ICYMI: The Instagram, YouTube + TikTok updates that could change everything
[left to right: Eva Chen at Meta Connect, Neal Mohan at Made On YouTube, TikTok HQ logo]
In Brief: I get a lot of PR pitches for this newsletter. And when there’s a good deal or opportunity for the ICYMI community, I’m not going to gatekeep. (None of the following is sponsored.)
Advertising Week is offering a discount to ICYMI readers for its upcoming conference. Tickets here
News Creator Corps (NCC) is offering an 8-week paid fellowship program for news content creators with a $5,000 stipend as part of the program. Apply here
Gary V became an investor and partner in the creator platform, Stan Store, and is running a challenge to win a trip to visit him at his NYC office. Details here
Also watch out for a bonus newsletter on Monday — it’s an excerpt from the brilliant Christina Garnett’s new book: Transforming Customer-Brand Relationships. She’ll be sharing an actionable plan: Your Nine-Step Guide to Setting Up a Social Listening Plan!
⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY
YouTube’s annual Made On event featured at least 26 platform updates (expanding on the newsletter I sent earlier this week)
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan singled out four key areas: Lives, Brand Partnerships, Podcasts and Music
YouTube is rolling out dynamic ad insertion — a massive opportunity for creator inventory
Creators will get more visibility within the Discover feed of Google’s app
Meta revealed its $800 Ray-Ban Display smart glasses
The TikTok ban deadline has been extended to December
TikTok users in the U.S. will have to download a new app if a deal is reached
Poll: Will you download the new TikTok app?!
Snapchat is testing Group Streaks and chats that don’t disappear
Gen Z 1.0 and 2.0 Report: How to connect across the Gen Z spectrum
💻 ROADMAP
📲 YouTube Updates
There were a lot of updates shared at YouTube’s annual Made On event but we’re zeroing in on CEO Neal Mohan and his 10-minute keynote about four key areas the platform is focused on. In other words, pay attention, because when the man talks it means YouTube’s substantial resources are being put behind these features:
Podcasts
On average, over 30% of daily logged-in YouTube viewers watched live content in Q2 2025 alone, according to the platform. The new features emphasized reaching more people and a new style of ads that should make creators and brands happy:
Creators will be able to broadcast in both horizontal and vertical formats simultaneously and it’ll merge the chats for a seamless audience experience.
New side-by-side ads means creators won’t have to interrupt key moments on their streams.
AI will ID the most compelling moments from the livestream and automatically create ready-to-share Shorts.
Over the past four years, YouTube says it has paid out $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies. At Made On, they announced new features designed to make these connections easier and more lucrative for all:
YouTube is rolling out dynamic ad insertion turning back catalogs into new revenue streams. (There are two amazing explanations of what a big deal this is. Read: creator economy founder Zack Honarvar’s breakdown and creator attorney Brittany Ratelle’s breakdown)
Shorts creators will be able to add a link to a brand’s site specifically for brand deals.
YouTube is testing an AI-powered system to ID and automatically display a product tag when it’s mentioned.
Podcasts
YouTube visitors consume over 100 million hours of podcasts daily — something the platform emphasized earlier this year when it launched a chart for its top podcasts. While podcasts were mentioned at Made On, there were less updates announced in this category (which may or may not mean anything, TBD).
AI will suggest and create clips and Shorts from your video podcast. Coming in the next few months and early next year.
Audio-first podcasters will be able to generate video from their audio recording with the help of AI. Coming next year.
This category is pretty specific to artists and their fan bases. For example, YouTube Music fans will be able to sign up for a countdown clock to a new album or single release. And artists will be able to share just-for-fans video drops that rewards their top viewers with exclusive video clips.
Where I think this gets interesting is another feature that’s available for all creators: members-only live streams. This is going to allow you to paywall content to help you get more paid subscribers.
3 other cool features:
Ask Studio
You’ll be able to get insights on your community, understand analytics, and find new inspiration by asking an AI partner in YouTube Studio. Coming soon to creators in the U.S.
Collaboration Videos
You’ll be able to add up to five collaborators to one video that’s shown to the audiences of all the participating creators. Revenue earned will be go to the channel that posted the video. Coming to all creators globally in the next couple of weeks.
Title A/B Testing
Due to popular demand: you’ll be able to test up to three different titles, thumbnails, or combinations of both for long-form videos to help maximize the video's performance. Coming to all creators globally by the end of the year.
The full list of YouTube updates are listed here.
Google announced you can “follow” publishers or creators in the Discover feed of the Google app so you’ll see more of their content. They’ll also be incorporating more content types in the feed, such as posts from X and Instagram and YouTube Shorts.
📲 Meta Updates
Instagram is… irrelevant?
