If you've been on Instagram recently, you may have noticed a few changes! With several emerging social media platforms for users to choose to consume, Instagram knows that it's important to release new features that keep people regularly using their app.
Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram took to, none other than his Instagram account to explain their most recent slew of updates and how you can utilize these to grow your accounts. One of the most noticeable changes, in my opinion, is the switch from a square grid to a vertical one.
I think this change to a vertical feed was made in order to keep up with TikTok. We know that in the last couple of years (since TikTok got more popular), that Instagram started prioritizing vertical videos in order to keep users on their app rather than jumping ship entirely and moving solely to TikTok. This new update proves that vertical videos aren't going anywhere, and if you haven't already started incorporating them into your content then you need to start immediately.
Unfortunately, this change also means that we need to change how we're cropping photos and graphics. Since Instagram launched, we've been used to a square or 1:1 aspect ratio for posts. Now, our grids will require a 4:5 aspect ratio in order to look the most aesthetic. If the look of your grid is something you've spent ages curating, then you'll be happy to know that you will be able to go back and crop photos so they still look cohesive, but moving forward you're going to want to switch to the new aspect ratio in order to keep everything looking best.
Other updates include moving Instagram Highlights to their own tab in order to "simplify" profiles, longer reels, and the ability to post "test" reels. I found the test reels feature to be interesting, because you will be able to post your content without your followers seeing it first. Instead, your reels will be pushed out to users who don't currently follow your account. This will allow you to test out how your content will perform before choosing to share it with your followers - this can be good for testing how people react to your post or even in an effort to expand your following.
Overall, I'm interested in seeing how people react to this changes, if we'll see a reversal of any of these after the trial period is over, and how content keeps evolving as platforms continue to keep up with user preferences.
