Instagram is adding some awesome new features to its platform! Now, you’ll be able to view engagement insights for Reels and Instagram Live Broadcasts, hide your like counts on posts (which is also coming to Facebook), and upload content via desktop. Instagram is also testing a new search function for songs/sounds that is similar to that of TikTok. Wow, that’s a lot of Instagram updates! Keep reading to learn the details about what’s new.
New Engagement Insights for Reels and IG Live Broadcasts
Since Instagram has been testing new ways to boost the Reels option, more and more users are starting to utilize this function. Instagram Live usage has also significantly increased in recent months. To help creators make the most of the platform, Instagram has launched insights for both Reels and Live. They wanted to give business and creator accounts the ability to see how these two types of content affect their account’s overall performance.
For Reels, Instagram will now give business and creator accounts data on total plays, how many accounts they reach, likes, comments, saves, and shares. For Instagram Live Broadcasts, business and creator accounts will be able to see how many accounts their broadcast reached, peak concurrent viewers, comments, and shares.
New Option to Hide Like Counts on Posts
Instagram has announced that all Instagram and Facebook users will soon have the choice of whether or not to display like counts on each of their posts. According to Social Media Today, “Depressurizing the experience is a term that the platform has used repeatedly in describing this experiment, with the idea being that if you take away public like counts, you can reduce some of the performance pressure of the platform, and the competitive nature of Instagram engagement.” This is an attempt to incentivize the “right” kind of engagement (more meaningful interactions), rather than making a competition out of perceived popularity.
This new function will allow users to choose whether or not they want to see the like counts on all posts in their feed as to whether or not they want to hide the like counts on their own posts. If users choose to hide the like counts in whichever capacity, they can focus on the content itself, rather than focusing on how many likes it gets.
You Can Now Upload Via Desktop
Sometimes it’s just easier to work from a desktop computer than the phone. Instagram has always been a mobile-first experience, only allowing you to use the majority of the features with a mobile phone. Now they’ve made it available for users to upload a photo from desktop. It’s still easier to schedule content out via a platform like ours, but for that last-minute upload, while you’re still on your desktop, it’s nice to have the option.
New ‘Audio’ Tab in Explore
Instagram is in the process of testing another new feature that’s been inspired by TikTok. This test has given some users an ‘Audio’ tab in their Explore page. This enables users to search up specific tracks by keyword, providing them with a listing of tracks that are registered in Instagram’s system. By clicking on a specific track, users will be brought to a page where they can save or use the audio in their own posts, while also being able to see all the Reels clips that have used that very same track. Users will also be able to get to the sound page from a Reels clip itself. This is super similar to the same way that TikTok functions, and is a way that Instagram is hoping to increase interaction within the app.
We hope these updates give you an idea of how to get the most out of such an awesome platform!
Source: Hutchinson, Andrew. “Instagram Adds New Engagement Insights for Reels and Instagram Live Broadcasts.” Social Media Today, 24 May 2021, www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-adds-new-engagement-insights-for-reels-and-instagram-live-broadca/600652/.
Source: Hutchinson, Andrew. “Instagram Rolls Out New Option to Hide Like Counts on Posts, Which Is Also Coming to Facebook.” Social Media Today, 26 May 2021, www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-rolls-out-new-option-to-hide-like-counts-on-posts-which-is-also/600808/.
Source: Hutchinson, Andrew. “Instagram Tests New Upload Options in the Desktop Version of the App.” Social Media Today, 17 May 2021, www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-tests-new-upload-options-in-the-desktop-version-of-the-app/600300/.
Source: Hutchinson, Andrew. “Instagram Tests New ‘Audio’ Tab in Explore To Improve Music Discovery.” Social Media Today, 24 May 2021, www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-tests-new-audio-tab-in-explore-to-improve-music-discovery/600715/.