Social Media Industry Round-Up #112: Instagram’s Latest DM Updates & How to Create Top Performing Content on TikTok

Every week, the team at The Social Shepherd puts together all the relevant industry updates in a round-up newsletter.

This way, we keep our team, clients and interested marketers up to date with what's going on in the social media industry :)

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Threads Update

Bluesky who?

Threads has decided to share some data on current signups to change the narrative that ‘Bluesky is the trending platform at the minute’. 

Meta has confirmed that 35 million people signed up on Threads in November and that sign-ups have increased over the last two weeks (20 million new signups), versus the first weeks of the month (15 million signups).

Default Feed

Threads is testing giving users the option to select their default feed, choosing from their ‘for you’, ‘following’, and the newly introduced ‘custom’ feeds. 

This was a highly requested update as many users aren’t interested in the ‘for you’ feed and algorithm recommendations. We hope to see people engaging more with the accounts they already follow, which will be beneficial in increasing platform engagement. 

Trending Topics

Threads has announced some more updates, including the highly-requested trending topics with AI-powered summaries. Lots of users requested this feature during the US Election, as they couldn’t see live updates on their feed, but past posts from previous days.  

This update will help users keep up with current conversations, aim to enhance discovery and streamline user experience.

Instagram Updates

Story Collages

Instagram is testing a new Collage option for Stories, letting users create visually engaging posts by combining multiple images from their camera rolls into freeform designs. 

Unlike the rigid Layout tool, this updated feature offers more flexibility in arranging images, allowing users more creative freedom (similar to Pinterest's Shuffles app).

Power to the DMs

Instagram is upgrading its Direct Messages (DMs) in time for the holidays with features designed to increase engagement: 

• Expanded Sticker Options: New sticker packs and the ability to create and save custom “cutout” stickers from photos. 
• Friend Nicknames: Assign nicknames to friends in chats for a personal touch or to simplify usernames. These nicknames are private to the DM conversation and can be managed to allow or restrict changes by others. 
• Live Location Sharing: Users can share their live location in DMs for up to an hour or send pinned locations. This feature includes safeguards like expiration times and visible indicators of active sharing.

See the full article here.

Swapping Buttons

As forecasted by Adam Mosseri earlier this year, DMs have become the main way people share on Instagram. Therefore, it makes sense that the platform is constantly launching updates & changes to improve the user experience and encourage DM use. 

Instagram is currently testing a new placement for the DM button. It’d be located in the middle of the bottom function bar, currently where the “+” creation button is for regular posts. 

Head of Instagram, Mosseri, said: “Messaging is used a lot more than the create button, so we’re testing putting DMs in both in the middle position, and in position two where you can still swipe over to it. We’ll see how it goes.”

TikTok Updates

Top Performing Content Guide

TikTok has released a new guide on how to create content for high engagement.  TikTok’s unique format allows for authentic, relatable storytelling, which resonates with users and drives engagement: 

• Start with a hook: Including an opening line and strong visuals. 
• Include product validators: Show variations of the product, as well as its benefits. 
• End with a clear CTA (call-to-action): Drive urgency and show how to buy. 

The platform also included a few ‘creative patterns’ for brands to recreate, including unboxings, product demos or hacks. Nothing groundbreaking, but that can help those SMBs that are just getting started on TikTok. 

You can see the guide here.

Katie Chandler, Senior Social Media Director at The Social Shepherd, says "TikTok’s guide offers a good starting point, but a key area they've missed in driving high engagement is understanding the emotional payoff for your audience. Ask yourself... what emotion do I want viewers to feel after watching this video? Is it humour or joy? Feeling inspired or curious? Nailing that emotional resonance can create a deeper connection with your audience. When your content stirs a feeling that lingers, you’re not just grabbing attention, you’re building loyalty and sparking action (so in this case, engagement!)."

Zoe Williams, Social Media Director at The Social Shepherd, added "TikTok’s guide is a good basic foundation, but success comes from creating content that resonates with your audience and aligns with your objectives, rather than trying to ‘hack’ the algorithm for engagements. Prioritising authenticity, cumulative reach through consistency, and shareable, relatable storytelling ensures long-term engagement and tapping into trends and culturally relevant, reactive moments amplifies the potential for viral impact by aligning your content with what’s capturing attention in real-time."