This Month In Social Media | October 2023 Edition

On this Halloween issue, I am looking at the latest updates announced in October. By the time you cram that Halloween candy down, there will social channel strategies shared for Black Friday and Christmas. Who are we kidding, those are already out now.

A huge hello and welcome to my new readers and welcome back to my OG's that have been following the newsletter from the beginning (all 900+ of you). Please subscribe if you like what you read and you will get alerts each month when this TMIS newsletter drops.

Here we go!

>> The Latest From Instagram >>

Instagram Launches a New Test Letting You Collab With Carousel Posts - Adam Mosseri Thread Post

• Users will be able to allow others to submit photos or videos to be included within their carousel posts
• The original creator will need to approve or reject any submissions
• The post will only exist on the creators’ timeline, not any other contributors
• Think of it as an additional way to encourage more engagement and interaction in your IG stream

Instagram Tests New 'Nearby' Feed for Stories

• Similar to TikTok's feature, IG is experimenting with a new “Nearby” feed for Stories, highlighting public content from users and businesses in the vicinity
• The main advantage is that it provides a new opportunity for promotion, with local brands able to reach users based on geography

Create Your Own Instagram Stickers With Content From Your Phone + More

• IG would like to let you use a photo cut-out process to make stickers out of objects within your images
• You will be able to identify specific features within your photos, easily cut and paste them in isolation and then use them as stickers in your Stories and Reels
• There's buzz that you will be able to create stickers not only from your own photos but also from “eligible images on Instagram”.

>> The Latest From TikTok >>

Check out TikTok's New Video Series with Creatives - TikTok Business

• Creatives share how to ideate, pitch and produce TikTok-first content hat not only drives commercial success but also leaves a lasting cultural impact

TikTok Test 15 Minute Video Uploads - Are We Going Back to Long Form Facebook Type Content? - Matt Navarra Threads

• TikTok is experimenting with a new 15-minute upload option, extending the current 10-minute video limit
• Some users and tech influencers are seeing messaging on the platform, informing them they can upload 15-minute clips
• In case you forgot, TikTok’s original time limit per clip was 15 seconds, then they extended it to 60 seconds. From there they revised it again to 3 minutes, then 5 minutes, before going to 10 minutes in 2022, which disappeared from the app as a direct option earlier this year

Would You Pay to Go Ad Free on TikTok? - Android Authority

• Code within the TikTok app shows that TikTok is testing an ad-free monthly subscription plan.
• The plan would cost $4.99 per month in the US during the phase, though pricing could change when the feature rolls out widely
• Testing is limited to a single English-speaking market outside the USA at this time

>> The Latest From X Formally Known as Twitter  >>

X Introduces Audio Calling in the Latest App Update

• As part of Elon's "everything app" vision, users can now make an audio call from their X DMs
• Calls received via X will look like regular phone calls on your device
• Apparently, video calls are coming soon

New Report Shows Decrease in Daily Users or the X App

• X seems to be losing audience share as they continue to roll out new updates that users aren't thrilled about
• According to a new report, which tracks the usage habits of 100K+ mobile app users, X has about 121M daily active users, significantly lower than the 253M reported by X directly

>> The Latest From YouTube >>

YouTube Launches New Subscriber Analytics To Improve Content- YouTube Creator Insider YouTube Channel

• YouTube's latest metrics offering provides additional insight into new and returning views, as well as what content leads to canceled subs.  
• This could be useful for YouTube creators to understand their channel subscribers.
• YouTube continues to provide its users with analytics to help brands and creators understand the impact their content is making.

Jack in the Box Uses Halloween Bring Back a Scary Menu Item

• Just in time for Halloween, Jack in the Box released its first-ever horror short, “Feeding Time,” to increase awareness about the return of their Monster Tacos and debut of a new Angry Monster Tacos menu item
• The short appears on Jack in the Box’s YouTube and owned social channels
• The short also features a hidden code to encourage use of the brand’s app. The first 1K members of the Jack Pack loyalty program, get two free tacos with a purchase, on the app

Here are the November social media moments that you or your brand may want to join in on for social:

• Men’s Health Awareness Month (aka No-Shave November and “Movember”)
• November 8: STEM Day #STEMDay
• November 9: Social Media Kindness Day
• November 13: World Kindness Day #WKD
• November 23: Thanksgiving (US)
• Black Friday following Thanksgiving Day (US)

• LinkedIn Profile CTAs Will Now Show in Feed Posts
• TikTok Announces Live Concert Event To Showcase Music Trends
• YouTube Tests Out Comment Controls To Manage Video Interactions
• TikTok Provided New Insights To Help Drive Halloween-Themed Promotions
• TikTok Shares Insights Into Its Value for Gaming Marketers

Thank you for reading all the way through. I hope you learned something new to be able to share in the next conversation you join about the latest in social media.

If you enjoyed this edition of This Month in Social Media, I would greatly appreciate you sharing with your network on any of your social channels.

Missed a recent edition? Check out all of the latest editions.

Not a subscriber? >> Subscribe here to get alerted every month, when the latest "This Month In Social" drops.

Can’t wait a full month? You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter & Threads for more frequent updates on Social Media with examples from great brands.