Have you updated the Instagram app recently? You may notice some new changes.
It can be difficult to keep up with all of these changes so here are the updates for 2022 which you can use to improve your social media strategy and grow your brand.
Take a Break
The time spent endlessly scrolling on instagram is on the rise.
As a result, towards the end of 2021, Instagram released a new feature called “Take a Break”. This feature is an in-app reminder prompting users to log out and do something else after 10, 20 or 30 minutes on the app.
For help setting this feature up, visit Instagrams Help Centre.
Feed Order
2022. The year Instagram finally gives people want they want; a fair algorithm.
The decision to give users more autonomy started by introducing three new options, Home, Favourites and Following, to redesign users’ feeds.
The favourites option allows users to select their top Instagram accounts, and thus the posts from these accounts will be shown before others. The home feature sticks to Instagram’s standard algorithm, showing users posts they think they’ll be interested in.
Hiding Likes
After years of testing, Instagram rolled out its new feature giving users the ability to hide how many likes they receive on posts. The person posting can see the total number of likes they receive, but the number of hearts wouldn’t be invisible to the public.
The forward-thinking update was a way to depressurise the Instagram space and make it less of a competition for likes. Once the update rolled out, there’s been a massive increase in brands and users alike opting for hiding the likes on their posts, and there was a polarising contrast between those who love it and those who hate it!
Link Sticker in Instagram Stories
Previously, adding a link to Instagram stories was strictly reserved for influencers, verified accounts or anyone with over 10,000 followers. However, the new customisable link sticker was a welcomed addition to Instagram stories. Like any other sticker, they have a pretty uniform appearance – a link icon with a URL against a white background.
Even though a simple link might not seem like a groundbreaking change, it really is. Link stickers make it easier to link to content outside of Instagram, and small businesses can promote their work before reaching the 10k milestone.
Plan your Activity
First up is the brand new feature designed to make the Instagram app less cluttered and user-friendly. The activity section of the app allows you to manage all aspects of your content, from bulk managing content in the form of deleting and archiving posts to managing interactions (likes, comments, story sticker reactions, etc.).
The activity section can be found in the top right-hand menu of your profile!