Instagram introduces three new features

From what they are, to what they can do for your brand, here’s what you need to know… 

With the recent buzz about Meta’s AI Superintelligence team, it would be easy to forget that social platforms and their algorithms are in fact driven by real people. Not artificially intelligent ones. 

As the Instagram platform continues to evolve and be guided by the people who use it and the content they consume, they’ve rolled out three new features. Introducing Reposts, a Friend Map, and a customised ‘Friends’ feed in the Reels tab. 

But what are they? 

• Reposts - allow you to do just that: repost content to appear on your page. The feature sits on your account page next to your tagged pictures. The key difference is it enables you to curate an owned feed of third party content by reposting specific UGC or influencer content there

• Friend Map - probably the least useful feature from a brand perspective, this is much like the Find My Friends, enabling followers to see your live location - and you theirs. We don’t recommend turning this on 

• ‘Friends’ feed in Reels tab - is the most notable of the updates. For consumers it’s a markedly different way to engage with your Friends (the people you follow) content, what are they watching and engaging in? For brands, it opens up a unique possibility for audience/customer insight with a snapshot into what our followers are actually engaging with 

These features serve as a timely reminder for brands and creators alike (yes, even brand accounts can utilise them!). Social platforms are inherently that. Social. It’s a place for people to connect with each other, their favourite brands and the latest creators filling their feed.