19 Instagram New Features That You Need to Know About in 2022
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Looking for the latest Instagram new features? We’ve got you covered.
Instagram is always updating and changing. Something that makes the Instagram app so exciting is how it’s always coming up with new ideas, testing new features, and responding to the ever-changing social media landscape.
This means there are always new ways you can use Instagram to grow your brand.
These new features could be to help businesses sell more products, to let creators make more exciting content, or just for users to experience more from the app in their day-to-day lives. Either way, staying on top of all the new features on Instagram is important if you want to get the most out of your Instagram account.
To keep you up to date, here is a breakdown of some of the most exciting and recent Instagram new features you need to know.
1. Top Instagram New Features
2. Instagram New Features: Reels
3. Instagram New Features: Monetization
4. Instagram New Features: Other
Top Instagram New Features
Here are some of the latest and most exciting Instagram features that you can use on the photo-sharing app.
New Payment Feature
Instagram has released a new payment feature that can completely transform the way small businesses and social media marketers use Instagram for selling products.
With this feature, users can purchase products and track orders directly from small businesses through their DMs.
A user simply needs to send a direct message to a qualified small business that they’re interested in. They can chat with the business here and ask questions. When they’re ready to make a purchase, the user can pay directly for their order in the message thread.
They can also track the order, and easily ask follow-up questions from this thread.
This feature comes from the idea that customers often chat with small businesses via DMs before placing their orders. This new feature streamlines the customer journey here, making it a lot easier to buy and sell on social media.
Payments are made through the Meta Pay platform.
Check out our complete guide for more information on selling through social media.
Searchable Maps
Instagram is introducing a new searchable and dynamic map experience. With this, users can search for popular tagged locations around them.
The map will offer filters that users can choose from. These include categories like restaurants, cafes, sights, and hotels. You can also search for hashtags, or search for tagged locations in users’ posts and stories. Location stickers make this possible.
Users can also move the map around and enjoy a more immersive, navigational experience. Before this, Instagram’s map experience only included posts.
This is a great feature for users to discover small businesses. It’s also a great way for small businesses to develop a stronger online presence.
The new Instagram maps experience will help Instagram to compete with Google maps. This is relevant, as more and more young people are discovering small businesses through platforms like Instagram and TikTok, instead of Google.
Featured Image Grid Pins
Grid pinning lets you pin any three chosen posts to the top of your Instagram grid. If there are important posts that you want your audience to see, then these can claim a permanent spot at the top of your profile.
Want to know how to do grid pinning? Follow these three steps:
- Find the post you want to pin
- Tap the three dots in the right-hand corner
- Select Pin to your profile
New Home Feed
Instagram is experimenting with a new home feed layout. This new home feed provides an immersive experience, where video becomes a bigger part of the feed and takes up more space.
The new home feed is being run as a test to see how users interact with the new design on mobile. This is being done in response to the full-screen home screen design of TikTok.
Quote Request Button
Instagram is testing its “Get a Quote” button, which will be a great new feature for businesses on the platform.
This is a new sticker that can be used in Instagram Stories. With the sticker, users can easily request a quote from brands on specific products or services that they advertise in their stories. Users can also add in custom questions that they can ask the brand through direct messages.
This is a great way for brands to use Instagram for boosting lead generation.
Check out our complete guide to Instagram Stories hacks for more tricks and tips like this.
Instagram New Features: Reels
Instagram Reels are some of the most popular and engaging pieces of content on the social media platform. Instagram knows the power of Reels, which is why they’ve been putting a lot of effort into updating the overall Reels experience.
Here are some recent features with Instagram Reels.
Reels Extension
Instagram Reels have been extended to 90 seconds, instead of the previous 60-second limit. This may seem like one of the more minor Instagram updates, but it gives creators a lot more room for creating exciting content in their Reels.
Interactive Stickers
Reels are becoming more interactive thanks to the new stickers becoming available in these videos. Just like Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels is being introduced to interactive stickers like emoji sliders, polls, and quizzes.
Everyone loves these stickers, so it will be exciting to see how brands and creators use them to maximize engagement.
Original Audio
Creators can record their own original audio and import this into Instagram Reels. This allows for more creativity and more original content, as creators don’t have to rely on Instagram’s audio library. It’s also perfect for doing voiceovers.
Users can also use the text-to-speech feature in Reels, where they type something and an automatic voice reads it.
Reels Templates
Users can now access pre-built Reels templates that let them create great Reels fast.
These templates are easy to use and simplify the entire Reels process. All you need to do is select a template, and add your own personal spin on the Reel. This is a great way for making people more comfortable creating Reels.
This new Instagram feature should also help people get over creative blocks.
Dual Camera
Users can use both their front and back cameras at the same time to record a video from two perspectives. This is a great way to create Reels that include your face reacting to something. The dual feature also lets users understand what you’re experiencing, and experience it with you.
