Here are 6 new features social media marketers can watch out for on Instagram in 2023.

1. Boost stories: You can now boost stories on Instagram. This is a great way to create a paid promotion to get your content in front of more people. To boost a story; Go to your profile, tap your profile picture to access your story, at the bottom of the story’s image or video, select Boost from the options.

2. All videos are now reels: All videos shared on Instagram are automatically displaying in the vertical or reel format. If you upload a square video, it will be displayed as a reel (vertical). Going forward design videos in vertical format but remember to crop the cover to control how it looks in your grid (Instagram profile). You also have the option of uploading a separate photo for the video cover.

3. Use Canva to create graphics: (Not really a new feature, but we get lots of questions about how to do this!) Canva is a useful and easy to use tool for creating graphics to post on social media to add some diversity to your grid. It makes it easy to use your brand colours and fonts consistently. We offer monthly training sessions in our Academy for beginners and advanced levels.

4. Pinned panoramic posts: Instagram’s ‘pinned post’ feature allows users to create cool panoramic post designs that can be used as a banner across their Instagram grid. Simply post your panoramic post (a design split into 3 square images) and select ‘pin post’ on each. Your design will now appear above all posts on your grid.

5. Duel feature: As we predicted last week, Instagram has adapted a feature similar to ‘BeReal’ where users can post a story using their front and back camera at once. You can find this feature on your IG camera.

6. Voiceover feature: In-app voiceovers are now available when creating reels on Instagram. This is really useful as you will save time downloading external editing apps!

Here at SellOnSocial.Media we are a digital marketing agency operating under two divisions. The Agency services are for businesses and non-profits that wish to outsource their social media marketing to the experts. The Online Training Academy trains entrepreneurs in how to optimise social media to achieve commercial stand-out and boost sales.