While TikTok is losing ground in many countries due to its Chinese roots, Meta is taking advantage of it to power Reels, an Instagram feature that rivals ByteDance.
Mark Zuckerberg announced Friday (14) that it’s adding a dedicated space for audios and hashtags trending in Reels, expanding the platform’s gifts to more countries, improving tool editing tools, new metrics, and more. Check out more below.
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Exclusive space for directions
With this latest update, social network content creators will be able to see which songs are trending on Reels. They can even see how many times a sound has been used and then mark it to use or save it for later. Content creators will also be able to see their most commented topics and their hashtags, all directly from Reels.
To access the new area dedicated to trending content, the creator must go to their professional timeline and select the option “Checar as Tendências do Reels de Hoje” (in the literal translation). In this section, he is taken to “Tendências do Reels” (in the literal translation), where he can find directions and audio topics via hashtags.
According to Meta, the new dedicated section is intended to help creators learn more about what’s currently popular to better inform their content and ensure they stay on top of trends.
Expanding liquidations
Instagram is also expanding gift monetization to more countries in the coming weeks. The regions that will use the tool are Australia, Canada, France, Mexico, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Launched last year, Instagram Gifts allows creator fans to donate value to support creators through themed virtual gifts.
Gifts are purchased via the Instagram app using the virtual currency Stars and can cost anywhere from ten stars to hundreds of stars. This practice also occurs on YouTube, for example. However, the support on the Google platform is 100% real money.
Additionally, the company is adding a new feature that will show creators when their fans send gifts. When creators click the new heart icon next to their supporters, the user will receive a notification that the creator has seen and acknowledged the gift.
Content editing made easy
The new update also makes it easier for Reels creators to edit their posts. Instagram now has a unified editing screen that offers clips, audio, stickers, and text.
The social network said the change makes it easier for the user to align and time parts of their reels at the appropriate times in a more straightforward way. Instagram plans to introduce additional tools designed to make editing Reels simpler and easier.
new metrics
Creators will also have access to new Reels insights to understand how their content is performing. First, Instagram is adding a new metric called Total Watch Time, which captures the total time a reel has been viewed, including any time spent replaying content.
Then, content creators will have access to another new metric, Average Watch Time, which records the total average time users spend watching a video, which is calculated by dividing the time spent watching by the number of views.
For example, if your average watch time is 17 seconds, then out of everyone who watched your video, they watched an average of 17 seconds. This will help you better understand where people are interacting or where you may need to create stronger traction to keep viewers sticking around for longer.
Instagram, in a blog post
Relationship content x growth
Another new feature allows creators more insight into how their reels are contributing to their growth, as creators will receive a notification when someone starts following them directly from their profile.
The new updates come at a time when it might make sense for Meta to try to capitalize on growing “disgust” towards TikTok, which has been banned from devices by some governments around the world, while facing a possible ban in the US.
with information from Techcrunch
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Charlotte Whitmore is a contributor at Mediarunsearch.co.uk, covering a broad range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting and practical information that helps readers stay informed about current events and emerging developments. Her work highlights stories that matter to everyday audiences, with an emphasis on accuracy, relevance, and accessible journalism that keeps readers connected to the issues shaping the UK and beyond.