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

Welcome to WORK!! Today we’re so back unpacking our firstly monthly instalment of State of Social Media!! Thanks to Storyblocks for sponsoring this video. Get 15% off any annual plan for a limited time, only available through this link: https://www.storyblocks.com/tessbarclay We’ll be unpacking what’s working in March 2026 on social media, Instagram new features, content inso, creator economy news & more! 🎧 LISTEN ON THE PODCAST Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/3OsCVEK Listen on Spotify: http://bit.ly/3CHpmPo Listen anywhere else: https://pod.link/1565886767 📥 SPONSOR Thanks to Storyblocks for sponsoring this video. Get 15% off any annual plan for a limited time, only available through this link: https://www.storyblocks.com/tessbarclay ⸻ ⏱️ CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS 0:00 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 ⸻ 🔗 LINKS Busy Blooming HQ: https://www.busyblooming.ca/hq Descript: https://get.descript.com/tess ClickUp: https://try.web.clickup.com/tess Riverside: https://riverside.fm/?via=tess-barclay Rella: https://getrella.com/?via=busyblooming My content creator essentials: https://www.amazon.com/shop/tessbarclay My ShopMy (clothes, tech, etc.): https://shopmy.us/shop/tessbarclay Some links are affiliate links — I may earn a commission if you sign up (at no extra cost to you!) 💸 ⸻ 🔗 ARTICLES + LINKS MENTIONED Average creator income: https://www.creatoriq.com/blog/how-mu... Fintech created for influencers: https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbe... Vanity Fair the new late night: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/... Substack articles https://mufarodawn.substack.com/p/the... https://curatedbyamritasingh.substack... Reddit thread:   / ive_spent_millions_on_influencer_marketing...   📌 FOLLOW US Busy Blooming IG →   / busybloomingg   Tess IG →   / tessbarclay   TikTok →   / tess.barclay   Busy Blooming® is a registered trademark. All content, formats, and segments are original works. Unauthorized reproduction or translation is not permitted. #socialmediamarketing #contentcreation #creatoreconomy