The Social Media and Influencer Marketing News You Can Use in June

As we get closer to the Juneteenth holiday, I am reminded of the progress we as a country have made so far, and how progress requires consistent effort. I hope we can all enjoy the time off and to reflect on this country’s history.

Let’s dive into this week’s news you can use, where we’ll cover the latest social media and influencer marketing news that you need to be aware of in June. This week, we’ll discuss two potential platform updates coming to Instagram, Snapchat’s user base is growing older and get a brief introduction on how influencer partnerships come to life behind the scenes.

Need a Gut Check Before Posting? Instagram’s Got Your Back With New Features

Instagram is testing out two exciting new features to enable users to get feedback on their Reels prior to posting them to the public.  Both features are currently being tested on select accounts.

The first feature lets users send a preview of their in-progress video creation to friends. On a personal level, it's a chance to ask, "Do I look ridiculous in this outfit?" For brands, it's an additional review step to catch spelling errors, evaluate background music choices, check cuts, assess video length, and more. This process is completely private and visible only to those you choose to share it with. 

The second feature allows users to share their Reels with a randomly selected audience of non-followers before officially making them public. For brands, this could be a way to test new concepts or edgier ideas and gauge reactions. You have 24 hours to decide whether to post it publicly or archive it.  

Instagram's goal with these features is to improve content quality and encourage more users to give posting Reels a try by offering these safety nets.  

Snapchat’s User Base is Growing Up and That’s A Win For Advertisers

Think Snapchat is just a playground for Gen Z? Think again. The platform is experiencing a significant demographic shift, with a growing segment of mature users. In an interview with Marketing Brew, Patrick Harris, Snap's President of the Americas, revealed that nearly a quarter of Snapchat's user base is 35 or older. This data point presents a compelling business opportunity for advertisers seeking to engage a diverse audience beyond younger audiences.  

Snapchat's evolving brand positioning is underscored by a new ad campaign that sets the platform apart from its competitors. In conjunction with this campaign, Snapchat has rolled out an array of innovative advertising capabilities, including enhanced Dynamic Ads, generative AI and AR capabilities, and a suite of tools designed to empower advertisers and brands.  

With a growing segment of older users and a revitalized ad platform, Snapchat is positioning itself as a potent force in the advertising landscape, ready to cater to the needs of a broader range of brands and businesses. And these efforts are yielding results as an advertising platform, with a reported 85% year-over-year growth in its small and medium advertiser base in Q1. This momentum is further bolstered by Snapchat's expanding user base, which recently surpassed 422 million daily active users. 

A Brief Introduction to Influencer Partnerships (Through Legal)

Having a clear partnership agreement is crucial for successful collaborations. We wanted to share some behind the scenes info as to how we bring their content to life, while protecting our clients from any serious issues. Now you’ve probably heard the terms "contract" and "agreement" thrown around on status or internal calls, and are sometimes used interchangeably, but understanding the distinction is vital.  

Agreements typically outline the partnership's scope, defining each party's responsibilities. For example, a brand might want an influencer to create content around a certain product and promote the product page on their Link in Bio. 

Contracts, on the other hand, often delve deeper, specifying the terms under which the work is carried out. They might include restrictions on language use, guidelines on discussing competitors, and payment details. 

Ideally, an agreement and contract are finalized and signed before any creative work begins. Now why are contracts and agreements important? They provide clarity by eliminating confusion by defining roles and responsibilities, ensuring everyone understands their part in the collaboration. And they help our clients mitigate risk by addressing potential disputes by outlining content expectations, how creative revisions happen, ownership of intellectual property, usage rights and termination procedures. 

If you enjoyed this week’s “news can use,” you won’t want to miss the latest on TikTok in my blog update surrounding the latest legislation that is forcing TikTok to be sold or be banned in the United States.