Instagram Platform Updates and Features You Need To Know

Hey UNE Insiders,

February is here but WTF was the month of January? 😩 We’re kicking off the start of the new month with so much happening behind the scenes, preparing for new music release and projects with our talented artist roster and UNE clients, agency programming, Season Two of ‘Industry Trailblazers Chats’ and amplifying more marketing gems for our INSIDERS community .

In today’s newsletter, in five minutes or less ⌛

• Learn about the latest Instagram platform features and updates you need to know to inform and elevate your creative strategy in the coming months

• UNE Agency Events: ‘All Things Social’ IG Live Recap

• and of course, A little extra magic

Let’s chat all things IG….

REELS ARE EXPANDED TO THREE MINUTES

To keep up with the competition, Instagram recently allowed users to upload longer Reels, right after YouTube Shorts announced their plans late last year. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri has expressed that Reels between 30 and 90 seconds remain the platform’s sweet spot.

NEW IG GRID ALERT

Now this is a major platform update that faced some backlash from users when the change rolled out in January, right before the TikTok app went dark. Moving from the popular square grid to a rectangle to incorporate the look and feel of the TikTok platform, it’s clear Instagram is ready and preparing for the uncertainty of the future of TikTok.

NEW VIEWS PERFORMANCE METRICS

Instagram rolled out views as a primary metric in the performance dashboard last Summer and is adding a new metrics to help creators hone in on what’s working with their audience. “View Rate” metric, which will show you what percentage of your viewers watched beyond the first three seconds of your clip, and “Views Over Time”.

TRIAL REELS GIVES YOU THE ABILITY TO TEST NEW CREATIVE

Have you seen this one yet? Test out your creative assets and gain initial performance insights with this new feature. Perfect for brands and creatives alike, several users are reporting positive sentiment, noting an increase in engagement and follower growth. We recommend trying this feature out ASAP.

IN TESTING: MOVING IG HIGHLIGHTS AND THE ABILITY TO REARRANGE YOUR GRID

Instagram is now testing and confirmed that highlights will likely be moving into the feed grid view shortly, along with allowing users to control their grid. We foresee this being a game changer for both brands and creatives on the platform with an opportunity to spotlight partnership opportunities, products, milestones, and more.

UNE Agency Events

Join us for our biweekly ‘All Things Social’ live events hosted by UNE Founder/CEO Jazz Jackson. We’ll cover different topics, share the latest social news, platform updates, and answer submitted questions from our INSIDERS community in this gem-packed power hour session!

Missed us live last week? No worries, we’ve got you covered. The full replay is available on Instagram, where we discussed the updates listed above in more detail with even more gems to catch. We’ll be back next week Wednesday, 02/19 at 12PM PST!

A little extra magic:

📺 What we’re watching: Kendrick Lamar’s Superbowl Halftime performance was 10/10. The symbolism, cultural references, performance, guest appearance with Samuel L. Jackson, dancers, we could go on and on…Happy Black History Month!

🎧 What we’re listening to: Could Be Pretty Cool News podcast episode with JV Agency Founder Jazmine Valencia, discussing how artists and agencies can thrive in an ever-changing digital landscape.

📚 What we’re reading: Luminate compiles a mid-year and end-year report for the music, tv, and fim industries every year. Check out the end-year music report for 2024 for the latest music insights, trends, etc.

Stay tuned for our next newsletter heading to your inbox later this week that will include this week’s list of magical opportunities within the entertainment industry to check out.

TEAM UNEARTHLY