Here’s everything marketers, creators and brands need to know about the latest social media updates for October 2025.
This month, platforms are funnelling efforts into AI content creation and Snapchat-style photo sharing, and finally, there’s an end to the US TikTok saga.
Missed last month’s roundup? Catch up on the September 2025 social media updates here.
Instagram fixes Story reach bug for frequent posters
Instagram has resolved a bug that was reducing the reach of users’ Stories when multiple posts were shared in a single day, a common complaint from creators over the past year.
Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, confirmed the fix, noting that posting several Stories a day will no longer penalise the visibility of your content, particularly the first Story of the day.
YouTube releases Made on YouTube 2025 updates
YouTube has unveiled Made on YouTube 2025, bringing new tools to make content creation, engagement and monetisation easier for creators.
AI-powered Shorts
Creators can now use Veo 3 AI to animate stills, add objects, restyle clips and turn raw footage into first-draft videos. Speech to Song converts dialogue into music for Shorts, streamlining short-form storytelling.
Studio upgrades
The Inspiration Tab offers trend insights, Ask Studio provides AI-driven guidance and creators can now A/B/C test thumbnails. Likeness detection is expanding for Partner Programme creators.
Live and podcast enhancements
YouTube is improving live streams with more interactivity, audience reach and monetisation options. Podcast creators can easily convert episodes into Shorts or video clips using AI.
Music and fan engagement
YouTube Music adds countdowns and pre-saves for releases. Artists can reward top fans with exclusive content, merch and behind-the-scenes access.
Earning and brand tools
Brand deals and YouTube Shopping updates simplify collaborations, with AI-assisted tagging and expanded market reach. Creators can now add brand links directly to Shorts to drive commerce.
These updates highlight YouTube’s push to empower creators, streamline production, and increase engagement across Shorts, live, and music content.
TikTok rolls out AI stickers
TikTok has introduced AI-generated stickers that merge avatars with emojis, giving users new ways to personalise content.
This example posted by Jonah Manzano shows users can create an avatar in the app and combine it with emojis.
US TikTok deal gives joint control to new entity and ByteDance
TikTok’s US operations are set to be overseen by a new entity led by US investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and others, following an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump. The deal separates control of the app’s US user data and recommendation algorithm from ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company.
ByteDance will retain ownership of revenue-generating operations, including e-commerce and advertising, while the joint venture will manage US user data and the algorithm. ByteDance is expected to remain the single largest minority shareholder in the joint venture.
The new US company is valued at around $14 billion and will be overseen by a seven-member board of directors, most of whom are Americans with expertise in cybersecurity and national security. The structure aims to address US national security concerns while allowing TikTok to continue operating in the country.
TikTok search proves a key discovery tool
A recent WARC study of over 1,000 US consumers shows that TikTok search is becoming a major channel for discovery, with searches up 40% year-on-year. This growth underscores the platform’s value not just for entertainment, but for finding products, trends and content, particularly in categories like beauty, fashion, lifestyle, entertainment and recipes.
Social media is increasingly driving brand discovery overall. According to Censuswide’s Voice of a CMO report, 40% of UK consumers discover new brands primarily via social platforms, with recommendations from friends/family and online search following closely at 37% each.
For brands and marketers, optimising content for TikTok SEO presents a prime opportunity to reach audiences actively seeking inspiration and information.
Instagram overhauls notification ranking to reduce fatigue
Instagram is rolling out a new approach to how it decides which push alerts you see and how often. The platform’s engineers say the goal is to reduce ‘notification fatigue’ by cutting down on repetitive prompts from the same accounts or content types.
Meta shared it is adding a ‘diversity-aware’ ranking layer to its machine-learning models. Now, rather than simply optimising for click-through rates, the system also scores how similar each potential notification is to recent alerts you’ve received. Anything judged too repetitive gets downranked or delayed.
Meta claims this has already reduced the overall volume of notifications while increasing average click-through rates – a sign, it says, that people are seeing fewer but more relevant prompts. The company also plans to add stronger penalties for tightly spaced alerts and use AI to improve the tone and timing of its notifications.
If your reach or engagement metrics shift in the coming weeks, this new notification framework could be part of the reason. Followers who reliably tap on your updates should still get them, but those who interact less often may see fewer prompts about your content.
YouTube Shorts outperform long-form videos
MrBeast’s YouTube Shorts have overtaken his long-form videos in total views, highlighting the growing dominance of short-form content on the platform.
Since launching in 2021, Shorts have become central to YouTube, competing with TikTok and Instagram Reels. MrBeast’s Shorts now total 47.3 billion views, surpassing the 46.6 billion from his long-form content.
His ‘1 Subscriber = 1 Penny Donated’ Short reached over 68 million views in just 24 hours, making it one of the fastest-growing videos on YouTube to date.
