Social Media News Roundup: April 2022

Welcome to our monthly Social Media News Roundup. The world of social media is constantly changing. We’ve curated a list of the top 10 biggest social media news announcements from each month to keep you up to speed. This edition features the highlights from April of 2022.

1. Facebook Reels rolls out globally

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta (parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp), recently acknowledged that Reels is Facebook's fastest-growing content format. Almost half of the time people spend on Facebook and Instagram can be attributed to short-form video content. Originally introduced on Facebook’s US apps, Reels is now being rolled out globally bringing the short video format to its iOS and Android apps in more than 150 countries.

2. Facebook adds music clips in comments

You can now add music clips to your Facebook post replies, providing another way for people to listen to your favorite tracks—as well as promote artists in the chat. Users may notice a new pop-up in the app alerting them that they can now insert music into their Facebook comments. This process is powered by the same system in the music sticker in Stories. 

3. Meta launches new fund for metaverse creators

On April 11, Meta announced the launch of a new program designed to incentivize creator activity in Horizon Worlds, the company’s metaverse platform. The new monetization feature includes tools for creating and selling virtual effects, as well as a Horizon Worlds Creator Bonus that will allow creators to get paid out monthly for their progress toward specific goals. 

4. Instagram updates its ranking algorithm

Instagram is updating the way it ranks content to put more focus on original work. The new features include product tags, enhanced tags, and ranking for originality. The aim is to reduce the dominance of aggregator sites and give more credit to original creators. “If you create something from scratch, you should get more credit than if you are resharing something that you found from someone else,” said Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram.

5. Facebook enables Reels creation and posting via third-party apps

Facebook's parent company Meta has announced a new Share to Reels integration that will allow creators to post videos directly to Reels from third-party apps. Once developers implement the feature, apps will display a Reels button, enabling users to share short videos directly to Reels. Users will also have access to Reels editing tools within the third-party app, saving them the extra step of downloading their videos to their camera roll before uploading them to Facebook to create a Reel. 

6. TikTok helps creative agencies reach its audience

TikTok is launching a new Creative Agency Partnerships (CAP) University program that is designed to help creative agencies become “TikTok experts.” The five-week program will teach enrollees what they need to know about getting started on TikTok and how to use the platform to up their marketing game. “The goal of CAP University is to inspire next-level creative content on the world’s fastest-growing entertainment platform,” TikTok said. 

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7. Twitter tests Edit Tweet feature

Twitter announced that it will be testing an editing feature following numerous requests from users. Elon Musk, who recently joined Twitter’s board of directors, had asked users in a poll if they'd be interested in the ability to edit their published Tweets. The response was a resounding yes, as many people tend to send lots of typo-filled tweets.

8. LinkedIn adds new profile links and newsletter options

LinkedIn has added new features allowing users to showcase a link on their profile. There is also a new analytics tool for group posts, a video trimming feature for mobile, and a new newsletter display option. You are now able to custom link text to help entice clicks, while the display placement will help generate more attention to the chosen URL in the app. 

9. Meta announces a brick-and-mortar "Meta Store"

The new Meta Store will be the first-of-its-kind retail space offering hands-on experience with hardware products. The first store is set to open on May 9 in Burlingame, California. The store will feature interactive demos allowing shoppers to make video calls to retail associates, explore virtual reality, and discover how Ray-Ban Stories help you capture and share memories without taking you out of the moment. 

10. YouTube adds new Shorts shelf to "Trending" tab

YouTube has announced the addition of a new Shorts shelf display on the Trending page, which will highlight the best performing Shorts clips in a region. The update will put more focus on the most popular Shorts clips—helping to drive more traffic to top content. According to YouTube: “Shorts videos will be filtered out of trending results and will instead appear as a shelf. The goal here is to improve the user experience of the Trending page.”

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