Who will win the Instagram vs. TikTok battle? 👀

Hi there, 

Welcome to a new week of social media news, trends, tips, and more. This week, Instagram and Facebook have taken over the main stage: they’re rolling out new features for creators and small businesses that’ll allow them to easily fundraise through the apps and create TikTok-like videos through Instagram Reels. 

Before diving in, have you signed up to Built to Last, our first ever audio conference for brand builders? It’s taking place on August 19 - 20, and it’s completely FREE to attend. There are already 4,000 people signed up to listen, and we'd love to have you there. 

Now… let’s dive in to all the social media news of the week! 👇

• Digiday reveals that 56% of advertisers paused their Facebook spend in July as a part of the Stop Hate for Profit Movement
• Facebook offers new, free training sessions on Groups for Business, Messenger and more
• Facebook is now rolling out Touch ID and Face ID lock options for Messenger on iOS. Here it is in action!
• US moves to ban TikTok on all government-issued devices due to concerns around connection with China
• Instagram has been working on an animated text feature for Stories

Instagram introduces a new way to fundraise for personal causes

Instagram is rolling out a new way to raise money directly through its app for a personal cause, like yourself, your small business, a friend, or a cause that’s important to you. For now, this feature will be rolled out as a test in the US, UK, and Ireland.

Takeaway: Since the beginning of this year, over $100 million have been raised for COVID-19 causes through Instagram and Facebook. With the launch of Personal Fundraisers, Instagram hopes to make the process easier for both the fundraiser and the donator. These types of features are especially important for creators, like @ohhappydani, and small businesses. 

Facebook has been offering lucrative deals to prominent TikTok creators ahead of wider release of Instagram Reels

Facebook has been making lucrative offers to TikTok users with millions of followers to persuade them to use its new Instagram feature, Reels. According to The Wall Street Journal, “the potential payments for some would be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Takeaway: This move by Facebook is the most significant one yet that proves that they intend for Instagram Reels to directly compete with TikTok. In addition, as TikTok faces an uncertain future due to concerns around data collection and potential spying by Chinese authorities, Facebook might have a real chance at winning this social media rivalry. 

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And that’s a wrap for this week! 

Thanks for following along and getting updated on all things #socialmedia. Don’t forget to sign up to our Built to Last podcast conference (it’s free to attend!), which will take place on August 19 and 20. 

Catch ya next week! 

Warmly, 

Sophie Gil

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