Instagram announces new features to make Reels more attractive to creators

Instagram has been aggressively trying to compete with TikTok when it comes to short videos. Now the social network has announced multiple new features for its Reels platform in an attempt to make it more attractive to creators.

What’s new for Instagram Reels

As announced by the company in a blog post, it’s now easier to find out what’s trending on Reels. Creators will find a new section with top trending hashtags and songs, so that they can create Reels about what other people really want to see. “These are the types of insights you can tap into with the new trends destination,” Instagram explains.

Another new feature coming to Reels is a revamped editor that makes it easier to align and time elements at the right time in a more visual way. The metrics for Reels are now also more detailed, with information about total watch time and average watch time. And the metrics can now be accessed directly from your Reels.

Here’s how Instagram describes the new metrics for Reels:

Total watch time captures the total amount of time your reel was played, including any time spent replaying the reel. Average watch time captures the average amount of time spent playing your reel, calculated by dividing watch time with the number of total plays. For example if your average watch time is 17 seconds, out of everyone who watched your Reel they watched an average of 17 seconds. This will help you better understand where people are being engaged or where you may need to create a stronger hook to have viewers stay longer.

And according to Instagram, creators will get notifications when they get new followers because of Reels. Moreover, the company is expanding the Gifts feature – which lets fans support their creators with money – to more countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Mexico, New Zealand, and the UK.

All the new features will be rolling out to Instagram users in the coming weeks.

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