Social Media

New Creative Insights for Meta Advertisers

Ensuring ad creative is working on Meta is a key part of any advertisers role. It needs to be engaging, talk to the right people in the right way and work well within budgets and targeting to ensure it’s playing it’s pivotal part in the advertising journey.

And now, Meta has introduced new creative insights to ensure that this level of detail is even more transparent, by allowing users to view ‘Top Creative Themes’ in the Ad Reporting and Account Insights section of the advertising platform.

When viewed, the feature will identify what themes are apparent throughout creative, and how spend is being allocated across them. This helps both the platform and advertiser understand if the themes align correctly with the brand values, and also shows comparison against other themes within the industry to ensure ads are well optimised.

Examples of themes include:

• Vitality
• Promotion
• Escapism
• Comfort
• Happiness
• Joy
• Peacefulness
• People

Clicking on a theme name will then show a sub-report, that provides guidance on how to optimise the ad to fit the theme, whilst also showing industry examples.

TikTok Joins Up with SoundCloud

In recent years, TikTok has been known to revive and popularise numerous older songs, bringing them back to the forefront and making them hugely popular with a new, younger audience.

And it looks like the platform isn’t stopping there when it comes to putting sound first, as they announce their music option expansion with their new SoundCloud integration.

Not only will this allow users to explore an abundance of music to use in their content, but it will also provide more opportunities for emerging artists to become centre-stage.

The new integration is labelled as the ‘Add to Music App’ feature on the platform and originally launched on some beta accounts in 2024. Since, billions of streams and billions of track saves have been generated and users can now make the most of the musical collaboration.

For users to try it for themselves, they need to click the ‘Add Song’ button next to a track name at the bottom of a TikTok video in their For You Feed. When first pressed, the user will get the choice to save it to their SoundCloud, or onto their preferred music streaming channel.

Dedicated AI Assistant for TikTok Sellers

A new AI-powered chatbot tool has been added to TikTok’s Seller Centre to solely provide useful information for brands wanting to sell products on the platform.

The new ‘Seller Assistant’, available as part of the commerce management tools, will help brands with insight like:

• Advice on product listings
• Maximising visibility of the brand and products
• Performance data
• Personalised recommendations on marketing tactics

The new addition to the platform is said to be TikTok’s way of ensuring brands don’t just manage their shops, but also know how to optimise them easily and effortlessly.

Customer DMs now possible on TikTok livestreams

One element to the TikTok platform than no other platform has been able to replicate is the live stream feature: a powerful tool for creators to engage with customers, but also a clever tool for brands to increase their reach exposure and engagement.

Whilst users have always been able to comment and engage on live streams, there was no possibility for those conversations to continue once the stream ended… until now.

Now, users on Linkedin who are wanting to live stream, can switch on the ‘LIVE setup for client acquisition’ feature. Once selected, a CTA button will be added to the broadcast so viewers can get in touch, pushing the opportunity for lead generation for both creators and brands alike.

TikTok introduces AI alive: The opportunity to bring photos alive

AI is certainly becoming more prominent across social media channels, from content to copy and the use of the channels themselves. However this week, TikTok have now launched a new AI-powered feature that enables you to turn any static image into a video clip on a user’s TikTok story.

The feature, which TikTok describes as ‘a first-of-its-kind’, will use intelligent editing tools that give any user the ability to create short-form, engaging video, no matter what their creative or editing expertise may be.

To try it for yourself:

• Open story camera on TikTok by selecting the blue + icon at the top of the page.
• Choose any single photo from your album.
• Click the AI Alive icon on the right hand side of the edit page.
• Post!

Users can view any TikTok story from their For You, Following or Profile page, providing the opportunity for wide reach and potential engagement.

Where concerns have been raised, is with the content AI is generating on the platform. As a result, TikTok has prevented people from violating any policies with the new technology by ensuring safety checks on any content posted, before it’s shown to the creator and is able to post.

Meta CAPI bug has resulted in event deduplication issues for advertisers

Meta advertisers using Conversions API (CAPI) have encountered a deduplication bug leading to key events, such as purchases and add-to-carts, being logged twice. This includes once via the Meta Pixel (browser-side) and once again through the server-side CAPI.

The issue began over the weekend on the 16th of March 2025, due to missing event_id values. This prevented the exact matching of events, leading to inflated metrics, attribution errors, and unreliable ROI analysis.

For advertisers wishing to determine whether they have been affected by this issue, visit Meta Events Manager. To mitigate the impact of this bug, they can either wait for Meta to resolve it or temporarily disable server-side tracking to prevent further event deduplication.

Australia approved social media ban on under-16s

Australia has recently passed ‘the worlds strictest law’ relating to social media- banning under-16s from accessing social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. 

Platforms that don’t require an account to join, such as YouTube, are likely to be spared. However, accounts that require personal details such as DOB etc… will be included. 

The new law does not include exemptions for existing users or users with parental consent, meaning anyone under the age of 16 will have their account deleted. 

A concern is that users will find a way around the rules, such as through a VPN which will disguise their location. However, individual users who break the rules will not face penalties. It will be the platform’s responsibility to enforce this law, and if they do not comply they could be fined up to 50 million Australian dollars. 

We could see this law impact decisions made in other countries, with places such as Norway considering similar laws. 

