As we continue into the second part of 2023, I've been noticing two distinct groups on social media. Tell me if you've seen this too...

Group 1 --> One half is out there crushing it with consistent posts / higher engagement and content quality / genuinely interesting partnerships / meeting their goals. They seem so on it and ready to crush the rest of the year.

Group 2 --> The other half kinda feel M.I.A. They post here and there and when they do, you can tell they are tired / uninspired / frustrated / and just going through the motions and a lot of their content feels the same.

Whichever group you're in, I thought I'd pop into your inbox today to share the top 14 engagement, follower growth trends and the top 9 brand partnership trends you should keep in mind as you start to think about your goals and priorities for the rest of the year.

14 Trends You Need to Know to Grow Your Following and Engagement on Instagram and TikTok in 2023:

Trend #1 --> Video Storytelling

On both Instagram and TikTok, video storytelling is becoming increasingly popular. This isn't just about recording your day-to-day activities, but creating a narrative arc that carries across multiple posts.

You could take your followers on a journey towards a big event or goal, or create episodic content like a mini-series. This narrative hook can keep followers engaged and coming back for more.

Pay attention to what you see in your feed, especially on TikTok. Many videos that have high engagement are requiring users to come back for “more” or “the end” in an additional 1-3 videos that finish the story.

Trend #2 --> Instagram Guides

Instagram Guides allows you to curate a series of posts with added commentary. These can be fantastic for how-to guides, product recommendations, or themed content.

This not only provides your audience with valuable content but also encourages them to check out your older posts, boosting engagement across your feed especially when you share them to your stories.

SEO matters here, so make sure you are using keywords that speak to your audience and the subject matter.

Trend #3 -->TikTok Duets & Stitches

TikTok's duet and stitch features have become a powerful tool to engage with your followers and other creators. Duets allow you to respond or react to another creator's content, and stitches let you integrate another TikTok video into your own.

Leveraging these features not only helps increase engagement but also promotes community and collaboration, which can lead to more followers and engagement.

Trend #4 --> Instagram Carousel Posts

Carousel posts on Instagram are a fantastic way to deliver a lot of value in a single post. This could be a step-by-step guide, a collection of tips, quotes, or a series of related photos or videos.

Carousel posts encourage users to spend more time on your post, boosting engagement and increasing the likelihood your content will be recommended to others.

Remember time spent on post, increases your favor and reach with the platform.

I think of carousels as a great way to say a lot with a little.

Trend #5 --> TikTok Challenges

Participating in or starting your own TikTok challenges is a great way to increase your reach and gain followers.

Challenges often go viral and have a broad appeal as they encourage mass participation. Make sure your challenge is fun, achievable, and aligns with your personal brand.

Trend #6 --> Instagram AR Filters

Creating your own AR filters on Instagram can significantly boost your profile visits. If your filter is unique and engaging and speaks to a specific niche’s desires, aspirations or pain points, it's likely that users will want to try it and share it with their followers.

When they use your filter, their audience can see who it's by, driving traffic to your profile.

The kind of filters that would benefit you the most are interactive.

Have a filter idea but don’t have the design chops for it? Don’t stress! You can hire a freelancer on Fiverr for $15 bucks to make you one!

Trend #7 --> TikTok Live Sessions

Just like Instagram, going live on TikTok can be a game-changer. It's an opportunity to connect with your followers in real-time, answer their questions, or just have a chat.

The more you interact with your followers, the stronger your relationship becomes. You can also leverage live sessions for product promotions, tutorials, or collaboration with other creators.

Trend #8 --> Instagram Reels Remix

Reels Remix are proving to be great tools for increasing engagement, letting you put your spin on another creator's Reel, enhancing collaboration and engagement.

Trend #9 --> Audio Rooms

Clubhouse may have kick-started this trend, but now everyone from Twitter to Facebook and even Spotify have hopped on the audio rooms bandwagon. 🎧

You can host live chats, Q&A sessions, or invite other influencers for panel discussions. It's a wonderful way to connect with your audience in real-time, answer their questions, or just have a casual chat, making your followers feel valued and heard.

Trend #10 --> Niche Social Platforms

Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook aren't the only platforms out there. Niche social platforms are on the rise. 📈 

Apps like Strava for fitness enthusiasts, Goodreads for book lovers, or even a platform like Dribbble for designers are opening up new avenues for targeted, niche content. Food blogger? Try Kitchen Stories. Travel vlogger? Get onto Travello.

This can help you connect with a passionate, engaged audience eager for specific content.

Trend #11 --> Sustainability and Ethical Consumerism

There's a growing demand for content around sustainable living and ethical consumerism. 👣 

Brands like Patagonia and Allbirds have paved the way in ethical marketing and consumers are responding. Consider collaborating with eco-friendly brands, or create content to promote sustainable alternatives and lifestyle changes.

Not only can this boost your engagement, but it also helps build a responsible image for your personal brand.

Trend #12 --> Quick Content

Bite-sized content isn't going anywhere. Whether it's Instagram Reels, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts, snappy, digestible videos are all the rage. 👀 It's not just about the entertainment factor.

Educational content is big too, think "How To's", quick DIYs, or mini-vlogs. If you haven't jumped on this bandwagon, now is the time!

Trend #13 --> Live Shopping

With the integration of eCommerce on platforms like Instagram and Facebook, live shopping events are becoming increasingly popular. 🛍️ It's QVC meets social media, and it's fantastic.

