Matters of Influence: Week of 10/5/20

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.

Featured headlines

Tiktok Deal Likely To Drag On Beyond The Election (AdAge)

We’ve reached that time of the season, when the leaves turn brown and every conversation turns to the election–even in influencer marketing. While election chatter has a perceived expiration date, the TikTok conversation could last well beyond the deal’s (tentative) November 12 deadline. As politics finds its way into nearly every channel, influencers (from micro to mega) are joining the conversation and encouraging their followers to vote. While some marketers are anxious about influencers stepping into politics, this hasn’t stopped both average and activist influencers from speaking out on the issues that matter to them.

Instagram’s TikTok Clone Reels Updates to Allow Longer Videos, Easier Edits (Tech Crunch)

Is Instagram’s Reels going to beat TikTok at their own game, and finally break out of TikTok’s shadow? While that may have been their intention when announcing that they would be doubling the maximum length of Reels from 15 to 30 seconds, it’s not looking likely. While TikTok’s 15 second limit might seem too short in theory, in practice, the popularity of “short form” videos continues to speak for itself and dominate the influencer marketing conversation. While Triller is struggling to keep up, Reels is trying to jump ahead of TikTok–but is it moving in the right direction? The secret formula that every TikTok clone is missing is the platform’s rich community, which doesn’t seem to be fazed by the changes. While it may seem intuitive that more space for content would appeal to influencers, the final verdict lies with the average users, whose confidence in TikTok remains steady.

Facebook Issues Official Response to Claims Made in Netflix Documentary 'The Social Dilemma' (Social Media Today)

After many Netflix viewers watched the critical documentary on the downsides of social media, Facebook makes an official response challenging seven of their most damaging claims. This response comes off the heels of users expressing intentions to delete their Facebook accounts, which is a commonly lodged threat that is not at all new. However, the fact that Facebook responded demonstrates that this time, they’re taking the complaints seriously. Rather than promising change, their statement simply argues against the documentary’s claims. Will this be enough to convince users to stay on board? Enough consumers deciding to jump ship could seriously shake up the state of Facebook and influencer marketing as a whole–stay tuned to find out how much impact this will have on the platform.

Pinterest Announces Pinterest Creators Festival to Provide Insights into Building Your Pin Presence (Social Media Today)
After suffering through the FOMO of every cancelled festival this year, influencers will be delighted to see what Pinterest has in store for October 15. The digital Creator Festival will feature speakers from both Pinterest and brands, as well as Pinterest’s recently announced partner, Vimeo. The event is free and open to all, so it will be a great opportunity for influencers and marketers alike to learn valuable insights from industry veterans. Read more to learn about the speakers, and to register for the event.

The 5 Most Important Stages in the Content Marketing Process (Social Media Today)

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just getting into the game, there’s always something new to learn when it comes to content strategy. While many partners leave the entirety of the content process up to the influencers, the best collaborations are a team effort. If you’re looking to implement or improve your content creation abilities, look no further than this guide, which outlines five essential stages in the process of content marketing from research to revision. Use these tips to take a strategic approach to your next Instagram post, and see how easy it can be to create excellent original branded content.

Featured blog

Have you ever wondered how Julius has collected its roster of influencers? Every profile on the platform is made by a real person with human (not artificial) intelligence. Julius has curated a vast selection of influencers to choose from, continuing to add more every single day, and there’s a few different approaches our team takes when adding new influencers to the platform. Read this edition of Dear Julius to find out the different answers to the question, “How do you add influencers to the platform?” and learn a little more about our research process.

Julius product spotlight

When you create a new List in Julius, the default Stages are Added, In Review, Approved, Rejected–a perfect setup for the approval process internally or with a client. But did you know that you can edit and add these Stages to your liking, that might be more fitting for your campaign needs? For example, if you’re placing influencers at an event, you might want to reassign the Stages to be: Green Room, Red Carpet, VIP Area and After Party. For more about List Stages, see this Help Center article.