Social Media Tips – Week of February 1, 2026

Social Media Tips – Week of February 1, 2026

Big updates across both Instagram and TikTok this week! If you didn’t already know, Instagram recently launched three major features, including the long-awaited map and repost features, plus rolled out powerful new analytics. TikTok introduced Creator Mode with a suite of new tools. Here’s what you need to know.

🗺️ Instagram Launches Instagram Map, Reposts, and Friends Tab Globally

Instagram dropped three major features that are changing how users share and discover content:

Instagram Map

• A new Snap Map-style feature that lets users share their location with friends

• Location sharing is OFF by default and only updates when you open the app (not real-time)

• Find the map at the top of your DM inbox

• Users can leave short “Notes” on the map for friends to see

• Explore location-based content from friends and creators (like Stories from a music festival or Reels about a new restaurant)

• Currently rolling out in the U.S. with global availability coming soon

Reposts

• Instagram’s version of the “retweet”, share public Reels and feed posts to your followers

• Reposts may appear in your friends’ feeds and show in a new “Reposts” tab on your profile

• Add a note to any repost by typing into the thought bubble before sharing

• Great way for creators to reach wider audiences through shares

Friends Tab in Reels (Now Global)

• See public Reels that your friends have liked, commented on, reposted, and created

• Want privacy? You can opt out of having your engagement shown in the Friends tab

• Mute specific people’s activity if needed

What this means for school districts: The Map feature could be useful for event promotion, when staff post Stories from school events, friends can discover that content on the map. The Reposts feature is a great opportunity for community members to reshare district content to their own followers.

📊 Instagram Launches Major Insights Updates

Instagram is giving creators and businesses much more detailed analytics:

“When People Liked Your Reel” Chart

• An interactive chart showing the exact moments in your Reel when people hit the like button

• See which parts of your video captivated your audience

• Use this data to refine your creative process and make more engaging content

“When People Liked Your Carousel” Insights

• See which specific slides people were viewing when they liked your carousel

• Numbers appear under each slide showing engagement

• Helps you understand what part of your carousel resonated most

Post-Level Demographics

• Previously, you could only see audience demographics (gender, country, age) for your overall account

• Now you can check demographics for individual Reels and posts

• Great for understanding if a viral Reel reached beyond your typical audience

Top Content by Follows

• New section in Followers insights showing which content converted viewers to followers

• See your top-performing posts at a glance with follower counts

• Replicate what works to grow your following

Views Replacing “Accounts Reached”

• Instagram is replacing the “Accounts Reached” metric with “Viewers”

• Viewers measures the number of accounts that have viewed your content

• This aligns with their shift to Views as the primary metric

For school communicators: These insights are incredibly valuable for understanding what content resonates with your community. Pay attention to which carousel slides and Reel moments get the most engagement, then create more content like that.

🎬 Use Edits for an Extra Reach Boost

Adam Mosseri confirmed that using Instagram’s Edits app will help your reach, but he noted it’s just “a little bit.” Still, every bit helps! If you’re creating video content, it’s worth downloading the free app for:

• Templates and storyboards

• Teleprompter feature

• High-quality 4K export with no watermark

• Direct sharing to Instagram

The app is free on iOS and Android.

🔍 Instagram Testing “Picks” Feature

Instagram is developing an internal prototype called “Picks” designed to help users discover shared interests with friends:

• Select your favorite movies, books, TV shows, games, and music

• Instagram identifies overlaps with friends who chose the same things

• Could serve as a conversation starter and deepen connections

This aligns with Mosseri’s stated focus on “creativity and connection.” The feature hasn’t been tested publicly yet, so no timeline for launch.

