ICYMI: Hot Takes + Updates from Social Media Week 2025
The follower era is dead ... and more insights from SMW
[📸 Ivan Piedra Photography and AGNYC Productions]
⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY
Social Media Week was all about creators, meeting your community in the comments and leading with topic-based marketing
YouTube launched a Weekly Podcast Shows chart
Threads announced it’s allowing for up to five links in your bio
Pinterest apologized for a wave of mass bans
Check the
audacityconfidence of HBO Max’s rebrand on socialGaming is the key to reaching Gen Alpha
Roblox users can now buy physical products within the virtual universe
Report: Consumers follow nearly twice as many creators as they do brands
💻 ROADMAP
📲 TikTok Updates
Spotted: TikTok is working on a photo messaging feature that could encourage direct messaging on the platform.
TikTok announced TikTok AI Alive: an image-to-video creation feature. It turns static photos into videos within Stories, using TikTok’s Story Camera.
TikTok published BookTok 101: A Guide for Authors, which breaks down the basics of BookTok.
TikTok upgraded its accessibility features, including an automated tool to describe photos, the ability to add descriptive text to images during or after upload, and a new high contrast mode.
TikTok is launching in-app guided meditation exercises to help people wind down at night.
TikTok is premiering the directorial and writing debut of Reece Feldman (TikTok’s own @guywithamoviecamera) as an official partner of the Cannes Film Festival. The short is called Wait, Your Car?
📲 Meta Updates
Instagram’s Edits weekly updates include new auto-detected beat markers, more video effects and improvements to the Inspiration tab for more content ideas.
Threads announced it’s now allowing for up to five links in your bio, more link insights, and account tips.
📲 YouTube Updates
YouTube launched a Weekly Podcast Shows chart, listing the Top 100 podcast shows in the US on the platform. Reminder: YouTube has over 1 billion monthly active podcast users. So, this is a great way to tap in and see who’s climbing the leaderboard, plus it’s increased visibility for branded podcasts.
YouTube announced a new shoppable CTV feed that allows advertisers to display products on the right side of the TV screen during ads.
YouTube announced it will exclusively stream the NFL's first Friday game of the 2025-2026 season, hosted in São Paolo, Brazil.
📲 Pinterest Updates
Pinterest issued an apology for the wave of moderation issues that recently led to mass bans, claiming it was an “internal error” and not the fault of AI moderation.
Pinterest published a retailer’s guide to setting up shopping campaigns on the platform.
📲 Roblox Updates
Roblox announced users can now buy physical products directly within their favorite Roblox experiences — and receive avatar items as part of the purchase — through a partnership with Shopify.
🎟️ TAKEAWAYS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA WEEK 2025
“Instagram is the corporate lanyard party on the ground floor of a big hotel, you know what’s going to happen and if a celebrity walks by everyone’s going to get excited.
TikTok — people have tassels on their t*tt*es on the roof deck, they don’t care, they’ll throw a celebrity off the balcony.
They’re different universes.”
As a deeply unserious person myself, I appreciated this cross-platform analysis delivered by Bethenny Frankel.
The reality TV star-turned entrepreneur-turned TikToker was at Social Media Week for a fireside chat with Adweek’s chief content officer Zoë Ruderman in a session titled: Unfiltered & Unstoppable. Check and check — she delivered on the promise of that chat.
If it’s spring, it must be Social Media Week. The conference, hosted by Adweek, is an annual gathering of brands reps, agencies, social media managers and creators. I was in New York for two days to speak on a creator panel with Lindsey Gamble, sit in a ballpit for a Hootsuite interview with Brett Dashevsky, and catch up with other creator pros like Keith Bendes, Monica Khan, Brendan Gahan and more. Here are my major takeaways:
📋 WHO WAS THERE
Some of the celebrity speakers included Amelia “Chicken girl” Dimoldenberg, Kordell “Love Island” Beckham, Sabrina “That friend” Brier, Andrew “Babish” Rea, Jordan “The Stallion” Howlett and Adam “W” Waheed, among others.
The brands were mostly big names you’d instantly recognize: from Urban Outfitters and Visa to Audible and McDonalds.
In terms of platform presence, YouTube, Snapchat, Discord, BeReal and Substack were all there. And while I don’t think anyone from LinkedIn attended, the platform was mentioned frequently during sessions that touched on B2B influencers.
🎙️ WHAT WAS SAID
💡 “The era of followers is dead.”
Urban Outfitters’ Head of Brand Marketing and Communications, Cyntia Leo, wrote the obit for follower counts during one of the first sessions Monday morning: How Brands Are Winning With Creator-Led Strategies in 2025.
“This is really a time about the algorithm,” said Cyntia. “Creators help us be in the algorithm, not just being in the platform.”
The idea that follower count no longer holds the value it once did echoed throughout the week.
Prop CEO Joseph Perelli drove the point home in a panel on creators and performance marketing: “Obsessing over followers is the biggest mistake marketers make.” Between fake followers, poor audience targeting, and limited organic reach, follower count is no longer a reliable metric — for creators or brands.
Takeaway: If leadership still insists on hiring creators based on follower count, it’s time to let them know the game has changed. Smart marketers are prioritizing deep content alignment and leveraging creator content for paid media opportunities.
💡“You want to lead with a content-first approach.”
