Want to stay on top of ALL Instagram News and Algorithm Updates in 2022?
We add EACH AND EVERY piece of Instagram news you NEED to know to this summary—updated LIVE as we receive the information!
Questions on how these algorithm updates might affect you and your followers? Need help reaching more customers, clients, or patients? We’re always here to help! Just shoot us a message.
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JAN 20 NEWS: You Can Now Remix ANY Instagram Video
THE DEETS
Instagram has expanded its Remix feature beyond Reels to include any video on the platform.
WHAT THIS CHANGE MEANS FOR YOU
You can now choose to “Allow Remixing” for all of your past feed videos. This opens the door for even more content exposure for brands. For creators, it broadens potential inspo from Reels to any IG Video.
Overall, this isn’t an earthshaking change at Instagram. We’re excited to see them expanding features, but we also wish they’d work out the kinks with the Remix feature first! In our experience, it’s been a bit buggy.
JAN 20 NEWS: Instagram Will Launch Subscriptions for Creators
THE DEETS
Instagram is always exploring new ways to reward its content creators (AKA the people that keep consumers on the platform and engaging with ads). This feature will allow your favorite Instagram creators to offer exclusive, subscribers-only content.
Subscriptions will have a few key features:
Subscriber Lives
Subscribers will get access to exclusive Live events and updates from their favorite creators.
Subscriber Stories
Subscribers will gain access to bonus Stories content from their favorite creators.
Subscriber Badges
A signal to your favorite creator that you’re a paid subscriber—your comments, questions, and dm’s will likely be prioritized over non-subscribers.
WHAT THIS CHANGE MEANS FOR YOU
As a consumer, you’ll be able to gain a way closer and more personal connection with the creators you love. You’ll have way better access to them—your comments and dm’s will have a much better chance of being seen as a subscriber.
You’ll also be able to enjoy exclusive content right within the app. We anticipate Instagram will continue to build this feature out as they shift to a video-first platform. You might see complete educational courses, entertainment-focused content, and other new video formats become subscription-based products on Instagram.
If you’re a creator, this new feature will empower you to make a living doing what you love! Artists can develop subscription-based Live seminars. Entertainers and musicians can offer early access to their newest creations to fans. Educators and coaches can sell complete trainings right in the app. We’re VERY excited to see how this new feature unfolds in 2022!
JAN 13 NEWS: Instagram Will Focus on Reels and Messenger in 2022
THE DEETS
Adam Mosseri confirmed that Instagram Reels and Instagram Messenger will be two key areas of focus for Insta in 2022.
He also gave us a few lesser-known Messenger features:
- Replies to specific messages in a thread (not sequential)
- Custom Emoji Reactions (possibilities are ENDLESS!)
- Polls within Messenger (useful for group messages)
- Animated Message Effects (personalize your reactions!)
WHAT THIS CHANGE MEANS FOR YOU
We recommend that any time Instagram discloses that they’ll be focusing on a feature…you focus on it, too! It usually means the Instagram algorithm will give preference to accounts that adopt this feature. Try your best to use each of the cool Messenger features Mosseri lists in his post.
Try using the Polls feature in messenger! Show your support, excitement, or frustration in Messenger using effects and custom emojis. This not only helps you look like a Messenger superstar, but it also sends the signal to Instagram that you are engaged and using the platform to its fullest. Teacher’s pet, anyone?!
JAN 5 NEWS: IG Announces 3 New Instagram Feeds for 2022
THE DEETS
The Instagram feed is changing! Adam Mosseri gave us some much-anticipated details about Instagram’s rollout of 3 ways to customize our feed in 2022. But what does this mean?!
Well, you can now see more of what you want to see when browsing the Instagram app. Whether that’s content from close friends and family, accounts that you follow, or the same intuitive feed you have been seeing for the last few years.
Here are the 3 new feeds you’ll see in this rollout:
Home
The feed as we have known it for a long time—this feed option includes posts you might find interesting and new accounts you may want to follow. Plus friends, family, hashtags you follow, etc. This feed IS NOT chronological and will be more and more focused on introducing new content, new accounts, and brand content you might find enticing in 2022.
Favorites
You can designate exactly who you want to see posts from, whether that is friends, family, or favorite creators and IG accounts you don’t want to miss posts from. This home feed option will be chronological.
Following
This feed option will contain posts from all accounts and hashtags you follow, in chronological order. You won’t see posts from accounts you don’t follow in your home feed, but you’ll still be able to find fresh content on the Discover page and within the Reels tab.
WHAT THIS CHANGE MEANS FOR YOU
Talk about an Instagram news bomb! We are VERY excited about this rollout, though many Instagram creators and businesses are understandably anxious about such a huge change.
As consumers, the option to customize our home feed will allow us to have way more control over our Instagram experience! We’ll see exactly the content we want to see and none of the posts we don’t want cloggin our feed. BUT it also means we may have to navigate to the Reels or Explore tabs to find fresh, new content outside of the accounts we already follow.
For Creator and Business accounts, this feed change simply means you need to double down on your efforts to make entertaining and educational content—preferrably in the form of Reels!
Instagram has already told us that they are now a video platform. If you want to get your content in front of new audiences, you may have to try harder! But if you’re producing great content and make it into the Favorites or Following feeds, your content will be MORE LIKELY to be seen and have way less competition.