🎥 TikTok Launches Creator Mode and New Tools

TikTok announced a major suite of new features for creators:

Creator Care Mode

• One-click switch that filters offensive, inappropriate, or profane comments

• Also filters comments from users you’ve previously reported, deleted, or disliked

• AI learns from your own report and deletion behavior, the more you train it, the better it works

LIVE Mute Feature

• Bulk mute words, phrases, and emojis during TikTok LIVE

• Commenters who post muted phrases are automatically muted for your chosen duration

Content Check Lite

• Pre-check whether your content is likely to be eligible for the For You feed BEFORE you post

• Available through TikTok Studio on the web

• When tested with TikTok Shop sellers, this feature reduced low-quality uploads by 27%

Creator Inbox

• Professional inbox with Unread and Starred folders

• Set up custom auto-responses for common questions

• Create quick replies for one-tap responses

Creator Chat Room

• Connect directly with your most engaged followers

• Requires 10,000+ followers plus a Subscription or LIVE Fan Club

• Each chat is capped at 300 people; creators can create up to 20 chats

• Appoint up to 5 moderators per chat

• Only available to creators 18+

📚 Learn How the TikTok Algorithm Works

TikTok continues to share insights about how its recommendation system works. Key factors the algorithm considers:

• User interactions (likes, comments, shares, watch time)

• Video information (captions, hashtags, sounds)

• Watch time and completion rate

• Community engagement

Pro tip: TikTok prioritizes content that connects users with niche communities (#BookTok, #TeacherTok, #SchoolLife). Finding and engaging with your community is more important than chasing broad viral hits.

🌐 “Your Algorithm” Expands to All English Speakers

Adam Mosseri announced on January 13 that Instagram is expanding “Your Algorithm” to all English-speaking users worldwide. For a limited time at the start of 2026, users can also tell their algorithm the top three interests they want to see more of.

This is Instagram’s most transparent feature ever, users can now see and customize exactly what topics the platform thinks they’re interested in.

💡 Quick Tip of the Week

With all these new analytics from Instagram, here’s how to use them:

1. Check your “When People Liked” charts — identify your most engaging moments

2. Look at post-level demographics — see if certain content reaches new audiences

3. Review your “Top Content by Follows” — double down on what converts viewers to followers

4. Watch for patterns — are certain topics, formats, or posting times performing better?

Data-driven content creation isn’t just for big brands. These free tools can help every school communicator understand what their community wants to see.

Be on the lookout, tips drop every Monday!

Social Media Tips – Week of January 5, 2026

Social Media Tips – Week of January 5, 2026

This week's social media insight comes from a fundamental truth about content creation: your hook is everything. If the first 1-2 seconds don't stop the scroll, the rest of your carefully crafted content will never see the light of day.

Why This Matters for Educational Communications

In our work with school districts, we're competing for attention in an increasingly crowded digital landscape. Parents scrolling through their feeds at pickup, community members catching up on news during lunch breaks, and stakeholders checking updates before bed, they're all making split-second decisions about what deserves their attention.

The Hook-First Approach

Before you invest time in:

• Perfect lighting and editing

• Thoughtful captions with relevant hashtags

• Aligning with trending audio or formats

Ask yourself one critical question: Would I stop scrolling for this?

Your hook isn't just part of your video or post, it IS your content. Think of it as the digital equivalent of a headline in journalism. If it doesn't grab attention immediately, your message, no matter how important, won't reach your audience.

Practical Application for School Districts

Consider these hook strategies for educational content:

• Start with the student impact, not the program explanation

• Lead with the unexpected moment, not the context

• Show the emotion before describing the event

• Ask the provocative question before providing the answer

Remember: authentic storytelling begins with authentic attention-getting. Your message deserves to be seen, make sure your hook ensures it will be.

Be on the lookout, tips drop every Monday!

Social Media Tips – Week of December 29, 2025

Social Media Tips – Week of December 29, 2025

The holiday week brings some major platform shifts! Here's what you need to know:

📱 TikTok Deal Finally Signed — Closing January 22

After nearly two years of uncertainty, TikTok signed a deal on December 18 to sell its U.S. operations to an American investor group. Here's what we know:

• New ownership: Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will collectively own 45% of the new "TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC."

