ICYMI From Twitter to TikTok: How to Survive a Billionaire Takeover
What to do when a billionaire buys your favorite app
[left to right: Baskin-Robbins, KitKat, Poppi]
Depending on who you believe, the new marketing trend is to make things really wide (5120 x 1024) or really tall, really big or really small. If you want to disrupt the feed, there is no in between. Unless you’re Anthropologie and you’ve nailed social marketing with rocks and a sense of humor.
⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY
ByteDance promises to ensure TikTok “remains available to American users”
Trump says Oracle billionaire, Larry Ellison, will play a very big part in the new TikTok
What to do when a billionaire buys your favorite app? Four former Twitter pros share their thoughts
Instagram reached 3 billion monthly active users, putting it on par with Facebook
Instagram will let people add and remove topics they want to see in the app
There’s a new app Mark Zuckerberg wants creators to post on
YouTube creator videos will now be available on Delta flights
YouTube reversed its COVID and election integrity content policies
LinkedIn says millennials and Gen Z now represent 71% of B2B buyers
Adobe, Google and Depop all launched mood boards this week
💻 ROADMAP
📲 TikTok Updates
This week, ByteDance released a statement that said they’re going to “work in accordance with applicable laws to ensure TikTok remains available to American users through TikTok U.S.”
Meanwhile, Trump signed an executive order outlining the framework for a proposed deal that would give a coalition of U.S. investors a majority share of the app. While we’re still waiting on specifics — or confirmation from ByteDance — Trump said Oracle CEO, billionaire Larry Ellison, would play a very big part in the new app.
Sounds familiar? It will to some of you. This is giving Twitter’s 2022 takeover by fellow tech billionaire Elon Musk — and the sweeping changes that followed. It might seem inconceivable now but new owner, new rules.
So, what’s in store if you’re running a brand handle?
I went to some of my favorite social pros — who lived through the Twitter upheaval in October 2022 — to ask them what advice (or reassurance) they’d give if you’re managing a TikTok brand handle right now.
“The reassurance is: life goes on. The posts are posting. But the soul gets lost with these acquisitions.
Do: have usernames reserved on competing apps…just in case.
Do: update any missing gaps in your reporting / download any data you may need. When Twitter was imploded, certain metrics and insights were lost or put behind new paywalls.
Do: have a plan B if ad revenue attached to a particular platform were to, hypothetically, nosedive.
Do: discuss the change with your leadership and level-set on expectations and potential volatility as the new reign unfolds.
- Bryce Christian, Social Director NBC Universal
“We really changed nothing with how the college I worked for posted to Twitter when Elon took over. The college and the college president both lost their blue checks and we just carried on like nothing was different. Since then, the college has relied on Twitter significantly less since our content no longer gets the engagement it did previously. I personally stopped using the platform as frequently and eventually deleted my account in January 2024. It just didn’t feel the same anymore.”
- Alexa Heinrich, Digital Media Consultant for St. Petersburg College
“It’s important to remember that we don’t own these platforms; we’re merely using them temporarily, and they can vanish at any moment. Be sure to save your posts for future reference and consider exploring other platforms where the features and audience might better suit your content.”
- Bruce Floyd, College Sports Marketer (formerly Associate Director of Social Media & Digital Analytics for the Florida Gators)
“The main reassurance I’d give TikTok managers is: don’t panic. When platforms get messy under new ownership, the best move is to plug into smart voices and active communities (people like you, Matt Navarra, Reddit’s social pro groups) and double down on or build out channels you actually own — newsletters, SMS, Discord, WhatsApp Channels. Those are durable. TikTok isn’t going away, and the incentives are in place for a bright future, but the audience you own is what gets you through turbulence.”
- Kevin Driscoll, Global Head of Audience Motorsport Network
ICYMI: POLL RESULTS
When I asked you last week whether you would download a potential new TikTok app:
14% of you were undecided
38% said you probably or definitely would not download the new app
48% said you maybe or definitely would download the new TikTok app
Spotted: TikTok is testing insights into trending search activities with some new demographic data and related topics to inspire your content.
TikTok announced a new “donation amplification” tool. Now, when creators launch a fundraiser on TikTok, you’ll be able to add the sticker into your own content or on your bio. The platform also launched an in-app fundraisers list where you can browse and discover a variety of charitable campaigns to support
📲 Meta Updates
Instagram announced it has reached 3B monthly active users — putting it on par with the world’s other largest social network (and sister company) Facebook.
