Profile grids, longer reels and originality, oh my!
Big Changes Coming to Instagram! Here's What You Need to Know:
Happy 2025! Instagram is rolling out some major updates. Here's the lowdown:
More Visibility for Smaller Creators: Instagram is tweaking its algorithm to give smaller creators a better chance of getting seen. This means more opportunities to reach new audiences and grow your following!
Original Content Takes Center Stage: Reposts are taking a backseat. The focus is shifting to original content, so get those creative juices flowing! Reposts will still be visible, but clearly labeled and linked to the original creator.
Bye Bye, Aggregators: Say goodbye to accounts that leverage or rehash other people's content. Instagram says they want to promote authentic voices. It will be interesting to see how they balance this.
Strategically, this means: Now, more than ever, focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your target audience. Lean into the tools they have created for resharing (Add Yours & Remix to name a few)
Get ready for a cleaner, more customizable profile!
Tall Grid is Here to Stay (But with Improvements!): While the new tall grid might have ruffled some feathers, Instagram is sticking with it. But don't worry, they're working on ways to give you more control over how your grid looks, including better thumbnail customization.
Highlights Get a New Home: Highlights are moving into the grid as a tab, making your profile less cluttered.
Re-arrange Your Grid: You'll soon be able to re-order your entire grid to your liking!
Post Directly to Your Grid: Want to skip the feed altogether? You'll have the option to post straight to your grid.
Strategically, this means: It will probably make it easier when you are posting new content moving forwards, but its going to be tough on your old content that you thought would appear square. They are rolling it out over months so they may take some time to think this through (there has been a lot of feedback)
Got a longer story to tell? You'll now have up to 3 minutes to do it with longer Reels! (US only for now)
Strategically, this means: You have longer, but it doesn’t mean you have to use more time, the key is to focus on capturing your audience in the first 3 seconds and keeping their attention. More time is going to give more flexibility though, because especially for demo videos 90 secs is short.
Stay Tuned!
These updates are just the beginning. Instagram is constantly evolving, so keep an eye out for more exciting changes in the future.