• ByteDance keeps a stake: The Chinese parent company retains 19.9%, with existing ByteDance investors holding about 30%

• Deal closes: January 22, 2026

• Algorithm stays: The recommendation algorithm will be "retrained on U.S. user data" and overseen by Oracle

What this means for school districts:

• TikTok isn't going anywhere; the app will continue operating

• Content moderation will be handled by the U.S. joint venture

• Continue your TikTok strategy, but maintain your cross-posting habits to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts

• The algorithm will remain largely the same for now

🎛️ Instagram Launches "Your Algorithm" Control Feature

On December 10, Instagram rolled out its most transparent feature yet: "Your Algorithm." This lets users see and customize what Instagram thinks they're interested in.

How it works:

• Tap the new icon (two lines with hearts) in the upper right of the Reels tab

• See the topics Instagram thinks you care about, summarized by AI

• Add topics you want to see more of, remove ones you don't

• Share your interests on your Story (like Spotify Wrapped!)

What this means for school districts:

• Users now have more control over what content they see

• Topic clarity matters more than ever; your content needs to be clearly categorized

• If you're posting about multiple unrelated topics, you may see weaker audience matching

• Niche consistency is key: stick to your lane and do it well

📉 Instagram's Algorithm Shift: Keywords Over Hashtags

The December algorithm update formalized what's been building all year: Instagram is now behaving more like a search engine.

Key changes:

• Hashtag weight continues to decline (remember: hashtag following ended in December 2024)

• Natural keywords in captions, bios, and alt text now drive discovery

• Early attention signals matter more, the first moments of content performance are weighted heavily

• DM shares ("sends") remain the single most valuable engagement signal

For school communicators:

• Write captions like you're optimizing for search

• Put your most important keywords in the first 2-3 sentences

• Focus on creating content people want to share in DMs

• Use 3-5 highly relevant hashtags, not 30

🔵 Bluesky Hits 40 Million Users, Launches New Features

Bluesky crossed 40 million users and continues rolling out features:

• "Find Friends" (Dec 17): Privacy-focused contact matching to find people you know

• Dislikes beta: A new signal for personalization, tell the algorithm what you don't want to see

• "Social neighborhoods": The platform is mapping communities to show more relevant replies

• Private bookmarks on mobile

• Testing end-to-end encrypted messaging

Should your district be on Bluesky?

• It's grown significantly (from 25M to 40M in 2025)

• Still primarily attracting journalists, creators, and tech-forward users

• Worth securing your handle and monitoring

• Not essential for K-12 communications—yet

📊 LinkedIn's 2025 Roundup: Video, AI, and New Metrics

LinkedIn Wrapped Up 2025 with several features school communicators should know:

• "Saves" and "Sends" metrics: See how many users bookmarked your post or shared it via DM

• AI-powered conversational search: Users can now ask LinkedIn professional questions in plain language

• BrandLink expansion: Creator monetization through video ads alongside premium content

• Calendly integration: Premium users can add scheduling links directly to profiles

• Video up 36%: LinkedIn continues pushing video content in feeds

For superintendent and district leadership accounts: These new metrics give better insight into thought leadership content that resonates beyond simple likes.

🎬 YouTube's End-of-Year Updates

YouTube released several creator tools as the year closed:

• YouTube Recap: A personalized year-in-review feature (think Spotify Wrapped for your viewing habits)

• AI image editing in Posts: Use Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash) to edit images directly when creating Posts

• Comment summaries: AI automatically summarizes themes from comments in the Studio app

• Collaborations feature: Invite up to 5 creators to be added as collaborators on a video

• Likeness detection tool: Upload your face to find unauthorized uses, including AI deepfakes

For districts creating video content: The Collaborations feature could be useful for joint announcements with partner organizations or student-led content.

💡 Quick Tip of the Week

As you wrap up 2025 and plan for 2026, remember these algorithm priorities across platforms:

Instagram: DM shares > Saves > Comments > Likes

LinkedIn: Saves & Sends are now visible metrics—track them

YouTube: Watch time + completion rate + rewatches

TikTok: Watch time + shares + comments

The common thread? Shareable content wins. Create content people want to send to a friend.

