EngagingMedia

04/22/2025

Edits - Meta's /Instagram Video editing app is now downloadable from the Google store for Android users. For those of you with Apple devices, have you tried it? What has been your experience?

Yes, I know... Capcut still exists so it may far less exciting news. 😅😂

04/07/2025

How do you feel about posting political posts on your social media as a business/solopreneur/freelancer?

I know the rule is that we shouldn't post about politics or religion for fear of creating drama or turning off potential customers. While I completely understand that under most circumstances, are there exceptions to the rule?

We know that there are exceptions to the rule with religion right? If you are company known for your Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc support, then posting related material is accepted as part of your branding.

When it comes to politics, we need to tread far more carefully. Especially if you are a bigger corporation. The repercussions can be severely detrimental, especially if you have involvement in the candidates. However, for smaller businesses, the worse case will usually be related to our client and audience base.

On the other hand, we should be able to post about political events that we find concerning - especially during times that call for speaking out. There is a time that staying silent will be more costly.

So how can businesses or solopreneurs express political concern with the least amount of backlash while still having their voice heard?

1. Focus on the issue, not the candidate or the party.
2. Make sure you have fact checked and aren't spreading half truths or fake news.
3. Don't accuse followers of the opposite viewpoint of being stupid, ignorant, etc.
4. Try and keep it in alignment with your brand but with sincerity.
A woman's cosmetics company championing laws that could effect women as an example.
5. Don't post in such a way just to instigate others who may disagree. That may include how you choose your graphics, copy and of course the details.

In short, be mature, responsible and only do so if you feel called to speak out and can keep it honest and sincere.

04/03/2025

Pre-registration for the Android release of Meta's video editing app, EDIT, is now available in the Google Play store!

You can go through your Instagram app in your profile menu. Scroll to the bottom and you will see menu item called Edits. This will give you a QR code or instantly register your device on Google Play to have Edits auto download upon it's release. Or just go into the Google Play store directly.

Is this a feature you are looking forward to or will you stick with whichever app ( we know it's Capcut 😅) you are currently using? Or maybe at least familiarize yourself with it as a backup? LMK below!

04/01/2025

Low key updating you about this new update on Instagram, which I'm sure will make it's way to fb eventually.

But when I heard this news the first thing I thought was "Oh great! Now I can make my videos twice as long and people can just speed it up" 😄. Doesn't really work that way does it? But the timing is convenient with the allowance of 3 minute reels that came out last month - or February now since it's April 1st.

What are your thoughts? Is this a feature you will use or just meh..whatever? Lmk below.

01/22/2025

The top question many have been asking pending if TikTok becames banned, and one everyone should continue to keep their eyes out for is: Where to go from TikTok?

I know a lot of people are moving toward Rednote - which is why I kept it as the #1 trending app in Google store. Lemon8 is another one some are moving to as well.

Bluesky has gained in popularity, although was much further down the list of trending apps. It's popularity was more due to news around updates being on Meta platforms.

Here's the issue with Rednote and Lemon8. Both are China owned and Rednote is also owned by Bytedance. While currently the apps aren't used by enough of the populace to be considered a national security risk, as more people switch, they will become one.

Which leaves us with which app?

Apparently people are checking out the following:

Clapper
Snoopz
Likee

and I included Bigo Live because it was one of the apps asked about on Reddit. So it's in the realm of possibilities.

All of these apps have a at least 16 years old age requirement, if not 18 years old. Clapper is an American company and the others are from Singapore and Saudi Arabia.

Will any of these become the next TikTok? Who knows. It's still really early in the game and there's still time for a completely new app to come to the market before we know if we have to give up on TikTok or not.

We do know that no one who uses TikTok wants to give up on the app as of yet. But it certainly is worthwhile to keep your eyes out for lesser known apps taking advantage of the current uncertainty to try to step into some big shoes, or at least be in people's sights.

01/21/2025

Woo hoo! It's back to the business of entertainment and making money on TikTok...or is it?

Lot's of people breathed a sigh of relief and were excited to have TikTok back up after it's brief server shut down. But should you be? And should you still be counting on it as an influencer or for marketing your business?

Trump issued an executive order to allow TikTok, and tech related businesses associated with it's operations, to be legally protected from the ban and millions in fines for associated tech companies, that was passed by Congress.

This reprieve is only for 75 days and pending seeing significant or consistent progress of Bytedance selling shares of it's company so that all data is not in the hands of Chinese Government. (Currently this app is banned in a few countries - including India, for these same reasons and other countries have restrictions on its use)

There's is just one big issue here... The President does not trump (all puns intended) a law passed by Congress. Therefore, while Congress may allow some time to see how things play out, if they do not see appropriate steps being taken in a significant way - then it's all gone. The ban is back in full effect.

