NUTS & BOLTS

Time Watched x YouTube: Doomscrolling isn’t limited to one app type, and it absolutely includes YouTube. Like some of its friends and foes, the platform has an integrated tool in its app version that tells users how much time the user has spent on the app. It also includes a feature that users can toggle on, setting a reminder to take or break or a reminder that it’s bedtime. These features all live on the same in-app page and can be accessed by:

• Go the homepage in the app

• Select the profile’s icon in the upper right hand corner

• Tap ‘Time watched’

• View time watched and turn on or off reminders here

TIPS N’ TRICKS

Refresh the Link in Bio CTA: If we had a penny for every time any of us had to say ‘link in bio,’ we’d debatably be richer than Justice Clarence Thomas’ billionaire BFF, Harlan Crow. With the way the many social media platforms are set up, it’s often a necessary ‘evil.’ That said, there are a few and at least two fun ways to mix it up:

• THE COMMENT SECTION APPROACH: This method involves the two C’s – captions and comments. Starting with the caption, replace ‘link in bio’ with something along the lines of…. ‘‘Want to learn more? Comment a [select an emoji that feels fitting] below and we’ll send you the link.” What should follow in the comment section, is the account manager responding to any commenters that drop the selected emoji with an appropriate (albeit slightly canned) response and a bit.ly link to whatever page/website provides the most relevant and helpful information. This encourages followers that want to learn more about what’s included in the post, to engage. It also creates an opportunity for direct communication.

• THE QUESTION BOX TO DM APPROACH: Not everyone likes to be the star of the comment section. Another way to give the phrase ‘link in bio’ the day off is to have Instagram Stories feature, the Question Box, spring into action. On the Story sharing information – whether it’s a program, a newsletter, or other resource – add a Question Box that includes a phrase like… “Want to learn more? Drop your email below for the link.” This allows the account to take the conversation from social media to slow n’ steady email. With all emails gathered per the topic at hand [shared in the Story], the team behind the account will then email all interested parties that dropped their contact with links, next steps, and a way to continue the conversation.

Both of these methods create a way for an account to directly engage with its followers. It takes a smidge more work, and eye balls on the comment and DM section, but it does give that ‘personal touch’ that the people love. Politically speaking, this is great for sharing campaign websites, fundraisers, event pages, merch sites, and more.

LIBRARY WEEK 2023: April 23-29 is Library Week, which provides a great opportunity to uplift books [especially banned books] and the educational power of libraries on social. A few ways this can play out:

• On Twitter: Electeds, candidates, and thought leaders could share their favorite banned book and why it resonated with them.

• On TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts: Create a vlog that showcases an afternoon at the library, highlighting best of library features – favorite nook to read, computer to do research at, new book section, etc. Take short (3-4 seconds in length) video clips sans sound, then piece them together in a video. From there, add a voiceover narrating the video. Finish the post with a caption that shares that the post is in celebration of Library week.

• On Instagram: Share a static post that includes a stack of must-read titles framed as a ‘reading list.’ The books pictured should be relevant to the organization’s work or an elected’s platform. The caption should then include each book’s title, author, and a sentence about why a follower/viewer should read the book.

• On Pinterest: The reading list idea works here as well with an Idea Pin. Each slide in the post should be of a different book at the top of the stack so that the viewer can connect the dots. If a reading list has been created in a website form, like a blog post or newsletter, include the link with the post.

BONUS BIT: Barbie had quite a moment last week, becoming the 2023 Little Miss trend. That said, it was a moment, it was lovely, and now it’s done. The trend has come and gone. If you’re still working with legal on approving content for it, tell them to stand down, it’s not worth posting at this point.

#TRENDING - Trending TikTok sounds and content concepts to try this week!

Are you pro-choice or pro-life? This sound is a Kardashian clip turned viral sound and quite literally says ‘Are you pro-choice or pro-life?’ The way it’s used here is perfection, but it can also have a more direct political application, with possible text additions to the video including:

• “Me 5 seconds after meeting a candidate”

• “Me when a candidate doesn’t have pro-choice on the values page of their website”

@kardashkingdom

LMAO #kardashians #foryoupage #prolife #prochoice #viral #lmao #kimkardashian

Rare Body Style: If you’ve ever interned on the Hill or work as a staffer, we’re sorry for the PTSD with this sound. However, its absurdity can be used to create a spoof on that experience. Grab an old phone you have lying around [or grab an empty phone case] and use it to create a faux phone call scenario. That scenario is listening to a constituent that calls every other hour. Or the constituent that calls with weekly updates on obscure observations – whatever the specifics are. The video should give Parks & Rec town hall energy, and this sound certainly creates the groundwork for it. For a quick example of how this sound has been used.

