TikTok is kicking Meta’s butt in this key metric

Today’s Social Media advertising rates are still digging out:

↘️ META: $6.59 | ↗️ TIKTOK: $3.38 | ↘️ SNAPCHAT: $7.25

In this week’s edition: 

•  🔎 Better check your Google Search ads before this weekend

• Is baseball better with TikTok? ⚾

• ♾️ Meta is testing a Reels-first Instagram feed 

But first…

⏰ TikTok is kicking Meta’s butt in this key metric

It’s a tale as old as social media itself: brands always seem to be the first to see their organic reach get nerfed. But in a new study that analyzed follower growth and engagement metrics across more than 200,000 branded social media profiles, a clear winner emerged. According to Emplifi, TikTok engagement far outpaced Instagram and Facebook last year, and organic reach is slowing on Instagram:

The Inside Scoop🍦: Now trending in performance media

♾️ Instagram is testing a new interface that opens directly to Reels, while traditional posts get consigned to a secondary “Your Feeds” tab. In this version, a new “feeds center” allows users to choose what kinds of content IG shows them. Is this another step in Meta’s attempt to turn IG into TikTok? Signs point to “you’re not wrong.”

💅 Pro tip: You can opt out of Meta Audience Network at the account-level to avoid running on this inventory when opted into Advantage+ placements. To get there, navigate to Advertising settings → Placement controls:

🔎Google Ads will now pace budgets to spend up to the full 30.4x monthly limit, even if campaigns only run on specific days via ad scheduling. The change goes into effect Sunday. While the 2x daily overspend limit will still be in place, this could significantly increase spending in accounts that are heavily scheduled. For example, a campaign set to weekends only with a $100 daily budget previously spent about $800/month (roughly eight weekend days). Under the new pacing logic, it could spend up to $1,600/month, hitting $200 (2x daily budget) on each scheduled day.

📳 App advertisers take note: Previously, Google Ads conversions were logged against the original ad interaction date. Now, they’re assigned to the day the app was actually installed, bringing Google’s methodology closer in line with how Mobile Measurement Partners (MMPs) like AppsFlyer and Adjust report data. This change should meaningfully reduce discrepancies between Google Ads and MMP dashboards. This should improve campaign performance due to more timely signals.

⏰ TikTok is taking on the New York Times bestseller list—sort of. TikTok’s “Book To Screen” top 10 purports to measure the “most successful #BookTok bestseller with a film/streaming adaptation,” based on…sales numbers in Germany? Seems cool.

⚾ TikTok continues its push into sports, reinforcing the trend we recently highlighted with its FIFA partnership. The platform has now extended its multi-year deal with MLB, introducing more exclusive highlights, behind-the-scenes access, and a robust MLB Hub powered by TikTok’s Gameplan offering. According to Tiktok, 59% of users who watch sports content on the platform say they find it more entertaining than the live games themselves.

👽 Reddit is testing a new AI Shopping Product Experience search tool that takes community recommendations and matches them with products from Shopping and Dynamic Product Ad (DPA) partners. For an initial U.S. test, users will start to see search results include interactive product carousels with pricing, images, and direct where-to-buy links.

📌 Pinterest has published its first-ever Parenting Trend Report, exploring how parents are using the platform to plan activities, routines, and purchases for their children. For marketers, the insights provide clear guidance on how to align messaging for parents, with increases in searches, such as “screen free activities” (up 200% YoY), “slow motherhood” (+310%), “animated movies for kids” (+430%) and more.

📦 Amazon audiences in Netflix PMPs? It’s coming to closed beta in mid-March, with an open beta in April.

And just to get your creative juices flowing, here’s a comprehensive list of available targeting options for Netflix on Amazon DSP via a PMP or PG deal: 

• Genre Targeting: Target across 20+ contextual genres. Each title is categorized into a primary genre and may include secondary identifiers, enabling brands to align with the type of content a member is watching (from Drama and Action to Comedy and Family).

• Advertiser 1P & 3P Solutions: Leverage behavioral, demographic, and interest signals from trusted partners such as Experian, NCS, Acxiom, and Polk, with 10k+ available segments. Advertisers can also activate their own first-party audiences via LiveRamp.

• Interests: Identifies content preferences and hobbies based on viewing behavior, allowing campaigns to resonate with audiences most likely to be interested in the advertiser’s product or service. We have 200+ interests that the team can choose from! 

• Advanced Demos / In-Market: Expands beyond basic demographics to reach high-value viewers using attributes such as household income and purchase intent (e.g., autos, homes, electronics). Built using trusted partner segments combined with Netflix data to improve relevance and precision.

• First Impression: Places an ad in the first ad pod a viewer sees by securing the first position in the first ads-eligible title they watch. This can serve as either a preroll or midroll placement.

• Viewing Moods: Allows advertisers to target audiences based on historical viewing moods and intentions. Each profile is assigned one or more moods based on past viewing habits, helping brands align with audience mindset rather than relying only on content targeting.

• Top 10 Targeting: Contextual targeting that places ads within the daily Top 10 most watched series (all seasons) and Top 10 most watched films on Netflix.

Title Selection: Provides direct control over placement by allowing advertisers to select specific titles that best align with their campaign strategy.

🤖ChatGPT ads are now being spotted in the U.S. and despite early speculation that ads would only surface after extended back-and-forth conversations, they’ve been appearing immediately, sometimes on the very first response.

Thanks for reading! We’ll be back next week to fill your inbox with more tips, tricks, and treats from the addressable universe.

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This week’s edition of the Thread was created by Jess Dashner, Caitlin LaValle, Anoushka Madan, Mariya Samardzhieva, Kiara Quigley, Lara Spijkerman, and Carly Carioli.