Tips return next Monday. In the meantime, this is a great week to:

• Reflect on your 2025 analytics and identify your top-performing content

• Plan your January content calendar

• Explore Instagram's "Your Algorithm" feature to understand how users might customize their feeds

Here's to a strong 2026!

Be on the lookout, tips drop every Monday!

Social Media Tips – Week of December 22, 2025

Social Media Tips – Week of December 22, 2025

Big news this week: Instagram launches algorithm transparency controls, Australia becomes the first country to ban social media for under-16s, and Threads expands its communities feature. Here's what you need to know.

🎛️ Instagram's "Your Algorithm" Feature: Users Can Now See and Customize What They're Shown

On December 10, Instagram launched "Your Algorithm", the most transparent feature the platform has ever released. Users can now see exactly what topics Instagram thinks they're interested in and adjust their recommendations.

How it works:

• Go to the Reels tab and tap the new icon (two lines with hearts) in the upper right corner

• See AI-generated summaries of your interests based on your activity

• Add topics you want to see more of

• Remove topics you don't want to see

• Reset your recommendations entirely

• Share your interests to Stories (like Spotify Wrapped!)

What this means for school districts:

• Users now have direct control over what content they see in Reels

• Topic clarity is more important than ever — your content needs to be clearly categorized

• If you're posting about many unrelated topics, the algorithm may have trouble matching you to the right audience

• Niche consistency wins — districts should stay focused on their content pillars

The feature is currently rolling out to US users for Reels, with plans to expand to Feed and Explore in 2026.

📱 Instagram's Edits App Gets Major Update: Templates and Storyboards

Instagram's standalone video editing app "Edits" received its biggest update yet on December 10:

New features include:

• Templates: Quickly assemble videos using trending music, multiple fonts, and ready-to-use timed clips

• Storyboards: Turn your sticky notes into organized boards with teleprompter cues, videos, and notes

• Reels Library: Add public Reels from Instagram directly into your own videos for reactions and remixes

• iOS Lock Screen Widgets: Quick access to the Edits camera or sticky notes from your home screen

• Enhanced text editing: Apply secondary colors to text backgrounds and outlines

Why this matters: Adam Mosseri confirmed that using Edits will help your reach "a little bit." If you're creating video content for your district, it's worth downloading the free app.

🇦🇺 Australia Becomes First Country to Ban Social Media for Under-16s

On December 10, Australia became the first country in the world to enforce a blanket ban on social media for users under 16. This is a major development worth watching.

What's banned:

• YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, Threads, X (Twitter), Reddit, Twitch, and Kick

• Gaming platforms like Roblox are NOT included in the ban

How it works:

• Social media companies must take "reasonable steps" to prevent under-16s from creating or keeping accounts

• Age verification methods include AI facial estimation, uploaded IDs, or behavioral inference

• Companies face fines up to $50 million AUD for non-compliance

• Parents cannot consent on behalf of their children — the ban is absolute

Early results:

• Many teens have already bypassed the ban using VPNs, fake birthdates, or AI-generated images

• Platforms are still refining their age-detection systems

• Two legal challenges have been filed in Australia's High Court

Why this matters for U.S. schools:

• Similar legislation is being considered in Denmark, Norway, France, Spain, Malaysia, and New Zealand

• Several U.S. states have passed or are considering teen social media restrictions

• If Australia's ban proves effective, expect more countries to follow

• This could reshape how schools approach social media education and digital citizenship

Australia's Prime Minister compared the rollout to liquor laws: "The fact that teenagers occasionally find a way to have a drink doesn't diminish the value of having a clear national standard."

🧵 Threads Expands Communities, Now at 200+ Topics

On December 15, Threads announced it now has more than 200 communities (up from 100+ at launch in October). New additions include team-specific spaces like Lakers Threads, Knicks Threads, and Spurs Threads.