Now that our feeds have changed from who we’re following, to what they’re talking about, follower count matters less than a topic alignment, said Sprout Social Vice President, Outbound Product Management, Brittany Hennessy.
Brittany pointed to Loewe and how they opted for the “cucumber guy,” TikToker Logan Moffitt, instead of a fashion or beauty creator when the company launched a cucumber-scented candle.
There are a lot of conversation about topic-based marketing, agreed Nya-Gabriella Parchment, UTA’s Head of Brand Partnerships.
When you understand what your consumer is talking about, what they’re truly interested in, what movies they’re watching, what podcasts they listen to, that’s when, “you can understand who's leading that conversation to tap into and work with,” Nya recommended.
Takeaway: Topic alignment is another way of saying ‘Don’t focus on follower count.’ Instead, brands should prioritize creators who are actively driving conversations around consumer interests — like cucumbers.
💡“Brands want to be humanized, and creators can help them.”
I got to speak with Lindsey Gamble and Adweek’s Senior Tech Reporter, Kendra Barnett, on a panel titled: Creator Content Only Belongs on Social... Or Does It?
Spoiler alert: Creators are being effectively deployed up and down the funnel and across every channel.
“Creator-featured ads do much better,” echoed Snapchat's Global Head of Public Figures, Francis Roberts, during a panel on Building a Brand That Lasts.
The benefit of creators isn’t purely for advertising purposes. With more brands launching personality-first projects — like Substack newsletters — creators are becoming even more indispensable for their creative skills and audience insights: these are partners who understand the type of content audiences want to consume!
Takeaway: You’re not just paying for assets or access to an influencer’s audience, said Lindsey: “What I'm really excited about is bringing them in as consultants, bringing them in as creative partners. That leads to more co-creation and collaboration, as opposed to just, ‘Here's a brief, go create a video.’
⚡️🔥 QUICK HITS
Here are some more of the gems that were dropped this week:
“Don’t wait. Make it yourself,” was Amelia Dimoldenberg’s acceptance speech at the Webby Awards Monday night. She delivered that line just after her Social Media Week keynote where she talked about the importance of owning your IP.
“Me and my girl, we’re still doing good.” Some of the loudest cheers Kordell Beckham got while on stage were in reference to his Love Island match Serena Page. The cat dad was in town for the unveiling of a Temptations Cat Treats billboard featuring him and his cat Milo.
“If any of you know other people on LinkedIn or whatever, I need a creative person with me who has good ideas,” said Bethenny Frankel, turning her time on stage into a recruiting session. Send your resumes to Danielle@Bethenny.com.
“I love an inbound pitch. So if you're a LinkedIn creator, don't be afraid to email me.” Notion’s Influencer Marketing Manager, Danielle Ito, made it clear her door is open to B2B creators. “Shoot your shot,” encouraged moderator Tameka Bazile.
“Just like you trained your eyes to pick out sponsored content, your eyes are starting to train themselves with AI-generated content.” Don’t sacrifice trust and creativity for AI efficiency, said Haleon’s Social Intelligence Lead, Danny Gardner.
“Our content performs best when we leave our opinions at the door and we let [fans] lead the conversation.” Comments are everything said Zach Poczekaj, Senior Social Media Manager at Dentsu Creative who works on the Nutter Butter account.
“Comments are emotional equity.” Audible's Global Head of Social Media, Rosina Shiliwala, described the brand’s proactive engagement strategy as “tiny love letters” to their community — which is a term we should all steal!
*I went to as many Social Media Week panels as possible while I was in New York but but also missed out on some great ones — I heard really good reviews for Hootsuite’s Hassan Ali, the Empire State Building’s Abigail Rickards, L’Oreal’s Sarah Shaker and Gymnasium’s Adam Faze, among others. If you were at Social Media Week, what made an impression on you?
🧮 DATA OF THE WEEK
Consumers report following an average of only 7 brands on social media, but report following an average of 13 creators and influencers
-via Deloitte Digital’s 2025 State of Social Research, which reveals social-first B2C brands doubling down on community, content, and conversion
This is the data to share when someone asks why creators should be part of your always-on strategy!
👀 ICYMI: JUST THE HEADLINES
Tariffs are causing a sales slump for TikTok Shop -Business Insider
A new guide for brands, agencies, and investors to navigate B2B creator platforms -Get Better Measurement
“Young people spend more time in DMs, Stories and the Reels tab than in Feed” -Grace Beverley with Adam Mosseri
X’s chatbot Grok won’t stop ranting about white genocide -Passionfruit
Gaming is the key to reaching Gen Alpha -Variety
What the **** is a “tradie influencer”? -Little Black Book
The National Park Service resistance videos aren’t official, but they are getting a lot of attention -AdAge
Creators like Mark Rober and Dhar Mann are launching FAST channels on Samsung TV Plus -Samsung
MrBeast confirmed Prime Video has renewed Beast Games for two more seasons -MrBeast on X
Michelle Khare’s YouTube series, Challenge Accepted, is eligible for this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards -Michelle Khare on LinkedIn
May we all reinvent ourselves with HBO Max’s level of
audacityconfidence -Recreation
And thanks to ICYMI community members Vincent Orleck and Cristina Lopez for introducing me to football’s schedule release videos!
ty for the feature, gf!
Great recap Lia! If follower metrics are becoming obsolete, what do you think the next meaningful metric is? Video views?