Your May Social Scoop Unplugged
Want to stay sharp on the latest social media updates and trends? You’re in the right place. This blog is regularly updated with the newest Instagram features, TikTok tools, Meta changes, and more, so you can keep your content fresh, relevant, and ready to perform. Save it, share it, and check back often.I’ve got all the need-to-know updates, in one spot.
May 2025 Recap
Last updated on 1st May 2025
Instagram’s about to give Notes a little glow-up with custom colours!
Facebook is cracking down on hashtag overuse and other platform issues.
Meta Verified introducing new elements to encourage more brand sign-ups.
Threads is prompting users to cross-post to Instagram for extra reach.
LinkedIn shares updated specs and tips for posting video content.
Instagram’s about to give Notes a little glow-up with custom colours
Instagram could soon be rolling out a new way to personalise your Notes, with the app’s team experimenting with custom colours and emoji options to help you jazz up your Notes.
Instagram Custom Notes
Currently, Instagram is testing an optional feature that allows you to select a colour and emoji for your Notes, offering a new way to customise your posts. As app researcher @varma.adwaith shared, this feature could make it easier for users to make their Notes stand out and more visually distinct.
As Instagram explains, “Now you can customise your note by adding colour and an emoji. Anyone can choose to use your note style as their own, and your name won’t appear next to it.”
This means that once you add your customisation, others could use the same style, making it a fun and interactive way to express your content.
Instagram Notes Colours
In theory, this feature could provide an exciting way to make your Notes more eye-catching. By adding a background colour and an emoji, you can create a note that feels more unique and aligned with your personality.
Instagram has previously experimented with emojis in Notes during specific events, like March Madness, and has also offered coloured notes for certain themed celebrations. While this isn’t entirely new, it does present an opportunity to give Notes a new sense of individuality.
If this feature is eventually released, it could serve as a simple yet effective way to enhance the Notes experience for users who want to make their messages stand out.
A Potential Release, But Not Just Yet
At this stage, Instagram has confirmed that this feature is still only an internal prototype, and there are no current plans to test it with users. While it may never see the light of day, Instagram is clearly exploring new ways to make Notes a more engaging and interactive feature.
Notes have proven popular with younger users, and Instagram is keen to continue attracting this audience. The platform has increasingly seen more engagement happen in direct messages (DMs) than on the main feed, so Notes could be a way to tap into this more personal form of interaction.
Although Instagram has removed Notes from the Reels and feed posts, the feature remains a positive tool for direct engagement. Experimenting with more customisation options seems like a logical next step for Instagram, especially if it helps boost engagement.
For now, though, we’ll have to wait and see if this new feature ever makes it to the public. Keep an eye on updates for any new developments.
The Meta AI app just launched
Meta has officially launched its own dedicated Meta AI app—and it’s shaping up to be the next big move in making AI more personal, conversational, and useful across everyday life.
Whether you’ve already used Meta AI on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, or Facebook—or you’re just curious about what all the fuss is about—this new standalone app makes chatting with your AI assistant feel more natural and seamless than ever.
What Is the Meta AI App?
At its core, the Meta AI app is your personal assistant, powered by the new Llama 4 model. It’s designed to learn from you—your preferences, your style, and your habits—so the more you use it, the more tailored its responses become.
The app includes:
A Discover feed to see how others are using AI and get inspiration.
Voice-first conversations, powered by upgraded speech technology.
Integration with your Ray-Ban Meta glasses and the web, so you can pick up where you left off—anywhere.
A Personal AI You Can Actually Talk To
You can speak to Meta AI using voice or text, but the new voice features are where things get really interesting. There’s a full-duplex voice demo included in the app (currently available in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) that lets you test a more natural back-and-forth conversation. Instead of reading out written replies, the AI speaks in real-time, trained on conversational dialogue.
It’s still early days, so you might run into the occasional hiccup—but it’s a glimpse at what’s coming next in voice AI.
Built to Fit Around You
Meta AI draws on what you choose to share across Facebook and Instagram (if your accounts are linked in the Meta Accounts Centre), giving you more relevant and helpful answers. You can also tell it what to remember—like your love of travel or favourite recipes—so it becomes more useful over time.
And don’t worry: nothing is posted or shared unless you choose to.
The Discover feed in the app is also a fun touch—see what prompts others are using, remix them, or share your own creations (if you fancy). Think of it as a scrollable collection of AI inspo.
