Instagram: Platform Features

6 Instagram features you should be using

1. Archive posts

That picture of a crazy haircut you took five years ago? You were probably wondering how your feed might look without it. No one blames you, we’ve all tried something wild.

Has the thought of deleting posts from ages ago ever gone through your mind?

Let’s be real. The only thing standing between you and delete is wondering if you removed it, would your feed still look ok?

Instead of deleting a post (and maybe regretting it later), now you can simply archive it.

2. Instagram collections

You’re scrolling through Instagram posts and see something that you really like. A post about a mouth-watering cheesecake or a tutorial that shows you how to draw the perfect eyebrows.

One week later there you are, struggling to remember who posted it, when on earth you saved it on your phone or did you?

Instagram Collections allows you to save posts to personal collections, kind of like Pinterest. You can create a bunch of photo albums, each dedicated to a different topic (cute dogs, flowers, dresses… you get it). Or you can just store them all in one collection.

All you have to do is tap the Bookmark icon under the post and save it directly to one of our collections. Easy!

3. Selfie stickers

Q: What’s cooler than taking a regular selfie?

A: Taking a mini-selfie and placing it all over your Instagram story! Woot!

In case you haven’t tried it yet, here’s how to use this fun new story feature:

• Take a photo or a video;
• Tap the smiley-face icon in the right corner, just like you do when you want to add a sticker;
• Tap the camera icon in the magic folder and take a selfie;
• Place your selfie sticker wherever you want.

4. Rewind tool

OK. This tool was 100% created just to have more fun with stories.

• Drop a glass on the floor and watch it fly back in your hands.
• Throw your hat in the air and watch it fall back on your head.
• Jump off something.
• Pour a coffee.
• Do the moonwalk… Oh wait, you don’t need a rewind feature for that.

How? Open Instagram, go to Stories and tap the Rewind button. Then, wait for the magic to happen.

5. The eraser brush

The eraser brush takes things to a whole new level. It’s freaking awesome to play with!

• Take a photo, select the drawing tool and pick your favorite color;
• Then, hold it for a few seconds to flood the screen with bold color;
• The fun part starts when you tap the eraser icon and reveal parts of the photo underneath;
• Pretty sure you wouldn’t need to be Van Gogh to fall in love with this!

6. Instagram Live Video as a story

Live videos take a bit of courage and many people are jumping on them more regularly.

Whether you are wanting to share a talk at an event, your favourite band’s concert or making your next recipe to share with your audience, sharing these moments can create a real bond.

Pros of Instagram

Very searchable

As long as you put in the right hashtags, your content is easy to find. You can reach thousands of people with the right hashtags. Instagram users are often looking for inspiration so they often search on the platform. Users can also follow hashtags which means your post can show up in the news feeds of people who may not follow you.

Easy to grow

It’s surprisingly easy to grow an Instagram account if you know what you’re doing. Having great content and conversations can help boost your channel. But, it can take a lot of time to gain huge numbers.

Easy to edit your pictures

Instagram has a plethora of options to help you make your pictures beautiful. While it can be easy to over-edit, you can create some brilliant effects to enhance your photographs.

Show personality

Instagram is a fantastic place to showcase your brand personality. Your profile can show your employees at work or using your products. Your Instagram stories can go even further. Stickers, text overlays and videos help show your employees having fun and being silly – if that’s genuinely what they’re like, of course.

Location tagging

If you’re a local business, then you will benefit from the location tag function. This allows your posts to show up under the location that you’re in. It can help get in front of brand new clients, especially if you’re near tourist attractions.

Cons of Instagram

It isn’t for every niche

Instagram is heavily weighted towards visual brands with a stylish nature. It can be difficult to get the platform to work if you are not a brand with visual content. That said, if you’re creative or can utilise free stock photos, you might be in for a winner.

It isn’t for every age group

If you market predominantly to an older market, then your audience won’t be on Instagram. Millennials and Gen Zs heavily use the app, but the older demographics haven’t quite discovered it yet.

The algorithm can work against you at times

Instagram’s news feed will show you content that it thinks you will like. It bases this on similar accounts to your liking and commenting on pictures. This means that you might not get to see every image as you scroll down. It also means not everyone will look at your pictures.

Instagram is a great platform to be on if your industry is “Instagram-friendly”. There is a lot of work involved, but it can be very rewarding.