The Latest Features on Instagram 2022
The Latest Features on Instagram 2022
Instagram experienced a lot of activity and change in September in 2022. The platform keeps evolving quickly, with fresh updates and features appearing virtually every week.
Will Instagram find a fresh method to stand out or follow TikTok’s meteoric rise? Will the switch to Reels be successful? Stay tuned; we share your curiosity.
Here’s what happened in September on Instagram:
Instagram tests Topic tags for Reels
Instagram is experimenting with a new way to categorize Reels.
Users can now upload their Reels with “Topic” tags by using the new feature. Users should be able to “reach people who share your interests” by using the topic tag.
Topics may be the next step in Instagram hashtag evolution, if the icon is any indication. After all, they both serve the purpose of classifying content. It’s common knowledge that hashtags are notorious for keyword stuffing. However, themes might give Instagram more management. It’s probably safe to assume that the platform is making an effort to enhance suggestions without totally handing them off to users (RIP #likeforlike).
Hashtags “assist us to understand what a post is about,” according to Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, but they don’t increase reach. However, topics might enable Instagram’s system to discover more relevant content. Then, Reels can be promoted to a more interested audience by a smarter recommendation engine.
The topic of Instagram’s suggested content in the style of TikTok is still contentious. This year, the platform faced criticism for overcrowding users’ feeds with suggested posts. Although Mosseri may have reversed some of the alterations, this retreat is probably just momentary.
This most recent test shows that Instagram is still primarily concerned with Reels and suggested content. We support topic tags if they can help those recommendations.
Instagram is phasing out the Shop tab
According to an internal memo, the Instagram Shop tab will shortly vanish from the application.
According to The Information, Instagram will reduce its shopping options as the network reorients itself to earning ad money.
In July 2020, Instagram initially added the Shop component to the Explore page. Later that same year, the Shop tab was added. The Shop functionalities were released as early COVID-19 pandemic e-commerce sales exploded globally.
However, this most current information and the recently announced termination of Facebook Live Shopping seem to suggest that Meta hasn’t had as much success with in-stream shopping as they had intended.
Meanwhile, Instagram hasn’t completely given up on retail. This adjustment is more of a trimming back than a radical overhaul. The Shop tab will be replaced by “Tab Lite,” a “simpler and less personalized” version of the page.
Currently in restricted testing, Tab Lite is expected to completely replace the separate shopping button by March 2023, according to the platform.
Instagram is testing a re-post feature
Instagram is experimenting with a new posting option that resembles one of Twitter’s most well-liked features.
Reposting, or disseminating other people’s material to your followers, might soon be possible on Instagram.
Alessandro Paluzzi, an app researcher, asserts that the platform has been working on a repost feature since May 2022.
Instagram has since told TechCrunch that the function is now being tested “with a restricted group of users.”
In order for users to share content that resonates with them and to ensure that the original authors are given credit for their work, Meta is investigating the possibility of allowing users to reshare posts in Feed in a manner similar to how you can do so in Stories.
Reposts on Instagram will also have their own tab, as can be seen below in the screenshot provided by social media expert Matt Navarra.
4 new Instagram ad surfaces and tools
- Music optimization for Reels
Instagram has included free, top-notch music from the Meta Sound Collection catalog to help Reels gain more users. You can include these tracks in Carousel Ads on Reels. You can choose a song from the app’s library or let it choose one for you depending on the content.
2. Explore profile and home feed advertisements
The grid that appears when you select the Explore option is called Explore home. In order to target people as they are first learning about fresh information they might be interested in, this feed will now include advertisements. Ads in profile feeds for non-teen, public profiles are also being tested. People can scroll through this feed after going to another account’s profile and tapping on a post.
Monetization Options. As part of this test, we will try out a monetization option that will let qualified creators’ profit from ads that are shown in their profile feeds, starting with a small group of U.S. creators.
3. AI-powered multi-advertiser ads
Businesses can be found by “those who are in a shopping mindset and have recently engaged with relevant business information in feed” thanks to multi-advertiser adverts.
The AI shows more adverts from companies a person may be interested in once they demonstrate their commercial purpose by interacting with an ad.
4. AR Ads
AR has begun an open beta in both feed and stories. Brands may encourage customers to participate with the AR experience through their surroundings since Spark AR powers it.
Final Thought
The public backlash over Instagram’s most recent attempts to clog feeds with irrelevant information makes this most recent change an interesting decision.
We are unsure, though, if users will actually use it or opt to keep sharing their favorite stuff to Instagram stories rather than their meticulously maintained main feeds. MCDA CCG, INC will always keep our clients updated with all the newest and latest updated for social media platforms.
