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Shorter Ads, Longer TikToks, and The Secret Sauce of Influencer Marketing
Influencer & UGC Insights - Edition #7
Wendy Biba
March 27, 2025
📢 Welcome to the Only Newsletter That Gets UGC.
Short-form ads are taking over YouTube. TikTok videos are getting longer (and racking up more views). Instagram wants AI to comment for you because thinking is apparently outdated. Meanwhile, YouTube just made brand collabs less of a headache, and the smartest brands? They’re skipping overpriced agencies and letting hundreds of UGC creators flood the internet with content (spoiler: it works).
Let’s dive in.
Hot Off the Feed - The latest news and trends in the UGC world
YouTube wants a piece of that sweet, short-form ad money, and they’re making it painfully obvious. New insights show that Shorts ads are actually working (gasp), and YouTube is dishing out tips for brands who want in. The key? Make your ads blend in - if it screams “ad,” people will swipe faster than you can say “skip.” Smart targeting, engaging storytelling, and native-style content are your new best friends.
Think TikTok is all about bite-sized clips? Think again. A recent analysis of over 1.1 million TikToks reveals that videos longer than 60 seconds garner significantly more reach and watch time than their shorter counterparts. Specifically, videos exceeding a minute achieve 63.8% more watch time than those in the 30-60 second range and a whopping 175.6% more than 10-30 second videos. Despite 86% of TikTok content being under a minute, it's clear that lengthier videos are capturing more eyeballs and keeping viewers engaged longer. So, creators, it might be time to stretch those storytelling muscles and go long.
Instagram is reportedly experimenting with AI-generated comments on posts, potentially automating interactions and reducing the need for users to craft their own responses. While this could streamline engagement, it raises questions about the authenticity of online interactions. As AI continues to weave into our social fabric, the line between genuine and generated content becomes increasingly blurred.
Instagram every week: We’re rolling out a new update you didn’t ask for.
TikTok's U.S. operations are on the brink of a major shake-up. Oracle is emerging as the frontrunner to acquire the platform, aiming to prevent a nationwide ban. The proposed deal would have Oracle providing security assurances and taking a small stake in a new American entity, addressing national security concerns. However, debates continue over ByteDance's potential retention of control over TikTok's algorithm, a sticking point for U.S. lawmakers demanding full divestment. With the April 5 deadline looming, all eyes are on the negotiations to see if TikTok can stick its landing in the U.S. market.
TikTok at this point
Brand Brief: UGC Your Way to the Top
Old-school marketing: Pay a celeb, cross your fingers, hope for the best.
New-school marketing: Mix A-list star power with creator authenticity and print money.
Turns out, the best strategy isn’t choosing between celebrities and digital creators - it’s using both. Celebs = reach. Creators = trust. Together? Maximum impact.
Luxury brands? Slap a celeb on it. Need conversions? Get creators talking. The $10B creator economy isn’t about “either-or” - it’s about stacking the deck in your favor.
You know what’s fun? Working with creators. You know what’s not? The absolute circus of linking sponsored videos. YouTube finally got the memo.
Now, creators can send linking requests directly to brands for their sponsored videos -because who has time for endless email chains? And for brands juggling multiple creators, YouTube’s new Video Linking API automates the whole process. Less admin. More results.
Bottom line? Less hassle, more money. Welcome to the future of brand-creator collabs.
Beauty By Earth didn’t waste time on overpriced agencies, spreadsheets, or “brand awareness” nonsense. Nope. They did something much smarter:
They collaborated with 200+ UGC creators & influencers from JoinBrands.
The result?
🔥 More content than the internet could handle.
👀 More eyeballs glued to their brand.
💸 More sales (because duh).
Some say "quality over quantity." We say, why not both?
Creator Corner: Rule Your Feed
TikTok's carousel feature, allowing creators to share up to 35 images in a single post, is proving to be a game-changer. Brands and influencers are leveraging this format to tell richer stories, showcase products, and share educational content. Notably, carousels have been found to drive 12% more engagement compared to traditional videos. This boost is attributed to the interactive nature of swiping through images, encouraging users to spend more time on each post. As TikTok continues to evolve beyond short-form videos, integrating carousels into your content strategy could be the key to capturing and retaining audience attention.
Recent research from Wharton underscores the power of sensory language in influencer marketing. While eye-catching images have long been the go-to for conveying sensory appeal - think juicy burgers in ads - this study reveals that the right words can be just as impactful. By incorporating sensory-rich language, influencers can create more engaging content that resonates deeply with their audience. So, next time you're crafting that perfect post, remember: your words can paint pictures just as vivid as any image.
Your content has exactly 0.2 seconds to grab attention before it gets mercilessly scrolled past. Make it count.
Hit ‘em with action. No one cares about slow intros.
Throw text on screen that slaps. If it doesn’t stop the scroll, it’s useless.
Keep switching it up - angles, perspectives, unexpected cuts.
Use motion. Hands, props, chaos - whatever keeps eyes locked in.
Break the pattern. Normal is forgettable. Weird wins.
That’s a Wrap. Now Go Conquer the Internet.
You came, you scrolled, you (hopefully) learned something. Now, you have two options:
1️⃣ Forget everything you just read and go back to overanalyzing your ad spend.
2️⃣ Use these insights, let creators do the heavy lifting, and watch your brand flood the internet like a cat meme gone viral.
We’ll be back in two weeks with more influencer marketing chaos. Same time, same place. Don’t leave us on read. 🚀
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