November Social Media Updates: Influencers Get Taxed, X Locks Down Links, and TikTok Demands Volume

News and Insights

November Social Media Updates: Influencers Get Taxed, X Locks Down Links, and TikTok Demands Volume

November 24, 2025

Need to speed-read your social feed? This is the Boom Scroll, your essential digest of social media updates and intelligence from November 2025, straight from FINN's global social media team.

tl; dr

UK tax authority cracks down on influencer gifting, LinkedIn locks competitor data behind a paywall, high-volume posting drives TikTok growth, Pinterest rolls out AI shopping, and X traps users in app.

#1 Post more on TikTok

A major new report confirms the old TikTok rule: posting more often boosts your average reach per post.

The Boom

• The report analyzed 11.4 million TikTok posts from over 150 thousand accounts.
• Accounts posting 11+ times weekly see up to 34% more views per post on average.
• This increase is driven by a higher probability of landing a breakout viral hit, which raises the account's overall average views.

Our take

This data confirms the TikTok algorithm rewards volume and consistency. Stop prioritizing perfectionism and commit to a high-volume, sustainable posting schedule.

#2 LinkedIn walls in competitor data

LinkedIn just locked its popular Competitor Analytics tool behind a paywall to boost its paid subscriptions. Non-paying Company Pages have lost the ability to benchmark their results against rivals.

The Boom

• The free Competitor Analytics feature, which showed competitor follower growth and engagement, is gone.
• Non-paying Company Pages can now compare against only one competitor.
• Premium Company Pages ($99+/month) retain access to track up to nine competitors and view trending posts.

Our take

This is a classic "lock away the good stuff" move to drive paid subscriptions. Premium Company Page is already one of LinkedIn's fastest-growing products. If competitor benchmarking is critical to your B2B strategy, the Premium subscription is now an unavoidable budget line item.

#3 The British influencer gifting crackdown

HMRC (the UK's tax authority) is coming for influencer gifts. If a gift is worth over £50, can be exchanged for cash, or is intended for promotion, it's taxable.

The Boom

• UK government is cracking down on taxing influencer gifts.
• Retailers are the primary target, since they reap the biggest rewards from influencer advertising.
• All gifts must be declared, with 10% tax paid.

Our take

Budget an additional 10% in gifting costs and update contracts with clear line items on fee vs VAT. If brands pass the tax burden on to creators, expect to see influencer fees rise over the coming year.

Read more here: https://www.rsmuk.com/insights/tax-voice/hmrc-vat-crackdown-on-gifts-to-social-media-influencers

#4 Pinterest elevates shopping with AI

Pinterest is rolling out AI-powered tools designed to turn user inspiration into instant, personalized shopping action. The platform nudges users toward products based on their saved Pin history.

The Boom

• AI-powered recommendations now appear directly into users' Pinterest board displays.
• "Make it yours" recommends fashion and home decor products based on existing saved Pins.
• "More ideas" provides related Pins for categories like beauty, recipes and art.
• In the U.S. and Canada, the platform is testing "Styled for you" AI collages created from users' fashion Pins.

Our take

Many of Pinterest's 578 million users have high purchase intent, and its new AI tools will drive discoverability and shopping activity. To ensure your products appear in Pinterest's AI recommendation streams, connect your full product catalog and follow platform trends.

#5 X Never lets you go

X's Head of Product, Nikita Bier, previewed a new in-app link viewing experience, aiming to keep all content on the platform and ensure every post has equal visibility.

The Boom

• The new feature involves an in-app browser that opens external links within X itself.
• Users will no longer be referred off to other platforms.
• They'll view linked content while maintaining X engagement options along the bottom of the display.

Our take

This is X's latest move to become a self-contained content universe, prioritizing time-in-app over website referral traffic. Content is still king; social posts must work on their own, in isolation, regardless of the link. If this feature rolls out successfully, expect other professional platforms like LinkedIn to follow suit.

Ready to turn these insights into market advantage?

As a leading social media agency, we stay ahead of platform shifts to ensure your brand's growth. Discover how our social media services can help your business navigate new trends, from influencer tax changes to TikTok's volume demands.

Looking for more social media intel? Read the previous October 2025 Boom Scroll and get the latest paid media industry news through our latest Pulse Media.

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POSTED BY: Justin Buchbinder, Emily Kemp