Unlock Hidden Instagram Stories by Sending a Direct Message

Instagram Unveils New Features to Enhance User Engagement and Creativity in Stories

Instagram has recently introduced a set of innovative features for Stories, providing users with fresh and imaginative ways to share content and interact with one another. The social media giant announced these updates on Friday, which include a unique “Reveal” feature, a new way to share favorite tunes, and a tool to highlight memories.

Unveiling the “Reveal” Feature

The most notable addition is the “Reveal” feature, which allows users to post a hidden Story that their followers can uncover by sending a direct message (DM). To use this feature, simply tap the stickers icon while creating a Story and select the “Reveal” option. Users will then be asked to provide a hint about the blurred story before posting it. Friends will only be able to view the Story’s content by sending a DM to the user.

Image Credits: Instagram

While Reveal can be a fun way to initiate conversations with friends, it is particularly beneficial for creators, as it encourages more engagement with their Stories. Creators need not worry about approving every DM to reveal their Story, making it a hassle-free experience.

Sharing Moods with “Add Yours Music” Sticker

Instagram is also introducing the “Add Yours Music” sticker for Stories, which enables users to share a song that reflects their current mood while encouraging their followers to do the same. This feature expands on Instagram’s existing “Add yours” sticker, which allows users to respond to other users’ Stories based on a specific prompt or topic.

Image Credits: Instagram

Throwback Posts with “Frames” Feature

Users can now access the “Frames” feature, which transforms a photo into a virtual polaroid that can be viewed by shaking the phone or clicking the “shake to reveal button.” Although Stories are typically used to share current activities, this feature is designed for throwback posts. The Frames sticker automatically adds the date and timestamp of when the photo was taken, and users can optionally include a caption on the virtual polaroid.

Image Credits: Instagram

Creating Custom Stickers with “Cutouts”

The “Cutouts” feature allows users to turn any part of a video or photo in their camera roll into a custom sticker that can be added to a Story or Reel. This feature is reminiscent of Apple’s image cutout tool, which enables users to “pick up” an object from a photo or video with a simple finger press.

Prioritizing Original Content and Smaller Creators

The release of these new features coincides with Instagram’s announcement on Tuesday regarding updates to its ranking systems to better showcase content from smaller, original creators. These changes include replacing reposts with original content in recommendations, adding labels to reposted content, and removing content aggregators from recommendations. This announcement comes after months of criticism from creators who claimed that their reach had been adversely affected by the algorithm.