The law isn’t expected to come into effect for at least another 12 months. 

Keira Penney, social media manager at Great Influence tells us her thoughts:

Expert opinion

Keira Penney, social media manager at Great Influence

"I think this seems to be a positive thing. With laws and policies like this, they seem to be great on the surface but it’s usually a lot harder to police and monitor things like this. While this ban is a step in the right direction, it feels like a temporary solution. Teenagers are naturally rebellious, and without proper education or alternative outlets, many will inevitably find ways around restrictions if they are not offered an alternative or educated on why this ban has come into place. I remember when I was in school and I had to wait until I was 13 to join Facebook which felt like forever! I personally think the real responsibility lies with the platforms themselves. Before introducing bans like this, we need stricter policies that hold platforms accountable for the content they allow shared. Without that, these policies risk being ineffective and pushing the problem further underground rather than solving it."

Apple introduce new AI-generated ‘Genmojis’

We’ve all been there: you’re looking for the perfect emoji for the conversation but it doesn’t exist. It’s a problem we’ve all encountered and Apple’s latest feature is solving this problem by introducing ‘Genmojis’.

This new feature allows IPhone users to create new emojis by simply describing the emoji they’re looking for. Apple’s AI system does the rest. If you’ve ever searched and searched for an emoji that doesn’t exist, then this is for you. Granted, it’s a fairly low-key problem, but definitely increases accessibility.

We’re not sure at this point whether this will be only available on messaging platforms, or will be something marketers can include in their social posts, but it’s definitely an update lots are excited for.

The update for these new Genmojis rolls out after iOS 18 launches later this year. As this feature will only be available for IPhone users, using Genmojis on social posts may not show up for Android users. Nevertheless, we’re excited to see how this feature pans out and the types of Genmojis users are creating.

Meta introduces site links in Facebook ads

Meta recently rolled out site links for Facebook ads which enables advertisers to display additional business and product information on their ads. The premise is fairly similar to Google ads with the addition of multiple landing pages featured.

Site links appear below the main asset whether that is an image or video. When users click the site link, they will be redirected to the appropriate landing page.

How to implement site links in your Facebook ads

• Go to Ads Manager.
• Click +Create.
• Choose your objective:
  • You can use either Traffic, Engagement, Leads, or Sales.
  • Site links aren’t supported on the app promotion objective.
• (If you have selected the sales objective:)
  • Toggle off use a catalogue at the campaign level. This won’t be necessary on other campaigns.
• Fill out campaign details:
  • At the campaign level, fill out the campaign details sections as needed.
  • Click next.
• Set the conversion location:
  • Select Website as your conversion location.
• Ad set level:
  • Fill in the sections on the ad set level e.g. budget, audience controls, and placements sections.
• Ad level:
  • After adding your creative, open the Advantage+ creative enhancements section where there will be an option to add site links card. Make sure you turn this feature on.
  • You can also preview how your ad will look here if any changes are required.
• Add ad sources:
  • Enter a website URL in the ad sources section. Meta will automatically add site links to your ad.

Please note that Meta will try to find useful site links automatically, but if it can’t, you can add them manually. Keep in mind that you will need to add at least 3 site links to display them on your ad.

TikTok launches new “TikTok Studio” management platform for creators

TikTok recently launched a new platform designed specifically for creators called TikTok Studio. This space will be utilised by creators to manage all aspects of their TikTok presence, from uploading and editing videos to performance analytics. TikTok Studio is an updated version of the Creative Centre which allows users to manage their accounts via desktop.

Get to know about this new platform in TikTok’s own words…

“As part of our ongoing commitment to empowering creators with innovative tools to support their TikTok journey, we’re excited to introduce TikTok Studio, a new comprehensive creation and management platform equipped with tools creators can use to create, edit, upload, manage, and analyze their TikTok account and content performance.

Whether you’re a seasoned creator, a newbie debuting your first video, or a small business balancing content creation while managing a business, TikTok Studio provides free, easy-to-use creation tools and centralized operational capabilities designed to efficiently streamline content workflow. Using their TikTok account to log in or sign up, creators can upload, film, edit, and post to TikTok directly from TikTok Studio and use tools like auto caption, photo editor, and autocut to polish their content with professional finesse.

TikTok also emphasised the new reporting features associated with this new platform, which will certainly be invaluable for many.

“TikTok Studio offers a wide range of invaluable reporting and analytics features to help creators navigate their TikTok journey. It provides insights into the performance of their account and content, as well as audience behaviour and monetization. This enables creators to analyze their performance, track improvements, and make more informed decisions. By using this information, creators can take a more strategic approach to their growth on TikTok.”

These tools aren’t “brand new”, but as they’re in a personalised dashboard, things should become a lot easier to manage for creators. It’s key to note that TikTok Studio is currently only available as a web app, but TikTok has said they are testing a standalone app experience as well.

Google Analytics 4 Officially Replaces Universal Analytics

The forced migration away from the long-serving Universal Analytics (UA) to Google’s newest analytical platform Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a historic transitional moment in digital marketing. Advertisers now have no choice if they were previously using UA but to use GA4 if they to track the performance of their websites as UA officially stops processing website visitors as of today. It is now imperative for any advertisers to migrate from UA to GA4 in order to stop any potential data loss.