Instagram rolls out advanced DM organisation for creators
Instagram is making it easier for high-profile creators to tame their inboxes with a new suite of DM management tools. Accounts with over 100,000 followers now have access to features like multi-select filters, custom shortcuts, reorderable folders and prioritisation based on message type. It’s perfect for sorting brand inquiries, fan messages and collaboration requests.
For professional accounts, these tools are also available regardless of follower count, showing that Instagram is recognising the importance of efficient messaging for creators focused on monetisation and audience engagement.
Instagram expands 'Shots' quick image sharing as TikTok tests PhotoSwap
Instagram is rolling out its ‘Shots’ feature to more regions, allowing users to share spontaneous, no-edit images with mutual followers. Similar to BeReal and Snapchat, Shots are designed to disappear after being viewed, prompting in-the-moment interaction between friends.
Only followers who follow you back can see your Shots, and recipients can view each image just once, while the sender retains an archive copy.
As Instagram experiments with ways to boost direct engagement and more intimate connections in the app, TikTok is doing the same with its comparable option called ‘PhotoSwap’.
Threads expands long-form content and launches communities
Threads is evolving beyond short posts with two major updates designed to boost engagement. The platform now supports linked documents up to 10,000 words, letting creators, brands and marketers share long-form content with a ‘Read more’ option.
Topic-based communities are also in development, enabling users to join shared-interest groups for more focused conversations. These communities could increase retention and engagement by fostering niche discussions and deeper connections between users.
TikTok highlights related trending topics within creator analytics
TikTok is helping creators discover content ideas with a new feature in its analytics that highlights trending topics related to their posts. The tool shows search trends, related keywords, similar videos and demographic insights, providing data-driven guidance for content planning.
While the guidance can spark ideas, creators are encouraged to add their own perspective to avoid content that feels too similar to others.
For marketers, these insights are valuable for aligning campaigns with trending conversations and identifying which concepts resonate with specific audiences.
TikTok shares tips for luxury brands on the social media platform
TikTok has shared insights on how luxury shoppers use the app and how brands can connect with these audiences more effectively.
A survey of 4,000 luxury buyers (conducted by AYTM) highlights a shift in purchase motivation: today’s luxury consumers value emotional connection and personal identity over status symbols. While heritage still matters, TikTok shows that engagement comes from content that makes people feel something.
The data reinforces the opportunity for luxury brands:
- 58% of users save luxury content after discovering it on TikTok
- 43% visit a brand’s website after watching luxury clips
- 53% of TikTok users have purchased a luxury item in the past four months, compared with 45% of non-TikTok users
TikTok recommends a four-step approach: Listen, Lure, Loop, and Lift. Start by understanding how users interact with content and how heritage products are being reinterpreted by a new generation. Lure with content that intrigues – be magnetic rather than loud. Loop the story, keeping the narrative going. And finally lift loyalty into conversions through emotional connection.
While these strategies are aimed at luxury brands, the principles apply broadly to any brand looking to leverage TikTok for engagement, community building and participatory content.
Pinterest releases 2025 festive gifting guide
Pinterest is urging marketers to start preparing their Christmas campaigns early to capture shoppers during the crucial planning phase. According to Pinterest, searches spike from October to December.
Brands are encouraged to personalise Pins by recipient, interest or price, and to optimise for saves (a strong indicator of purchase intent). You can read our full overview of the guide here.
Instagram adds new editing tools to Edits
Instagram has rolled out several new editing options designed to speed up workflows and expand creative control:
- Keyframes for opacity let creators fine-tune fade-ins and transitions.
- Saveable sound effects mean you can reuse custom audio across projects.
- Clip conversion lets you turn clips into overlays (or vice versa) for more inventive layouts.
TikTok upgrades messaging with longer voice notes and multi-media attachments
TikTok is making conversations richer and more flexible with new messaging features. Users can now send longer voice notes of up to 1 minute, which are editable for the first three minutes after sending.
Additionally, messages can include up to nine images or videos at once, making it easier to share content and collaborate directly within the app.
These updates improve both creator-to-fan interactions and brand communication, allowing for more dynamic engagement in direct messages.
Reddit is becoming a key focus for marketers as brands harness generative engine optimisation
Reddit is increasingly proving itself as a valuable platform for digital marketing, especially in the age of AI-assisted discovery. Traffic to the platform has surged, largely due to generative AI referrals from sources including ChatGPT and Google’s AI overviews, which often cite Reddit as a primary source.
Data from SEMrush shows Reddit is now the second most visited website in the US and the third in Canada. This growth is partly tied to a partnership with Google, which gives the search giant priority access to Reddit’s data for its AI-driven search results. Since the deal, Reddit referrals from Google have skyrocketed, making it an important consideration for brands aiming to appear in AI-generated responses.
