September Platform Updates

These 3 changes will change how you post content this month on your social media: 1. Free Google traffic from Facebook, 2. Meta’s slow creep towards charging for growth, and 3. permission to stop worrying about your Instagram account type.

In a hurry? Here’s the whole issue in seven lines:

• Facebook: Public Group posts now show up in Google searches. Your best answers can reach people who aren’t even on Facebook.
• Meta: More growth features are becoming paid perks under Meta One. Nothing essential yet, but watch the direction of travel.
• Instagram: Confirmed again, switching to a Business account does not reduce your reach. Myth busted, pick the account that suits you.
• TikTok: Comments now support voice notes, polls and photo carousels. Treat them as content, not admin.
• X: A new tool can show whether X has limited your reach, so you can check rather than guess about shadowbans.
• LinkedIn: Comments are now ranked differently for every reader. Useful, specific comments just became more valuable.
• Threads: The “official Threads podcast” doing the rounds isn’t real.

If you want more detail and what to actually do? Read on.

Facebook

Your public Group posts are showing up in Google

New Ahrefs research found public Facebook Groups now appear in 38% of Google’s Discussions and forums results, second only to Reddit. Every single Facebook result in the study came from a public Group, so private communities don’t get this benefit. That changes what a Group is for. A good answer to a customer question inside yours can now reach people searching Google who aren’t even on Facebook, including younger audiences who never joined it. This week: list your five most-asked customer questions and answer them properly in your public Group, using the wording customers actually type. And before you build a new community from scratch, Google your key questions and see which existing Groups are already being surfaced.

Meta

More growth tools are moving behind a paywall

Meta One subscribers can now pay for a bolder Follow button on Reels, enhanced profiles, clickable links in posts and automatic follow invites sent to anyone who engages with their content. Meta is openly promoting that last one as a way to grow followers automatically. Nothing here is essential, and I wouldn’t rush to subscribe. What matters is the direction of travel. Meta is testing where the line sits between what businesses get for free and what becomes a perk, so features you’d assume are basic may not stay that way. Don’t build your growth strategy around any single free tool, and treat subscription pitches with a cool head until someone can show you results.
Find out more here.

Instagram

Business accounts do not hurt your reach

Instagram has again knocked down the old myth that switching to a Business account reduces organic reach. If you’ve kept your brand on a personal or Creator account because someone told you Instagram punishes businesses, you can stop. Reach comes down to how people respond to your content, not the label on your account. Choose the account type that gives you the tools you actually need, such as insights, contact buttons and the ability to run ads, and put the worry to bed.

TikTok

Comments just became a content format

TikTok is adding 60-second voice notes, polls, photo carousels of up to nine images and Live Photos to comments. Polls and Live Photos are live now, the rest rolls out over the coming month, and voice notes are limited to users 18 and over. For a small brand this turns the comment section into a creative space rather than admin. Answer a product question with a carousel of photos. Let followers vote on what you make next. Reply to praise with personality instead of a stock thank you. Try a poll under your next post and see what happens. Worth noting alongside this: TikTok now has 189 million monthly users across the EU, picking up roughly ten million more in the first half of this year. If a client still calls it niche, you have fresh numbers.
Find out more here.

X

You can now check whether X has limited your reach

A new Under the Hood page shows whether visibility-limiting labels have been applied to your posts or account, with a downloadable monthly report. It’s a small test for now, not available to everyone. If X barely features in your marketing, ignore this completely. If it does, and your reach ever falls off a cliff, this beats guessing about shadowbans. The download arrives as a JSON file, which looks like gibberish. Upload it to your AI tool of choice and ask it to explain in plain English which labels were applied and what they mean.

LinkedIn

Everyone now sees a different comment section

LinkedIn is starting to rank comments by relevance to each reader, using interests, connections and past engagement. The most-liked comment no longer automatically wins, because there’s no longer one comment section everyone sees. That makes genuinely useful comments on posts your customers read a real visibility play. Specific beats fast. One thoughtful comment a day, adding something the post didn’t say, will outwork ten “great post” replies.
Find out more here.

Threads

No, Threads does not have a podcast

I saw the announcement doing the rounds, went to subscribe so I could get ahead of the news for you, and discovered it doesn’t exist. If it crossed your feed, it’s not real. You’re welcome.

That’s it for this issue. If you would like to discuss a specific update or conundrum you have with your social media why not book a power hour with me.