After recently announcing that users will be able to give their feeds a makeover, i.e. reset recommendations, unfollow accounts and more, it’s time to get ready for another bold new update. Your story highlights will now be moving to the grid.
According to Instagram head, Adam Mosseri, this feature has been a long time coming. On a recent Instagram Live, Mosseri announced the changes whilst stating that “We’re trying to figure out a way to improve the profile and try to get more of the content above the fold and simplify it… and of the ideas we’re exploring is integrating highlights into the grid”.
Essentially, the new feature is designed to consolidate a user’s Instagram profile. “We don’t need to have pogs (the current circular design with a selected picture that appears on your profile to represent highlights) and squares and have it all be complicated and pushing everything down”.
For the full announcement, click here.
How Does this Change Instagram’s User Experience?
As of November 19, the feature has already been rolled out but only for selected users as it’s still in the testing phase.
Since its introduction, Instagram Stories has become an increasingly popular way for users to share content with their followers. The ephemeral nature of stories drew users in due to the ability to post content that created a feeling of exclusivity for those viewing it. And while some users might argue having ‘highlights’ displayed in the grid destroys the short-lived nature of stories, posting it on highlights already does that– this just makes it a lot more apparent.
However, most of the time users don’t scroll through someone else’s highlights, but once it’s transferred to the grid, it might increase the likelihood of snooping through someone else’s profile. Nonetheless, the more prominent placement now means creators can curate their Stories more strategically to capitalise on the added exposure.
What Does this Mean for Marketers?
Clearly, Instagram views Highlights as a vital feature of its platform. Recent Instagram Story statistics for brands reveal that:
- Over 35% of users prefer short narrative-type stories, quizzes, and polls.
- Smaller brands with less than 10,000 followers saw a 35% increase in reach rate this year.
- One to three frames within a Story account for up to 60% of overall brand activity.
Most of the time, when a user logs onto Instagram, their initial reaction is to click on a Story and watch it, and if it appeals to them, they’ll now have the ability to see it directly within a brand’s main profile. For marketers, this presents the opportunity to create Stories that are much more unified yet personalised in nature to appeal to targeted audiences.
With over 70% of shoppers going to Instagram to seek purchase inspiration, marketers can now grab the attention of their followers beyond the 24-hour expiry limit on Stories by posting their thoughtfully crafted content as a feature on their profile. Inadvertently, this maximises a user’s touch points with a brand, ultimately improving engagement rates.