Welcome to WORK!! Today we’re so back unpacking our firstly monthly instalment of State of Social Media!! We’ll be unpacking what’s working in March 2026 on social media, Instagram new features, content inso, creator economy news & more!

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS

00:00 Intro
3:15 Polished casual content is still in
4:25 Tess’ theory: The two types of creator in 2026
5:00 Expert personal brand + examples
7:09 Chaotic personal brand + examples
8:07 Influencers aren’t influential anymore
9:38 Niche audiences in 2026 are essential
10:26 Instagram updates: Stickers, Carousels & Adam Mosseri corner lol
12:15 YouTube updates: Voicenote comments & quizzes
14:18 Podcasting news: Apple video & Jake Shane on Netflix
16:24 Average creator income & it’s not too late
20:30 Podcasts are the new late night
22:04 The future of this channel & this podcast

Check out Storyblocks at https://www.storyblocks.com/tessbarclay to level-up your content!

ARTICLES + LINKS MENTIONED

Average creator income
Fintech created for influencers
Vanity Fair the new late night
Substack articles: https://mufarodawn.substack.com/p/the-rise-of-the-expert-influencer

Substack article 2: https://curatedbyamritasingh.substack.com/p/the-difference-between-being-an-influencer
Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/influencermarketing/comments/1rg8k7d/ive_spent_millions_on_influencer_marketing_ama/

Instagram is thriving & TikTok is flopping: What's working right now on social media in March 2026