@lyswearingwhat

🧐😒🙃😟 #corporatelife #corporatehumor #corporatetiktok #corporatemillennial #teamsmeeting #teamsmeetingsbelike #corporatestyle

“Oh no, I’m Devastated:” This trend is all about the sarcasm and should be used to showcase something the creator is far from devastated about. In this scenario the creator is being told news from someone in their sphere – a boss, a colleague, a family member, a rival, etc. This person is the “teller.” The “teller” thinks the recipient or the creator is going to be upset by the news they’re delivering. In reality, it’s quite the opposite. The creator shows the opposite reaction by filming themselves lipsyncing the words to the audio and rolling their eyes. The creator then adds via text on the screen what the “teller” told them. It should look a little something like this.

@lensajobs

Oh no what should I do with all this free time 😪 #cancelmeetings #oneononemeetings #bossmeeting #canceledmeeting #9to5employees #workplace... See more

…and a must-try CapCut Template

The Chomp & Observe: Ever been a witness to two siblings fight, and sit back and just observe the drama go down? This CapCut template takes on this concept and allows users to apply it to just about any dramatic scenario they’re observing – calmly and quietly. The drama depicted can be good or bad for the person making the TikTok, it just depends what message the creator is trying to get across. Politically-speaking, this example shines a light on how this trend is executed.

@jersey.noahx

#CapCut #transtiktok #transrights #transmen #transwomen #nonbinarytiktok #theythem #queerleftist #transpride #lgbtqrights

As a reminder, download the CapCut app to test these out. Grab and go with templates by selecting ‘CapCut - Try this template’ at the base of a video featuring the template you wish to use.

…and trending Reels content concepts

I like your plan except…: The audio is “I like your plan, except it sucks, so let me do the plan and that way it’ll be really good.” As one might expect, this audio can be used to share a plan that’s actually good and rebut one that’s bad. Politically speaking, the application could be used to knock a bad bill and promote a good one. The creator can lipsync the audio. Then the creator can use the text feature to first share the bad bill during the duration of the “I like your plan, except it sucks” piece of audio. Following, the good bill can be featured via added text during the duration of the second half of the audio, “so let me do the plan and that way it’ll be really good.” The caption for the video can further explain the differences between the bills. A non-political application of this trend for reference.

Deep aching sense of dread: The clips and quotes from Schitt’s Creek are forever iconic and this one is no different. This sound should be used to point to bad news, bad bills, or bad behavior [Tennessee GOP we’re looking at you]. The creator should use a green screen showcasing the bad bit they wish to highlight. Then using this set-up, the creator should film themselves lipsyncing the verbiage in tandem with facial expressions that scream ‘sarcasm.’ Eye rolls and eyebrow raises are a creator’s friend here.

UN-BE-LIEVE-ABLE: Speaking of legendary shows, this sound comes to us courtesy of The Office. Use this sound to react to something ‘unbelievable.’ Whatever the creator is reacting to it should be something in the “how could this actually be real life category.” This can be used with a green screen that directly shares what the creator is reacting to or it can be done with the creator lipsyncing the words and adding relevant text. Pick your path!

WHAT THE ZUCK?!

TWITTER - SUBSTACK BATTLE: Yes… another controversial move by the bird app or should we say dogge app? Twitter users are now restricted from liking or retweeting posts that link to Substack, the publishing and design infrastructure that supports loads of subscription newsletters. When users try to ‘like’ or ‘retweet’ a post with a Substack link, Twitter returns a message: “Some actions on this Tweet have been disabled by Twitter.” Hard ick in our opinion. Twitter even goes as far as not allowing users to respond to tweets that include Substack links. It’s giving controlling ex-boyfriend vibes. This move restricts writers and small businesses from sharing their work and having it shared throughout the platform. While from a biz POV, it’s understandable that Twitter would want to promote its own platform first and/or prioritize the way it makes dinero, this is an odd move that will likely push journalists and small businesses off the app. In other words, if they can’t use the app to share with their audiences or potential audiences, what’s the point? It presents a ton of issues, but we’re calling it now – LinkedIn is going to be the new link-focused app, and we expect those making an exodus from Twitter to lean into LinkedIn.