Works Across Devices
Meta AI is also baked into Ray-Ban Meta glasses, and the new app now replaces the old Meta View app for those devices. You can manage your settings, access media, and even move conversations between your glasses and phone. Handy if you’re out and about and want to keep the chat going.
It’s also had a glow-up on the web. Desktop users now get access to voice chat, Discover, and a revamped image generation feature. In some countries, Meta is also testing tools like document editing and analysis.
You’re in Control
Voice might be the star of the show, but the app keeps things user-friendly. You can toggle the “ready to talk” feature on or off depending on your preference, and manage your privacy settings directly in the app.
Meta’s clearly serious about making AI feel less robotic and more like something you’d actually use day-to-day. Whether you’re brainstorming, editing images, managing your smart glasses or just having a natter, the new Meta AI app wants to be right there with you.
Meta updates dynamic labels for Advantage+ catalogue ads
Meta’s been tinkering again—and while this update might seem small at first glance, it could actually make a big difference to your ad performance if you’re using Advantage+ Catalogue campaigns.
They’ve rolled out “Dynamic Overlays”—which is really just a fancy name for customisable labels you can now add directly onto your product images in ads. Think price tags, sale stickers, discount badges… all the things that grab attention without needing extra creative work.
What’s Changed?
Dynamic overlays allow you to display real-time info from your product catalogue directly in your ad visuals. At the moment, this feature only applies to ads in the Facebook Feed.
Here’s what you can highlight with the new label types:
Price: Show the current selling price
Strikethrough Price: Display a sale price with the original crossed out
Percentage Off: Show how much people are saving
Free Shipping: Highlight when delivery’s on the house (note: shipping cost must be set to 0 in your catalogue)
You can let Meta choose which overlay performs best (handy if you’re in a rush), or you can customise the layout yourself—changing things like shape, font, colour, and label position.
So, Is This Actually New?
Not exactly. Meta has offered something similar for years, but this version is a bit more flexible. Previously, you could only apply one label at a time. Now you can toggle multiple label types on or off individually—making it easier to tailor your ads without needing a graphic designer on standby.
As Swipe Insight pointed out, this is more of a name change and functionality refresh than a complete overhaul—but still, a useful one.
Why It Matters
It’s another example of Meta leaning into automation with a personal touch.
These overlays are built for conversion—they quickly convey value without people needing to read your ad text.
And paired with Meta’s AI-powered Advantage+ placements? You’ve got a smarter, more responsive setup that does some of the heavy lifting for you.
This is especially handy for e-commerce businesses, online retailers, and anyone running seasonal or time-sensitive offers.
A Quick Heads-Up
Make sure your product catalogue is up to date before you try this—if the data’s wrong, your overlays will be too. And nobody wants that.
Facebook is cracking down on hashtag overuse and other platform issues
There’s a fresh round of updates from Meta, and this time they’re taking aim at the spammy stuff cluttering up our feeds—think dodgy captions, repeated posts, and content that just doesn’t belong.
If you’ve noticed more random nonsense popping up on Facebook lately, you’re not imagining it. From unrelated hashtags to off-topic captions that seem to go on forever, Meta’s decided it’s time to clean house a bit.
What’s Actually Changing?
Facebook is tightening up its rules on what it considers “inauthentic behaviour” and engagement bait. Here’s a quick breakdown:
1. No More Off-Topic Captions and Hashtag Spam
Some accounts have been using irrelevant captions and stuffing their posts with hashtags that have nothing to do with the content. You know the ones—a photo of a puppy with a caption about the history of flight, or a generic quote loaded with every trending hashtag under the sun.
Facebook now says:
“Accounts that engage in these tactics will only have their content shown to their followers and will not be eligible for monetisation.”
So if you’re using Facebook for your business or brand, it’s time to double-check your captions are relevant, clear, and not trying to game the system.
2. Cracking Down on Copy-Paste Content Networks
There are entire networks of spam accounts that post the exact same content over and over again, just from different profiles. Facebook’s now actively looking for this behaviour—and penalising it.
If you’re seen to be part of a coordinated network of accounts resharing the same thing, your reach will take a hit, and monetisation will be off the table.
3. The Return of the Comment Downvote
Yes, they’re testing the downvote button again—this time as a way to help users flag low-value or spammy comments. It’s not public (yet), but Meta’s hoping it’ll help clean up threads.
