Alex Omenye
Instagram unveiled several new features for Stories aimed at enhancing user creativity and engagement, the company announced on Friday.
Among these additions is the “Reveal” feature, which allows users to post hidden Stories for their followers to uncover by sending a direct message. Additionally, Instagram is introducing features that enable users to share their favorite songs and highlight memories through Stories.
To utilize the Reveal feature, users can tap the stickers icon while creating a Story and select the “Reveal” option. They will then be prompted to provide a hint about their blurred Story. Once posted, friends can only view the Story content by sending a DM.
While Reveal offers a convenient way to initiate conversations, it particularly benefits creators by boosting engagement with their Stories. Instagram emphasizes that creators won’t need to approve every DM for their Story to be revealed, alleviating concerns about managing numerous messages.
Instagram is also rolling out an “Add Yours Music” sticker for Stories, enabling users to share mood-fitting songs while encouraging followers to do the same. This feature builds upon Instagram’s existing “Add yours” sticker, allowing users to respond to Stories with their own content based on prompts or topics.
In addition, users gain access to the “Frames” feature, transforming photos into virtual Polaroids that can be viewed by shaking the phone or clicking a button. This nostalgic feature diverges from the traditional Stories format, offering a throwback experience. Frames automatically add the date and timestamp of the featured image, with an option to include a caption.
Another new addition, “Cutouts,” empowers users to turn portions of videos or photos in their camera roll into custom stickers for Stories or Reels. Similar to Apple’s image cutout tool, this feature allows users to isolate objects with a simple press of their finger.
These feature launches coincide with Instagram’s announcement on Tuesday regarding changes to its ranking systems. In response to feedback from creators, Instagram aims to better highlight content from smaller, original creators by prioritizing original content over reposts in recommendations, labeling reposted content, and removing content aggregators from recommendations. These changes address concerns about the algorithm negatively impacting creators’ reach.
