Introducing Exact Match within Sprout’s Listening Query Builder

We’re excited to announce our new Exact Match operator within the Listening Query Builder. This option allows Listening users to utilize quotes to enforce strict keyword matching, ensuring that Sprout only collects results that contain the precise word or phrase entered, without the standard "fuzzy" matching or word conjugation typically applied to Listening queries.

When you select Exact Match, Sprout will only pull in results that contain the precise word or phrase you entered — no variations, no plurals, and no unwanted noise.

Learn more here!

Compose Settings Update: Remember Compose Fields

We know that every social media manager’s workflow is unique. While "sticky" fields in Compose can be a great shortcut for some, they can lead to accidental errors for others—like applying a previous post's campaign tag or audience targeting to a brand-new post.

With this update, we are giving you full control over how your Compose window behaves. You can now choose exactly which fields should be remembered between sessions and which should start fresh every time you open Compose.

You can manage these preferences by navigating to

Settings > Personal Settings > App Preferences.

For more information check out this article!

Sentiment Rules Update

We are introducing Sentiment Classification Rules, a new customer-level configuration feature that allows users to customize how sentiment is scored across both Listening and Smart Inbox/Care workflows.

This update resolves recurring misclassifications for brands with context-specific terminology (e.g., "Cancer" for “Cancer Research”).

The new Rules experience will live in Global Settings and support ignoring words or phrases from sentiment scoring, as well as overriding messages to Positive or Negative when specific keywords, phrases, or emojis are detected.

Learn more here.

Enhanced X (Twitter) Shared Metrics

We are excited to announce an update to how X (formerly Twitter) Shares are calculated in Sprout Social. This change provides a more comprehensive view of how your content is being shared across the platform.

New Definition of "Shares"

Previously, the Shares metric for X only included native Reposts. To align with the full range of sharing behavior on X, the Shares metric now represents the combined total of three distinct actions:

• Reposts: Standard native retweets of your posts.
  • Post Level: Contains Paid and Organic metrics
  • Profile Level: Organic metrics
• Quotes: Quote-tweets where users add their own commentary.
  • Post Level: Contains Paid and Organic metrics
  • Profile Level: Organic metrics
• Post Shares: External shares of the post link, such as via Direct Messages or third-party applications.
  • Post Level: Organic metrics
  • Profile Level: Organic metrics

Key Benefits

• Increased Visibility: You will likely see an increase in your Shares count as it now captures a fuller picture of audience engagement.
• Granular Reporting: In addition to the aggregate Shares metric, Quotes and Post Shares are now available as individual metrics.
• New Averages: You can now track "Average Post Shares per Post" and "Average Quotes per Post" for deeper performance analysis.

Note: For customers whose Engagement metric includes Shares, you may also see a proportional increase in your overall Engagement totals.

API Support for LinkedIn PDFs and Instagram Mixed Media Carousels

We're excited to announce an update to Sprout's Public API that expands your integration capabilities for content creation!

Previously, using the Public API to create draft posts did not support two key formats: LinkedIn PDF uploads and Instagram mixed media carousels. With this enhancement, you can now seamlessly create draft posts for both networks using these newly supported post types. Learn about the public API here.

What's New

LinkedIn PDF Documents

You can now create draft posts on LinkedIn that include PDF files.

Details: Documents must not exceed 100MB and 300 pages. When constructing your post request, be sure to use the media_type value: "DOCUMENT".

Instagram Mixed Media Carousels

Draft posts can now include a carousel of images, videos, or a mix of both on Instagram.

Details: You can include up to 10 media objects. Videos in the carousel must be 1 minute or less. The order of the media objects in your request will determine their order in the final post.

How to Implement

To utilize these new features, you must first upload your media (PDFs, images, or videos) using Sprout’s Media Upload endpoints:

• Simple Media Upload: For files less than 50 MB.
• Multipart Media Upload: For files larger than 50 MB.

Once uploaded, use the returned media_id or media_ids to construct your post request.

Important Consideration

When creating a mixed-network post, if the media type (e.g., a PDF) is not supported by all profiles included in the request, a draft post will only be created for the supported network (e.g., only LinkedIn).

Note: This feature requires an API key or OAuth configuration access for your account.

Link Tracking Rules in Your First Comment

You can now automatically apply your link tracking rules when posting to Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn using the First Comment field!

Previously, you had to manually paste in link tracking parameters when using the First Comment field. Now, simply enter your URL, and we'll check for and apply any corresponding link tracking rules in real-time. This update helps you automate your content creation workflow and ensures your links are always correctly tracked. Learn more about link tracking here.

Optimal Send Times - BlueSky & Threads

We are excited to announce that Optimal Send Times are now available for Bluesky and Threads!

Finding the right moment to post can be a guessing game, but not anymore. By analyzing peak engagement windows, Sprout now helps you identify exactly when your audience is most active on these growing networks, ensuring your content gets the visibility it deserves.

What's New?

• Data-Driven Insights: Access suggested posting times tailored specifically for Bluesky and Threads.
• Simplified Scheduling: Seamlessly integrate optimal times into your publishing workflow directly within Compose.
• Increased Engagement: Reach your followers when they are most likely to interact with your posts.

Ready to level up your social strategy? Head over to Compose and start scheduling your next viral post today! Learn more about optimal send times here.

Exciting Update: Listening Topic Edits in Seconds!

We are thrilled to announce a fundamental transformation to the Listening Topic editing workflow. You can now see the impact of your refinements almost immediately, collapsing a process that used to take days into a single focused session.

What you need to know:

• Immediate Impact: Query updates and keyword removals now reprocess the majority of your data in under a minute.
• Standard Processing: Theme updates and full linguistic matching will continue to complete on the regular 12-hour batch schedule.

Keep an eye out for the new in-product banners and hourglass icons that will indicate when your updates are available or still processing.

Learn more here!

Third Party Web Surveys

Our new Web Surveys feature allows you to seamlessly integrate Sprout conversation data into your external Customer Experience Management (CEM) platforms like Medallia and Qualtrics.

Care Managers and Admins on the Advanced plan can now configure Sprout to automatically send links to your existing 3rd-party survey URLs (via private message) when a case is closed.

Key benefits include the ability to use custom query string parameters to link every survey response back to the specific Sprout Case, helping you Close the Loop.

Supported channels include: Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp.

Learn more here.

Streamline Threads Management in Sprout Social

We're excited to announce two powerful updates that give you full visibility and greater control over your Threads presence directly within Sprout Social, allowing you to manage engagement more efficiently.

Respond to Threads @Mentions from the Smart Inbox

You now have full visibility into your Threads engagement with the introduction of Threads Mentions as a new message type in the Smart Inbox. Previously, you had to switch to the native Threads app to see when your profile was tagged.

Delete Sent Threads Posts

You can now delete sent Threads posts directly from Sprout. This action is available in the following locations:

• Smart Inbox
• Post Performance Report
• Publishing Calendar

Protecting your data and privacy remains our top priority at Sprout Social. As part of our ongoing commitment to responsible data stewardship, we are updating our default retention periods for subscriber data on the Sprout Social platform, effective April 1st 2026.

What's Changing?

We are shortening the amount of time we hold on to your data after an account is no longer active. This change is simply better for your privacy:

• Trial Accounts: All subscriber data will now be permanently deleted 30 days after your trial period ends (previously 180 days).
• Subscription Accounts: All subscriber data will now be permanently deleted 90 days after account closure (previously 13 months).

What This Means For You:

Shorter retention periods mean your data spends less time on our servers once it is no longer actively working for you. This update strengthens your data privacy and reflects our continued focus on security and responsible data management.