Keep informed with these latest updates from Instagram.
From new formats of Instagram ad to Instagram Shop upgrades, Instagram is constantly introducing new features for marketers. But if you don’t know about them, you can’t take advantage of them.
Stay up-to-date with tons of Instagram trends and give your marketing strategy that extra edge.
Here are the new Instagram updates for September 2020.
Top Instagram updates you need to know in September 2020
These are the new Instagram updates as of September 2020.
Equity update adds transparency to Instagram’s algorithm
In an update on the racial justice commitments the company made in June, Instagram provided details on the formation of an equity team, new company-wide policies, and updated verification and distribution guidelines.
The update offered insight behind Instagram’s recommendations engine, which sorts the content people see in the Explore, Accounts You May Like, and IGTV Discover sections. Within the recommendation guidelines are five broad categories that may not be eligible for recommendations. These include “sensitive or low-quality content about Health or Finance,” content that includes clickbait or engagement bait, and “unoriginal content that is largely repurposed from another source without adding material value.” When content is featured, accounts will receive notifications. Learn more about the Instagram algorithm.
In a review of the platform’s verification process, which determines who receives blue checkmarks. Now, the company added more Black, LGBTQ+, and Latinx media it considers when measuring the “notability” of accounts. Instagram removed the Automated systems that prioritized follower count from the application process.
Comment warnings, which prompt users to reconsider offensive remarks, will be expanded to Instagram Live. Business and creator accounts can also better manage who can slide into their DMs.
Reels and Shops tabs tested on the home screen
Instagram is now testing three versions of the home screen that add shortcuts for the Reels and Shop tabs.
“These changes reflect shifts we’re seeing from people, both in how they use the product but also how they push culture forward on Instagram: rise of creators, explosion of video, acceleration of online shopping,” said Adam Mosseri, Instagram head, in a post.
Source: Instagram
Learn more about Instagram trends.
Checkout and Live shopping available across the U.S.
Over the next few weeks, all eligible U.S. business and creator accounts with Instagram Shops will have access to Instagram Checkout and Live shopping. Facebook has also added a Shop section to its platform. For now, the company is waiving selling fees for vendors.
Instagram also introduces new feature for shops. Businesses can now tailor their social storefronts with new layouts. Then see real-time previews of collections while they set them up. Commerce Manager also got a slight upgrade so businesses can better track sales efforts.
The expansion supports a shift to online retail in response to the global pandemic. According to the company’s latest Global State of Small Business Report, a number of small businesses are making a significant percentage of sales online.
Users paid by Facebook to deactivate accounts
Facebook and Instagram choose some users and let them participate in a study. They ask them to deactivate their accounts and complete a survey. Announced August 31, the study will be conducted by Facebook researchers and independent external academics as a part of the company’s effort to probe election interference.
“Anyone who chooses to opt in – whether it’s completing surveys or deactivating Facebook or Instagram for a period of time – will be compensated,” said Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois in a tweet.
The study contributes to the company’s latest push to “protect the election,” including the addition of mail-in ballot info to Instagram home feeds and the removal of more than 70 Instagram accounts for coordinated in authentic behaviour. Critics argue these steps are too little too late, with early voting underway and misinformation continuing to run rampant.