Though let’s be honest, downvotes have never quite worked out as intended. People often click them just because they don’t agree—not necessarily because a comment is spam or offensive. Still, Meta’s giving it another go.
4. More Tools to Spot Imposters and Fakes
Meta’s also nudging users towards its Rights Manager tools—especially for creators and businesses—to help tackle fake profiles and content theft. They’re tightening impersonation detection too, which is a win for protecting your brand identity online.
What About AI-Generated Spam?
Interestingly, this update doesn’t focus on the growing flood of AI-generated junk floating around the platform—which feels like a bit of a blind spot. Meta’s been actively encouraging AI use in content creation, so perhaps they’re walking a fine line.
But if you’ve spotted those eerily generic AI posts doing the rounds (you know the type: slick-looking images with weirdly vague captions), this update won’t be addressing those—at least not yet.
What This Means for You
If you’re running a Facebook Page, group, or ad account for your business:
Stay relevant. Make sure captions match your content.
Don’t go overboard with hashtags—use a few that matter, not 50 that don’t.
Keep things original. Resharing the same post across accounts could backfire.
Avoid anything that feels like clickbait or filler.
Meta’s clearly trying to clean up the feed experience, and these changes are nudging all of us to keep things more genuine, more useful, and less… well, spammy.
Meta Verified introducing new elements to encourage more brand sign-ups
Meta is rolling out new features for its paid verification service to encourage more brands to sign up. These updates are designed to make the blue tick more appealing—not just as a status symbol, but as a practical tool for visibility, content credit, and trust.
One key feature being tested is the ability for Meta Verified business accounts to label a post as “Original”. When used, any reposts of that content will automatically link back to the original creator’s profile. This could be handy for things like user-generated content campaigns or brand challenges, helping boost visibility and credit for the brand.
Meta is also trialling a pop-up warning when users interact with non-verified business profiles. The message aims to build trust in verified accounts—but could make unverified businesses look less credible.
This tactic is a little controversial, as many businesses don’t currently pay for Meta’s verification. Still, Meta claims Verified accounts often get more reach in feeds and show higher in search.
The Verified plan starts at $21.99/month per platform or $34.99/month for both Facebook and Instagram. Meta hopes these new features—and the warnings—will nudge more brands to sign up.
Threads is prompting users to cross-post to Instagram for extra reach
Meta’s been at it again with its love of cross-posting—this time encouraging Threads users to share their posts directly to Instagram Stories.
As spotted by Matt Navarra, some Threads accounts are now seeing prompts suggesting they “get more eyes on your posts” by sharing them to Stories on Instagram. And if you’ve been following Meta’s direction lately, it’s not a huge surprise. Cross-posting is a bit of a theme across their platforms—Facebook to Instagram, Instagram to WhatsApp Status, and now Threads into the mix too.
Now, whether that’s actually helpful is up for debate. While sharing a Thread to your IG Story might give it a bit more visibility, it’s worth remembering that Stories and Threads posts are built for different kinds of content. What works as a short, text-based update might feel a little out of place in a visual-first space like Stories.
But from Meta’s point of view, the goal is clear: get more eyes on Threads, keep growth moving, and bring more users over. The app has passed 320 million active users so far—not quite at the levels of X (which claims 600 million, though that’s hard to verify)—but still pretty solid for a newer platform.
So, what’s this update really about? It’s less about boosting reach and more about subtle promotion—getting people to reshare Threads content in ways that encourage curiosity and clicks. And hey, if it helps you grow your audience along the way, it might be worth experimenting with.
Snapchat launches an affiliate programme to boost ad sales
Snapchat’s stepping up its ad game—and this time, they’re inviting creators and publishers along for the ride. Their brand-new Snapchat Affiliate Programme gives you the chance to earn commission for referring advertisers to Snap’s ad platform.
Here’s how it works: if you’re part of the programme, you’ll get a unique referral link to share with potential advertisers. If someone signs up through your link and launches a Snap ad campaign within 90 days, you earn a commission. Simple.
The whole thing is powered by PartnerStack, so all the tracking and payouts are handled for you. Plus, Snap’s throwing in a bunch of resources to help you succeed—think marketing guides and ready-made creative assets.
For creators, this is a way to turn your Snap know-how into income. And for Snap, it’s a smart way to get more brands using its ad tools—especially as it focuses more heavily on small and medium businesses.