For brands marketers looking to grow on Reddit as part of a generative engine optimisation (GEO) strategy, start with Reddit’s Brand Playbook and Pro Trends tool to identify trending topics, engage with communities and build authentic connections within subreddits.
Reddit releases marketing and video ad optimisation tools
Reddit is rolling out new features to help marketers plan, track and optimise campaigns. Its Pro Trends on Mobile now allows real-time tracking of mentions, keywords and engagement, helping brands react faster to emerging trends.
The platform has also released a 2026 Marketing Moments calendar for the US, giving marketers a head start on aligning campaigns with key events, holidays and cultural moments next year.
For advertisers, Reddit introduces 6-second video view optimisation, a new option that targets users more likely to watch ads to completion, improving engagement metrics and ROI.
Reddit updates community activity metrics
Reddit is updating how it displays engagement in subreddits to give a clearer picture of active participation. The platform is replacing the old ‘Member count’ metric with two new signals:
- Visitors, showing how many unique users visited a subreddit in the past seven days.
- Contributions, counting posts and comments created in that same period.
By highlighting active participation, Reddit now showcases real conversations, making it easier for users and marketers to identify active communities.
Snapchat upgrades ad tools with App Power Pack
Snapchat has expanded its advertising capabilities with the App Power Pack, offering marketers new ways to reach users.
Updates include Sponsored Snaps promoted directly in the Snap inbox, enhanced targeting tools and new bidding strategies designed to improve campaign performance and ROI.
LinkedIn integrates CapCut for video creation
LinkedIn has partnered with CapCut, allowing marketers to easily edit videos and export content directly to the platform. This integration makes creating engaging video content faster and more seamless for B2B marketing.
LinkedIn adds saves and shares metrics
The platform is rolling out ‘Saves’ and ‘Shares’ metrics within engagement data, giving users a clearer view of post performance. These metrics highlight high-value interactions and help marketers understand which content drives meaningful engagement.
YouTube launches AI stickers for Shorts and Polls for Live
YouTube is expanding creative options for Shorts and live streams with AI-generated stickers and interactive poll overlays.
AI stickers let creators generate custom visuals from text prompts and are currently available to Android creators in the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, with wider availability coming soon. Creators can also turn images from their camera roll into stickers, giving more flexibility for personalisation.
Mobile users can now post interactive poll stickers directly on the playback window during live streams, with options to customise text, colour, size and placement. Each poll can include up to four responses, making it easier to engage audiences in real time.
For marketers and creators, these updates offer new ways to boost engagement and reinforce branding across short-form and live content, while keeping your videos interactive and visually distinctive.
LinkedIn updates terms of service to expand AI and ad targeting
LinkedIn is updating its Terms of Service to allow broader use of AI and more detailed ad targeting, effective November 3, 2025.
The platform will share additional user data with its parent company, Microsoft, to deliver more personalised advertising. This includes information such as profile details, feed activity and ad engagement, but only data that your settings permit for ad purposes.
The changes also extend to AI functionality. In select regions, including the U.K., Canada and Hong Kong, LinkedIn will use certain member data to train generative AI models. This helps improve AI-driven features like content suggestions, profile updates, and recruitment tools. Users can opt out of this data sharing for both Microsoft ad targeting and AI training if they prefer.
While the update mainly affects ad personalisation and AI features outside the EU, brands and users should review the changes carefully. Marketers can take advantage of more precise targeting options, while professionals may want to manage their privacy settings to control how their LinkedIn activity is used.
5120 x 1080 format trends on social media platforms
The 5120 x 1080 ultrawide format has taken over Instagram feeds, creating a cinematic strip that’s hard to ignore. This thinnest video format compresses a panoramic video into a vertical frame, and as other platforms go big to get attention (think Pinterest’s Max Width ads), creators are subverting the mainstream to stop the scroll.
Some see it as just a passing trend, while others view it as a hybrid format: vertical for quick swipes, horizontal for immersive, widescreen storytelling, in almost a blend of Instagram and YouTube experiences. Could this be the next evolution in social video, or just a short-lived experiment?
TikTok unveils new tools to highlight charitable causes
TikTok is expanding ways for creators and users to support charitable causes through its ‘Change Makers’ programme. The 2025 edition will feature 50 creators who receive training, resources and in-person opportunities to amplify their social impact.
The platform is also making it easier for users to promote causes they care about. Donation stickers can now be added to users’ own videos, while fundraisers can be highlighted directly in bios.
Posts that include these stickers are also featured on the fundraiser’s page, helping campaigns reach a wider audience. The app now also offers an updated fundraisers list, making it simpler for users to discover and support relevant initiatives.
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About the author
Natalie Clement | Digital
Marketing Executive
With international experience as a digital marketer, writer, and editor, Natalie has worked across sectors including lifestyle, technology, and tourism.