Some Constitutional lawyers are stating that the President's Executive Order truly does not protect the other tech companies associated with the app - like Oracle, Akami, Google and Apple. Which is why the app is not relisted in app stores. Oracle and Akami are willing to take their risk.

Let me remind everyone that this ban has been in progress for over 4 years, attempting to give TikTok ample time to change ownership. They have not done it.

Our President is hoping to be able to persuade them to make this change and negotiate a deal. If we are to go by TikTok's record, then we would have to say - it isn't going to happen.

Now I understand many people would rather believe the oppasite. That President Trump being a business man, "of the people" with Elon Musk on his side, will pull it off. It's possible.

But up to now, Bytedance has not shown inclination to meet us there.

So much so that President Trump is using this ban lifting as a means to stake claim on 50% of shares of TikTok and that should they not negotiate, it will be viewed as an act of hostility and he will impart tariffs of 25% to 100%. (NPR and Forbes) Whether he can legally do that, I can't say. But it does speak to a lack of confidence in persuading Bytedance or China to voluntarily negotiate.

So what are you to do?

If you already have a solid presence on TikTok, then continue but also reinforce your presence on another app. Preferably not RedBook.

I know a lot of people are going there but that is another Chinese app and I'm sure should a lot migrate there, then it too will be banned. Currently, it's main saving grace is that it is intended for Chinese audience.

Where to go? That's a bit tricky. I won't lie.

It may mean you will need to revamp your strategy for a completely different app. Yes, there's Instagram and You Tube but I know many are looking for one with the same vibe as TikTok and not Meta owned. Currently, we don't have one that truly measures up. Possibly because no new app could compete against TikTok.

At times like this, new apps pop up, or old apps become something new now that there is space and opportunity for them to do so. Keep your eyes and ears open to changes.

But for the next couple months, I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket. Diversify where you post and show up. It won't be easy. It won't be fun. But it's better than being caught with your pants down should TikTok permanently be banned in the coming months.

01/20/2025

With all the news about TikTok becoming banned, word of Capcut, a popular video editing app, also being banned didn't really hit the media until the last minute.

Even if you don't use TikTok, many who do social media videos used Capcut. And currently, it still is not available despite TikTok temporarily being back online.

This leaves a lot of people scrambling to figure out which apps to use as replacement!

Capcut (Pro) could be used on desktop or mobile and was very versatile in either version. And the best part - it was very social media friendly in it's set up and tools.

What are your options?

Your big video editing names; Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and Davince Resolve - while great options if you edit on your desktop, are less versatile on mobile or have a big learning curve if coming from a "made for social media video editing app".

For example:
Premiere Pro has Premiere Rush but many of the great features of Pro are missing.
Final Cut Pro is available on Ipad but only the M1 version. Davince Resolve is available also on Ipad

Many will most likely be trying Canva which personally I find to be overly limiting but many do like it. Adobe Express (Adobe's Canva competitor) also can do short video.

Ok, so beyond the big guns.

Video Leap mobile app. Has a lot of templates with music which you then edit to fit your clips. (check music for copywrite) Including some cool AI transition clips. Personally, I have found this app great in a pinch. When you don't have a lot of time and want a template with all the transitions in place and I just plug in my clips and change the text. If you don't want the musical choice, you can delete it in app or in the editing features of the platform you are uploading it to.

Motion Ninja mobile app. This app is much more of a video editing software but has a lot of options and flexibility. If you are wanting a more robust mobile editing experience, this is the one.

Storybeat is another quick and easy app with lots of variety of templates for video and Stories.

Descript: This app first came out as a great app for editing video based on the transcript it created from the video you uploaded. A feature I loved! It has a lot of great features but it's organization isn't as obvious but definitely worth a try. They are always working on making it better and once you have it set up for your needs, you will be golden.

Inshot mobile app. Inshot came out at the same time as Capcut and at the time was recommended as an option. I haven't tried this one but some have mentioned it.

Filmora by Wondershare - an often overlooked video editing app that is robust, versatile and social media friendly. It has desktop and mobile versions.

I know there are plenty of other great video editing apps available, including AI editing apps. This list is ones that I have tried myself or have had other video editors or marketers recommend.

01/13/2025

How much time are you spending on a heading for your post?
Is it the same amount of time you spend on the two lines of your captions?

Have you noticed that on LinkedIn and Facebook, only two or three lines are visible below or above a post on mobile - the most often used format?

Two or three lines which either are your second chance to grab someones attention if the post caption failed, or is where it's time to step it up so people will keep on reading.

