Meta and X Are Reshaping the Feed

Attention is everything, and both Meta and X are making strategic plays to capture more of it—through video and mobile-first formats. While their strategies differ, both platforms are making it easier for marketers to engage users in fast-moving, feed-driven environments.

Meta: Automating Product Messaging with Dynamic Overlays

Meta is sharpening its performance ad tools with a new update to Advantage+ catalog ads: the addition of dynamic overlays on Facebook Feed placements.

These overlays allow advertisers to automatically display real-time product information pulled from their catalog, like price, sale percentage, strikethrough discounts, or free shipping, in visually distinct banners that appear directly over images or videos in carousel and single-image ads.

Advertisers can:

• Customize the overlay shape (pill, circle, triangle, rectangle)

• Choose placement, font, text color, and opacity

• Opt to show overlays automatically or set them manually

• Override automation and choose “Always show” for consistent visibility

It’s a small but powerful addition: a way to make catalog ads more eye-catching and conversion-driven, without increasing production time.

This update reinforces Meta’s Advantage+ vision—letting automation and creative enhancement work together to make performance ads smarter, faster, and more scalable.

X: Building a Swipeable, TikTok-Style Video Feed

Meanwhile, X is testing a new vertical video interface that mirrors the experience of TikTok or Instagram Reels. Tap a video to go full screen, swipe up to see more. The feed encourages passive discovery and extended watch time—key behaviors that X has historically struggled to capture.

While monetization details haven’t been announced, the move signals a shift in how X wants users to engage with content and creates a new canvas for advertisers to watch closely.

What It Means for Marketers

While Meta leans into automation and product-driven creative, and X experiments with full-screen video, both platforms are converging on a shared goal: more immersive, context-rich experiences that keep users in-feed longer.

Here’s how to adapt:

• On Meta, use dynamic overlays to make your product ads more relevant, real-time, and performance-focused—without adding manual design time.

• On X, prepare for a video-first future by testing short-form vertical creative, even before ad placements are officially rolled out.

  
  

The scroll isn’t slowing down, but smart advertisers are learning how to meet users where they are, with content that informs, sells, and feels like it belongs.