Not only can you earn from product sales, but it also offers another way to interact with your audience.

For instance, influencers who host live shopping event on Amazon are typically a major hit when they have an engaged community because it merges entertainment with eCommerce.

Trend #14 --> User-Generated Content

Encouraging user-generated content is a fantastic way to increase engagement and build a community. 🔃 It can be as simple as creating a unique hashtag and asking your followers to post content related to a theme or challenge.

This not only encourages interaction but provides you with a ton of content that you can share, with due credit, of course!

Remember, the key is not to blindly follow trends, but to incorporate them in a way that aligns with your personal brand and appeals to your audience. Each trend provides an opportunity to be creative and to present your unique voice in a new, engaging format.

9 Trends You Need to Know to Boost Your Paid Brand Partnership Opportunities in 2023:

Trend #1 --> Authentic Brand Alignments

More than ever, brands are seeking authentic alignments with influencers. They are looking for influencers whose values, audience, lifestyle and content style align with their own brand image.

By promoting products that you genuinely love and use, you will seem more authentic to both your followers and potential brand partners.

Trend #2 --> Being A Micro-Influencer

Don’t for a second think you don’t still reign supreme! While macro-influencers (those with hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers) used to be the go-to for brands, micro-influencers (those with less than 100k followers) are increasingly attractive.

These influencers often have a highly engaged, niche audience, which brands value. If you're a micro-influencer, emphasize your community appeal, your engagement rates and audience insights when pitching to brands.

If you’re a UGC creator, emphasize your niche, creative concepts, content quality and turnaround time.

Trend #3 --> Long-Term Partnerships

Brands are leaning towards long-term partnerships with influencers instead of one-off posts. This allows them to build deeper relationships with influencers and their audiences because people are tired of being sold online.

Always consider proposing a series of multi-platform posts or a long-term collaboration when pitching to brands, it’s beneficial to your wallet of course, but it’s more beneficial to the brand if they actually want your community to act on their call-to-action.

Trend #4 --> Video Product Reviews/Demos

On TikTok, video product reviews and demos are a trend that’s blowing up, and brands are eager to collaborate on this type of content. The key here is making these reviews engaging and fun.

The "BarkBox" brand, for example, often partners with pet influencers for fun, adorable unboxing videos.

If you don’t feel there are products you can unbox that fit your niche, remember, you’re a content creator, so any kind of tech or accessories you use to make your content is fair game.

Start reviewing these products if it feels authentic to your online presence. Let brands see this on your feed and then start reaching out to brands whose content you can use in your content production.

Trend #5 --> Instagram Shopping Tags

With Instagram's shopping features, brands can tag products directly in your posts, making it super easy for followers to shop.

Brands are keen to collaborate with influencers who can showcase their products in a shoppable format. Always offer this.

Trend #6 --> Content Series

Brands are looking to fund content series on Instagram and TikTok, where an influencer creates a sequence of posts or videos around a particular theme, featuring the brand's products or services.

This provides value to the audience and multiple touchpoints for the brand.

This is a high-value content proposition you don’t want to miss out on!

Trend #7 --> Experiential Marketing

Brands are moving towards creating experiences rather than just posts. This could be an event, a challenge, or a unique experience that you share with your followers, featuring the brand's products or services.

These are highly engaging and shareable, boosting the brand's reach and visibility.

Just a few days ago, Post Malone had a free concert INSIDE of a Times Square Billboard promoting his upcoming tour. How freaking cool is that.

That is incredible experiential marketing at an artist level.

He gave people an experience they will never forget, you can do in the same with your our platform.

Trend #8 --> Inclusion and Diversity

Brands are keen to show inclusivity and diversity in their influencer partnerships. They want to work with influencers of different races, genders, ages, and body types.

This trend provides an opportunity for a wider range of influencers to land brand partnerships.

So never think you need to look a certain way to succeed in this space. You just need to be you, that’s more than perfect.

Trend #9 --> TikTok Hashtag Challenges

Brands are sponsoring hashtag challenges on TikTok, where influencers encourage their followers to create or recreate content and tag it with the brand's hashtag. This leads to a surge in user-generated content and organic reach for the brand.

Remember, while landing a brand partnership can be exciting, it's crucial to only partner with brands that align with your values and aesthetic. Your followers trust your recommendations, so it's essential to maintain that trust by promoting products and brands you truly believe in.

Bottom line: Creating different pathways to engagement and partnerships increases the frequency and consistency of your overall follower and profit growth. Don't miss out on this (see a new free brand partnership support app below - it will help you achieve all of this!)

How do these trends land for you?

Are any of them surprising?

Are you thinking of testing any of them out?

Do you have a bunch of ideas now running through your brain?

If you are thinking about how you can really integrate these trends into your plans for 2023…

If you’re an ambitious creator aiming for growth…

If you’re tired of all your content feeling the same, earning the same ole limited engagement…

If you aspire to create impactful content and establish collaborations with renowned brands…

If you need a simplified and accelerated process to reduce the anxiety and stress associated with reaching out to brands, negotiating deals, and managing partnerships…..

If you want to secure regular paid partnerships because it means a stable income source….

Reply “ME” to this email, there’s a new AI-powered brand partnership app that helps creators achieve this and it’s a free download (for now)

I’ll send you the download link asap so you don’t miss this opportunity!

Ash Warren

Creator + Social Media Marketing Strategist

Website | Instagram | Threads | Podcast

As seen on Forbes, Variety and NBC