I used to look forward to updates from Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri. He seemed like one of the more transparent tech oligarchs who actually cared about informing the people on his platform. However, I now dread seeing his face appear on my feed. He’s like the grim reaper of engagement, constantly telling us that what we WERE doing is no longer what we SHOULD be doing. So, when I initially saw his video today titled “REELS UPDATES” I panicked. But, I was in for a pleasant surprise when he announced THREE new changes to Reels.
1. “Add Yours” Sticker function will now be available on Reels
This feature has been available on stories for a while, and allows users to “start trends” by providing a caption like “Last photo on your camera reel” and it encourages other users to use that same sticker and post it on their own story/feed.
This creates a really easy way for you to jump on a trend or create a new piece of content, especially when stuck for content ideas. Just click on the “Add Yours” sticker and give your own take on the topic. The feature also gives credit to the creator of the trend with an attribution link on the sticker.
Personally, I don’t care about this one at all and haven’t seen one person I follow ever use it. So, who cares?
2. You can now Cross Post from Reels to Facebook
Simply select the option to post on both platforms and save yourself a bit of time while getting your video in front of more people.
This is massive. Just like you could cross post photos and videos (when they were called just normal videos), you can now do the same on Reels. If you haven’t noticed, Facebook organic reach seems to be creeping back a little. This might be because the oversaturation of spending by major corporations on ads seems to be slowing down as they look for cheaper methods of promotions. Also, Facebook will probably start evolving to vertical video as that seems to be the trend. So, this is great to seamlessly post your Reels in both places and not have to worry about downloading it and uploading it organically. I welcome this change.
3. Facebook Insights for Reels
The updates also include improved insights for Reels on Facebook. You can view the number of people reached, number of plays, minutes viewed, average watch time, and interactions.
With insights on both Instagram and Facebook, you can determine what type of content engages your audience, and what you can stop wasting your time on.
So… good work Instagram. You finally did something that doesn’t hurt me.
