Fashionable women laughing and enjoying each others company. Picture: iStock
On social networks, a host of new features are putting collaboration in the spotlight, as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and now Twitter have all introduced collaborative content options.
Here’s an overview of this growing trend that can help strengthen communities and boost advertising on social platforms.
TikTok is once again the driver of this trend. The Chinese social media giant has made collaborative content popular with its “Duets” option, allowing users to post content using another user’s video, already existing on the application. This kind of content boosts interaction between users.
Faced with TikTok’s success, previously established social networks have, in turn, become interested in the idea of collaborative content to boost engagement on their platforms. Twitter is the latest to join the trend with its new collaborative tweets option. Still in testing, this option, called “CoTweets,” allows users to invite another Twitter user to participate in the creation of a tweet.
The new option will only be available for certain accounts in the United States, Canada and South Korea, and only for a limited time. Twitter has not stated the criteria governing access to this feature, which is still in pilot phase.
By posting a “CoTweet,” the tweet will be published on the accounts of both users involved. The username and the profile picture of both accounts will appear at the top of the tweet.
To create a collaborative tweet, a user simply selects the option, which then sends an invitation to accept or decline the creation to the other user concerned. Note that, once the tweet is created, it is no longer possible to modify it after the invite has been sent. If the other user declines the “CoTweet” invite, this invite will be automatically deleted. If they change their mind once the “CoTweet” is published, they can always remove their name, which will turn the content into a normal tweet and delete it from their account.
Users will only be able to create a “CoTweet” with their followers who have a public profile.
Instagram previously jumped on the collaboration content trend, again taking inspiration from TikTok, in 2021. Meta’s social network launched the “Remix” option for its “Reels” short-form videos, echoing TikTok’s “Duet” option.
But the social network already allowed users to publish collaborative posts on the news feed. This option is widely used by content creators and celebrities to promote products or events with brands. The option also launched on Facebook at the end of June 2022.
More recently, Snapchat announced the possibility of creating “Shared Stories.” This kind of content is a good way to boost user engagement on the various platforms, while highlighting collaborations between influencers and brands, and allowing for better monetization of content
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