ICYMI: TikTok, YouTube + Meta Tell You Their 2027 Priorities
[left to right, TikTok Creator Summit, Made On YouTube and Meta Connect] Happy 9/25 day. Next week, I’ll be at the North American Marketing Leadership Summit (NAMLS26) joining Assemble’s Lauren Shultz and Robert Half’s Katie Jenks to talk about turning employees into brand creators. Maybe I’ll see you there? ⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY
💻 ROADMAPMeta, YouTube and TikTok all had major events this week, each with a very different focus. These were some of the signals I picked up on, through the lens of organic social teams:
Granted, Meta Connect is a developer’s conference, as opposed to Made On which is YouTube’s big picture forecast, and TikTok’s Creator Summit, which is one of several events they hold throughout the year. But it does give you a clue as to where platform resources are being focused — and what that might mean for brands, agencies and creators. Interests > FollowersYouTube is rolling out Custom Feeds — a self curated tab for specific moods, routines or interests, similar to TikTok’s FYP. Interestingly, LinkedIn also just introduced dueling feeds based on your interests versus your network. Whether it’s interest-based feeds (YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn) or algorithm tags expressing your interests (Instagram), platforms continue to organize content around what people want to see, not who they follow. If your content doesn’t map to a specific interest, niche or subculture, your follower count probably won’t get you very far. Bingeable ContentFor a long time, an infinite feed was enough to keep you hooked. But endless scrolling has become associated with doom and digital fatigue. Enter the microdrama or series. YouTube just announced Shorts Series, and Instagram recently began to beta test Series, which means all three platforms now have features to support stacking one episode after another. Collectively, we seem to have decided it’s not doomscrolling if you’re deep into watching a creator saga or follow-along series. After all, people even rank quality depending on whether they “binged” a series. So, time spent goes up, there’s more video inventory for ads and, hopefully, good content gets made. Series seem like a win all around. Creators Still MatterBrands struggle to create their own series. It’s a fact. So, last week, TikTok Australia introduced a new content initiative designed to help brands invest in creator-led series. If the program works, I’d expect to see brands in other regions, like the U.S., being able to take advantage of a similar arrangement — whether they’re slotting into a creator series or taking center stage in a creator-led brand content series. I pressed the TikTok team for the content format brands should be most focused on in 2027, and they said they’re more focused on getting creators involved in the process, and the content format is simply a result of that — even sharing that they have hosted workshops where creators help brands develop go-to-market strategies before a brief has ever been written. tl;dr
Keep reading for specific platform and feature updates… 📲 YouTube Updates
YouTube’s long-term bets on living room watching and video podcasts have paid off — now, they’re coming for shopping, microdramas, and live streaming. The plan is to have a YouTube Shopping affiliate program live in 35 countries by the end of this year, complete with product tags pointing to local offers. Other announcements at Made On included Shorts Series, allowing you to organize microdramas by episodes and seasons, further reinforcing YouTube’s rep as an entertainment destination. Live is also getting an upgrade with Showdowns and real-time auto dubbing. Whether or not this face-off type of programming works for you, it’s a signal that the platform continues to invest in live streaming. Tools worth paying attention to, especially if you’re the one producing and uploading content, include a new conversational editing assistant for Shorts and the YouTube Create app, Video AB Testing to select the video edit that holds audience attention best and Dynamic Thumbnails that surfaces the most engaging image out of three options for specific audiences. 📲 Instagram Updates
All Muse, more smart glasses, and a modern-day Tamagotchi. Meta Connect’s big focus this week was on personal productivity, powered by its AI agent. Give Muse access to your email, calendar and Mac and Meta’s superintelligence agent will get take on the tasks you assign it. Announcements for glasses included Meta’s first camera-free AI glasses and a new pair of VR glasses that are five times lighter than the bulkier Meta Quest 3 headset. And instead of a focus on Meta’s Horizon World ecosystem, a lot of the VR experiences seem tied to external partnerships with Disney, HBO Max, the NBA, MLB, and ESPN. Also coming soon is Muse Charm, a handheld device that activates Muse at your command. The face of this is Muse’s mascot, Jolly — an animated creature that leans heavily on kawaii culture. (Given Meta’s recent child-safety troubles, a cute, kid-friendly character is certainly a choice.)
Related Meta News:📲 TikTok UpdatesTikTok’s Creators Summit wasn’t the event for new feature announcements but there were a couple of TikTok One updates (formerly known as Creator Marketplace) that were worth noting. TikTok One Plus is a new, invite-only monetization opportunity for “high quality” creators that gets them exclusive brand opportunities and extra payouts. TikTok One Pay is a new payment system that gets creators paid directly through the platform instead of through brands — with TikTok handling the entire process end-to-end. And while not official announcements, TikTok Go creator recommendation are likely to expand to other service-based businesses, while more brands are on board for TikTok’s Custom Creator Network that turns employees into creators. 📲 Pinterest Updates
📲 Snapchat Updates
📲 LinkedIn Updates
📲 Adobe Updates
👀 ICYMI: JUST THE HEADLINES
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