Instagram is a powerful social media platform for content creators, artists, small businesses and so on. In 2020 and 2021, there have been tons of helpful updates and features added to help you get the most out of the platform. Let’s take a look at some great new Instagram Features and Updates that can boost your presence, engagement and help you utilize new content trends!
Helpful Instagram Features: New In 2021
Recently Deleted Feature
More of a generally helpful feature, the addition of ‘Recently Deleted’ means you can restore accidentally deleted content. This also protects content creators against hackers deleting content once accessing an account.
Here’s how it works:
- Deleted Instagram stories (not in your archive) stay in this folder for 24 hours
- Other content such as photos, videos, IGTV videos and reels stay in the folder for 30 days. They are then automatically deleted.
To access your Recently Deleted folder:
- Settings > Account > Recently Deleted > Restore or Permanently delete posts
Professional Tracking Dashboard
In January 2021, Instagram announced a Professional Dashboard. It is available to all Creator and Business Instagram accounts.
The dashboard can:
- Show you insights and trends based on your account’s performance
- Give you access to new tools to build your business
- Allow you to check monetization status and eligibility
- Provide tips, tricks, guidance and inspiration for creators
Helpful Instagram Features: New In 2020
Shopping Feature In Reels
In 2020, Instagram began featuring Shopping, and restructured the appearance of the app to highlight the new addition. Shopping is now available in Feed, Stories, Reels, Live and IGTV.
This means that businesses and creators have the ability to tag their products when creating Reels. Viewers can watch the reels, and tap View Products to buy, save or learn more. Reels and Shopping were also added as options to the home screen, making them easier to find and use.
Creators can also add a Branded Content tag to their Reels to reinforce that they are paid to promote the products. As a small business owner, artist or content creator selling products or merch, this is a huge win!
Keyword Search Feature
Previously on Instagram, users had to search using only hashtags. Now, users can search using keywords, including those found in names and bios. This means that more people will be able to find your content without you having to use a million hashtags! Think of it as Instagram moving more towards a search engine using SEO, like a hybrid of Google and YouTube.
Introduction Of Reels & New Reels Features
To keep up with the viral sensation TikTok, Instagram introduced Reels in 2020. Instagram Reels are 30 second videos (originally 15 secs) that can be pinned to your profile and rewatched by your audiences.
Since its introduction, Instagram has added in some new options to Reels which are super helpful for content creators!
They are:
- Save Audio (to save songs to re-use in future content)
- Share Audio Pages (to share your Reels via Direct Message)
- Audio Browser (to find tracks in ‘For You’ and ‘Trending’ sections)
Instagram Live Updates
For all types of content creators and artists, Instagram Live has become a hugely popular feature due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Instagram have recognized this, and added some updates to help creators and small businesses reach more communities and build their brands.
They are:
- Extending how long you can go Live for (extended from 1 hour to 4 hours)
- Live videos are now available for 30 days in your archive. This means you can download them or re-use it for future IGTV content.
- ‘Live Now’ section added within IGTV, plus you can discover more Lives on ‘Explore’
Suggested Posts Feature
Hate it when you’re scrolling and are told ‘you’re all caught up’? Instagram has created a new feature called Suggested Posts, which includes organic posts and ads to keep users scrolling.
This helps to increase user engagement and show more ads, meaning that your content can find more people!
Automated IGTV Captions
Instagram have also added AI powered automatic captions to IGTV videos when users watch with the sound off.
Talking about captions, Instagram will add AI-powered automatic captions to IGTV videos when people are watching it with the sound off. This means that users can still enjoy your content whether they’re on the move or can’t listen for any reason! Subtitles are a great idea across all of your channels – head here to find out more about how they can help.
Final Thoughts & How Audiosocket Can Help
There are tons more Instagram features and updates that have been going on in 2020 and 2021. For a comprehensive list, head here. As a content creator, these can help boost your engagement and push your brand, whilst discovering new audiences.
This article is all about creating great content and that’s where we can help! With your videos and so on, you will most likely need music.
If you are looking for authentic, top-quality music for your project, why not check out Audiosocket? Your content deserves the best, so sign up today and access tens of thousands of songs to bring your vision to life! You can access Audiosocket’s music catalog for just $15 a month as a Personal creator. Not only that, but this allows you to license an unlimited number of tracks at no additional cost. Talk about win-win!
Also, feel free to check out our helpful articles on smartphone accessories for video creators, using background songs for videos and best free video editing software in 2021!
