Instagram has rolled out several updates to their app in 2022 — primarily improvements for and to increase the reach of their Instagram Reels feature.
One of the most significant updates Instagram has introduced is to increase the maximum length for Reels. You can now post up to 90 seconds of Instagram Reels footage — up 30 seconds from the previous 60-second limit.
Furthermore, Instagram is also testing a new full-screen Home feed that recommends more video content.
In this article, we’ll break down the top four Instagram updates you might have missed in 2022 and what this could mean for your content strategy.
Scroll down to get the lowdown.
The Home Feed is now full-screen and puts recommended video content for your account front and center.
This means that the content you view on your feed from this point on won’t be from your following and favorite accounts. Instead, it will be video posts suggested by Instagram’s algorithm.
Don’t worry, though, as you’ll still be able to view the posts from the accounts you follow and favorite from the dedicated drop-down tabs.
Now, you might ask yourself what static images and carousel posts will look like.
The answer: it’ll look a little different as the comments section is a bit hidden away, and the posts now take up nearly the whole screen.
To encourage users to use Instagram Reels, the social media giant introduced Reels templates to make it easier to use the feature.
Instagram Reels templates provide time-stamped templates to help users recreate existing videos.
This new feature removes the need to manually edit individual clips to sync perfectly with the audio, allowing you to make content faster than ever.
You only need to put your photos and videos into the template, and you can post your Reels with only a few taps on your phone!
If you don’t see the feature on your Instagram, just sit tight, and it should reach your account soon!
NOTE: Not all posts will have this feature available. This is typically because the creator did not edit the video on Instagram.
How to Use Instagram Reels Templates
To use the Instagram Reels feature, you only need to look for the "Use template" sticker icon above the video creator’s name.
Afterward, you’ll see the time stamps for each clip. Tap “Add media” on each time stamp to add your photos and videos.
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Finally, click on “Next,” add relevant info about your Reels, and click on “Share”!
That’s it!
If you think Instagram’s 60-second limit for Reels is a bit restrictive, this news should be music to your ears!
This should allow you to experiment and create even more kinds of videos.
For example, you can create vlogs, tutorials, and even demos of your product without looking like you’re rushing.
Finally, you can import your audio directly to Instagram Reels — enhancing your ability to create unique and original Reels for your account.
Thanks to the Import Audio feature, you can even use sounds from a video from your camera roll, providing it’s at least five seconds long.
This update is likely because Instagram is encouraging creators to create more “Original Audio” and making them more creative when creating Reels.
Has it been difficult for you to drive engagement to your Instagram account?
Good news! You can now add Instagram Stories stickers to your Instagram Reels!
Specifically, you’ll now be able to add the quiz, poll, and emoji slider. How can these stickers help your Instagram, you wonder?
Experiment with these stickers (and hopefully more in the future) to engage your audience and interact with them, which should bring your community closer together.
In terms of pinning, you could say Instagram is late to the party as apps like TikTok and Twitter have long since had this feature.
Despite that, it could change how you use the platform forever because you can now pin posts on your Instagram.
This potentially drastic change is because you can spotlight several posts on your feed. Here’s what we think you should pin on your feed:
And so much more. Choose the best pieces of content that boost your current marketing goal, and watch them thrive!
How to Use Instagram’s Grid Pinning Feature
Like most of the features we mentioned before, you might not directly get access to Grid Pinning.
However, when you can, you only need to choose the post you want to pin and tap the three small dots in the top right corner.
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From the various list of actions, tap on “Pin to your Profile,” and that’s it! That post will appear at the left-most part of your profile and have a small thumbnail icon.
NOTE: Choose which post you want to pin carefully, as you can only pin up to three of them as we write this article. We will update this article when Instagram lets you to do more.
Unpinning a post follows the similarly simple steps. Just click on your pinned post, tap the three small dots again, but this time, tap on “Unpin from your profile.”
Whichever way you look at it, the updates Instagram introduced will change your content strategy significantly.
More than anything, Instagram Reels will play an even more vital role in reaching more people and increasing engagement (up to 22%).
On the contrary, when Later analyzed more than 81 Million Instagram posts (minus Reels) from 2020 to 2022, the average engagement rate dropped from 3.57% to 2.23% — a 38% decrease.
The message Instagram’s trying to send should be unmistakable: The key to Instagram success for you is creating more Reels. All of the new features Instagram introduced should make it much more straightforward for you to create engaging content.
However, if you don’t have the time to create video content from scratch, you can always use OFFEO’s Instagram Templates.
Created by former Facebook and Instagram designers, the templates OFFEO provides help you make Instagram videos in under 3 minutes.
And with 3000+ templates and more than 5 million stock photos, videos, and royalty-free music (Thanks to Shutterstock) to choose from, you can bring your creativity to life.
All with the ease of the drag-and-drop editor.
What are you waiting for? Sign up for OFFEO today and create your own Instagram content with ease!
This article was first published on June 15, 2022 and will be updated periodically.
Last update: June 20, 2022.
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