Welcome to the April edition of The Social Advantage™ – your monthly insight into the latest social platform experiments, feature rollouts, and algorithm winks that matter for B2B brands and marketers.
This month: LinkedIn doubles down on creators, Instagram gets smarter with insights and editing tools, and there’s a cheeky new lockable post test. Let’s dive in 👇
LinkedIn has unveiled a shiny new mini-site packed with creator tips, designed to help professionals build better content and grow their audience. Think of it like Instagram’s creator guides – but tailored for the B2B crowd.
This move reinforces LinkedIn’s mission to nurture a creator class on the platform, and if they get it right, we could see more engaging, high-value content (and fewer boring pitch posts).
Why it matters: LinkedIn is actively investing in its creator ecosystem, following in the footsteps of Instagram and TikTok. That means better content, more competition, and new tools to help standout voices rise to the top.
🧠 Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers: If you’ve been on the fence about building a personal brand on LinkedIn – this is your nudge. LinkedIn wants creators. They’re supporting them. And the earlier you start, the easier it’ll be to stand out.
Source: Andy Lambert
Instagram is testing a new monthly performance summary designed to help creators stay in tune with what’s working on their profiles. Think of it like Spotify Wrapped, but for your Reels and posts.
Some users are now seeing a prompt to view their monthly recap, which opens up into a Story-style, full-screen carousel showing:
Why it matters: Sure, most of this info already lives in the Insights tab, but let’s be honest – hardly anyone checks it regularly. By turning it into a visual, mobile-friendly monthly moment, Instagram is making it easier for creators to track progress and adjust their strategy on the go.
🧠 Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers: If you’re using Instagram for employer branding, customer storytelling, or culture content – this is a helpful prompt to keep performance top of mind. The addition of active times and tailored tips could be especially handy for fine-tuning your posting schedule.
Source: Social Media Today
Instagram is trialling a new format called “locked posts” – and it’s exactly what it sounds like. To view the content, followers need to enter a secret code.
This is part of Meta’s push toward more private, engaged interactions on the platform – similar to the “Reveal” sticker for Stories, where users had to DM the creator to unlock content.
But this new format encourages a different behaviour: the code must be sourced externally (via email, DM, event, website, etc.), giving creators and brands a powerful way to gate content for specific audiences.
Why it matters: This could open up a whole new style of Instagram engagement. Imagine using it to share discount codes with VIP customers, exclusive behind-the-scenes content with email subscribers, or sneak peeks of product launches for community members.
🧠 Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers: This is a big opportunity for segmentation. If it rolls out widely, it could become a smart way to reward loyal followers, tease gated content, or drive newsletter signups directly from Instagram. Definitely one to watch.
Source: Social Media Today
New data from LinkedIn shows that all post types are seeing more impressions, but some are pulling more weight than others:
Why it matters: Engagement isn’t just a vanity metric. It affects reach, relevance, and long-term visibility. And now we know which formats actually move the needle.
🧠 Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers: If you’re in content planning mode, this is gold. Want engagement? Try a quick poll. Need shares? Turn your blog into a document post. The key is to mix up your formats to match your goal – and test what works for your audience.
Source: Andy Lambert
Instagram just launched Edits, a free video editing app designed to go toe-to-toe with TikTok’s CapCut.
The app includes project management tools, advanced editing features, and AI-powered effects, such as:
It’s designed with creators in mind – not casual video editors – and allows for more polished storytelling that goes beyond Instagram’s in-app capabilities.
Instagram boss Adam Mosseri has acknowledged the similarities with CapCut but said Edits will focus on offering a broader range of tools for a smaller, more serious creator base. Future updates promise even more pro-level functionality, including keyframe control.
Why it matters: The short-form video arms race is heating up. With TikTok and CapCut dominating the editing scene, Meta is betting big on giving creators better tools within its own ecosystem. Expect a lot more high-quality Reels – and fewer grainy, over-filtered reposts.
🧠 Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers: If you’re producing educational or promotional videos for Reels, Edits could help you do more without outsourcing or juggling third-party tools. Keep an eye out as collaboration tools roll out – it could even make client testimonials or team-produced content easier to manage.
Source: The Verge
If you’re feeling slightly overwhelmed but also quietly excited, you’re not alone. The platforms keep evolving, and we’ll keep decoding it for you.
