Sherrilynne Starkie

Strategic Digital Communications

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Twitter’s Promoted Trend Spotlight ads

Twitter is launching a new takeover ad product, Promoted Trend Spotlight. This placement places video content on the Explore tab which is Twitter’s collection of trending topics and hashtags. It’s where people go to see what’s happening, making it a prime location for advertisers.

The new ad is now available only in the United States, UK and Japan, but will soon be coming to Canada.

Features include:

  • six-second videos and GIFs, as well as static images. Creative displays on mobile and desktop, with the ad running edge-to-edge on mobile.
  • appearing at the top of the Explore tab for the first two visits per person, per day.
  • then placement moves to the standard Promoted Trends placement

How it works:

  • Captures attention with immersive, full-width creative.
  • Differentiates the brand by appearing next to highly-curated editorial content.
  • Surfaces conversation by tying together the prominent placement and expansive coverage atop Twitter’s Explore tab.

Will you use Twitter’s Promoted Trend Spotlight ads? Promoted Trend Spotlight

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Instagram ads are growing

The Motley Fool is reporting that Instagram ads are now a significant source of revenue for Facebook, generating an estimated 20 per cent of the company’s total in 2019. That number should climb even higher in 2020, as Facebook continues to improve Stories ads. These are heavily weighted toward Instagram.

Here’s why Instagram ads work:

  • Intent. Users are seeking out brands, where as Facebook users are looking to connect with people.
  • Engagement. People typically spend 28 minutes a day on the app. And, users tend to be in the highly-desirable younger demographics.
  • Stories. These provide an immersive, takeover experience that uses augmented reality and interactive features.

Are you using Instagram #ads as part of your communications?

Instagram ads

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Instagram fact checking comes to Canada

Earlier this year Instagram introduced fact-checking in the US to help identify, review and label false information. Starting today the program goes worldwide, including in Canada.

The program means that Instagram’s partners are independently assessing information to reduce the distribution of fake news.

When content has been rated as false, Instagram reduces its distribution by removing it from Explore and hashtag pages. In addition, false information labels allow people to make an informed decision about what to read, trust and share.

The platform uses image matching technology to find further instances of fake news and applies the label to reduce the spread of misinformation.

Instagram users can use the “False Information” feedback option to flag fake news for review by fact checkers.

Have you seen anything labeled ‘False News’ by  Instagram fact checking partners? Let us know in the comments.

Instagram Fact Checking

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How social media transformed PR

Back in December 2007, the Society for New Media Research Symposium did a study into the influence of social media in PR. In the survey of 300 communications professionals, more than half agreed that social media was becoming valuable.

Other key findings:

  • 27% reported social media was a core element of communications strategies.
  • 3% said social media had little or no value.

Those three per cent couldn’t have been more wrong. Fastforward to 2019 and social media is now central to today’s PR.

Digital PR People

Recent research shows that people spend an average of 142 minutes per day, or 16.5 hours per week on social media. PR has transformed from the relentless pursuit of column inches into a strategic business discipline that consistently delivers measurable ROI.

Today’s social media pervasiveness gives us the power to reach, educate and influence audiences in ways we couldn’t have even dreamt about back in 2007.

Digital PR Skills

News media has become less of a focus, and owned media and influencers are at the fore. Also, PR pros now routinely run ad campaigns…something unheard of a decade ago.

We have acquired a whole new set of digital skills that underpin our core communications ones.  So far, the journey has been fascinating.

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Facebook is hiding likes

Facebook has started hiding likes. It means the number of reactions, views and likes are visible only to a post’s author. The test will begin in Australia and includes ads.

For now, it’s only a trial with the goal of gathering feedback to understand whether this change will improve people’s experiences.

Facebook first mentioned this plan to experiment with hiding likes, after testing the approach on Facebook-owned #Instagram this year. In August, Facebook said the Instagram test was meant to “remove the pressure of how many likes a post will receive” on Instagram and that Facebook was “excited by the early test results.”

What do you think about there being no ‘like’ count on Facebook?Facebook hiding likes

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