New social media features and updates to know this week
Including updates from YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and more.

Google’s changes to its Demand Gen campaigns should generate new opportunities for YouTube social media managers and creators.
Enhancements include in-app product feeds, local offer displays and new ad placement controls. Advertisers will also be able to run vertical image ads on YouTube Shorts for a more immersive experience.
YouTube isn’t the only platform making news this week, though. Instagram is launching a new video creation app and offering new engagement metrics to brands, while Threads is further leaning into multimedia with a series of new options geared toward content curation. LinkedIn has expanded its “News” banner test to invite more topical discussions.
Not to be outdone, Snapchat now has an ad-free version.
We delve into that all and more below.
YouTube
Google’s Demand Gen campaign updates focus on boosting retail promotions across platforms, including YouTube. The tech giant has added product feeds that’ll allow users of YouTube Shorts, for example, to learn product details without having to leave the app. There’s also a new local offers feature that will show users the availability of a product nearby.
To make a purchase, a prospective shopper will still need to visit another website. But this should make it less cumbersome to learn more about the product.
Starting next month, Google will give brands more control over where their ads appear across YouTube – in-stream, in-feed, YouTube Shorts or all of them – as well as its other platforms They’ll also have the ability to tailor Demand Gen campaigns to serve specifically on YouTube Shorts.
Also on YouTube Shorts, Google will soon enable advertisers to run 9:16 vertical image ads on Shorts for “a more immersive, full-screen experience.”
Last November, YouTube launched video enhancements in Demand Gen, enabling users to flip original videos and create new versions in different aspect ratios. In the coming weeks, they will roll out a new feature to simplify creating shorter versions of those videos at scale.
Instagram recently announced details of an upcoming app that will give creators more tools to make videos on their mobile devices.
Edits will offer a stacked timeline that allows a user to arrange and adjust clips, streamlining the editing process. There’s also an image-to-video feature that can convert static images into videos using AI. Other features include the ability to capture up to 10 minutes of high-quality footage in-app, export projects with no watermark and sort projects while managing insights.
Edits is currently available for pre-download in the App Store, with an expected release date of March 13.
Instagram is also offering brands and creators new analytics to help them understand how their content resonates with viewers.
A new metric called “View Rate,” for instance, provides the percentage of the page’s followers and non-followers who continue watching after the first three seconds. That’ll make it clear if content is engaging users right away. “Views Over Time” data will show how a post’s view counter compares to typical posts during the same time period.
There is also a new translation option for Instagram DMs. To use it, tap and hold the message, then select the “Translate” option. The tool is also available on Facebook and Messenger. You can adjust your default language in the settings.
To protect user privacy, Meta removes most identifying information from message content before it is sent for translation. Identifying information may include names, dates, credit card numbers and other data.
Meta
Meta is removing audience types for Advantage+ catalog ads with the sales objective. These ads automatically show people the most relevant products based on their interests, intent and actions.
Users can still retarget ads or find prospective customers using catalog custom audiences. You can create custom audiences and choose to include or exclude them at the ad set level.
Threads
Threads is playing catch-up in the video and photo space. Meta’s microblogging site has added a dedicated “Media” tab on profiles that features all the photos and videos a person has posted to the app.
This is something X has had for a while; Bluesky added a similar feature a couple of weeks ago.
Threads has also launched profile tagging for photos in the app. On mobile, tap on the “Person” icon at the bottom left of a photo in the composer, then tap on the photo. You can search for a profile to tag and select them.
Users can opt out of being tagged in photos.
Snapchat
Snapchat has launched a new Platinum version of Snapchat+ that removes most ads.
By upgrading to Platinum, a user will no longer see Sponsored Snaps, Story ads or Lens ads. They may still see sponsored places and My AI responses.
Subscription pricing can vary by country and device, Snap said. In the United States, the company is asking for $14.99 per month for Platinum.
LinkedIn has expanded the test of a news banner in the mobile app above the main feed. LinkedIn’s editorial team curates the stories.
If you click on the story, you will see relevant articles and LinkedIn posts, including posts from top publishers and journalists curated by LinkedIn editors. The banner is a way to encourage more discussions and engagement around trending storylines, according to LinkedIn.
You can remove a LinkedIn News article for 24 hours by tapping the “Close” icon on the top right corner of the banner.
If you’re interested in learning about the latest digital trends, plan to attend Ragan’s Social Media Conference at Walt Disney World from March 19-21. You can find more details on the event website.
Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.