Leaves rustle, sun hides behind heavy clouds, and shadows lurk around you everywhere... This awfully atmospheric season is in its full power. With it, some new updates that might scare your competitors, once you learn how to use it to grow.
Horrific! Instagram Tests Videos Up to 90-Minutes Long
Instagram is testing a new format called Features that allows U.S. creators (for now, only in the U.S.) to post horizontal videos of up to 90 minutes. It was made with podcasters, comedians and other long-form creators in mind and allows users to link Reels teasers to full-length videos. Instagram is also rolling out episodic video Series, extending Live stream recommendations to non-followers and bringing its TV app to Apple TV.
They also give creators new opportunities to repurpose long-form content, tease viewers with short clips, and reach beyond their existing followers. Do they make Instagram a more competitive destination for podcasts and longer-form videos? Frightfully so!
The Search Is Alive! Social Media Could Boost Your AI Visibility
There is fresh research that shows what makes your social presence haunt search results. The SE Ranking team looked at 100,000 keywords and found social media links in 67.66% of Google AI Overviews responses, 32.39% of Google AI Mode responses, and 8.4% of chatbot responses. YouTube was the social platform most referenced in Google AI Overviews, while Reddit and LinkedIn were heavily featured in ChatGPT responses. What on Earth does that all mean?
The findings show how an active social presence can boost visibility for creators and brands beyond standard search. You need to be active to be seen, simple as that. However, citations vary by AI platform and change over time, so a diversified strategy is more reliable than a single-channel focus.
YouTube Music Puts a Spell... Labels AI-Generated Tracks
YouTube Music is rolling out labels to flag songs that are made mostly by generative AI, including the ones where the AI writes the composition and the vocals. The labels will be shown directly on the player page, and you can tap them to get more info. YouTube will work with music partners and promises to use its own detection tools to identify AI-generated tracks.
This update signals a growing focus on transparency for content created by AI for musicians and creators, an important consideration for artists using AI tools in music production and distribution.
A Spooky Good Deal by Pinterest for Creators and Promotions
Pinterest is testing a feature that allows brands to promote eligible Pins from creators with whom they already have a partnership. If a brand wants to boost a creator's content, the creators will receive an email about it, and can approve or decline the promotion.
The update might help creators expand the reach of sponsored content and generate more monetization opportunities. Pinterest also advises to add relevant brands, make content shoppable and keep posts brand-safe to increase the potential for sponsorship.
YouTube Offers Invite-Only Shorts Bonuses, What a Treat!
A new Shorts bonus program that YouTube announced recently will pay some creators in select markets extra money each month. Invited creators can get bonuses based on their monthly Shorts uploads and valid engaged views, as long as they meet the requirements in their invitation and remain monetized. Participation is by invitation only, there is no application process. Creators must accept the offer in YouTube Studio before the 15th of the month for their activity to count toward the bonus for that month.
For eligible creators, this provides another potential revenue stream on top of existing monetization, rewarding regular Shorts publishing and audience engagement.
The Walking Reupload: YouTube Cuts Back on Unoriginal Shorts
YouTube's Shorts recommendation system has recently undergone serious changes to favor original content and reduce the reach of videos re-uploaded without adding any value. Channels that mainly re-upload content from other creators with minor tweaks may experience reduced distribution in the Shorts feed.
Creators who use third-party clips should add meaningful value to the work, such as original commentary, unique editing, or storytelling. So the main value is not technical! The update also reminded creators about the importance of originality and a unique creative vision.
More news, updates, explorations, guides, and ideas for creators are in our blog!
