June 2026 S@MS Newsletter

New Instagram Caption Feature: Instagram is testing captions on individual photos and videos within carousel posts, allowing creators to add more context to each slide.

TikTok Introduces Story Highlights: TikTok is rolling out Story Highlights, allowing users to keep Stories visible on their profiles beyond the traditional 24-hour limit. Similar to Instagram Highlights, the feature gives creators and brands another way to showcase content on their profile.

TikTok Story Mentions: TikTok now allows users to tag and mention others in Stories, making it easier to collaborate and connect audiences across accounts.

LinkedIn Cracks Down on AI Slop: LinkedIn is taking steps to reduce the visibility of low-effort, AI-generated content and prioritize posts that offer genuine expertise and unique perspectives. The update is part of a broader push to keep conversations on the platform authentic and human.

Act on Social Insights in Real Time: Sprout Social found that while most organizations value social data, many struggle to turn insights into action. Social media can be one of the fastest ways to spot audience concerns, cultural shifts and changing preferences, making it important to share insights beyond the social team.

1. Making Captions the Moment: On-screen text is becoming just as important as the video itself. By emphasizing impactful words with larger fonts and intentional design, creators are turning simple clips from commencement speakers, student creators and faculty experts into more engaging stories that capture attention, even with the sound off.
2. My Camera Roll is Getting Full, I Should Delete this Video: This nostalgic storytelling format is a great way to resurface memorable campus moments, historic footage or fan-favorite videos that get students and alumni reminiscing. It's a simple trend that turns existing content into a meaningful trip down memory lane.
3. My Name is Not: This trend is a fun way to highlight the traditions, catchphrases and personality traits that define your campus community. Try putting a university spin on the prompt by leaning into the phrases and experiences your audience instantly recognizes, for example "When he keeps yelling 'stopsayingGoGreen,' but our name is Michigan State University so we're good."

We all need inspiration. Here are a few accounts that may spark new ideas. 💡

1. impact: impact has mastered the art of creating carousel content that stops the scroll and sparks conversation. We love how their team breaks down complex topics into buzzy, shareable graphics that feel both informative and easy to digest. From college graduation overwhelm to Gen Z polling data, their content is a great example of turning insights and statistics into posts people actually want to share.
2. Little Joy Coffee: Little Joy Coffee has built a loyal following by turning everyday coffee shop moments into recurring content series. We love how their team continues to evolve familiar formats, creating content that feels like an extension of their community. Their popular "DIY or Buy" series is a great example of how thoughtful storytelling and consistency can often outperform simply posting more.

A year-in-review of the internet 🤝 social media managers.

The internet moves fast, and it can be hard to make sense of what's actually changing. Matthew Stasoff's annual Social Signals deck is a fun dive into the hundreds of trends, behaviors and cultural shifts shaping life online and offline.

Need some inspiration? Link in Bio recently asked readers to name a brand account that exemplifies great social. The result: a crowdsourced list of 438 accounts worth following across industries.

This yearly list is a go-to for future brainstorming and a chance to see which brands are building engaged communities online.

Don't reinvent the wheel. Give your best-performing content a second life.

We loved this example from McCallie School, which resurfaced a beloved video of graduating seniors answering questions they recorded as sixth graders nearly a year after it was first posted. The original video on Instagram earned 1.5 million views in 2025, while the recut vertical version of the same story in 2026 went on to earn more than 3 million views.

Take a look through your archives for evergreen stories, milestone moments or audience favorites. A new format, updated edit or fresh audience perspective might be all it takes to give great content a second life.

Alright, who's cutting onions? 🥹 The College of Human Medicine recently went viral across platforms for a heartfelt graduation post featuring a moment between a family of doctors and their twin boys. It's a great example of how authentic, emotionally driven stories can connect with audiences far beyond campus. Sometimes all it takes is a few simple clips and a meaningful moment.

Social Media Help: doepke@msu.edu

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Social Media Content Suggestions: comms.social@msu.edu