Broadcast channels, in-app scheduling, music on static posts – with Instagram features being rolled out left, right and centre, it can be hard to keep up.

At the end of last year, Adam Mosseri (Instagram’s Head Honcho), created a weekly recap Reel detailing Instagram’s focus for 2023.

It included:

  • Inspiring people to be more creative
  • Helping people discover the things they love
  • Sparking connections between individuals

We’ve summarised the top 5 features for you below to ensure you’re up-to-date!

Add music to your Static Posts

The team at Instagram believes music is a major part of “expression” so the recent feature of adding music to static posts isn’t exactly a surprise given Stories and Reels already have this feature.

Music helps brands convey their own unique personalities, adds further opportunity for audiences to connect and can also help stop the scroll.

If you’re a business account like us, it’s important to remember that you’ll only be able to use licensed tracks from Meta’s Sound Collection. A little more limited but there’s still a pretty great selection of bangers.

Say hello to the green screen

Superimpose yourself on top of any background thanks to Insta’s latest Green Screen feature. Want to respond directly to questions asked in your comments section? Add yourself directly on top of them and share the comment directly with your viewers. Not only is this a super fun way of interacting with your followers, but you might encourage even more comments. You can also experiment with different backgrounds to entertain your audience. There’s lots of room for creativity here so have fun with it!

In-app scheduling is finally here

Scheduling is an excellent way to batch your content for the month ahead without having to worry about it on the spot (oh, the dread). Some of the luckiest Instagram users have been given a brand-new scheduling option that allows them to schedule via Instagram without the need for third-party platforms like Later, Buffer and Hootsuite.

Want to check if you’re #blessed?

Firstly, you’ve got to make sure that you’re using a professional account. Then head to the hamburger menu icon at the top right side of your profile. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a scheduled content option with a clock. This new feature allows you to schedule reels and static posts up to 75 days in advance.

Editing carousel posts is so in right now

Ever posted a photo dump but regretted sharing a specific photo? The introduction of Instagram’s latest feature allows you to delete images from your carousel post – no matter where it falls in the sequence.

Surprisingly, this is one of Instagram’s best kept secrets and we’re excited to share it.

Hello broadcast channels (we see you)

Raise your hand if you’ve received 25+ notifications from people “just trying” out their Broadcast channels?

Broadcast channels are Instagram’s newest method of helping creator and business accounts share exclusive announcements and behind-the-scenes content with their followers.

Interestingly, the owner is the only one who can post on the channel and their followers can only react to their content, which means it requires little to no moderation. Community Managers rejoice.

Need help with your Instagram or Reels strategy? Get in touch today