The future of social media is…unskippable ads?

Hey there 👋🏾

In yet another instance of every social media platform morphing into its competitors, Instagram might follow YouTube's lead with unskippable ads.

Still, in the testing phase, the move has understandably sparked a lot of controversy and conversation among social media pros and everyone else.

With social media's current trajectory, soon, every platform will be a megamix of its competitors' greatest hits.

On the one hand, this might mean you can just pick one and forgo the rest. On the other hand, that’s not likely to happen — just look at streaming.

Anyway, all this to say that I may need another social media break, and soon.

What do you think about this development? Let me know over on Threads!

That's it from me — have a lovely weekend, and see you next Friday.

Warmly, 

Tami & the Buffer team

P.S. Look out for Threads in Buffer — coming soon!

🖊️ Deep dive: 8 tips to start growing your audience on Threads

With its constant improvement and regular addition of new features, Instagram’s companion app, Threads, is speedily, steadily growing its user base, crossing 150 million users back in April.

That sounds like a lot, but it’s still early days for Threads compared to its siblings. So, if you’re just getting on the train, fear not.

Here are the top things you can do to kickstart growing a dedicated following.

1. Post regularly: Consistent posting is key for growth. Start with at least one thread daily and experiment to find the optimal posting frequency for your audience.
2. Start conversations: Use conversation starters, ask questions, and create polls to engage your audience and encourage interactions.
3. Engage consistently: Respond to comments on your own threads and engage thoughtfully with other creators in your niche to build connections and visibility.
4. Use relevant tags: Incorporate relevant tags to categorize your content and make it more discoverable. Tags help your content appear in the For You feeds of users interested in similar topics.
5. Experiment with all features: Use all available content types, such as GIFs, polls, videos, and images, to keep your followers engaged and understand what resonates most with your audience.
6. Try out new trends: Participate in trending topics and challenges on Threads to increase engagement and visibility. Keep an eye on popular trends and put your own spin on them.
7. Cross-post on other platforms: Share your Threads content on other social media platforms to inform your audiences about your presence on Threads, especially Instagram. The interconnectedness of Threads and Instagram can enhance visibility and engagement
8. Repurpose content: Reuse and repurpose content from other social media platforms for Threads. Update or twist your existing content to fit the text-based nature of Threads.

🏎️ Marian speeds up her growth with Buffer

We pride ourselves on being an excellent tool for creators and business owners to grow on social media — and our users are more than happy to back us up. 

Marian says, "I've saved weeks of time and have increased my engagement at 50%”

Want to skyrocket your growth? Get started with Buffer today!

👇🏽 The latest from the blog

• How long can Instagram Reels be? How long should they be? Learn from this article.

• See exactly how this business coach grew to 70,000 followers on Instagram and Facebook.

• Check out actionable tactics for encouraging social proof on Instagram as a small business.

📱Social tip of the week from Mitra, Buffer’s Social Media Manager 

“Get up here! Let’s dance!” 💃 (Instagram ver.; TikTok ver.)

If you’ve been scrolling on TikTok or Instagram Reels lately, I’m sure you’ve come across this audio of Emma Stone saying, “Let’s dance!” layered with a funky beat.

This has turned into a huge trend on both TikTok and Instagram, and you can use this audio in many ways!

You could use it to joke about enticing someone to try your product, show how you’re trying to distract someone from noticing something you’re doing, or you can keep it simple and use some shots that show off your product and/or business.

If I were going to do this trend, I would say something like, “POV: You’re a social media manager trying to get your coworkers to film a TikTok with you.”

 😆

Here’s a fun example from @poorhomielashezz joking about trying to attract new clients.

🤳 What's happening in social?

• Of course, Instagram’s testing unskippable ads (😬)

• Instagram now allows you to post carousels with photos of different sizes

• YouTube adds more AI assistance tools for creators

• You can now customize your For You feed on Threads using swipes

Thanks for reading! 💟

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