Instagram's Features to Help You Crush it in 2022

Instagram is currently ranked as the 4th most used social media platform worldwide, behind Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp (in that order).

But, now it's taking steps to further climb the ranks and prevent "creepers" like TikTok from gaining market share on them by implementing new features that are going to make your account more engaging and fun.

With some of these new updates, there are tons of ways for you to get more out of your account: story links, new insights capabilities, live rooms, reels remix, DM cleanup, scheduled lives, and recommended hashtag amount.

There is also an algorithm update that prioritizes fun engaging video content over recycled content from other platforms! This article will give you tips on how to use all these great features so you can crush it in 2022!

Story Links

Instagram's Story Link feature isn't necessarily new, but it's new for most of you. It has be rolled out slowly to the most popular users on the platform for a few years but is now available for all through Story Stickers.

Story Links is a great way to direct your followers to other content that you want them to see. This could be another Instagram story, a website, or even a fundraising page.

To use this feature, all you have to do is add a link to the story you want to share via "stickers". When your followers click on the link, they will be taken directly to that page.

To use Instagram Story Links follow these steps:

1. Go to your story and select the 'Stickers' icon in the top right corner.
2. Once you click on it, there should be an option for "Links".
3. Type in your link, and then click on the sticker.
4. That's it! It should show up

This is a great way to promote other content that you think your followers will enjoy. You can also use it to direct people to your website or fundraising page.

Make sure that the links you include are accurate and reliable, so that your followers can trust that they will be taken to the right place.

Instagram Insights

Instagram has now announced that it will be rolling out a series of new insights and reporting features. This is great news for businesses and social media managers, as it provides a way to track data and performance more closely.

The new features include:

- Reels: Instagram has opened up more insights for your Reels. These insights will include view counts, completion rates, and reports of audience demographics.

- Stories: The same new reporting capabilities for Reels are now being applied to Instagram Stories.

- People: Now you can break down audience insights by different demographics, including age, gender, country, and more! This is a huge update that will help you tailor your content to each of your unique audiences.

- Videos: You can now see how long people are watching videos. This will help you find the optimal video duration to keep your audience engaged.

-Live rooms: This allows you to see how many people are watching your live videos, as well as the demographics of those viewers and the interactions that they're having with your stream.

Instagram Live

One of the new features Instagram has rolled out is live rooms. Live rooms are a great place to connect with other people who are interested in the same thing as you. For example, if you are a musician, you could join a live room for other musicians and chat with them about music. Or if you are a foodie, you could join a live room for foodies and chat with them about recipes and food. Live rooms are a great way to connect with people who share your interests, and they are a lot of fun too!

To use Instagram Live follow these steps:

1. Swipe right from your home feed to find the "live" icon in the bottom right corner of the screen.
2. Click the 4 horizontal lines on the left to name your live room and create a description for it.
3. You can practice a live if you want by clicking the eyeball icon.
4. You can also schedule an Instagram Live for a future date by clicking the calendar icon.
5. Click on the white record button to go live
6. Users can comment and send hearts while streaming, which will be displayed in real-time. Once you are done streaming, you can post the video to your story or save it forever.

Instagram Reels Remix

Instagram's Reels Remix feature is a new way to share your stories. With this feature, you can remix your old stories and create new ones. You can also remix other peoples' stories. Imagine connecting with influencers on your favorite topics, or seeing new places via other users' adventures around the world.

To use the Reels Remix feature, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Stories tab on Instagram.

2. Tap on the story that you want to remix.

3. Tap on the three dots in the bottom right corner of the screen.

4. Tap on Remix Story.

5. Select the photos and videos that you want to use in your remix story.

6. Tap on Next.

7. Write a caption for your remix story.

8. Share your remix.

9. You can also add boomerangs, hands-free videos, or long exposure photos to your stories. Tap on the plus button to add these photos and videos.

Instagram DMs

Instagram is attempting to clean up its Direct Messages by making it easier for users to find the messages they're looking for.

The app will now group messages with the same user together, and messages from people you don't follow will be hidden behind a menu.

This update is designed to make it easier for users to find the messages they're looking for, and to prevent unwanted messages from cluttering up their inbox.

Also, Instagram released bulk delete for messages, delete for everyone (in case you accidentally sent something to the wrong person), and an updated spam reporting feature.

And finally, it used to be that if you wanted to engage with someone's story, it would appear as a DM every time you like or reply. Now, you'll be able to engage in the story without sending the person a message.

So messages can just be messages.

Instagram's Algorithm Updates

Social media platforms are always changing and evolving, and Instagram is no exception.

Recently, they made an algorithm update that prioritizes fun, engaging video content over recycled content from other platforms. This means that if you want your account to do well, you need to be creating original, interesting videos that people will want to watch. Don't just recycle content from other social media platforms - that's not going to work anymore (Eh-hem, No TikTok videos, eh-hem).

Conclusion

These new updates to Instagram will give you a lot of options for expanding your reach and making the most out of your account. You must consider how these features can help improve engagement with potential customers, so make sure to get creative when using them! If you need some ideas or want our team's expertise on this subject, please don't hesitate to contact us at any time. We look forward to hearing from you soon!