New features in testing:

• Flairs: Customizable labels underneath your username (similar to Reddit)

• Badges: Recognition for highly engaged community members

• Podcast previews: Ability to upload show snippets that play directly in feeds

• Podcast profile links: Link to your show on Apple Podcasts, iHeart, or Spotify

Current stats:

• 150+ million daily active users

• 320 million monthly active users

• Projected to exceed 400 million MAU by end of 2025

For school districts with podcasts: Threads is positioning itself as "the canonical place" for podcast discussions. This could be a good platform for sharing Social Chats episodes and engaging with listeners.

📊 LinkedIn Adds "Saves" and "Sends" Metrics

LinkedIn quietly rolled out two new analytics metrics that give you better insight into how your content performs:

• Saves: How many users bookmarked your post for later

• Sends: How many times your post was shared via direct message

Why this matters: These metrics reveal which content has lasting value (saves) versus which content sparks conversation (sends). For superintendent and district leadership accounts, this helps identify thought leadership content that resonates beyond simple likes.

Other LinkedIn updates this month:

• AI-powered conversational search: Ask professional questions in plain language, get AI-generated summaries with relevant links

• Calendly integration for Premium users: Add scheduling links directly to your profile

• BrandLink expansion: Creator monetization through video ads alongside premium content

• Video content up 36% on the platform

💡 Quick Tip of the Week

Instagram's algorithm shift is now official: Keywords beat hashtags.

Adam Mosseri has confirmed that hashtags "do not work" the way they used to. With hashtag following removed in December 2024 and the new "Your Algorithm" feature giving users topic-based controls, here's how to adapt:

Do this:

• Write captions like you're optimizing for search

• Put your most important keywords in the first 2-3 sentences

• Use 3-5 highly relevant hashtags maximum

• Create content people want to share via DM (sends are the #1 engagement signal)

• Stay consistent with your content topics

Stop doing this:

• Using 20-30 hashtags per post

• Copying and pasting the same hashtag blocks

• Relying on hashtags for discovery

Remember: Instagram now behaves more like a search engine than a hashtag-based discovery tool.

📅 Looking Ahead

• TikTok: Deal deadline extended to December 16, then likely further to January 22, 2026

• Threads ads: Expected to launch in early 2025

• Instagram "Your Algorithm": Will expand beyond Reels to Feed and Explore

• Australia ban: eSafety Commissioner will release preliminary compliance data before Christmas

Be on the lookout, tips drop every Monday!

Instagram & Meta Updates You Need to Know

There have been lots of Instagram changes lately…. Let’s Dig In!

The social media landscape is constantly evolving, and staying up-to-date with the latest platform updates is essential for educators, marketers, and communicators alike. This week brings a wave of exciting changes to Instagram and Meta that could significantly impact your content strategy. Let's dive into what's new!

Share Public Stories to Your Own Story

Instagram has rolled out a game-changing update that allows users to reshare any publicly posted Story to their own Stories feed, even if they weren't tagged in the original post. Previously, the "Add to Your Story" feature was limited to Stories where you were explicitly mentioned. Now, this friction has been removed, making it easier than ever to amplify content you love.

When you share a public Story, the original creator is credited, ensuring proper attribution. For content creators, brands, and school districts, this opens new opportunities for community engagement and content amplification. Creators can also control this feature through their privacy settings by toggling "Allow Sharing to Story" on or off.

Click to learn more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/you-can-now-re-share-public-stories-on-instagram/807364/

Instagram Testing 3-Hashtag Limit

In what could be a major shift for content creators, Instagram has begun testing a restriction that limits posts to just three hashtags. Reports from multiple users on Reddit and social platforms indicate that some accounts are now receiving error messages when trying to add more than three hashtags to their captions.

This experiment marks a significant departure from the long-standing 30-hashtag limit, signaling Instagram's shift toward algorithm-driven discovery rather than user-generated categorization. Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, has previously noted that hashtags have a limited effect on reach, serving more as tools for content organization than as drivers of audience growth.

What this means for you: Focus on using highly relevant, specific hashtags rather than quantity. Invest in strong captions with natural keywords, as Instagram increasingly relies on AI to understand content context.

