Instagram features you should know

When you know absolutely everything a social network can do, you can surprise your audience and better engage them.

There’s been a ton of exciting changes and updates for Instagram as of late. To help you stay on top of the latest features—and teach you how to use them—we’ve created this list.

1. Archive your old posts

With Instagram’s new Archive feature, you can now keep your company profile on-brand without permanently removing any outdated content.

Archive lets you move posts from your profile page into a private tab. If you change your mind and want to reshare an Archived post, it will appear in its original chronological spot.

How to archive posts:

Tap three dots at the top of the post you want to archive.
Choose Archive.
The image or video will move into Archive tab.
To repost an archived post on your profile, tap Show on Profile.

2. Add UTM links to your Instagram Stories

Instagram now lets businesses with over 10,000 followers use their new feature: adding a link to your Instagram Stories. If you’re sharing a blog post, running a campaign, or featuring contest, you can now send people directly to those pages from Instagram. You can also add UTMs to your links to monitor your traffic.

When you add a link to your story, users will see a See More button at the bottom of the screen, and can tap or swipe up to view the link.

How to add links to your story:

Take a picture or video in your Stories app or import a photo.
Click on the chain link in the top right corner of your story.
Add your URL and preview the link if necessary.
Finish any last edits to your story. Always include a CTA to the link you’ve shared.

3. Easily disclose your paid partnerships

When you’re running an influencer campaign or getting a celebrity endorsement, It’s important that your brand understands the rules and regulations surrounding such partnerships. A report shared by Buzzfeed shows that 93 percent of top Instagram celebrity ads are not FTC compliant.

With a new feature in test phase, Instagram will now make it easier for celebrities and influencers to disclose when their post is sponsored by a brand. You’ll now start to see a “Paid partnership with …” at the top of a sponsored post or story.

4. Save posts to private collections

You can now save other users’ posts to a private collection without alerting anyone. You can also organize these albums by different names, so if you’re tracking competitors, inspirational posts, or customer interactions, you can easily store and access them for future reference.

How to save a photo to a collection:

Tap the bookmark icon on the bottom right of the post you want to save.
If you have multiple collections, select which one you want the post to save to.
You can access your collections by tapping the bookmark icon on your own profile.

How to create a new collection:

Go your profile page and tap the bookmark icon
Click the plus-sign icon in the right corner
Enter your collection name, tap next, and save any photos or tap Done.

5. Rearrange your Instagram filters

If you’re running a campaign and need to access the same filter for different posts (or maybe you just have a favorite filter), you’re in luck. You can hide, add, and rearrange your posts to make sure that your most-used filters are most accessible.

How to rearrange your filters:

Swipe right on your photo or video filters until you reach Manage.
You’ll have the option to hide, add, or rearrange your filters.
To rearrange a filter, tap and hold the filter, then drag and drop into new spot.

6. Replay your live videos in Stories

When you post a live video to Instagram, you can now post it to your Stories for 24 hours. Prior to this feature update, live videos disappeared when the stream ended.

When you repost the video, you don’t have to worry about losing views, comments, and likes from your live video—they will show up automatically.

How to replay your live videos:

Swipe to live mode and record video.
When your broadcast ends, click Share at the bottom of the screen.
Your live video will be available for 24 hours.

7. Use location and hashtag Stories to reach new and relevant audiences

If you’re looking for a new way to extend your reach and find new fans, try Instagram’s location and hashtag Stories. This allows you to add a clickable location sticker to your story. Users can search and view public stories in any geographic location.

This feature makes it easy for potential customers to find your store, follow your brand during an event, or enter a contest.

How to use location and hashtag Stories:

Begin your story.
Click on the stickers icon in the top right corner.
Select the location sticker and type in your location. A drop-down list will appear and you can choose your location.
Do any final edits on your post.
Click Next to post your story.

8. Enable comment block filters

If abusive or offensive comments pop up on your company profile, it can be extremely damaging to your brand. To keep comments and discussions professional, be sure to use Instagram’s comment block filter.

You can set up an automatic filter or a manual one. The automatic filter will flag and hide comments based on Instagram’s algorithms, while the manual blocker requires you to enter exact keywords or phrases that you want blocked.

How to enable comment block filters:

Go to Settings.
Scroll down to Comments.
To enable automatic filter, toggle on Hide Offensive Comments.
To set up a manual filter, toggle on Enable Keyword Filters and add your keyword list.
Click Done.

9. Get in front of a local audience with the Places tab

The Places tab is an underutilized part of Instagram’s Search and Explore page. When you search in the Places tab, Instagram will feature the nine highest ranking posts in that location, followed by the most recent posts in chronological order.

To engage with what’s happening in your local area and get inspiration for your own location-based posts, it’s a good idea to check out the Places tab on a weekly basis.

How to search Places:

Go to the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of your profile.
Search for Places.
Select your desired location.

By trying Instagram’s latest features and little-known tricks, you can better engage your audience and potentially gain new followers. Make experimentation part of your social strategy and start using these features.

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Mr.SD

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