We can assume that Instagram introduced this new feature after noticing how many Instagram-users were already doing this in an informal way, by taking a screenshot and then uploading it to their stories. “We’re always testing ways to make it easier to share any moment with friends on Instagram“, according to their spokesman Zachary Sakked.
Photo: Techcrunch
For those who already have access to the new feature, it will show up as ‘Add post to your story’ when you tap the sharing icon. People who don’t want their photos to be shared can easily turn this option off in their privacy settings.
Photo: The Verge
Tagging friends became such common behaviour on the social media platform, with people wanting to share funny memes or beautiful photos with others. But with long comment threads of tags being inconvenient, Instagram introduced the Direct Message-option, to send somebody’s post directly to a friend. With this new feature, it becomes even more convenient to share posts with a broader audience.
The lack of a regramming button on Instagram can be explained from Instagrams strong focus in original content, but it seems that the photo giant is now willing to be a bit more flexible when it comes to stories. For brands, this new feature can be a big help for content curation.
How to use Instagram Stories for content curation
Content curation, as opposed to content creation, isn’t the production of any new content, but it’s the process of discovering, filtering and sharing existing content. When curating content you go through a large amount of online content while filtering out the best posts in order to present or organise these in a different or better way. There are various ways to bring that content together, such as blog posts with an overview of interesting or related content, or editorial newsletters that link to different articles or web pages.
Another way to publish curated content will be Instagram Stories. This is a huge plus for brands since content curation can be beneficial for multiple reasons. First of all, there is the time-saving aspect. Curating content often doesn’t take as long as the creation of new content (however this is not always the case!). Secondly, curating content gives you the chance to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. By collecting relevant articles, posts, videos etc. people will see you as an authority in your sector. Thirdly, it helps with your PR and customer relationships. The people or brands whose content you’ll be using will most likely be flattered that you see their content as valuable enough to use on your own platform. This increases the chances of them taking an interest in you, and checking out your brand profile in return.
The option to regram content into your own stories will open the door to curating content on Instagram in an easy way. No sketchy third-party apps, but natively integrated into your personal stories. Think of the options this will create!
Let’s assume you’re in the travel industry but you’re struggling to find beautiful photos of all the locations you offer.
Or you sell fashion and you would love to feature people who are wearing your clothes in their posts (use branded hashtags!)
Why not just sharing reviews or showing happy customers? No better way to promote your brand.
The options are endless – so make sure you jump on the Regram-wagon with your brand and make full use of the content curation feature that will soon be launched!
If you want us to run your Instagram or would like to bounce some ideas, make sure you give us a buzz!