Social Media Marketing Talk Show

Episode: Instagram Updates: Early Access Reels, Personalized Algorithms, Edits App, and More

Hosted by Jerry Potter (C) with guest Chelsea Peitz (B)

Date: December 22, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jerry Potter and social media expert Chelsea Peitz dive into the latest Instagram updates with significant implications for marketers: expanded sharing on Stories, innovative Reel features (including Early Access), powerful advances in personalization, and exciting enhancements in the Edits app. The conversation blends hands-on insights, strategic recommendations, playful banter, and forward-looking marketing advice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Instagram Stories: Expanded Sharing

• Previous Limitation: Stories could only be shared if you were tagged.
• New Feature: Any publicly shared Instagram Story can now be reshared by anyone who sees it, regardless of tag status.
  • Privacy Controls: Users can opt out and keep their Stories more private.
• Marketing Implications:
  • Brands and creators can amplify user-generated content (UGC) more easily.
  • Possibility for greater reach and virality for Stories.
• Notable Insights:
  • “Stories historically has always been just for the community that follows you… now, your stories that are publicly shared are now going to be shareable by anyone if they've seen that story, whether you tag them or not.” (Chelsea, 02:12)
  • If you value Stories as a private space for your community, consider turning sharing off.
• Fun Moment: Both hosts joke about Meta possibly decreasing reach if users start encouraging sharing.
  • “Who knows, right?... They really should have people, not two people that both believe in the conspiracies on the same show.” (Chelsea, 03:55)

2. Reels: Early Access and Trial Features

• Early Access Reels:
  • New option to let only your followers see a Reel for the first 24 hours.
  • Non-followers see a teaser and must follow to view.
  • Designed to encourage follower growth with FOMO and exclusivity.
  • After 24 hours, the Reel becomes public.
• Strategy Discussion:
  • Potential to post the same content as both Early Access and as a Trial Reel to maximize reach and engagement.
• Comparison: Referred to as the “opposite of a trial reel” — those target non-followers for testing content.
• Psychological Angle: Jerry connects this feature to classic “Apple launch” marketing: exclusivity, teasers, and generated anticipation.
  • “The best way to market something is tell somebody about something they can't have yet.” (Jerry, 08:16)
• Unanswered Question: How will Early Access Reels show up—just on profiles or in the main feed too?
• User Adoption: Both hosts agree this is worth testing to boost follower engagement.

3. Reels Camera Updates: Longer Videos, Undo Button, Green Screen

• Longer Reels: Recording up to 20 minutes directly in-app (previously 10 minutes).
• Undo Button: Fix mistakes while editing, available to some users for over a year.
• Enhanced Green Screen: Improved performance for seamless backgrounds, fixing previous issues with blurring.
• Advanced Timer & Voiceover Countdown: More options for precise recording/editing.
• Practical Take: Most users don’t need 20 minutes, but creators have more flexibility.
  • “Everybody's kind of going longer and then it'll go back to shorter.” (Chelsea, 09:57)

4. Personalized Algorithm for Reels

• Customizable Algorithm: Users can now directly manage the Reel topics Instagram recommends.
  • Access via icon (two lines with hearts) in the Reels feed.
  • AI summary displays current preferences, and categories can be added, edited, or deleted.
  • Limitations exist for hyper-specific topics, but it adapts instantly.
• Marketing Relevance:
  • Marketers can guide followers on how to prioritize their content.
  • Accounts focused on a single topic stand to benefit most.
  • Surge or drop in reach may relate to user adoption of this feature.
• User Reaction: Chelsea found it “worked a little too well,” leading to a more homogenous feed.
  • “I feel like it worked a little too well. And now only— the only things I see are literally certain cycling from those topics.” (Chelsea, 12:55)
• Fun Banter: Jerry jokes about panic when Meta asks “Do you want to see more or less…?” content, highlighting user confusion.

