Instagram – The best bits of 2021 – The updates and features you need to know about

Well what a year it has been for Instagram! Now, Im just going to take a stab in the dark here but I think this year there have already been more than 100 new updates that we have been aware of, 14 happening in November 2021 alone!

So it really would take me forever to go through them all, instead I have picked out my top 10  favourite or most useful updates to share with you in this end of year round up.

Scheduling lives

This is a feature I have used but not enough since it launched. The feature itself is amazing but also comes with its downsides. Pros first. Being able to schedule an Instagram live means that your audience have plenty of notice and can even get a remind when the live is about to start. Not only that you can then save the video and the scheduled live post will then redirect! Clever!

The downside is that right now you can only schedule lives from the Instagram app natively, you cannot schedule on a 3^rd party app. SNEAK PEEK – Insta are going to allow external links to be added to scheduled lives in 2022…keep an eye out for the next blog!

Delete a specific photo in a Carousel

This option is very useful if you uploaded multiple photos in a carousel and you just want to delete one or two – not the entire post. With the rate which Instagram updates, shops change and products are discontinued, this is a great feature to tidy up your feed without archiving the whole post.

Instagram Badges

Now this feature isn’t actually out in the UK yet but I wanted to show you all what is coming!

Badges are an option for creators to earn more money from their followers.

During a live video, viewers can click an icon and buy badges ( similar to giving a tip )  to support the creators’ work. The Badges are displayed as heart(s) next to the username of the person who purchased the badges.

The viewers can purchase multiple badges in $0.99, $1.99, and $4.99 increment.

Creators can also view more details about the badges count in the Personal Dashboard after the Live ends.

Instagram story links

Instagram Stories Link sticker and its availability to all users! Prior to this link sticker the only people who could redirect to another website was those with more than 10k followers. No need to try and hack the 10k swipe up option any more!

This is a game-changer for small businesses as they will have the ability to directly link to their product pages and sell even more!

Collaborating in main feed and REELS!

 “Collab” enables users to collaborate on feed posts and reels. Now, content creators can send collaboration invites to other Instagram users and create feed posts and reels mutually. The posts will appear in both creators’ Instagram feeds and will share the exact view count, like count and comment thread. A great way to raise your visibility. Why not check out our Members area for a full training on how to create concrete collabs on Insta?

Sharing content from desktop

Another announcement Instagram made in 2021 is the option for sharing videos and photos via desktop. For those of you that prefer desktop this is a welcomed feature!

Audio tab on feed

A new audio tab is about to drop in the Instagram app.

This button will appear on the main feed where the other feature icons are. Video, feed, guides etc

Clicking on the audio option gives users the ability to search for reels by song.

As soon as users try to swipe and search for a song, Instagram, like other music apps, will serve them a list of songs bearing the name they are looking for.

Once users click on one of the songs, Instagram gives a 30-second sequence and reels containing that track.

Furthermore, users can save the songs if they want to use them later or click on the “use audio” option to create a reel right away.

Reels filter transitions

Now this was one of my favourite updates of 2021. For those of you that are new to reels this is a game changer. No fancy dancing or jumping around. To find the reels filter transitions simply go to filters, then select reels and take a look through. This is one of the easiest ways to add a bit of movement and interest to your reel with very little skill required. Check out this reel to see it in action.

New insights

And last but most definitely not least…new insights. Now Instagram have been playing around with updating insights all year and I think we will see much more of this as we enter 2022. Having access to insights means that you can create even more of the content your followers want to see, wasting less time guessing what they like. Insights are now available for reels, lives and main feed and I predict the details we can access will only increase as we move forward. Don’t forget you can check out the IM Eternal Social Media Planner which helps you plan track and grow your Instagram AND Clubhouse and is just £12.99. 

So that’s it, my round up for the best or most useful Instagram features of 2021.

Keep an eye out for our next blog dropping soon with all of the predictions for updated features in 2022!

Dont forget the #imxmasgiftguide is still open so use that hashtags and lets have the best Christmas ever!

Until then…stay festive!