INSTAGRAM - COLLABORATIVE COLLECTIONS: Meta is taking notes from Pinterest as it rolls out its new feature “Collaborative Collections.” A feature that originated circa 2017, the “Collections” feature is getting a revamp that makes it multi-user friendly. This new Collaborative Collections feature allows for users to save posts to a Collaborative Collection in their group chat or via a one-on-one DM. To further explain, users can now share posts with a friend or a group of friends and save them in a dedicated space. We’re thinking this new feature could be the perfect companion for teams when trying to plan an event or capture social media press coverage. See a post that your team should recreate? Save it via “Collaborative Collections.” Do this by:

• Press the save icon located at the bottom right hand side of a post

• Find the blue “new collection” button

• Name the collection

• Turn on the “Collaborative” switch

• Then share with the team!

LINKEDIN - ALGORITHM SHAKE UP: LinkedIn is taking a new approach as to how it uses its algorithm on the homepage. The goal is to make it easier for users to keep up with their professional community and interests. The algorithm is designed to put a greater emphasis on topics that are ‘professionally interesting’ and relevant to users. This means if someone in a user’s network likes a post or comments on it, the platform will include that post in the user’s feed if the algorithm deems it relevant to them. In addition, the platform will push out more posts from people ‘who matter’ to one’s connections (people a user knows) and experts a user ‘trusts’ (the people and pages a user follows) so there’s never a missed opportunity to nurture and gain insight. Could LinkedIn be the new (and more professional) Instagram? As we said above, it’s certainly giving Twitter a run for its money, so making Meta queasy isn’t a crazy thought.

INTRODUCING LEMON8: You may have seen the new lifestyle app Lemon8 popping up in your feed lately so we’re here to give you the 411. TikTok’s parent company ByteDance (yup you read that right) has been pushing this video and photo-sharing social media platform that caters to users’ interests in topics such as food, beauty, wellness, and travel. We’d describe it as if Instagram and Pinterest had a baby, with aesthetically pleasing and perfectly posed, curated, and edited content. Creators have been using Lemon8 to essentially ‘repost’ content that they have already posted on other social platforms such as Instagram or TikTok. If the content does well on TikTok, why not feel out the audience on Lemon8? The app doesn't officially launch in the U.S. until May so we’ll keep an eye on it for you.

HAPPENIN’ HASHTAGS

Depending on the platform, the use of hashtags is either hot or cold, and occasionally in between. That said, if a hashtag is going to be used to reach either a target audience or a larger, fresh audience in general, it needs to be one that’s getting lots of looks [translation: it’s being searched and it’s being used on/with posts]. A few spotted in the wild, making waves recently are:

TIKTOK

• TikTok Ban: #savetiktok

• Day in the Life: #vlog

• In the News: #tennesseethree

INSTAGRAM

• Louisville Shooting: #louisville

• Trending Political News: #trendingnews

• Candidate Watch: #2024

Regular Reminders, Hashtag Edition:

• On Instagram posts, always add the account’s signature or defining hashtag to the base of the post to create a searchable, buildable library of posts. For example, all @girlandthegovthepodcast posts feature the hashtag #girlandthegovthepodcast.

• On TikTok, if you use a purchased and/or promoted hashtag [ex: #pepsichallenge], the content the account creates becomes usable by the company/owner of the promoted hashtag. Don’t use these unless the account is participating in a challenge or has a direct tie-in to the promoter.

HASHTAG DON’T: Hashtags have a home – on posts. Where they don’t below is in social media bios. No matter the platform, bio space is limited, just like in an NYC apartment. Hashtags do not perform in these spaces and they do little to inform an audience what an account is about. Keep the bio tidy and to the point, and sans hashtags. If you’re running an ironic or satirical meme account, feel free to ignore this tidbit. If you’re reading this and work in politics, take this to heart.

GET INFLUENCED

The League of Women Voters got into the prop game for their TikToks, and we love it. They brought and bought a mini mic into the fold, using it in videos like this to add a fun feel to a serious topic. The mini mic was brought into the wings of pop culture popularity with influencer, Tinx, and that influence made its way here. What we love about it, is it subtly shows the cross-section between lifestyle influencing and political influencing, and how for Gen-Z and Millennials, those two worlds have massive amounts of crossover.

@lwvus

Knowing your voting plan is a great way to plan and be prepared to go to the polls. #VOTE411 #VotingPlan #MakeAPlanToVote #Elections

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Gizmodo: Biden Wants to Create a Press Briefing Room for Influencers

• Social Media Today: Twitter Inc. Merged into X Corp. As Part of the Next Evolution of the App

• Mashable: Twitter slightly changed NPR's "state-affiliated media" label

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