Auto-Generated Captions
Instagram will automatically generate captions for your Reels. This will help people watch Reels with the sound off. It can also play a big role in making video content more accessible to people with hearing impairments.
New Closed Captions
Creators can also access a whole new range of stylized closed captions and effects to add to their Reels. This can help you present dialogue in a completely new, fun, and engaging way. For example, you could add bubble captions that look like a text message chat, comic book captions, or cations that roll out of your mouth.
How do you add stylized captions to Reels? Just tap on the effects icon when your Instagram camera is open. Now you can search for mumble captions, bubble captions, or comic captions. Recor your video with the cation you selected.
Instagram New Features: Monetization
Creators are being introduced to new ways to make money on Instagram. Here are some new features that Instagram announced based on monetization.
Subscriptions
Instagram introduced a new subscription feature to help creators monetize their content more effectively. Subscriptions was announced in January 2022 and is available to some beta users.
So, what does Instagram Subscriptions include? It’s a way for creators to make recurring revenue streams directly through the Instagram app. This is possible through four main channels:
- Subscriber Chats – Where creators can invite their subscribers to a group chat
- Subscriber Reels – Creators can post Reels only visible to their subscribers
- Subscriber Posts – Creators can make Instagram posts that are only visible to their subscribers
- Subscriber Home – A new home feed tab made available on the Instagram app, where all subscriber-only content is visible
Essentially, this means creators can create exclusive content only visible to their subscribers. All of this subscription content is available in a dedicated section of their profile. This new Instagram feature will do big things for the way creators can monetize their accounts.
Creators Marketplace
Instagram is testing out its new Creators marketplace feature. This is a space where creators and brands can connect with each other for promotions and branded content.
The Creators Marketplace will let creators select their interests and niche, and find brands that match this. At the same time, brands can search for creators within their niche or area, and connect with them directly through the app.
Brands and creators can communicate through a separate inbox, where they can discover each other and send proposals.
This is one of Instagram’s new features to help creators improve monetization, and get more brands involved with branded promotions.
NFTs On Instagram
Instagram launched a new feature aimed at NFT creators and collectors on the platform. The feature lets members of the NFT community share NFTs through their stories, feed posts, and messages.
This is another unique way that Instagram users can make money from the platform. As the popularity of NFTs increases, Instagram being part of the NFT community is a big step forward in the platforms creator economy.
Product Tagging
Product tagging was previously only available to creators and brands. Now, all users in the US can access it.
This means anyone in the US can now tag a brand and specific product in their posts. Doing this allows users to tap on the product tag, see details about the product, and even purchase the product directly through Instagram or the brand’s product page.
This is how you can add a product tag to Instagram:
- Create a feed post
- Tap Tag People
- Search for the brand and tag it. This should bring two options: People and Products
- Choose Products
- Select the part of your photo that you want to tag the product (just like tagging a person)
- Share the feed post
For more Instagram features and strategies like this, check out our guide on how to make money on Instagram.
Instagram New Features: Other
Instagram is always rolling out new updates to respond to the ever-changing social media environment. Here are some new Instagram features that have been introduced recently.
Take a Break
Instagram’s Take a Break feature lets you know exactly how much time you spend on Instagram, This can come as quite a shock to many social media users!
The feature reports the time spent on the app and encourages users to take a break instead of spending too much time on social media. This feature comes as a result of many mental health issues surrounding social media use, and Instagram in general.
Nudges
Nudges follow a similar idea to the take a break feature. If you spend too much time on a certain topic on the app, Instagram will send you a nudge, suggesting you explore new things.
This can be a great way to help you discover new content and trends happening on Instagram.
Content Control
Instagram announced various new features and updates based around controlling content and making the app safer and more accessible. These include:
- Parental control: This includes a series of four new updates, allowing parents to gain tighter control over how their children use the social media app
- Updates for sensitive content control: Users can choose what level of sensitive content will appear on their feeds
- Amber Alerts: Supported in 25 countries, this feature reveals details about missing children in the area you are based
- Content accessibility: Instagram has been making various app improvements, through things like stickers, translations, and auto-generated captions, to help people with hearing loss and vision impairments
Summary
Instagram is one of the most exciting social media platforms, and it continues to innovate and keep us on our toes. Many of these new features are being done to compete with other popular social media platforms, like TikTok.
It’s important to stay on top of these features and updates, as they will help you get the most from your Instagram profile. By always using the newest features on the app, you will be able to keep your audience more engaged.
To sum it up, the latest Instagram new features include:
- New payments feature
- Searchable maps
- Featured image grid pins
- New Home feed
- Quote request button
- Reels extension
- Interactive stickers in Reels
- Original audio in Reels
- Reels templates
- Dual camera in Reels
- Auto-generated Reels captions
- Closed captions in Reels
- Subscriptions
- Creators marketplace
- NFT’s on Instagram
- Product tagging
- Take a break
- Nudges
- Content control
Looking for more ways to use Instagram? Check out our other guides to help you become better on this social media platform:
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