MIn its recent update, Instagram is rolling out new creative features for Stories, offering a wider range of expressions. One of them is the ‘Reveal’ function. You can also send blurred stories, which your followers can then reveal by sending a DM or by performing specific actions.
To use this feature, simply create a story and then go to the stickers section and select the “Reveal” option. After this step, your story will be partially obscured, and only your followers who send a direct message will be able to view the content.
For the average user, this feature could simply encourage new interactions with their friends. For a content creator, on the other hand, this feature can be a significant lever for more engagement. It should be noted that every direct message does not necessarily require approval in order to reveal the story.
Other options become possible
In addition to this new feature, Instagram is also rolling out an update to the well-known “Ad Yours”, which until now allowed you to reply to a story by using a sticker, thus contributing to a chain started by other users. The new form of this function is “Add Your Music”. As the name suggests, you can share a song that matches your mood, encouraging your followers to do the same.
Yet another novelty is “Polaroid”, which allows you to transform a photo into a virtual Polaroid photo, which appears when the user shakes his phone. Although stories usually revolve around a current moment, the Polaroid feature evokes a sense of nostalgia. The usage is skewed toward more retrospective postings, where a charming reminder of the past is provided through the digital lens.
Another interesting novelty is the introduction of the “Cutouts” function. You can transform part of a photo or video into a personalized sticker. This function is similar to what Apple offers: you can also select stickers based on a photo with a simple press of your finger.
The rollout of these new functions is also part of the reworking of the recommendations and the algorithm, which was met with much criticism. Instagram wants to spotlight small creators and original content in its recommendations, and remove content aggregators from these suggestions.