Adam Mosseri said Instagram users will now be able to shape what the algorithm shows them by adding and removing topics based on their interests. The update will impact the Reels algorithm first, eventually followed by what’s seen in the Feed. For brands and creators, this is an important reminder to double down on your unique value proposition and get super specific with bios, captions, and hashtags that match the topics people select. Being vague or hard to pin down probably won’t work well during this topic-based era.
Mark Zuckerberg announced Vibes, a creator destination for AI-generated video within the Meta AI app.
Before you panic about another platform, let’s break this down. The Meta AI app was originally used to sync Meta smart glasses with your mobile device. Then they announced it was “a new space to talk with your personal AI.”
Now, there’s a new feed of AI videos from creators and communities that’s “an early look at some of the new product directions we’re exploring,” a Meta rep told me.
As you scroll the feed, you’re able to like, share and comment upon posts. You can also search for and follow creators within the app. To post your own content on the latest version of the app, Meta says you can create an image or upload an existing one using the “+” button in the upper right-hand corner. From there you can animate, post to feed, and share to other surfaces.
Verified creators will have their Instagram and Facebook usernames reserved for them on Meta AI. Everyone else will have to create a new account.
Unless AI is your specialty, I don’t think you needs to rush into this. But I recommend you grab your username asap, whether or not you plan to hit publish.
Instagram told me they’ll soon simplify their navigation bar so you can swipe more easily between Home Feed > Reels > and DMs.
Facebook announced two new Facebook Dating features to help online daters: Dating Assistant, a chatbot that provides personalized advice, and Meet Cute, an algorithm that automatically matches you with potential dates.
You can now stream to more platforms with your Meta smart glasses through an integration with Logitech G’s Streamlabs — it’ll allow you to go live on all your usual platforms, plus add overlays, widgets and more.
📲 YouTube Updates
YouTube partnered with Delta Airlines to provide inflight entertainment from top creators and a custom YouTube Music playlist curated by flight attendants.
YouTube announced creators and publishers would be able to filter comments by “newest” and “new replies to your response” to help you find comments to engage with.
YouTube confirmed it would automatically extract a portion of mobile livestreams to generate potential Shorts videos you might want to publish.
YouTube said it will reinstate creators who were banned for spreading misinformation on topics like COVID and election integrity, blaming President Biden for prior policies because he “created a political atmosphere that sought to influence the actions of platforms based on their concerns regarding misinformation.”
The letter to the House Judiciary Committee also said freedom of expression is a “core American value” and governments should not dictate how YouTube moderates content. Which ironically — and likely unintentionally — sounded like a statement of solidarity for Jimmy Kimmel.
📲 LinkedIn Updates
LinkedIn published data on B2B buyer trends every marketer should know. Some of the most interesting takeaways include:
Millennials and Gen Z now represent 71% of B2B buyers, bringing digital-first expectations and new ways of engaging with content
B2B buyers gather information across devices, jump between platforms, and do extensive research before ever speaking with sales
Gen Z, in particular, consumes far more video content than any other audience segment and engages at higher rates with brands that deliver it in the right context
LinkedIn announced a new LinkedIn Learning Career Hub, coming late 2025. While it’s not live yet, programming is expected to include expert-led content, learning experiences and career insights.
📲 Twitch Updates
Twitch announced Stream Rewind on Web, the ability for a viewer to pause or rewind back to any point on a livestream using the progress bar and resume watching the livestream clicking the Live button.
📲 Snapchat Updates
Snapchat announced an iOS and Android integration which makes Snapchat stickers available for chats outside the app.
🔮 PRODUCT RELEASE OF THE WEEK
It’s almost like Big Tech got together and decided this was vibes week:
Google announced Mixboard, an experimental, AI-powered mood board. There are pre-populated templates, you can bring your own images or use AI to generate visuals
Adobe announced Firefly Boards were now available globally. Previously in beta, the creative mood boards offer presets, text-to-image, image editing options, generative video, and more.
Meanwhile, Depop announced “Outfits,” a new feature that provides a mood board-like interface, allowing users to design curated outfits.
👀 ICYMI: JUST THE HEADLINES
Mosseri: You’re going to see more AI content, whether we like it or not - Bloomberg
1 in 5 Americans now regularly get news on TikTok, up sharply from 2020 - Pew Research Center
Kids have the best ad recall on YouTube long-form videos - TubeFilter
Marketers and consumers don’t prefer the same ad platforms - AdAge
Rizz, dad bod, adulting and cancel culture were all added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary - AP
Here’s why Anthropologie’s “organically-sourced rock collection” is all over TikTok - Brenda Gutierrez, LinkedIn
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