What’s New with Instagram in 2021: What You Need to Know
Keeping up with Instagram’s new trends and staying ahead of your competitors is key to being on top in the ever-changing social media world. Below we have listed what’s new with Instagram in 2021 with features such as Instagram reels, Instagram shoppable and IGTV lives, set to be the main features of this year!
Instagram Reels
In August 2020, Instagram added a new feature called ‘Instagram Reels’, developed to rival social media competitor TikTok. The feature allows users to Record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and new creative tools. While this feature has been around since August 2020 it has only really started to gain traction in late 2020 and with more customization features being added to the platform, Instagram Reels looks set to give Tiktok a real run for its money in 2021!
Shoppable Posts
Shoppable posts are one of the main new features of Instagram. Users can now easily purchase items on Instagram by viewing full product catalogs and linking directly through to the product! This makes it easy for customers to purchase an item within two clicks… It’s so simple and effective!
We expect Instagram to continue to develop shoppable posts further in 2021, such as introducing the new feature in the Instagram algorithm of helping users discover products based on what they have liked and searched for previously. We expect Instagram shoppable posts to become the number one platform for customers to purchase goods in 2021.
IGTV Lives
The new IGTV Live feature now allows Instagram users to save their live streams to their IGTV tab on their Instagram account. Until now Instagram lives were only available to view for 24 hours, much like Instagram stories. However, due to the new IGTV live feature, live streams can now be saved forever meaning users and watchers can go back and rewatch live streams. This is extremely useful for users as it is now possible to host live stream series and save each episode with followers able to catch up at a later date. Instructional live streams have also benefited from this feature as users can pause and rewind when they watch the videos back. We are already using this for many of our clients who are doing live stream series and it is proving an extremely valuable tool, helping boost sales and drive email subscriptions.
Conclusion
If you want to make sure that your social media accounts stand out in 2021, and that you are mastering these new features to grow your following, we recommend you try each of the extra Instagram functionalities listed above.
If you want to learn more or are interested in how we can help you get the most out of Instagram’s new features, please get in touch via email: Sophie@habgood.studio