with friends. But let’s be real, QR codes on Instagram haven’t exactly been a hit in the past. So, we’ll see if this one changes the game. You can access your profile card by tapping on the “Share profile” option on your profile in the latest version of the app.

Our take: If you are a small business owner at a market stall, convention or conference this might be a helpful way to share your social media info with potential customers quickly and easily without having to spell out your username.

Carousel Posts Now in Reels Feed!

Instagram says adding music to your carousels can now potentially include it in the Reels feed to improve your engagement and reach. Plus, new text tools can help you create more engaging stories in your photos and carousels…

Our tip / key features:

• Carousel vs Single Photo?:  Firstly, Instagram has stated that Carousels typically receive more engagement than single photos. This may be because users are given multiple opportunities to interact with the content if they do not swipe through every slide!
• Proposed Wider Reach: Instagram claims adding songs to your carousels can add a whole new level of engagement to your content by allowing your posts to be seen by more people.
• Recommended “Text Hook”: Instagram’s text tools now allow you to add captions, stickers, and other elements to your carousels in the app before posting. Instagram has recommended adding text in the first slide of your carousel to set expectations on what your viewers will see in the following slides. This will act similarly to the first 3-second “hook” of a reel!
• Make it pop!: Instagram has recommended users consider using “visually striking images” to evoke a reaction and ultimately engagement. They suggest experimenting with layering images via their “stickers” feature to stand out!

Recommendations for Business Owners: Based on all of the tips Instagram has given us on this one, we definitely recommend business owners try and boost their reach and engagement by prioritising carousels with a song added over singular photos! Business owners should also try and experiment with visually exciting posts by using the stickers and text features within the app! We also appreciate the tip about your first slide acting as a “hook” for your carousel!

📔 Other noteworthy updates from Instagram this week:

• Instagram have moved its IGTV and Video Post Insights has moved to be all in one place. You can view insights on your organic and boosted reels to track performance with metrics like Views, Watch time, Accounts reached, Average watch time and, Follows.
• A New Spooky Halloween Font has hit your Instagram stories’ tools! Check this one out for any spooky season posts you might be sharing on your stories!

👀 Tests spotted on Instagram this week:

• Instagram is experimenting with a new “Social Library” feature that would store all the posts and Reels you’ve interacted with. This would make it easier to find shared content that you’ve liked, re-shared, or bookmarked. This feature could be particularly beneficial as sharing content has become a dominant way people interact on the platform.

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What’s new with Google?

Google’s Frightgeist guide provides insights into top Halloween search trends. It covers costume trends, makeup searches, food trends, décor, party themes, and even dog costumes. This year’s top costume choices include characters from movies like “Beetlejuice” and “Inside Out.” The site also offers a U.S. map to explore state-by-state trends.

👀 Tests spotted on Google this week:

• Google Announces AI-powered shopping features to enhance the user experience of Google Shopping. The new system generates AI briefs with relevant considerations for your search, provides personalized product feeds, and offers improved price comparison and tracking tools. For example, you can search something as specific as “men’s winter jackets for Seattle”, to get an AI brief with the most important things you should know before investing in a piece and provide you with products recommended by sources across the web with an explanation why! These updates aim to streamline shopping and drive more engagement with Google product listings. These features are rolling out in the US over the coming weeks and will hopefully hit Australia sometime shortly.

What’s new with TikTok?

TikTok is pushing for in-app shopping to replicate the success of Chinese app “Douyin”. They’ve launched “Fall Deals For You” to boost sales and are hosting live shopping events. While TikTok has facilitated billions in spending, it’s still behind Douyin, which generated hundreds of billions. TikTok is trying to replicate Douyin’s success with AI influencers and in-stream purchase options but faces challenges like consumer trust and regional differences in online shopping habits.

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📔 Other noteworthy updates or tests:

• YouTube is testing a new “Save” button for Shorts, which will replace the “Dislike” button in the main Shorts UI. This change aims to make it easier for users to bookmark and save their favourite Shorts. While the “Dislike” button will still be available in the three-dot menu, this move could impact the Shorts feedback loop and how the algorithm refines the feed. YouTube says that the experiment is currently being rolled out to a small number of viewers on mobile devices.
• YouTube’s “Why We Watch 2.0” report reveals what viewers seek in content: community, quality, emotional resonance, and creativity. Younger viewers value creativity, while older viewers prioritize accuracy. Viewers are more receptive to ads supporting creators they like. These insights are interesting to see the evolution of YouTube’s viewership and help YouTube account curate their content to an evolving audience.

We will definitely be prioritising carousels with music from now on and we will be closely monitoring to see if this improves our OMD account’s engagement. AND of course, we will let you know what we think! Feel free to sign up for our weekly updates here (plus so much more hot goss) so you never miss the best updates. AND don’t forget, if you do miss out you can always go back to last weeks blog posts here.

XOXO

Oh My Digital Team