Click to learn more: https://www.planoly.com/blog/instagram-is-limiting-hashtags

Links in Reels—But Only for Meta Verified Subscribers

Meta-verified Instagram users can now add clickable links directly to their Reels, creating new opportunities for driving traffic from video content. However, there's a catch—this feature is tied to Meta's paid verification tiers.

The pricing structure is as follows: the standard Meta Verified plan, at $14.99 per month/month offers no clickable links; the $44.99/month tier allows two links; the $119.99/month tier grants four links; and the highest tier, at $349.99 per month/month permits six clickable links per Reel.

This pricing model has sparked debate, with some creators appreciating the added functionality while others question the steep costs for scaling up link availability.

Click to learn more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-elements-verification-business-subscription-package/715464/

Instagram Now Supports 20-Minute Reels

Instagram has introduced a significant update to its Reels camera, now allowing users to record videos up to 20 minutes long directly in the app. This extension from previous limits offers creators more flexibility for tutorials, storytelling, behind-the-scenes content, and even mini-documentaries.

The update also includes other improvements, such as a dedicated "Undo" button for multi-clip projects, an updated green screen feature with reduced flickering, and customizable touch-up controls with an adjustable slider.

Important note: While you can now create longer Reels, Instagram has repeatedly stated it prioritizes recommending Reels under three minutes. Shorter videos still tend to perform better in terms of reach and engagement, so use the extended length strategically for content that truly benefits from more time.

Click to learn more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-update-reels-camera-with-improved-functions/806247/

Meta Launches Content Protection Tool

Meta has introduced a powerful new content protection tool designed to help creators safeguard their original Reels across both Facebook and Instagram. The tool scans both platforms for reposts of your videos, including partial matches, and alerts you when someone uploads the same content.

When a match is detected, creators have several options: track the matching Reel while staying informed about its performance, make the copied content unavailable, add attribution links that mark it as "original" and guide viewers back to your profile, or release the claim entirely if you want the repost to stay up.

This feature is currently available to creators in Facebook's Content Monetization program who meet integrity and originality standards, as well as those already using Meta's Rights Manager. The tool represents Meta's continued effort to prioritize original content over low-effort reposts and aggregator accounts.

Click to learn more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-launches-content-protection-for-creators/805714/

These updates reflect broader trends in social media, including a shift toward algorithm-driven discovery, an increased emphasis on original content, and new monetization pathways through paid features. For school communicators and educational marketers, the ability to reshare public Stories and protect original content is a particularly valuable tool for fostering community engagement and building brand awareness.

Stay tuned for more social media tips and updates! As always, the key to success is adapting your strategy to leverage these new features while staying true to your authentic voice and mission. Here's to growing together, one week at a time.

Be on the lookout, tips drop every Monday!

It All Begins Here

Get Ready: Weekly Social Media Tips Are Coming Your Way

I'm excited to announce that I'll be sharing weekly social media tips with you, and I wanted to be among the first to let you know.

Whether you're a school communicator trying to boost engagement, an educator building your professional brand, or someone who simply wants to feel more confident online, these tips are designed with you in mind.

Why I'm Doing This

After years of working in educational communications and helping districts share their stories, I've seen the same questions arise repeatedly. How do I grow my following? What should I post? How do I find the time? The answers don't have to be complicated, but they do need to be practical.

That's what these weekly tips will be: simple, actionable ideas you can put to use right away. No jargon, no overwhelming strategies. Just one focused tip each week to help you show up with more confidence and intention on social media.

What to Expect

Each week, I'll share a bite-sized insight drawn from real experience. Some tips will help you work smarter, others will spark new content ideas, and a few might challenge your perspective on your online presence altogether.

Stay Tuned

Keep an eye on your feed, the first tip drops soon. And if there's a social media challenge you've been wrestling with, let me know. Your questions might just inspire a future tip.

Here's to growing together, one week at a time. Be on the lookout, tips drop every Monday!