New Instagram Update 2021: Good or Bad?
It came as no shock to me when the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, broke the news that Instagram will no longer serve as a photo-sharing app, but will now redirect its focus to videos, entertainment, shopping and messaging and this has left influencers and content creators in a lot of confusion on what to create next.
For me, like most, Instagram has become more than just an app, but an office, source of income and a community building platform. It’s very important that if this is the same for you, that you keep aware and ahead of the ever changing platform.
In his statement, he said “At Instagram, we are always trying to build new features that help you get the most out of your experience. Right now, we are focused on four key areas: Creators, Video, Shopping and Messaging“. Watch Video HERE.
If there is one thing I have always hammered on, it is the need for our owned platforms. Social media apps are not owned platforms. The owners can come anyway or time to uproot or make unfavorable changes. If you have a dead website or an unused mailing list, sis, now is the time to wake it up. One thing Zuckerberg has shown us over time, he is all about his bag and his bag only. So, you better be about yours too!
Most importantly, with this new instagram update many think that photo is dead but it’s not. It’s just not the main focus of the platform anymore! You can still post picture content and do very well on Instagram. Adam did not say they’re getting completely rid of their photo sharing, it is still very much an integral part of the app. They are simply expanding their focus.
If there is one thing I learned from this new Instagram update, it is that we must evolve. Just like Instagram which has gradually drifted from photo-sharing features to also accommodate videos and is now looking into adding more features to improve experiences, you should also evolve! Get your blog together, post content on it, I shared a couple of my blogging tools here. You can read that to guide you. Also, start building relationships and a community with your mailing list using newsletters. Lastly, get started on other platforms, Pinterest is a very good one, especially for pictures. Join some influencer platforms for more visibility. I have a blog post on my top picks. Click here to read.
Start taking advantage of the available features. This new Instagram update can leave you behind if you don’t evolve and grow with it. Now you must be wondering, with new are features coming up, and how do I take advantage of the existing ones? It is quite simple:
- With Instagram features like reels, you can make 15secs videos of yourself, your outfit, an idea, or a location. Reels are blowing up on the gram. You never really get tired of watching reels, I mean have you seen fashion styling videos on reels? I could spend hours watching that alone.
- IGTV which is a short and creative form for Instagram TV also allows you to make and post videos that are longer than a minute. IGTV takes up your whole screen and allows you to make posts with more content. A post that shows a process of getting something done like styling a dress in multiple ways fits this feature.
- There is also IG Stories. I have an entire blog post on that. So, I’m not going to go into details as I shared a lot of gems there. Click here to read on how to make the most of your Instagram stories.
With the new Instagram update, we can expect more features to enhance video sharing on Instagram. I will be sure to keep you updated on those as they come in. If there is anything you would like to see or read from me, let me know in the comments.
Love you, mean it.
