We hope you’re ready for fall because the year isn’t showing any signs of slowing down! It’s finally nearing the time of year when we get to curl up with our coziest blanket on a chilly day and enjoy our favorite seasonal flavors. Even though we’re getting cozy, it’s essential not to forget all the big days you have to plan for that are coming up! Make sure your content planning includes these special days in September:
- September is National Hispanic Heritage Month
- September 5: Labor Day
- September 21: World Alzheimer’s Day
- September 22: First Day of Fall (Autumn Equinox)
- September 30: International Podcast Day
Make sure you don’t fall behind on updates and trends. Here are the latest platform updates so you can have the strongest content strategy:
Reels New Feature
Instagram continues to update its Reels feature; the first of the updates includes bringing the “Add Yours” sticker to Reels. You will now be able to create entire Reels based on trending “Add Yours” stickers. Adam Mosseri explained that Instagram wants people to be able to help people be inspired to tell their own stories.
“Add Yours” stickers will now also give credit to the creator. If the creator desires, the sticker will include an attribution link at the bottom that will take other users who see and use the sticker to the creator’s profile.
A second new Reels feature includes the ability to cross-post from Instagram to Facebook. Instagram hopes this will help people increase the number of viewers they get.
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Candid Challenge
Instagram is looking to compete with the newly popular app, Be Real! The new feature will give users a two-minute window to candidly post themselves and their surroundings. This challenge is still being internally tested, so keep your eyes peeled for updates regarding this feature!
Discover Feed
LinkedIn is currently testing a new “Discover Feed” feature that will show users information and relevant posts. Based on a personalized algorithm, it will display things like job listings, group updates, newsletters you may wish to subscribe to, and more. This feature will resemble other social media platforms’ “For You” feeds. 
New Format Features
With the new mobile post format feature, carousels, LinkedIn aims to help members create more visually engaging content. This format will allow users to mix text, photos, and videos into their posts.
Along with carousels, LinkedIn is creating clickable link stickers which can be added to posts. The goal of clickable links is to help users drive traffic to their selected content, whether it is a different website or LinkedIn page. Users will be able to customize the display and link size. 
“Meet the Team” Tab
This feature will be included in job listing sections for applicants to see during their job search. It will appear as a tab beneath the description and identify who is on the hiring team. This feature aims to help users better understand the team, know who they may work with in the future, and help spark productive conversations.
Celebrations
Lastly, LinkedIn will be adding a celebrations tab in its notifications section. This tab will compile key milestones such as birthdays, job changes, work anniversaries, and more into one spot. LinkedIn is still texting this feature but hopes it will inspire people to foster their professional relationships.
Reels Insights
Facebook now provides its creators with more detailed analytic insights for Reels in the Creator Studio tab. The goal is to assist creators in discovering how their Facebook Reels perform. This data will include:
- Reach
- Average watch time
- Total view time
- And more!
Podcast Integration
Twitter is now integrating podcasts into its Spaces tab. Following this addition, it will be renamed the Audio tab. Here users can post and discover podcasts based on specific themes, such as News, Music, Sports, and more. With this new update, Twitter hopes to give love to audio creators and cater to Twitter’s podcast lovers. 
SNAPCHAT
Snapchat+ Updates
The $3.99 a month subscription to Snapchat+ has recently added new features. The features include:
-
- Priority story replies: This feature makes your replies more visible to Snap Stars.
- Post view emojis: This will allow users to select a signature emoji that their friends will see after they view their snap, acting as a way to sign off their snap creations.
- New Bitmoji backgrounds: Users can access new and exclusive backgrounds for their Bitmoji characters.
- New app icons: This will allow users to change the appearance of Snapchat on their mobile device’s home screen.
Keep Your Eyes On…
Be Real
Be Real has gained much popularity from Gen Z and is growing rapidly! Recently, the app reached 10 million daily active users and is even drawing the attention of some brands, including Pizza Hut.
Be Real calls on users to post at random times throughout the day and provides a two-minute window for them to share their pictures. The picture shares both their front and back camera. Be Real forces users to be authentic and candidly show themselves and their surroundings. The app will even notify users’ friends how many times they retook a photo!
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Geneva
Geneva is another app that is gaining traction among younger generations. Geneva features chat rooms, audio rooms, forum rooms, video rooms, and broadcast rooms. Users can join groups that are relevant to them and connect with their friends and new people.
It’s essential to keep up with new updates and trends so you can hop on them immediately and create great content! The easiest way to get all the updates in one place is to keep up with our blog.
Keep in mind the holidays are coming up, and our award-winning team at Open Influence can help you create extraordinary holiday campaigns. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us today to start planning your next creator marketing campaign!