On LinkedIn and Facebook you have 3 lines which can be visible above a post. However, especially on LinkedIN, did you know it was recommended that you write one line and then a space and then the next line leading into the rest of your captions.

Which makes them the most important two lines you write after your post caption/heading. And the heading has an extra advantage of being able to use color and imagery to further attract people's attention.

What can you do in those two lines to lure someone to read more?

- Ask a question
- write a shocking or bold statement or statistic
- a funny pun/ play on words or a line from a pop culture trend.
- something that evokes emotion
- a story lead in with active verbs

01/07/2025

4 months ago Instagram announced that they would be doing trial changes to random profiles by changing the grid format to better display the 4:5 (1080 x 1350) post format.

As more accounts get hit with this change, many people are surprised and not prepared. The word did not get out very loudly and many did not receive the memo!

So what is the low down?

Almost two years ago Instagram changed it's preferred post format to 4:5 or 1080 x 1350 (portrait mode). Why is this important? Because the original grid was designed to display images in squares, not rectangles. So switching post formats meant many people's posts were/are cut off on the grid when they switched to the new post format.

But, Instagram kept the 1080 x 1080 post size accessible while rolling out the portrait size change. Therefore, many people didn't make the change in format because the portrait mode is incompatible with crossposting to fb. Plus, the change in design does take some getting used to.

Point being, then IG announced about 4 months ago that they would be doing a trial run of rolling out changing the grid format to display the preferred post format. But too many people didn't hear about it or didn't consider it crucial because of the use of the word "trial". (Btw, IG does a trial for every update so don't take that literally. Assume it will happen. )

So what is the result? Many accounts now receiving the grid update who were still using the 1080 x 1080 format have previous posts now that don't look right because they don't fit properly into the new grid.

And they aren't happy about it. Not only are they not happy because their grid looks less professional, but they didn't even know it was coming. It's just another "unexpected" IG change in a list of constant changes.

My suggestion is if you are still creating using the 1080 x 1080 format, switch asap to the portrait format for IG. Get accustomed to changing format sizes for FB and IG. Then when the grid change hits your account, you will be adjusted and your grid will look just fine.

Or keep doing what you are doing, and accept your posts will look off when the grid changes and then change your design format. Your choice.

01/06/2025

I posted announcing interactive AI profiles was coming to Meta platforms. Here's an article discussing the responses to them currently being introduced in various markets.

I will add to this article by saying that as much as many complain about AI, the overall public does/has been responding to posts made by AI for over a year. They will also post/share AI created photos of cute animals, food, and even AI created videos. ( those aren't glitches you are seeing!)
How much is a case that not everyone is sophisticated enough to identify them? I don't know. Or is it a case of "nothing we can do about it anyhow" so don't think about it? Also, hard to say.

What about you? Where do you stand on AI in social media? In our workplace?

AI-generated bots are coming to take over social apps, whether you like it or not. 

01/06/2025

When you choose to follow the Sheriff dept cuz you love their copy! 🤣🤣
Anyone else follow a page because what they write is just that good?

01/02/2025

I wasn't going to do a New Years Resolution this year. Still have the same ones from 5 years ago.😅. But as I was going through my emails, I realized that I have way too many emails from newsletters or individuals. So yep - cleaning out who all I am subscribed to is now my New Years Resolution.

Which then begs the question of how do you decide which ones to keep? And as a marketer, it's kind of like market research. What makes a digital newsletter worth keeping?

1. Did I only subscribe to get a free download and then forget to cancel? Free downloads are a great way to add to an email list for newsletters but the future open rate may not be all that high.

2. Am I getting what I expected out of the newsletter? If I genuinely subscribed, I had certain expectations of value and if most are only about your programs and offers - I'm out.

3. Does the newsletter offer the value I expected? Am I getting current updates around the subject as I expected.

4. Is the newsletter written in personal, engaging way that makes me want to visit links or finish reading it? Or, if is essentially a list of updates, are they clearly listed in easy to read format.

5. Do the links stay active? I subscribed to one newsletter, and I starred it to look at later. Two weeks later the links included were no longer valid. Which made me question the validity of the source.

6. Is the information included current and not something I will casually see on social media. Does it demonstrate genuine experience? I don't need easily accessible information. I want information that is more in depth and not commonly seen which primarily comes from real world experience.

7. Is the overall composition clear, easy to get the highlights of what the topics are and attractive? Obviously not keeping a newsletter if it is put together well but not engaging or informative but also not keeping one that is cluttered and doesn't have a flow to it.

These are my criteria. What about you? What makes you want to keep an email subscription for a newsletter?