Welcome to the March edition of The Social Advantage – my monthly round-up of the biggest social media shifts, experiments and curveballs (because let’s be honest, there’s always something going on).
This month, I’m talking longer TikToks, some subtle-but-important changes on LinkedIn, and Instagram’s slightly odd foray into AI-generated comments.
Let’s dive in 👇
86% of videos posted to TikTok are still under the 60-second mark – but it turns out longer content is doing the heavy lifting.
According to Buffer, TikToks over 60 seconds get 43.2% more reach and 63.8% more watch time on average.
That’s a pretty clear sign that users are sticking around for longer content, and TikTok’s algorithm is rewarding it.
🧠Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers: If you’re using TikTok for brand storytelling or value-packed content, consider going longer. Test out 90-second explainers, behind-the-scenes series or customer case study clips.
Source: Buffer
If you’ve noticed the Video tab has vanished from your LinkedIn app recently, it’s not a glitch – it’s part of a wider test.
LinkedIn is rolling out a full-screen video experience globally and trialling different video placements. In some countries, this means temporarily removing the dedicated Video tab and replacing it with tweaks to the mobile navigation (e.g., moving the My Network tab and adding a central Post button).
Video views on LinkedIn are up 36% in the past year, and new features like immersive video playback and enhanced follow/discover tools are rolling out too.
🎯 Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers: LinkedIn is clearly still investing in video, even if the tab itself is disappearing for now. Keep creating scroll-stopping video content with strong openers, because it’s being baked more deeply into the main feed. Don’t expect a TikTok clone – but do expect more dynamic video experiences across desktop and mobile.
Source: Lindsey Gamble
Two popular sales engagement platforms – Apollo.io and Seamless.ai – disappeared from LinkedIn earlier this month.
Both platforms rely on Chrome extensions that help users pull data directly from LinkedIn – something that violates LinkedIn’s terms of service, which prohibit third-party scraping tools. And it looks like LinkedIn is cracking down.
On March 6th, both Apollo and Seamless were removed from the platform. Their company pages became inaccessible, although Apollo still appears in search. Click through, and… poof. Page not found.
Apollo has since confirmed it's “actively working with LinkedIn” to resolve the issue, stating the restriction doesn’t impact their core platform. Meanwhile, a G2 article covering the ban was mysteriously published, edited, and then removed – adding a bit of drama to the mix.
Why it matters: LinkedIn doesn’t make money by giving away access to its data—quite the opposite. It earns billions through Sales Navigator, Recruiter, and ad tools. So any automation platform that skirts around its data rules is likely to come under fire.
🎯 Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers: If you're using Chrome extensions or scraping tools to supercharge your lead gen – especially unapproved ones – it's time to reassess. LinkedIn is serious about protecting its ecosystem, and this latest move is a not-so-subtle warning. Play by the rules or risk losing access.
Source: Martech
According to Hootsuite, LinkedIn’s organic engagement is now outperforming every other major social platform.
That’s right – it’s beating Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X.
And to sweeten the deal, LinkedIn has just made it easier to grow your audience by improving its newsletter functionality. Expect better visibility, improved notifications for new issues, and more seamless subscriber growth.
🚀 Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers: If you’re not running a newsletter or regular thought-leadership series on LinkedIn yet… now’s the time. The reach is real, and the competition is still relatively low compared to email or Substack.
Source: Andy Lambert
Instagram is now experimenting with a feature that suggests AI-generated comments for users to post under Reels and images. So kind of the same way Gmail suggests email replies, but for your public personality.
A small group of users have spotted a new “pencil with a star” icon next to the comment field. Tap it, and you’ll get a list of auto-generated responses based on the content of the post, no brain power required.
Meta says the goal is to increase engagement by reducing friction. But there’s more: they’re also testing AI bot versions of users that can engage on your behalf, based on pre-set personality traits.
Why it matters: The idea is that more responses (even if AI-generated) could trigger real conversations. You get a dopamine hit, the algorithm sees activity, and the platform wins. But it begs the question – if no one’s actually talking, are we still being social?
🎯 Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers: This is another step in the broader trend of AI-assisted interaction. It may feel unnatural now, but if comment suggestions become the norm (like they have on LinkedIn), don’t be surprised to see more people and brands using them to boost activity and stay visible. Just remember: your real voice still matters most.
Source: Social Media Today
That’s a wrap for March! As always, I’m keeping a close eye on what’s changing across the platforms so you don’t have to.
If anything here raised questions, sparked ideas, or made you panic just a little, drop me a message.
Always happy to chat.
Until next time 👋 – Jack
