Instagram, which used to be photography heaven, is increasingly switching focus to Reels which are basically TikTok videos with additional filters. The Meta-owned platform announced this week that it’s adding features to inspire creators and also help them to manage the content on Instagram Reels.
It’s only a matter of time before most social media platforms morph into the same thing with only the branding separating the lot. Now that TikTok has most of us addicted to endless hours of flicking, expect multiple venues where that’s possible. Platforms are adding more features to entice content creators. Instagram is just the latest to do something new.
“We’re bringing gifts on Reels to more countries and adding a feature to let creators recognize fans’ gifts” says Meta.
It’s also adding total and average watch times matrics to Reels Insight. This should come in handy for creators who need to track how well their content is doing, especially for those who earn money by creating on the platform.
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The Profession Dashboard will include top trending topics and hashtags on Reels. Meta says these are aimed at inspiring content creators when planning and creating their own content.
“For example, festival season might be trending earlier than you think. We’ve found that people actually start sharing their #coachella content before the festival even begins. These are the types of insights you can tap into with the new trends destination,” it says.
The platform has also added a unified editing screen that allows users to edit reels on a screen with video clips, audio, stickers, and text on one screen.
Content creators who’ve become influencers will get a notification when a supporter sends them a gift on Instagram.
“If you tap the heart icon next to your supporters, they’ll get a notification that you’ve seen and recognized their gift, providing an even stronger sense of connection between you and your fans,” says Meta.
Meta has also added gifs to Reels, but this will only be available in Australia, Canada, France, Mexico, New Zealand, and the UK in the coming weeks.
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And now we wait to see TikTok’s response to the latest upgrade. It’s only a matter of time before similar features make an appearance on other platforms.
Source: Meta
