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The TikTok comment section is getting an upgrade, and text is no longer the only way to join the conversation. New comment features rolling out globally include:
What does this mean for brands? More ways to get audiences doing something instead of simply liking and scrolling. Think quick polls, visual reactions, feedback, and conversations that make the comments section part of the content itself.
Read more on Social Media Today
Tagged content is getting a more prominent spot on Instagram. Users can now add posts they're tagged in directly to their profile grid with a single tap.
The post appears with a tag icon on its thumbnail, making collaborations and community content much easier to spot.
For brands, it’s a small update with some useful possibilities: creator partnerships, customer content, and collaborations can now live more visibly on the profile without having to repost the original.
Read more on Social Media Today.
TikTok has been tinkering at both ends of the content journey: how people find things to watch and how advertisers make things for them to watch.
For marketers, there are two developments worth keeping an eye on: more structured content discovery and increasingly sophisticated AI-assisted creative production. The latter comes with the usual caveat: faster production doesn’t automatically make for better content. The idea still has to be worth watching.
Facebook Pages are now limited to two organic link posts per month unless they subscribe to Meta One, expanding on a restriction first tested in December 2025. Meta says the impact on organic distribution should be limited, since external links already account for a relatively small share of Facebook post views.
Still, if Facebook is part of your traffic-driving strategy, two links a month isn’t much to work with. Brands that regularly send audiences to websites, articles, or campaign landing pages may need to rethink their content mix.
Meta is also moving towards more automated advertising, with advertisers losing their ability to exclude certain placements or platforms, including Threads and Audience Network, in some campaign setups.
Bottom line: Meta is asking businesses to factor subscription costs, link limits, and less control over ad placements into strategic planning.
Meta has made one of the quarter’s bigger changes for businesses, and this one could affect both budgets and content planning. Launched across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Meta AI, Meta One introduces a subscription structure ranging from individual plans to business-focused tiers.
For businesses, the four subscription tiers provide tailored access to management and growth tools:
Depending on the tier, subscribers can access features such as Meta Business Agent, verified badges, impersonation protection, competitor insights, exportable analytics, and post scheduling up to 30 days in advance.
AI may be everywhere on social media, but audiences aren’t necessarily asking for more of it.
A Pangram report found signs of AI generation in 41% of LinkedIn's long-form posts, the highest share among the platforms examined, followed by roughly one-third of posts on X.
Meanwhile, Instagram’s Adam Mosseri faced negative reactions after announcing deeper integration of AI image tools through Muse, with some users calling for the ability to opt out of AI-generated content. Pinterest has already moved in that direction, introducing a control that lets users reduce AI-generated content in their recommendations.
For brands, this doesn’t mean putting down AI tools, but using them thoughtfully. AI can help with ideation, editing, and production, while original perspectives, real people, and genuine brand experiences remain important in building audience trust.
A full day, captured in seconds. Popularised by the Setlog app, this trend stitches together short clips filmed at different times of the day into a split-screen snapshot video of how the hours unfold, from morning routines all the way to whatever passes for winding down at night.
Brand takeaway: It’s an easy format to borrow for behind-the-scenes content, team culture, and event coverage. Instead of one continuous shoot, teams can capture small moments throughout the day to tell a bigger story.
Apparently, nothing is safe from rhinestones.
Gem-maxxing takes the internet's love for all things shiny and applies it to… well, pretty much anything.
Accessories, everyday objects, food, and packaging have all received the bedazzled treatment, with the trend getting an extra boost from Kylie Jenner's bedazzled 29th birthday cake. And really, the transformation is the point: Watching an ordinary item become gloriously over-the-top makes for satisfying, visually engaging content.
For brands, there are plenty of ways in:
Check out the trend in these Lola Faye Cafe, Jujujucloe, and Zitawaiii posts.
Dua Lipa's live version of Training Season is currently soundtracking confident transformations, milestones, and main-character moments, with creators using it for everything from fitness progress and career wins to aspirational lifestyles and a little wishful thinking.
Brand takeaway: It lends itself naturally to fast product reveals, tutorials, and before-and-after transformations. It can also work for content built around how someone imagines themselves using a product or experiencing a brand.
Just don’t sit on it too long. As with any trending audio, check that it’s still trending with your audience before joining in.
Check out the trend in these posts:
Did one mildly responsible thing today? ⭐️ You’ve earned it.
The Gold Star Behaviour trend celebrates the tiny accomplishments that probably don’t deserve a reward, which is precisely why it’s funny. Creators give themselves giant gold stars for doing the dishes, closing 47 browser tabs, or actually finishing a product before opening another.
It's a playful take on everyday life that swaps polished lifestyle content for small, relatable achievements.
For brands, the trick is to keep the achievement small and relatable. Think celebrating customers who finish their to-do lists, employees who reach inbox zero, or shoppers who finally use up their favourite products.
The format works particularly well when the moment is specific enough for people to recognise themselves in it and share it with friends.
Check out the trend in these posts:
On the outside, everything is fine.
On the inside? Absolute chaos.
This trend captures the gap between what someone is thinking and how they're actually behaving, usually with a simple text overlay and an impressively straight face.
Its strength is specificity: those situations people recognise but rarely say out loud, making it an easy format for audiences to respond to with their own experiences.
For brands, the opportunity is to lean into niche, audience-specific humour rather than trying to appeal to everyone. A workplace account could highlight the internal panic of presenting to a client, while a retail brand could capture the struggle of resisting an impulse purchase.
If your audience thinks, Why is this literally me? You’ve got it.
Check out the trend in these posts:
What happens when you decide to become something completely unexpected?
This trend takes a simple setup, "Today I'm gonna turn into a little...", and lets creators transform themselves into anything from their pets to everyday objects. That’s it, really.
Its playful, slightly absurd premise leaves plenty of room for unexpected twists, making it a fun format for creators and brands looking to show a different side of themselves.
For businesses, the fun lies in making the reveal recognisable but unexpected. A cafe becomes its signature drink, while a lifestyle brand transforms into its cult-fave product.
The less predictable the reveal, the more entertaining the payoff.
Check out the trend in these posts:
If Q3 taught us anything, it’s that social media is pulling in two directions at once: The tools are getting smarter, while audiences are craving more human content. Platforms are offering brands more ways to create, advertise, and engage, but the content people respond to remains specific, relatable, and worth sharing.
As we head into Q4, Christmas discovery content should already be on the radar, from gift guides and wish lists to recommendations for that one impossible-to-shop-for person. Meanwhile, Facebook's new link-post restrictions make this a good time to review how much your holiday campaigns rely on the platform for traffic.
The takeaway? Use the tools. Borrow the trends when they make sense. But make sure there's a real human idea behind the post.
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