Snap’s user growth has slowed a bit in the US and Europe, so this feels like a shift in strategy: nurture the audience they’ve already got and encourage more in-app activity from advertisers. Letting creators do some of the legwork makes perfect sense—and it’s a win-win if you’ve got an audience that’s a good fit.
Whether you’re already running Snap campaigns or just fancy dipping your toe into affiliate income, this could be a good one to explore—particularly if you’ve got a business audience or marketing expertise.
X explains common reach restrictions amid shadowban claims
There’s been another wave of complaints on X (formerly Twitter) about reach limits, with users suspecting shadowbans are behind their disappearing replies or low engagement. In response, X has released a set of pointers to help people avoid common formatting mistakes that might be affecting visibility.
Here’s what they’re saying:
No extra symbols after usernames – Writing “@XSupport.123” means you’re tagging @XSupport, not @XSupport123.
Avoid symbols before the @ – Posts like “.@XSupport” or “?@XSupport” won’t be treated as replies and will just show up on your followers’ timelines.
Check your privacy settings – If your posts are private, they won’t show up the same way.
Hashtags need to be clean – No punctuation, symbols, or extra characters. “#Awesome! Fun!” will only count as “#Awesome”.
Don’t add letters before the # – “word#fun” won’t show up in search results for “#fun”.
Hashtags with only numbers don’t work – “#123” won’t be searchable. But something like “#123Go” is fine.
Basically, X is saying most of these visibility issues come down to user error, not secret restrictions. And in cases where replies don’t show under posts? It might be because the post has hit a technical limit for replies. If your comment still appears on your own profile, the person who posted should be able to see it in their notifications.
That said, this whole thing is a bit messy.
X’s own history has made the situation worse. Elon Musk has previously claimed that the old Twitter is shadowbanning users, particularly those sharing certain political views. That’s added fuel to conspiracy theories, and now even simple mistakes are being seen as intentional censorship.
There’ve also been ongoing concerns around Community Notes—some users believe organised groups are mass-reporting notes they don’t like. Add in recent comments from Musk about how link posts are de-prioritised, and you’ve got a user base that’s constantly on edge.
At this point, there’s clearly mistrust in the system. Whether or not shadowbans are real, X has built a narrative that makes people believe they are. That makes every technical glitch or formatting hiccup feel like a targeted restriction—and every reach drop feels personal.
So yes, check your hashtags and symbols. But I also know that the confusion probably won’t disappear any time soon.
LinkedIn shares updated specs and tips for posting video content
LinkedIn is increasingly prioritising video content, and if it’s not part of your strategy yet, it may be worth reconsidering.
The platform recently reported a 36% year-on-year increase in video watch time in 2024. On top of that, video generates 1.4 times more engagement than other content types. Short-form video is growing at twice the rate of other formats, and with LinkedIn’s immersive video feed encouraging more viewing, it’s a valuable tool for expanding your visibility.
To support creators, LinkedIn has now shared updated technical specifications and guidance to help ensure your videos are properly formatted and optimised. Here’s a summary of the key information:
LinkedIn Video Specifications:
Maximum file size: 5 GB
Minimum file size: 75 KB
Maximum video duration: 15 minutes
Minimum video duration: 3 seconds (desktop) or 2 seconds (mobile)
Resolution: 256 x 144 to 4096 x 2304
Aspect ratio: Between 1:2.4 and 2.4:1
Frame rate: 10 to 60 frames per second
Bit rate: 192 Kbps to 30 Mbps
LinkedIn has also released guidance on video “safe zones” to help you avoid having key visuals or text obscured by on-screen buttons.
One important point to note is that you can’t currently post directly to LinkedIn’s immersive video feed. Instead, the immersive feed curates existing video content based on quality and relevance, so uploading well-optimised videos is still the best way to boost reach.
All in all, video is clearly a growing area of focus for LinkedIn. For professionals and brands looking to reach a wider audience on the platform, it’s well worth making video part of your ongoing content plan.
You can find LinkedIn’s full video specifications and latest posting advice on their new resource hub.
If you’ve found this helpful, share it with your network or drop me a message with your thoughts and feedback. Until next time, keep shining and be creative online!
Natty Bernasconi | Instagram Expert & Educator
Social Media Strategy for Lifestyle Businesses & Creators
Empowering brands with tailored Instagram strategies and aesthetic-driven insights. Follow for weekly tips, industry updates, and coaching designed to elevate your brand’s online presence—making it as captivating as it is strategic.