Meta introduces new features on Instagram Reels for creators

Meta has introduced a couple of new features on Instagram Reels to empower creators to express creativity, connect with audience and earn a living. 

One of the new improvements is that creators can now find out what's trending on Reels, according to the statement. With the understanding of creators always looking to discover fresh content ideas, Meta has added a dedicated feature for creators to discover the latest trends, including the top trending songs on Reels. Creators can now see how many times the audio has been used, tap in to use it or save the audio for future personal use.

In addition to that, creators are able to see what the top trending topics and hashtags are on Reels to inform their own content. Meta gave an example in the statement that for instance, festival season might be trending earlier than one might think. Meta has found that users actually start sharing their #coachella content before the festival even begins. These are the types of insights creators can tap into with the new trends destination.

Another improvement Meta added is a feature to make it easier for creators to edit reels on Instagram by bringing together video clips, audio, stickers, and text on a unified editing screen. This makes it easier to align and time elements of your reel to the right moments in a more visual way, the statement said. Furthermore, Meta said there will be more tools that will be launched in the future as it continues to invest in more ways to make editing reels simpler and easier.

This is available globally, across both iOS and Android devices. 

Don't miss: Meta is cutting its Reels bonus programme for creators

The third feature is the addition of two new metrics to improve Reels insights to help creators better understand how their content is performing. These are the updates to Reels Insights. The two metrics are total watch time and average watch time. Meta also made it easier to see insights while viewing reels directly. 

Total watch time captures the total amount of time reel was played, including any time spent replaying the reel. Average watch time captures the average amount of time spent playing reel, calculated by dividing watch time with the number of total plays. The statement said, "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."

Additionally, Meta added a new way to see how reels are contributing to creators' growth. Creators will now receive a notification with new followers from their reels. 

Lastly, Meta has been improving and expanding gifts on Reels. Meta plans to bring gifts to even more creators with upcoming expansions to more markets, including Australia, Canada, France, Mexico, New Zealand and the UK, in the coming weeks.

Meta is also adding a new feature to show creators which fans have sent them a gift so creators can recognise their supporters. Meta said: "If you tap the heart icon next to your supporters, they’ll get a notification that you’ve seen and recognised their gift, providing an even stronger sense of connection between you and your fans." 

"We’re committed to building more products to help you grow and thrive on Instagram, and today’s updates are just a few of the ways we’re investing in your success," the statement said.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Meta for more information.

Last month, Meta paused its Reels bonus programme that gives bonuses to creators for creating Reels and reaching certain benchmarks. This action will affect all Reels creators on Facebook and creators on Instagram. Creators will no longer be paid based on the “popularity of their short videos”, but Meta will still pay bonuses to creators who have existing commitments for 30 days, according to Business Insider’s report.

With Meta cutting its Reels bonus programme, Facebook said that it would provide more monetisation tools so it could help creators earn secure streams of income, according to TechCrunch. Creators used to receive up to US$35,000 in a month, the article said.

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