The Top Three

🏆 THE INDUSTRY’S MOST IMPORTANT STORIES TODAY

🥇 INSTAGRAM’S SECRET TO RANKING VIDEOS

⏲️ Every second counts: Yesterday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri explained how the algorithm measures watch time — It's not just about finishing a video, the total watch time matters too. more

• Instagram looks at both the percentage of the video watched and the total seconds spent viewing.

• For instance, 10 seconds of a 1-minute video counts the same as 10 seconds of a 10-second video, meaning longer videos aren't penalized.

• Both the percentage of the video watched and the total time spent viewing contribute to ranking.

🥈 YOUTUBE CUTS INTERRUPTIVE ADS

🙅 No more mid-sentence ads: Starting May 12, YouTube will reduce mid-roll ads deemed interruptive, shifting to more natural break points like pauses or transitions. Creators can opt for automatic ad placements or continue manually selecting slots, however, the company warns that manually chosen "interruptive" ads may earn less revenue. more

• YouTubers can use automatic ad slots, manual slots, or a combination of both.

• A new YouTube Studio tool will let users check if their mid-roll slots are deemed interruptive.

• It's unclear if manual choices could result in fewer ads being shown.

• YouTube will also add automatic ad slots in older videos with manual placements, but creators can opt out

🥉 LINER TARGETS SEARCH AD SHIFT

Liner, a South Korean AI search engine backed by Samsung, is testing ads with a cost-per-click (CPC) model in the U.S. and Europe. Unlike competitors like Perplexity, which use a cost-per-mille (CPM) model, Liner believes CPC is more measurable.

The company also wants to create a new type of ad: AI search ads, which fill a gap between search and display ads. more

• Liner is testing three formats: ads above and below an AI-generated answer, and “generative ads” embedded within an answer.

• Instead of retargeting users, the platform serves ads based on the most recent question a user asks.

• Despite Liner's growing user base, it's still smaller than companies like Google or Perplexity, as many agencies are hesitant to try AI search ads until they see proven results.

Today’s Other News

📰 EVERYTHING ELSE THAT MATTERS

Advertising 📣

• 💸 Booking leads could now (automatically) cost you: Google has notified Local Service Ads advertisers that searchers can now book appointments or services directly through ads if a booking link is detected on their Google Business Profile. This feature is enabled by default, and businesses will be charged for bookings like calls and messages. more

  • To avoid charges, businesses have to disable the feature in the Settings section of their Profile & Budget page.

• ✨YouTube✨ the infinite toy aisle: A new report found 3 out of 4 kids (ages 2-12) ask their parents to buy products after seeing it in an ad on YouTube, with 40% of parents saying their most recent purchase for their child came from an ad on the platform. more

  • More than half of parents watch YouTube alongside their kids.

  • The platform's ad recall is up 20% YoY.

• ♠️ Deal or no deal?: AppLovin, the mobile ad-platform that brokers ad placements within apps, generated $4.7 billion in revenue last year, a 43% YoY increase. While it’s been successful in attracting new advertisers, some marketers remain cautious, citing concerns about measurement and efficiency compared to other platforms like Meta. more

Search 🔍

• Google is making it easier to scrub personal information from Search with updates to its 'Results about you' tool. A new ‘remove this result’ option in the three-dot menu lets users request removal and see what information is eligible for deletion. more

  • Requests fall into three categories: personal information (including doxxing), legal removals (copyright infringement, child abuse), and outdated Search results.

• 📢 UPDATE: Search Console's API has been delayed for days, with data lagging behind the web interface. Google's John Mueller said on BlueSky today that it should catch up soon. more

Social Media 📱

• LinkedIn is rolling comment impression counts, letting users see how many times their comments are viewed. A comment impression is counted each time someone views your comment, including repeat views and even your own. more

  • 📈 So, yes… you can technically inflate your numbers just by re-viewing your own comment.

• 🦋 Instagram for Bluesky is here...sort of: The Flashes app, which launched yesterday, brings IG-like photo and video posting to Bluesky, letting users share up to four photos or a 1-minute video per post. more

  • It's already climbing the ranks, currently at #9 in the Social Networking category on the Apple App Store.

• TikTok, including Douyin in China, raked in $6 billion in in-app purchases last year, doubling any competitor, and marking a 36% increase YoY. Notably, 70% of TikTok shoppers report making purchases after seeing ads or shoppable content. more

  • In the mobile app market, non-gaming apps are outpacing gaming apps in revenue growth. Global in-app purchase revenue hit $39.5 billion in Q4 2024, a 13.5% YoY increase, with non-gaming apps increasing 28% to $19.2 billion.

• With $6B in purchases, TikTok is going all in on in-app shopping with a new report looking at how the platform drives e-commerce behaviour. Unlike platforms that rely on a social graph, TikTok uses an interest graph, curating content based on user preferences rather than social connections, helping users discover niche products. more

  • TikTok says 2 in 3 shoppers feel more connected to products on the platform.

  • 80% of users find video content engaging, and 85% say in-stream shopping is easy to use.

E-Commerce 🛒 

• Dubbed "eBay meets Twitch," live shopping platform Whatnot is positioning itself as a new home for TikTok livestreamers amid its uncertainty in the U.S. After TikTok briefly went offline in January, Whatnot ran full-page print ads saying, "No matter what happens, we’re here for you," resulting in a surge of new seller applications. more

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