A simple guide to Instagram insights
Luke McCarthy
November 21, 2024
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From increased capacity to edit footage to a better view of the footage itself, July was not a month any brand or influencer would want to pass by without note.
That’s why Vamp has spent the month compiling all the important updates so you don’t have to. So please enjoy our round-up of the most important updates from July.
Meta has been testing a Clear Mode feature in Reels, which means users can remove the description and UI buttons while watching videos. This has already been tested on Instagram, and is an active option on Meta’s fierce rival, TikTok.
By removing the description and UI button, the move gives viewers a clearer view of the content. This could be a lifeline for creators who include important information at the bottom of videos, which would otherwise be obstructed by the description.
For example, if you are an influencer in food, naturally the chopping board and ingredients will feature at the bottom of the screen. But this feature will enable such items to be visible, giving viewers a better idea of the recipe.
It may also simply result in a smoother, TV-esque viewing experience that would boost engagement. Are you new to influencer marketing and want to launch your own campaign? Or are experienced in this field, but keen to learn more? You can find Vamp’s guide on launching a social media campaign here.
Towards the end of the month (July 29) Meta announced the rollout of AI Studio to create and discover AI characters. In short, it enables content creators to “build an AI as an extension of themselves to reach more fans”.
That should excite any influencer serious about increasing their viewing figures. It can be done by visiting ai.meta.com/ai-studio or within the Instagram app itself, by starting a new message before tapping “AI chats”.
Meta said in a blog post: “You can use a wide variety of prompt templates or start from scratch to make an AI that teaches you how to cook, helps you with your Instagram captions, generates memes to make your friends laugh – the possibilities are endless.
“Your AI can be just for you, or you can share it with your followers and friends, and even make it available for anyone to discover and chat with on Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and web.”
For creators, this could make a useful addition to your online toolkit by appealing to viewers immersed in our modern, AI-inspired world. It is currently being rolled out in the US, although Meta did not give a timescale for expansion.
If you think Vamp can help you take your game to the next level, we would be delighted to help. You can find our pricing here.
At Vamp, we wholeheartedly support any measures that make our readers feel safer. But not only does WhatsApp’s latest update achieve that, it provides a useful tool for creators and brands, too.
When users are added to a new WhatsApp group, they will now be given more information on the person adding them to the group and the group itself, courtesy of group context cards.
This opens increased opportunity to spot any red flags, particularly scams or dubious get-rich schemes. It also allows for greater scrutiny of the group organiser because, often, there are telling signs about someone’s intentions from their profile.
But for creators and brands using WhatsApp to reach audiences, this allows greater scope to inform people why they should stay in your group. For example if you are a wellness influencer, specialising in yoga and informing followers of your next retreat, those followers will be given a note on who you are.
Once they recognise who you are, after following you on a different platform, you stand a far greater chance of keeping them engaged within the group. And by doing that, you’re boosting engagement and forging personal bonds where they may not have existed previously.
Would you like to keep check on how your rivals are performing? You can find Vamp’s guide to competitor analysis here.
While we’re on the subject of WhatsApp in July, a cool new feature was introduced: a Favourites tab.
This compiles the chats and group chats that are most important to you, placed alongside All, Unread and Groups.
In a statement, WhatsApp said: “Starting today, you can quickly find the people and groups that matter most at the top of your calls tab and as a filter for your chats.
“Whether it’s your family group chat or your best friend, your ‘favourites’ will be the same across your chats and calls, so you can speed dial them from your calls tab too.”
In practical terms for creators, this could serve as a useful reminder to respond to customers you are communicating with on WhatsApp.
This feature also times nicely with the growing trend of brands increasingly reaching large audiences with WhatsApp, as reported by Vamp.
Are you a small business looking for a boost? Vamp can help with our guide for small businesses here.
On the official X (formerly Twitter) account feed, a post from employee Zach Warunek announced increased capacity to compare multiple metrics. The post shares a screenshot of a graph with two lines, one showing Impressions and the other Likes.
In the top right corner, there is a timescale offering seven days, 28 days, three months and one year. But perhaps most significant is the custom options, allowing users to view these metrics within whatever window of time they choose.
For brands and creators, that means you can specifically compare multiple metrics from the date of one of your uploads. Likes and Impressions offer crucial signals to content creators on the type of content that lands and just as importantly, what doesn’t.
So being able to view multiple metrics, in a format that strips your analysis down to desired time frames, is going to pay off as you hone your product.
YouTube has (again) announced a range of new tools for its Shorts format. Among them is the option to add Text to Speech, so that creators can communicate with viewers by having text narrated or spoken out loud.
In a statement, YouTube said: “With Text to Speech, creators will have even more ways to express themselves by having text on your Short narrated or spoken out loud. After you record a Short, add your text and tap the ‘add voice’ icon in the top left where you can find four voices to choose from.”
There is also the addition of Auto layout, which automatically tracks the main subject of videos when you’re turning a video into a Short. YouTube says the tool will automatically pan, zoom and crop for a smoother viewing experience.
This could be very handy for creators who move in their videos, such as workouts in the gym or outside. Another update is the introduction of an ‘Add Yours’ sticker to Shorts, which encourages viewers to share their own content with you. This could boost the amount of time audiences stay engaged.
Finally, you will soon be able to add and edit stylised captions.
YouTube explained: “Soon, you’ll be able to add auto-generated captions directly on your content to help your Shorts be more fun, engaging, accessible, and helpful for people watching on mute. Edit, customise, and style your captions with different fonts and colours to let your Shorts shine.”
TikTok creators will be able to upload custom thumbnails to their footage, in a potentially significant update on the video-sharing giant. Social media consultant, Matt Navarra, shared an image of the upload process with the ability to either select a frame for a thumbnail or upload a custom one instead.
That means you could edit images in apps like CapCut, adding eye-catching visuals not available in the uploaded footage itself, before uploading as a thumbnail. While it is true that audiences view most TikTok videos without thumbnails, only a novice would disregard the power of small details going a long way.
TikTok has remained tight-lipped on when this update, which is currently available on Reels, will be released. But now would be a good time for any influencer who uses TikTok to begin experimenting with editing frames from their uploads, either existing or those sitting in drafts.
Such a skill already pays dividends on TikTok’s arch rival, YouTube, where (apart from Shorts) thumbnails play an indispensable role in viewing figures. So for creators who use both, it won’t be time wasted to move your editing skills to the next level.
If you found that helpful, then we have some good news: Vamp isn’t going anywhere.
We will be paying close attention, day by day, to all the social media updates that will be important to you this time next month.
And we will take you through just how these can benefit you. Enjoy your August, we hope to see you then.
