The year is coming to an end, and Instagram is rolling out some incredible updates that will likely take place in the new year – but, there’s a chance you’ve already seen some of these updates so far! As we typically see from the platform, Instagram will be taking on new features that we’ve seen on other platforms before. Is this going to be their biggest update yet? Let’s get into it.
Post/Reel Scheduling
Can we all just take a moment to say… FINALLY! If you’re a content creator or an agency like us, you know that the Reel Scheduling tool is a major blessing and we are quite literally bowing down to Mark Zuckerberg for this update.
Ever since Reels rolled out, we’ve had to work our way around scheduling them through third-party platforms and it hasn’t always been the easiest. But, with this new update already in place, businesses or professional accounts can now schedule Posts and Reels on the mobile app for up to 75 days in advance.
Create and schedule, and the rest of the posting is in Instagram’s hands! It’s that easy. Check out our TikTok on how to schedule a post or Reel on Instagram.
Topics
Another update that has already launched is Topics. These are tags on Instagram that you can add to your Reel (only) that help categorize your video. The purpose of these tags is to help increase the reach of your content and connect it to people who share interests with that content.
Maximizing reach? We love it. It’s recommended to use different tags from the different categories provided – but choose wisely, you only get to pick 3! Since this feature is still relatively new, there isn’t a ton of supporting data, however, you can still try it out, see what works, and optimize your content from there.
Notes
Now beginning the long list of new updates to come. Think of Notes as a Story paired with a tweet within a DM. Now that’s a lot of lingo… let’s break it down.
Notes will be available at the top of someone’s inbox (direct messages) for 24 hours, with a max text capacity of 60 characters using just text and emojis. This is Instagram’s way of giving people a casual way to connect with each other. I like this idea, however, I’m interested to see how people will use it.
Add Yours
Add Yours has been part of Stories since last year, however, Instagram is rolling out a new feature to help inspire people to share more easily with friends with the use of the “Pass it On” button and invite friends. Personally, this seems like an unneeded update, but I think it’s just Instagram’s way of trying to cultivate the use of Add Yours more frequently.
Candid Stories
This is Instagram’s spin-off of the app “BeReal.” They are starting to test Candid Stories, which is only visible to those who also share their own Candid stories. The intent of Candid Stories is to capture what you are doing at that moment and share it with friends. As a BeReal user myself, I’m not mad about it, but I’d rather keep BeReal on BeReal!
Group Profiles
This would be a take on Facebook Groups, and I’m curious how users will utilize this feature. People will be able to create and join this profile to share posts and stories in a dedicated, shared profile with friends. It will only be shared with the group members rather than all of your followers.
I do think this feature will be utilized frequently, especially among big organizations, groups, networking events, events, and plain old friend groups who want a space to share photos on the platform without having to create an account for the entire world to see!
Collaborative Connections
Let’s be honest – Instagram has rolled out features in the past that aren’t really used or known about – and I’m getting vibes that this will be another one that many people don’t use.
Collaborative Collections reminds me of a Pinterest board but shared with a group or in a 1:1 DM. I can see how this would be effective for inspiration, but other than that I don’t really know how its purpose will play a role for both personal accounts and business accounts alike.
So, we sure do have a lot of fun things to look forward to with this new update! Instagram is continually rolling out new updates, but this may be one of the more exciting ones, with multiple new features. Which one are you most looking forward to?