Best Practices & News
Individual captions on IG carousels: Instagram confirmed users can now add captions on individual photos and videos within carousel posts, a feature that was previously in testing stages.
Collab posts are coming to LinkedIn: The company announced at Cannes that they are testing a collaboration post feature that will roll out to all users in the next few months.
Instagram brings "Your Algorithm" to main feed: Originally created just for Reels, Instagram recently expanded its "Your Algorithm" tool, which allows users to view and edit what content Meta thinks they are interested in, to the main IG feed. This might provide brands with an opportunity to reach more non-followers with carousel and single image posts — as you create content and draft captions, alt text and more, consider what specific subject areas your post is covering and weave that language in so the algorithm might serve your content to new users.
Meta is testing a "Series" feature: Similar to TikTok's own episodic feature, this new tool will allow creators to organize related or episodic content into a special tab on their profile so users can easily find it.
Three New Content Ideas to Try
- Pixel stretch: We've been seeing this design trend all over Instagram, and love how it provides an opportunity to resurface past photos in a new light.
- Panel cover + photo gallery: We've seen a few brands testing this vertical panel graphic style, followed by a curated photo gallery. It's on our list to try, and we loved Student Life's recent post using this style.
- Still frame, moving frame: Photo and video work side by side to tell different stories of the same frame in this content style.
26 Accounts to Watch
You read that right — 26 accounts to check out for content inspiration.
We loved Sprout Social's recent article outlining the best brands on social so far in 2026. The piece nicely breaks down what specific aspects each brand does well (employee engagement, trend execution, IRL activations, etc.) making it especially helpful to peruse if there is a specific topic you're looking for inspiration on.
What We're Reading
2026, but make it ✨ whimsical. ✨ We really enjoyed this article from Alt Text, which breaks down why you're seeing whimsy all over social and how brands can integrate it into their social strategy.
Resource We Love
Hashtags on Instagram are so back — at least for Reels. But deciding which hashtags to use on your video can be deceptively hard. We appreciated this list from Sprout Social which provides more than 250 hashtag ideas and breaks down how to be strategic with your hashtag use.
Food for Thought
Britain became the most recent country to introduce bans on social media for those under the age of 16, with plans to implement the changes early next year. A similar ban in Australia went into effect at the end of 2025.
Pew Research found that 56% of U.S. adults support social media bans for those under 16, and several states are already taking action. As more countries look to strengthen policy around online safety for children, we're keeping an eye on how these bans work, the impact they have and the conversations they inspire about social media.
Campus Shout-Out
A hot new bombshell has entered the villa. 🩷🏝️ We loved this post from Eat at State that played into the Love Island discourse online to inspire discussion about new campus dining items.
Contacts
Social Media Help: doepke@msu.edu
Sprinklr Help: comms.websupport@msu.edu
Social Media Content Suggestions: comms.social@msu.edu