October’s Digital Updates
Big Headline: Instagram Stories Extend to 60-Second Clips
Gone are the days when brands would have to chop up their stories into multiple frames. Here's what you need to know.
Rolled out to all users worldwide.
Clips up to 60-seconds will no longer automatically cut into 15-second frames.
This feature competes with Reels and other long-form video content.
Audience's Perspective — This is a nice upgrade to the Instagram experience, but be careful. Your audience is impatient. Do not upload 60-second videos and expect them to see more than a few seconds. If they are not entertained, they will move onto the next frame.
Some Creators Can Add Multiple Links in Their IG bio
A select group of Creators are able to add multiple links in their bio. If rolled out to everyone, here's what this would look like.
The goal is to negate the need for third-party apps like Linktree or Lnk.bio.
Only select Creators have this feature right now and there is no telling when or if this will be available to Business Profiles anytime soon.
If released to everyone, this would make important links more accessible to followers.
Audience's Perspective — Another upgrade to bring more of the capabilities right into the IG experience. If rolled out to everyone, this should help with driving website traffic from your posts.
Watch Out BeReal... TikTok is Coming for You
TikTok has created an app that functions almost exactly like BeReal. Here's what 'TikTok Now' is all about:
'TikTok Now' is a separate app from TikTok released outside of the U.S.
Just like BeReal, the app is focused on unedited, in-the-moment content with prompts to post a 'Now' clip up to 3 minutes long.
Experts predict this app will stay outside of the U.S. since most of BeReal users are in the U.S.
Audience's Perspective — No shock here. Every upstart will get cloned by the big guys. It will be interesting to see if BeReal can survive the copycats if they get global attention.