Instagram Instants: What brand marketers need to know

Everyone is asking, ‘what is Instagram Instant?’ Here’s a breakdown on the new feature, how it works, and whether it belongs in your brand strategy.  

What is Instagram Instant?

Instant on Instagram is a new feature for brands, consumers and influencers, that lets users send disappearing, unedited photos directly to friends via DMs. 

Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri frames it as a way to share casual and in-the-moment content - no filters, no editing, and no uploaded branded assets. 

This feature fits neatly into Instagram’s push for authenticity and creator/community content on the platform. 

To use it, head to your DM tab, tap the photo pile in the bottom-right corner, and your camera opens instantly. 

Snap, send, gone. Once it’s viewed, the photo disappears forever. Screenshots are blocked too.

It’s got some broad similarities to BeReal and Snapchat, therefore.

Can brands use it?

Yes. However, there is one important constraint for brands: Instant in Instagram only works between mutually-followed accounts. 

So, your brand page would need to follow users back, or have added them to a close-friends list before they can receive your Instants. The following back is a key aspect which will limit the effectiveness for many brands, who choose not to do this at scale.

Should brand marketers care? 

Right now, the honest answer is that there are bigger priorities for brands to pursue in the platform. It’s most useful for niche, community-first use cases right now, due to the need to follow back. It will especially not benefit brands pursuing broad reach, or performance marketing.

Here’s a quick breakdown on the pros and cons:

Where it can work	Where it falls short
Teasing a launch to a tight VIP close friends list	No paid placements (organic only)
Behind-the-scenes content that feels exclusive	No analytics or reporting (so far)
Building intimacy with a small, highly engaged community	No camera roll uploads or branded assets
	Reach is limited to mutual followers only

For any activity requiring scale, measurement or designed brand assets, Instagram stories remain your best bet. It already does the job, and does it better. 

Our verdict: 

Instagram Instant is one to watch, but not one to activate right now. Add this to your test-and-learn list, but don’t deprioritise Stories in its favour. 

If community-building is a key pillar of your strategy, a curated close friends list could be a low-effort way to experiment. 

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