Influencer marketing news moves at the speed of social media. Every platform update, algorithm tweak, and current event makes a huge difference to the influencer marketer. We’ll help you keep up.

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Instagram Announces New Crackdown on Influencers Who Fail to Disclose Commercial Partnerships (Social Media Today)

Instagram’s latest announcement is coming off the heels of both an investigation from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, and a study revealing that 76 percent of sponsored posts buried ad disclosure under the “more” fold. Instagram has pledged to make these changes in the UK by June 2021, with the added goal of rolling them out globally. This initiative has been widely-well received as the next logical step in the growth of influencer marketing. Instagram has also recently proposed adding age-gated sponsored content filters to protect children from adult content (such as alcohol and over-the-counter drugs). Both of these initiatives aim to protect brands, consumers, and influencers, and make the platform a safer environment for everyone.

How the TikTok Influencer House 'Nobody Asked For' Landed Brand Deals with Chipotle and Tinder — Without Dancing (Business Insider)

TikTok houses—where influencers form a collective under one roof—are nothing new. But what brought The House Nobody Asked For together wasn’t any shared special talent, just their personalities. A follower count of over two million speaks for itself, and demonstrates the value of comedy on the platform. Their average video starts with the group gathering to answer fan questions, which quickly devolves into comedic absurdity. Unlike dance videos, this format allows each personality to shine with their own unique sense of humor—a creative goldmine, which partners like Chipotle have already tapped into. Everybody asked for authenticity, and this house delivered.

[INFOGRAPHIC] Twitter Shares Insights into How People are Communicating During COVID-19 (Social Media Today)

“Emotional tweeting” is the headline of this infographic, which breaks down the trends of feelings on Twitter UK from the beginning of the pandemic. You may think that a 60 percent increase in usage of the crying emoji says it all, but there’s more to the trends than sadness and fear. A 17 percent increase in conversations about joy and happiness demonstrates the positive energy that people search for in difficult times. Brands partnering with influencers can look to this data as inspiration for campaigns centered around wellness, empathy, and support.