Meta shares new tips on how to master the ‘Art of Instagram’
Social giant Meta has shared valuable insight just days into 2025 on how to maximise the reach of posts on Instagram. Alongside tips to generate the biggest numbers on individual pieces of content, Meta has also provided insight into certain elements that can limit the performance of certain posts.
Highlights included how watermarks on content can damage its overall reach, the importance of originality on the platform, and aiming to avoid ‘engagement bait’, a term used to describe misleading content that has the sole purpose of generating engagement from users. These tips, as well as being best practice, give clear guidelines of the standards Meta is setting going forward.
Read more here.
Snapchat shares insights into the benefits of AR-based campaigns
Augmented reality (AR) is a concept that hasn’t taken off in the ways it was expected to a few years back. However, a recent study from Snapchat discussed how campaigns can drive stronger engagement and brand awareness by encouraging active user participation through AR.
Snapchat’s research, which analysed 38 AR-focused campaigns, revealed that AR outperforms video ads in regards to boosting awareness, brand association and deliberate decision making.
AR’s interactive nature seemingly creates more memorable impressions, making it ideal for deepening consumer consideration. Snapchat recommends blending AR and video campaigns, focussing on ‘urgency’ in videos and ‘shareability’ in AR.
Read more here.
Meta introduces AI image generation using previously taken user’s selfies
Meta is testing a new way to showcase its generative AI tools by using user-uploaded selfies to create custom AI depictions displayed on the feed.
This recent experiment has drawn mixed reactions from users so far, with many finding the resulting images off-putting due to their so-called ‘Uncanny Valley’ effect and scary levels of realism.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently claimed that its AI chatbot boasts nearly 600 million monthly users and while Meta envisions personalised AI-driven interactions as the future of social, the concept of AI-generated deepfakes of users has sparked debates about its potential intrusiveness.
Read more here.
TikTok releases report into the value of its shopping feature
TikTok has released a report in partnership with Ipsos highlighting its growing role in product discovery and eCommerce among American users, amid the app facing potential removal from the US app markets.
Based on a survey of 3,500 American users, the report emphasises TikTok’s unique shopping ecosystem, fueled by creators and trending product insights. TikTok’s rising popularity as a shopping platform is evident in its ever-increasing user spending, paired with a broader interest in its commerce features from businesses on the platform.
The report also offers guidance for retailers on leveraging TikTok for sales, highlighting the sheer value of the platform as a new means of shopping. That is of course, if the app survives the upcoming American regulatory challenges.
Read more here.
News as we know it is shifting to a new generation
The news industry – both legacy providers and recent entrants – is in a period of enormous change to survive.
Podcasts, influencers and citizen journalists are all eating away at the world once dominated by newspapers, radio and TV. Eyeballs, advertising and trust have shifted forever too.
However, it’s not doom and gloom as there has never been a bigger appetite for news and everywhere you look storytelling is thriving. Younger audiences – the next generation – are engaging, just in a different way from before.
The news team at Democracy have produced a recent insight report to provide strategies for building brand fame through storytelling that inspires awareness, relevance, and trust.
Read the report here.