Wouldn’t you know it, but the social apps we’ve grown to love continue to make changes that have an impact on marketers and brands across the globe. This time developers at LinkedIn — the normally polite and non-controversial business networking app — and X (we’re all familiar with the controversies) — are up to something.
So, what aspect of these apps are in the crosshairs now? Would you believe it’s…the appearance of linked posts? While it may seem like a strange thing for both platforms to mess with, let’s dive into the details of the updates to both platforms and the effect it will have on brands.
Sherly Crow once sang, “A change would do you good.” But when it comes to social platforms like LinkedIn and X, where users have gotten used to the way linked posts have displayed for quite awhile, is that necessarily true? Before we decide, let’s dig into the changes themselves.
For LinkedIn, the changes are quite simple: all organic posts will get smaller link preview images. Sponsored posts, on the other hand, will still feature those big, beautiful images we are all accustomed to (minimum of 360 x 640 pixels; maximum 2430 x 4320 pixels, just sayin’...). If a link is posted organically, and then later sponsored, the small image will automatically convert to a larger one.
On X, the changes to link posts were first talked about last summer, and became commonplace on the platform in the fall of 2023. For those of you who may have missed it, the big brains at X decided to remove the headlines and text that used to be displayed alongside linked posts, making for a slightly cleaner presentation. You can see the difference between the newer link display (on the left) and the older link display (on the right).
You’re probably asking yourself, “Ok, I get that there are changes…but why?” And even though a wise marketing campaign once posited: “Why ask why?”, we’re just too curious not to delve into the reason behind these changes. So let’s investigate.
What it really boils down to for both platforms is this: both Microsoft - who owns LinkedIn - and Elon Musk - the presumed cyborg who owns X - want you to spend as much time on the platform as possible.
It might be stating the obvious, but when you click on a link shared on literally ANY social media platform - including LinkedIn and X - you have escaped the environment, perhaps never to come back again (obviously that’s not true, because you’re addicted to social media, remember?).
Why is “time on platform” such a high priority?
Well, the longer you’re using the platform, the better chance advertisers have to catch your eye. As soon as you leave, it’s like turning off the TV before the commercials.
In both cases, advertisers shed a little tear, almost as tiny as the organic link post images currently being served on LinkedIn.
Any time a social media app changes its functionality, brands and marketers need to anticipate adjustments, no matter how big or small. In the case of the appearance of link posts, both LinkedIn and X have stated a desire to have more long form content featured in-app.
In the case of LinkedIn, they are pushing users to publish their own articles right on the platform vs. linking out to another source (like a company blog or industry news article). Diminishing the size of the organic link post images is one way to get users to participate in that feature, especially if they don’t want to pay to sponsor a linked post just to have a larger preview image.
In other words, brands and thought leaders need to reimagine how they’re sharing third party articles, or pony up some cold hard cash to grab user’s attention.
For X, brands using preview cards will want to pay attention to how the changes will affect the design. Additionally, older posts have been reverted to a single image, creating a situation where old tweets may not make much sense.
That said, Elon and his developers seem very keen on keeping people on the platform at any cost, rolling out features like X Notes, intended to encourage more original, long-form content to be posted on the site. Time will tell if this is just the beginning of more changes designed to keep you locked in the X-iverse for eternity.
So, are these changes to link post appearance earth shattering? Are they going to drive users, brands, and marketers away from these platforms? Perhaps yes, perhaps no.
Either way, one thing is for certain: app developers are always going to try their best to keep you in their stratosphere, as nobody is safe from the almighty social advertiser. The only choice now is do you play ball or pick up your bat and glove and go home?
Are you looking to connect with a social media agency that can help you make sense of all these platform changes coming your way? Reach out to us today to get started.
