As part of its Ad Labs programme, Pinterest is adding new AI features to its ad offerings. Firstly, it’s testing AI-powered ad campaigns called ‘Performance+’. These ads will provide advertisers with more ways to optimise their ads through an automated process. The AI system will use its algorithm knowledge to create ads and match audiences suitable to the campaign. In the initial testing, Pinterest said advertisers saw improvement in campaign results and that the tools significantly decreased the time spent creating the campaigns.
Image credit: Pinterest
Pinterest is also adding AI background generation for product images. The background generator will allow advertisers to redesign their images to suit the aesthetics of different target audiences. The AI generator bases the design on common interests seen in US Pinterest users.
Pinterest is also testing, with a small group of advertisers, integrating its “Shuffles” app into Pinterest. Advertisers can create collages, tag the products in the images, and promote it as a Showcase or Collection ad. Users can then tap the collage and learn more about the brand or products.
Instagram adds “Creator Insights” to creator profiles
Instagram is adding a new “Creator Insights” display on creators’ profiles which will provide a snapshot of their account performance over the last 30 days. The insights will show follower growth, accounts reached and accounts engaged. Creators can choose whether this is displayed on their profile or not, similarly to how they would share stats in Instagram’s Creator Marketplace. “Creator Insights” will only be viewable by brand accounts and is currently only available to select profiles.
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X updates its insights and who has access to them
X is introducing a new analytics display for Premium subscribers. The new system displays analytics in a large bar chart format which can be edited to focus on different metrics and time frames. Although users have been able to access these insights before, the new format allows users to easily dive into the data. This type of data used to be available to all users, but with the addition of this new presentation style, these insights are now only available to Premium users.
LinkedIn rolls out Premium Company Pages
LinkedIn is launching Premium Company Pages. These pages will allow brands to have custom CTA buttons, the ability to auto-invite people who engage with their content, access to Page visitor insights, a testimonial display on their page, access to AI assistance tools and more.
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Other features, include being able to showcase work and reviews directly on the business’s profile, in a new section called “Services Showcase.” It’s also rolling out a “Request Services” button to help generate leads. LinkedIn’s Premium Business subscription begins at $99 per month, though there is a cheaper option if paid annually.
YouTube launches QR codes, user-generated effects and expands its “Jump Ahead” feature
YouTube creators can now access a unique QR code for their channel, making it easier to share their profile offline. The YouTube channel QR can be found in the “You” tab of the YouTube app, within the “Share Channel” section. YouTube is also experimenting with user-generated Shorts effects. The experiment will give a small group of creators the ability to create and publish their own effects directly on Shorts. These effects will be available to all users on the platform.
Image credit: YouTube
YouTube is also expanding its AI-powered “Jump Ahead” feature to more users. The feature uses AI to find the most popular parts of a video and skips users to this point when they double-tap on the fast-forward button. Since testing the feature, YouTube has found that 92% of users find it useful.
LinkedIn introduces a host of updates for newsletters
LinkedIn has updated its newsletter display with comments being shifted to the right rather than at the bottom of the page display. This will mean that the newsletter content is on the main screen and that comments are in a separate column alongside the content, encouraging engagement. Comments can be sorted by “Most Relevant” or “Most Recent”.
Image credit: LinkedIn
Users will also be able to embed LinkedIn profiles within newsletter copy so that readers can click directly through to those being referenced. It is also adding new “staging links” which will allow users to view a newsletter’s URL before it is posted. Other updates include being able to create AI-generated cover images, and new email and in-app notifications being sent to subscribers and followers.
Meta scales back its AI rollout
Meta has been forced to scale back its AI plans due to concerns with data usage due to using public Facebook and Instagram posts to train the AI systems. Reuters reported that this decision came after advocacy group NOYB contacted data protection authorities in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Spain to act against Meta’s AI plans.
Image credit: Meta
Meta has previously acknowledged using public posts to power its Llama models and confirmed in a blog post last month that it only uses “publicly available online and licensed information to train AI at Meta, as well as the information that people have shared publicly on Meta’s products and services.” Users have also received alerts on Facebook and Instagram surrounding how their data may be used. Nonetheless, Meta has put these plans on hold until EU regulators have assessed these concerns.