As expected, the headlines out of Meta Connect were all about smart glasses: including the evolution of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, the introduction of Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses and the big reveal of Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses with built-in display, controlled by a Neural Band worn on the wrist to detect hand motions.
Mark Zuckerberg’s message was pretty clear: Meta sees its future in personal computing. If smart glasses are the next smartphone, he wants to own that space first.
That doesn’t mean Instagram is irrelevant yet — Zuckerberg did briefly name-check the app, talking about creators blending AI with reality to build immersive worlds, holograms, and 3D posts. But it also doesn’t exactly feel like a priority…
And if you’re a creator — or social marketer — in search of an audience, the shift from a mobile app to smart glasses is massive. And right now, Meta hasn’t shown us how we’re supposed to get from A to B.
📲 TikTok Updates
The (very unserious) TikTok ban deadline has been extended until December 6. In the meantime, U.S. officials say that there is a framework deal in place — except that has yet to be confirmed by China.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Oracle, Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz are part of a consortium that would control 80% stake in the new company. It also means U.S. TikTok users would be asked to download a new app, which sources say is being built and tested.
Reported: TikTok Shop is encouraging sellers to embrace weekend livestreaming.
Spotted: TikTok and Instagram are still testing BeReal-style competitors, with "PhotoSwap" and "Shots"
Related: To Solve The TikTok Problem, Trump Has To Give Up His Control
*ICYMI: In the last poll, 64% of you said you were likely to test the new Adobe Premiere for iPhone app.
📲 Pinterest Updates
Pinterest launched the Educator’s Fund, a program focused on people who create educational content.
📲 LinkedIn Updates
LinkedIn announced a Duolingo integration, meaning you can now display your Duolingo Score directly to your LinkedIn profile.
📲 Snapchat Updates
Snapchat is testing Infinite Retention, which will allow Snapchatters to save their chats forever, and Group Streaks, a collective streak that continues as long as most of the members participate.
Snapchat announced more than one trillion selfie Snaps were created in 2024 — that’s twice the amount of selfies iPhone users took last year.
Snapchat released a report on how parents use social platforms — and how kids influence purchase decisions through social.
Snapchat announced Snap OS 2.0, a new interface that will power its public-facing Specs in 2026
Snapchat launched an interactive online safety program called The Keys: A Guide to Digital Safety that aims to educate teens and families about online risks they may face and how to help protect themselves. The course is meant to be taken with a parent, teacher, or trusted adult to increase dialog around digital safety.
🧮 DATA DROP
Age, algorithms, and experiences have fractured Gen Z into Gen Z 1.0 (ages 23–29 and trusting) and Gen Z 2.0 (ages 13–22 and skeptical)
While 1.0 and 2.0 use platforms differently, both are deeply affected by their phones: 83% of Gen Zers say they have an unhealthy relationship with them, compared to 74% of other generations. Constant trend cycles and hyper-targeted content have created fatigue, not connection.
- from Edelman’s The Great Gen Z Divide Special Report, detailing how Gen Z is evolving their identities, power, and expectations in real time.
👀 ICYMI: JUST THE HEADLINES
Reddit is now the #2 most visited site in the U.S. and #3 in Canada as of July 2025 - Semrush
Brands are turning to Discord to reach niche communities - Digiday
Luma AI and Adobe partner to distribute cinematic-level video model Ray3 - The Hollywood Reporter
Epidemic Sound launched Adapt, an AI-powered feature that lets users edit and customize songs from the Epidemic catalog to fit specific content needs - Billboard
Sephora and Condé Nast announce new creator-led storefronts - Retail Brew
The culture is in the comments but 91% of people surveyed said they’re lurking, not participating - OK Cool Trend Report
96% of CMOs are prioritizing AI adoption but only 65% of companies are meaningfully investing, creating an “optimism-execution gap” - Contentful + Atlantic Insights
Creators rank above AI-driven search, paid social, and paid search for increased marketing investment in 2026 - LTK + Northwestern University
I’m writing a new monthly blog for Adobe Express that’s a compliment to this newsletter — the first one is about YouTube!
💌 SUPPORT ICYMI
If you liked this post, please consider giving it a ❤️︎ or leaving a comment. It helps and it costs $0.
If you’ve got the budget, you can Buy Me a Coffee or upgrade to a paid member subscription.
Or you can shop from my Bookshop.org or Amazon storefront for recommendations of the social and creator marketing books I’ve read in the past few years.
Thank you!
I really enjoy reading your content, it is so helpful!
Thank you as always for the content ! Interesting to see the evolution of Reddit even if we know Google has helped a lot but it is related to the organic content that people like on TikTok too. Cheers from Paris !