Got a question, comment, or panic moment about anything you read? You know where to find us.
Until next time 👋
— Team Social Advantage™
Welcome back to the first edition of The Social Advantage™ in 2025!
We thought we’d kick off the year with some key updates and discussions about social media that we've been keeping an eye on over the festive period:
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri has teased a new AI-powered video editing feature on his profile called "Movie Gen", that will let users create dynamic and creative AI video content.
"I’m super excited about Movie Gen, our early AI research model that will let you change nearly any aspect of your videos with a simple text prompt. Hoping to bring this to Instagram next year. Let me know what you think."
This feature lets you add cool effects like changing backgrounds and outfits or even turning yourself into a Muppet...
Because... Of course! 😂
Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers: The question here is: how will this trend evolve? Sure, it will enhance creativity, but will it lessen the human connection that social media once prided itself on? As AI features get more and more advanced on each platform, will users disengage or delve further? We’ll be keeping an eye on how the audience responds as these features develop.
Source: Adam Mosseri's Instagram
We've been keeping a close eye on the difference that hashtags make to content on multiple platforms, both through the work that we do for our clients at Social Advantage™, the performance of our own content and our research.
Basically... They don't seem to be making any difference any more.
(Disclaimer: We’re referring to hashtag performance on Instagram and LinkedIn here.)
Top experts are backing this up too:
"According to Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, while hashtags can help to align your posts with certain communities, which can have some discovery benefits, overall, the reach benefit of hashtags is virtually none, while LinkedIn expert Richard van der Blom has found, in his research, that hashtags also no longer help to expand post reach in that app either." (Social Media Today)
For the most part, hashtags on these platforms seem to now be a way of training AI on content posted on a particular topic, rather than increasing reach or engagement.
Hashtags no longer autofill as you type them on LinkedIn either, which I see as another sign of the platform deprioritising them.
As a matter of failsafe, we’re still using 3-5 broad, industry-relevant hashtags for clients on both platforms, but we’re regularly testing cutting them from posts completely, with little difference in the results.
Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers: Focus on creating engaging, relevant content that speaks to your audience rather than relying solely on hashtags to drive engagement. Also, be sure to include keywords in your captions.
This is key as all social platforms move towards a "Social SEO" model with the rise of TikTok style "For You" search pages.
Let your content do the talking (#RIP).
Source: Social Media Today
With time seemingly running out for TikTok in the US, Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to prevent it from being banned in the country continues to keep the platform in the headlines.
While we await any definitive conclusions, the uncertainty around TikTok’s US future could have far-reaching implications on both short-form video content, career creators and global brand strategies.
Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers: As the situation remains in flux, you might want to consider diversifying your short-form video strategy across multiple platforms, and don't put all your eggs in the TikTok basket just yet.
Source: Social Media Today
LinkedIn is testing a new feature that allows users to pay to 'boost' their personal posts, similar to the consumer-friendly version of Facebook.
This will provide another opportunity for professionals to extend their reach beyond organic engagement and directly influence their visibility on the platform.
Whilst LinkedIn's advertising platform is more costly than that of Meta and the other platforms, it has great targeting capabilities that are tailored to B2B.
This could be a great way to increase visibility for your personal brand, especially if you’re sharing insights, thought leadership, or personal experiences that align with your business objectives.
Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers:
Where we also feel like this will be used a lot will be with the rise of B2B influencers. Brands could sponsor content from influencers' personal LinkedIn pages that advocate for their product, service or brand.
Source: Social Media Today
"Comment "FREE GUIDE" below and I'll send it to you!"
Sound familiar?
It's a rising trend with many creators posting content on social media.
These posts are designed to spark interaction and gather leads.
There are even Chat Automation software companies like ManyChat, an official Meta partner that allows you to build sophisticated AI chatbots that allow you to take advantage of this style of engagement.
Why does it work?
Well, there are several reasons:
Takeaway for B2B Founders & Marketers: Whilst these tactics seem to be working for many creators on LinkedIn at present, as far as LinkedIn is concerned there's a fine balance between sparking interaction and "hidden selling".
If the algorithm catches what it believes to be "selling in disguise" it will deprioritise the offending content.
Make sure you're always leading with value and not coming across as too 'salesy.