5. Reels AI Translation Feature

• Feature Overview: Reels can now translate audio into different languages, alter the speaker’s voice, and even sync lip movements.
• Expanding Languages: Hindi and Portuguese join English and Spanish.
• Marketing Opportunity:
  • Marketers with international audiences can create more inclusive content.
  • Automatic sticker and on-screen text translation for seamless localization.
• Possible Drawbacks: Only valuable if your business can serve multiple languages.
• Quote:
  • “It'll also translate the sticker, it'll translate the on screen text. So literally your entire thing could be customized for any language that they offer.” (Jerry, 16:50)
• User Reaction: Chelsea was “really surprised” at how seamless the AI translation looks in demos.

6. Instagram Edits App: Major Upgrades

• Usage: Chelsea uses Edits “exclusively now” (17:47), finding it robust and time-saving.
• New Features:
  • Templates: Pre-built, drag-and-drop video templates.
  • Bulk Caption Editing: Edit all captions in one screen—massive time-saver.
  • Lip Sync: Animate photos with facial features using your voice recording.
  • Reverse Video: Play videos backward—useful for creative effects.
  • Volume Ducking: Automatically lowers background music during speech.
    • “It took care of everything. Although I will say…I feel like that's still really loud if I'm talking…” (Chelsea, 19:35)
  • Smart Effects (Beta): Highlight/mask moving objects (like a soccer ball), add glows/sparkles, or blur items for reveals/privacy—directly in-app, no third-party editing needed.
    • “I think that would be really cool for product based businesses…because then you don't have to rely on another third-party app to do it.” (Chelsea, 21:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the New Share Feature in Stories:
  “Yes, your stories that are publicly shared are now going to be shareable by anyone if they've seen that story, whether you tag them or not.”
  — Chelsea, 02:12

• On Early Access Reels:
  “How exciting to guarantee that your content is now getting placed in front of the people who actually said I'm interested in it... I also think it would be really interesting to post one as an early access, let the timer run out, and then what would happen if you posted it just as a trial reel?”
  — Chelsea, 06:16

• On the New Personalized Algorithm Toggle:
  “I feel like it worked a little too well. And now only the only things I see are literally certain cycling from those topics.”
  — Chelsea, 12:55

• On the AI Translation Feature:
  “I was really surprised. I did not think it was going to look as seamless as it did…”
  — Chelsea, 15:38

• On Edits App Becoming a Robust Platform:
  “They're just continuing to make it a little bit more easier to do everything all in Edits, which, which I appreciate.”
  — Chelsea, 21:44

Important Timestamps

• 02:12 — Public reshare of Instagram Stories explained, privacy opt-out options.
• 05:32 — Early Access Reels: exclusivity, marketing potential, and FOMO strategies.
• 09:57 — 20-minute Reel capability and other camera/editor updates.
• 11:48 — How to use the personalized Reels algorithm toggle, real-world results.
• 15:35 — AI-powered dubbing and translation for Reels, practical applications.
• 17:47 — Edits app: templates, bulk captions, lip sync, reverse video, volume ducking.
• 20:54 — Smart object effects (teaser): tracking and blurring objects for creative and privacy uses.

Takeaways for Marketers

• Stories are now optimization territory: Explore sharing UGC and prompting audience reshares, but be wary of privacy concerns.
• Leverage Early Access Reels: Test strategies to boost urgency and follower growth with exclusivity and countdowns.
• Personalize and train your Reel recommendations: Educate your audience on the new feature to prioritize your content.
• Experiment with AI and translation: For global reach, start testing the advanced translation tools as they expand languages.
• Move video editing in-app: As Edits app grows more feature-rich, marketers can streamline the content creation pipeline and reduce reliance on third-party tools.
• Stay alert for new tools: Features like object blurring and smart effects will open new creative and privacy-enabling opportunities.

Resources / Where to Find More

• Chelsea Peitz: On Instagram, @chelseapeitz
• More Social Media Marketing News: SocialMediaExaminer.com/liveshow

This episode delivers actionable insights into Instagram's evolving toolkit, framed with hands-on experience, practical marketing advice, and a sense of fun that helps demystify the perpetual changes in social media.