Instagram Adds 3 New Features for Reels

On Tuesday, head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, announced on his page that three new features will be coming to Reels.

As we all know, Meta is moving in a new direction with Instagram and Facebook. Mosseri even confirmed in another video that “more and more of Instagram is going to become video over time.” It’s not hard to see why.

The online media landscape, in general, is trending towards video – even in blogs. They’re engaging pieces of content that keep users on the site longer. So these three new features look to motivate people to lean into Reels.

In This Article:

“Add Yours” sticker for Reels

The first is making the “Add Yours” sticker available for Reels. The sticker, added in late 2021, allowed users to participate in trends by posting their own images based on the prompt in the sticker. It became a highly-popular feature that increased user engagement and activity within the app. Before the recent announcement, it was available only on stories. But now, Instagram implemented the feature over on to Reels, which is an excellent move that may entice people to create more video content.

IG-to-FB Crossposting

The second addition is the ability to crosspost reels from Instagram to Facebook. The feature would allow users to post reels simultaneously on both platforms, which has been quite overdue. Prior to this, you only had the option of “recommending on Facebook,” which doesn’t get published on your FB profile and is not always guaranteed that your video will be seen on it. With this new and revamped feature, you can now officially post your reel on Instagram and Facebook.

Facebook Insights for Reels

The third and final feature in this round of additions is the Facebook insights for Reels. With the ability to crosspost, you also now have access to analytics for reels on Facebook so you can see how they’re performing specifically on the platform. The new insights are extremely useful because creators will be able to see performance metrics such as watch time, reactions, and reach. Before, there were no insights for Facebook reels besides how many times people watched the video.

What Does This Mean?

With the new additions, we continue to see Instagram finding new ways to inspire people to make reels, which is clearly their top priority. But most importantly, we’re seeing Facebook quickly transforming its feed to be more video-focused while encouraging creators to start posting their content on the platform.

These new features come weeks after Instagram received widespread backlash for the brand’s slow departure from being a photo-sharing app. Many users and celebrities alike expressed their disappointment with how the platform’s changes are losing what made IG special and loved in the first place. People are also getting the sense that Instagram is becoming more creator-focused than user-focused. However, Mosseri reiterated that the app would continue to support photos as part of their DNA.

Instagram will be rolling out these new features to all users in the coming days. So what do you think about the latest changes? Will it spark the creation of more Reels?

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