Instagram Has Changed, And Here’s What You Need To Know

It is increasingly evident that Instagram is prioritising video content over static content. With its latest updates, Instagram makes sure the content takes over your whole screen. 

Right now your feed is going to change to be full-screen content (9:16) and it will also include content from other pages as ‘recommended content’ determined by your behaviour on the channel. 

“We are moving Instagram to where the video is a bigger part of the home experience” – Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram.

He also says, ‘The future of photos and videos is mobile-first; they are 9:16, and immersive.’

The Instagram head founder also said that the changes align with the fact that most of the world will be mobile-first. 

But the immersive feed currently has only a few fans. Hannah Rooke at Digital Camera World has said, ‘One of the reasons I really do not like this new update is that it’s harder to tell the difference between when you’re viewing someone’s story and when you’re viewing your news feed.’

What do you need to know as a marketer?

Dimensions: Keep your content design as 9:16. For the posts that aren’t 9:16 – we can see a blurred background on the borders. 

Content: The feed will also have many recommendations. This means your followers will now see content from other ‘competitors’ on their timelines similar to you. This particular feature is to understand what users want and help them stay on the app for longer by providing similar content. This is a replication of the TikTok strategy. 

Videos: Posting more videos is helpful because it will prove beneficial visibility. If you are already not posting two Reels a week, you are not adhering to the algorithm changes. Adapting to Reels is the most effective way to reach out to wider audiences on the channel. Because as we can see, Instagram is lately a Reelstagram.

Instagram is also currently testing a new Stories UI. It is no longer going to autoplay all the Story frames. Instead, it will show your audience the first three frames and then have a button that says ‘show all’. If this is approved and becomes a permanent feature, it is essential that your page limits Stories to just three to five frames. Or increase the use of engaging stickers like polls, questions, etc to keep the audience engaged and encourage them to click on ‘show all’.

Napoleon Cat has also done a detailed blog on all the updates on the platform from 2021 and 2022.

Also, have you checked out Instagram’s chronological feed yet?