While Instagram is a fun pastime for most users, some take it more seriously than others. So, the constant additions and tweaks to what you can do to gain a massive following, especially if you are a business or creator, are always welcome. IG, as many users call the application, has quickly evolved before our very eyes, from 1 million accounts to over 1 billion in just a decade. As the platform continued with its growth trajectory, a fine-tuning of the features has been going on behind the scenes to include more functionalities and increase follower engagement.
Compared to when IG was first launched a decade ago, there’s so much more you can do with the platform. If you are a gaming fan, for example, on top of taking a photo of your winning streak on a gaming site such as Vulkan Vegas casino, you could also record yourself live to show off your moves. Likewise, operators and game developers have many more options that go beyond pictures. Product launches and releases of new bonus deals like the 50 free spins at Vulkan Vegas can easily be announced in a more interactive way to drive more engagement.
As we ease into the second half of 2021, here’s a look at the most exciting updates that have been recently added to the Instagram platform:
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Instagram Lite
Instagram first launched its Lite app in 2018, but in May 2021, it finally got a much-needed makeover with much better features like a slightly larger file size and the ability to load quality media much faster. Instagram Lite saves users some data when they’re not on Wi-Fi, and creator-oriented features have been removed to keep the app simple for ordinary users. So, here, you will not have access to AR Filters, IG shopping or Ads, and you can’t upload reels. It is just the good old-fashioned Instagram from a decade ago!
Instagram Live Rooms
This is a live stream feature launched in May which allows the host to invite up to 3 more guests to join in. You can even have viewers requesting to be let in to be a guest of the Live Room. This will be instrumental in growing channels and is supposedly inspired by Clubhouse’s audio chat forums, but Instagram made it better with video.
IG Affiliate Program
The content posted by businesses and creators can now have affiliate tags to affiliate products. And of course, they could also link to their own products on IG shopping. The Instagram affiliate program encourages creators to seek out shops that offer affiliate products tagging via their creator studio.
IG Stories Scheduling
This is a new feature where you can schedule your stories to be published at a specific time. Initially, you could only schedule posts, but now, when using a business or creator account, stories have joined the bandwagon. The only thing is that you can only schedule stories to be published at least 20 minutes after creation and up to 75 days into the future. You would need the Facebook Business Suite app, which is free to use with your business or creator account, and you can simultaneously schedule the same stories on Instagram and Facebook.
Save Drafts in Stories
This update lets you save a story to your drafts if you have not completed the creation process or you’re just not yet content with how it looks at the moment. Previously, once you started working on a story, you would have to finish it, or else it would be discarded, and you would have to start over again if you wanted to revisit the task. This feature was announced to be in development earlier this year, and we can’t wait for its release as it would save us tons of time in the future.
Reels Green Screen Effects
This feature has been there, but it has been updated to make it more intuitive, and users can now have an easier time posting. In addition, it’s now much more straightforward, and the development team has even gone ahead and copied TikTok a little in that you can ‘pinch’ out or in to enhance your main video or the background accordingly.
Ageing Like Fine Wine
Of course, there are many more tweaks on the aesthetic side, but it is more impressive how IG has brought developments that have completely changed how users engage with the app and their audiences. Creators and businesses now have infinite possibilities of using the platform to their advantage, and it keeps getting better. What Instagram update do you enjoy the most since the application was revamped? Let us know right here in the comments section!
