Instagram Stories Launches New Creative Features

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Social Media Marketing Talk Show, a news show for marketers who want to stay on the leading edge of social media.

On this week’s Social Media Marketing Talk Show, we explore the new Create mode for Instagram Stories Camera, the new Instagram app Threads, and more with special guest Jenn Herman.

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About Our Special Guest

Jenn Herman is an Instagram-loving writer, speaker, and social media consultant. You can learn more from her at her site, Jenn’s Trends.

Use the timestamps below to fast-forward to our top stories in the replay above.

• 4:57 Instagram Updates Stories Camera With New “Create” Mode
• 15:29 Instagram Testing Group Stories
• 18:10 Instagram Launches Stand-Alone Messaging App, Threads
• 23:00 Instagram Developing Direct for Desktop Users
• 25:18 Instagram Expands Branded Content Tag to IGTV
• 28:37 Instagram Tests Product Launch Reminders for Instagram Shopping
• 31:30 Instagram Experimenting With Adding Augmented Reality to In-App Shopping
• 32:57 Instagram Removes Following Tab
• 34:38 Instagram on iOS 13 Gets Dark Mode

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Instagram Updates Stories Camera With New “Create” Mode: Instagram is rolling out a new Stories Camera format that’s expected to “make the app’s various Stories tools – including GIFs, Countdown Stickers and Polls – easier to access and apply, direct from the main function bar.”

Say hello to your new camera, including the new Create mode (packed with fun new tools like the GIFs format). pic.twitter.com/0lX68CIaWT

— Instagram (@instagram) October 8, 2019

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Instagram Testing Group Stories: The Next Web reports that Instagram is currently testing a Stories for Groups feature in one of the app’s test builds. Screenshots provided by Jane Manchun Wong suggest that photos from the Stories Camera option will be able to be posted to a user’s stories, stories visible only to close friends, and stories for a group set up in Direct Messages.

Instagram might soon let you post group stories https://t.co/nIQTFPUIvH

— TNW Apps (@TNWapps) October 7, 2019

Instagram Launches Stand-Alone Messaging App, Threads: Facebook introduced Threads from Instagram, a new camera-first, stand-alone messaging app that helps users “stay connected to [their] close friends.” The Threads app is available globally on both iOS and Android.

Today, Facebook is launching Threads from Instagram, a new camera-first messaging app that helps you stay connected to your close friends. Learn more here: https://t.co/oMgMiKMT6Y pic.twitter.com/GbQzctLu1t

— Instagram (@instagram) October 3, 2019

Instagram Developing Direct for Desktop Users: In an update reported by Jane Manchun Wong, Instagram appears to be developing the ability to send and receive direct messages from the desktop site.

Instagram is working on Direct for the desktop website pic.twitter.com/2Yc0T94wh1

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) October 9, 2019

Instagram Expands Branded Content Tag to IGTV: Instagram’s branded content tags aren’t yet available to all users but business and creator accounts in regions that have access to this feature can now also add branded content tags to their longer-form IGTV content.

Branded content tags for Instagram’s IGTV are now available to all users (subject to eligibility) pic.twitter.com/s38RJA6T8u

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) September 27, 2019

Instagram Tests Product Launch Reminders for Instagram Shopping: Instagram started a beta test of a new product launch sticker in Instagram Stories and a product launch tag option in the main feed. These two options will enable users to set reminders for the item launch date, preview the product details in-stream, and then make a subsequent purchase as soon as a product becomes available—all without leaving Instagram.

We’re making it even easier to shop new product launches from some of your favorite brands and creators. ? A new notification sticker in Stories and product launch tag in feed help you set reminders, preview details and buy on checkout. Details here: https://t.co/6c7yL5Y51Q pic.twitter.com/6aJLojDWZm

— Instagram (@instagram) September 30, 2019

Instagram Experimenting With Adding Augmented Reality to In-App Shopping: Mashable India reports that Instagram is adding another shopping feature to the app: augmented reality. Beginning this week, “a handful of brands” that sell products directly on Instagram will have a new augmented reality try-on feature in product pages.

Big day for Instagram news: the company has been quietly expanding its shopping platform, which as of today includes augmented reality try-on features for brands, starting with @NARSCosmetics @WarbyParker and a couple others https://t.co/tUl0zlh0QG (tip @Techmeme )

— Karissa Bell (@karissabe) October 3, 2019

Instagram Removes Following Tab: Instagram confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the Following Tab was phased out last week. Once the changes go into effect, the heart icon, which currently houses an activity feed for “You” and “Following” will only display the user’s activity.

Instagram’s Following tab is going away this week https://t.co/qkv0N7u8sN pic.twitter.com/m94hxW9SrZ

— The Verge (@verge) October 7, 2019

Instagram on iOS 13 Gets Dark Mode: Instagram has updated its iPhone app to take advantage of native dark mode support in iOS 13.

Instagram gets the iOS 13 dark mode treatment and it’s wonderful https://t.co/V7GGXpUtvL pic.twitter.com/t0PUyDtLJH

— The Verge (@verge) October 8, 2019

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