If you work on platforms like Meta, TikTok, or YouTube, you know that staying current with platform updates is essential to doing your job right and getting the best results.
That’s why we at Code3 put together what we think is the greatest year-end gift of all time – a guide to all the platform updates you need to know for 2023.
Check out our guide below, and let us know what updates you’re most excited about for 2023!
The Updates
Platforms update frequently, so you have to keep a close eye on them to make sure you have the best info. Here’s what we learned.
Meta
Instagram Product Tagging API: This feature is now available for Reels and more. This update will enable brands to tag products in Reels, Feed Images, and Feed Carousel Media via the Instagram API.
That means that businesses can now tag content directly via 3rd party platforms, removing the hassle of tagging content after it has been scheduled and published. Plus, creatives can experience less friction when they create shoppable media by meeting businesses where they are in their workflows.
We’re excited about this because it ensures that product is tagged in content from the get-go, and ensures a seamless publishing process without having to go back in to edit a live ad. This will also reduce the risk of our ads having to reenter the learning phase.
TikTok
Audience Insights: The platform has introduced the Audience Insights tool for their Ads Manager. This allows brands and advertisers to leverage user interests, behaviors, and demographics to maximize advertising results and find new ways to scale.
This will be especially useful during the planning phase, as we now have the ability to utilize filters to identify aggregate audience info such as:
- Interest hashtags
- Age and gender
- Interactions with hashtags, creators, or video
- Segment by language, country, and price
We're even able to look at our Custom Audiences at a granular level and learn whether a user clicked or engaged with our content.
Having this level of insight during the planning process will allow us to strengthen our audience recommendations with more qualitative and quantitative data. We can also use this data to inform ad creative since these insights can inform us about the kinds of people engaging with us. Top hashtags can also be incorporated into our ad strategy to ensure we are getting in front of the right audience.
Snapchat
Ad Format Revamp: The major update rolling out for Snapchat is a revamp to their ad formats. They are aligning organic and Snap Ad content experiences to improve the intent of actions and downstream conversions.
By creating a consistent playback experience, we can encourage Snapchatters to perform high-value actions with greater intention and improve KPIs - all while utilizing a more organic format in our ads. These implementations will begin rolling out throughout the month of December with heavier emphasis coming in January.
This is great news since it means Snapchat is positioning itself alongside TikTok when it comes to the type of ads they recommend. Seeing the success of UGC ads on TT, this update will allow Snapchat to achieve that same level of personalization with their paid content.
YouTube
User Handles: The platform's most recent update is its user handles. This provides new personalized URLs and will make it easier for users to find and connect with creators. These handles will be visible on channel homepages, search results, YouTube Shorts, and on comments.
While it isn’t necessarily a backend update or a change to the formatting of ads. Rather it is a way of simplifying the user experience of connecting with creators on the platform, similar to TikTok, IG, or Twitter.
Pinterest
Pinterest is rolling out tons of exciting updates next year, most of which we’ll see in Q2. Here’s what you can expect:
Personas & Moments Targeting: An exciting new introduction to our targeting capabilities for Pinterest. We're now able to build our audience targeting around personality traits and life moments (Holiday Gifter, New Financial Situation, Movie Night Planners, New Parents, Recently Engaged).
Onboarding Guides: Specifically beneficial for new activations on Pinterest. How-tos on creating ads, building catalogs, and so much more. A paid advertising boot camp exclusively for Pin!
Premiere Spotlight: An ad unit that functions similarly to TopFeed/TopView. A high-impact video ad that allows us to promote on the Search page for 24 hours. This is a great opportunity for must-win/seasonal moments.
Showcase Ads: This feature allows us to promote seasonal or trending products WITHOUT needing to make content updates on the site. This will help us to fastrack trending products directly to consumers without having to wait for any website updates.
Quiz Ads: An interactive ad experience that will allow brands to develop closer relationships with users through a quiz-based ad unit. This will give us a new opportunity to engage with qualified users with a splashy ad unit.
Lead Ads: Having Pinterest-specific lead ads will allow us to increase our CRM lists and increase reliable, high-intent 1P audiences - without the risk of losing them once off-site.
Pinterest Trends Tools: Available now, this feature allows us to leverage user interests, behaviors, and demographics to maximize advertising results and find new ways to scale.
Agency Business Tools: We don't know much about this yet, but we do know it's coming in Q3 of 2023. With this tool we anticipate that Code3 will be able to operate our Pinterest business more efficiently as they will be rolling out audience sharing, account grouping, and other tools to make us successful on Pin.
Twitter
Twitter is a hot topic right now, but even so there are still platform updates with promise for 2023:
Web Conversion Optimization: Beneficial for those relying on third-party data reporting.
DPA Carousels: Ads can now mirror the dynamic ad creative format that has been utilized across Meta and other platforms running DPA. This roll-out is in progress.
Plus:
- Ad relevance targeting
- New type of Lookalike audience
- Creating “and” statements within audiences
- Payments
- Continued Updates to Brand Safety
While it is encouraging to see Twitter introduce plans like this to increase its position in the social commerce landscape, it is still a highly volatile platform to operate on because of the consistent changes introduced by Elon. We’re interested in seeing what the future holds.
So, now that you’re ready for the new year with all the updates, what are your next steps? Reach out to let Code3 help get your social presence ready to compete in 2023.
