Influencer promoted post, Cardi B, ad, Kim K, cute puppy, food — these days, your social media feeds may feel a little cluttered. As a result, major social platforms, namely Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, are weathering user fatigue.

Now, for the good news: in 2018, all three platforms made numerous changes to ensure users stay engaged and keep scrolling. The following two updates cover the latest ad formats, enabling creative teams to develop more engaging advertisements to reach customers.

1. Collection layout: The collection layout, available on Facebook and Instagram, gives advertisers an interactive way to show a look book of products or to tell a story in a more captivating way than is possible via traditional static ad formats. You may have noticed that this format is already successfully capturing mobile shoppers. So, what makes the collection layout so appealing? Designed to ensure a seamless and engaging experience, it allows shoppers to browse a merchandise collection personally (ahem, algorithmically) selected for them.

2. Carousel pins: Mobile devices account for 80 percent of Pinterest traffic, so the platform added new units to captivate pinners’ attention and encourage engagement in the mobile experience. Carousel pins allow advertisers to show a range of products or styles or steps of a DIY project or even tell a story. Wide-format video pins also provide larger real estate in-feed and through search, allowing video to shine. In fact, a pinner who views a video pin is 2.6 times more likely to take an action toward purchase, compared to a pinner who views a static pin (AdWeek).

Social platforms must operate within an ever-changing media landscape while combating shrinking attention spans. It’s no wonder they constantly evolve their ad units — if they want to continue engaging users and keep their advertisers happy, it’s a must. If you’re an advertiser and want your paid social media to function as an impactful vehicle, knowledge of all the ad formats at your disposal is just as crucial.