Instagram Updates: Edits App, Blend, and More

Summary

Social Media Marketing Talk Show Episode Summary
Title: Instagram Updates: Edits App, Blend, and More
Host: Michael Stelzner, Social Media Examiner
Guests: Jerry Potter, Shannon McKinstry
Release Date: May 19, 2025

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Introduction to Instagram's Evolving Role in Social Media Search

In this episode of the Social Media Marketing Talk Show, host Jerry Potter is joined by Instagram strategist Shannon McKinstry to delve into the latest updates from Instagram. The discussion centers around Instagram's strategic moves to enhance its platform features, making it more competitive and useful for marketers navigating the fast-paced social media landscape.

Enhancements in Instagram's Search Functionality

Shannon McKinstry opens the conversation by highlighting Instagram's renewed focus on improving its search capabilities, aiming to rival platforms like TikTok which have become primary search engines for younger demographics.

Key Points:

• Instagram recognizes the shift where platforms like TikTok and Google are becoming go-to search engines, especially for Gen Z users.
• Instagram plans to enhance its search functionality to better serve both personal connections and content discovery needs.

Notable Quote:

Jerry Potter [02:01]: "They know that most people, the non-business owners, the non-creators, aren't really posting to Instagram as much. They might post once a month, once a week... So they know if they want to compete with TikTok, they have to keep up."

Meta AI and Its Implications for Instagram

The discussion transitions to Meta's (Instagram's parent company) advancements in artificial intelligence, which are set to bolster Instagram's search and engagement features.

Key Points:

• Meta AI is expected to play a significant role in refining Instagram's search algorithms.
• Integration of AI tools aims to provide a more personalized and efficient user experience.

Notable Quote:

Shannon McKinstry [04:24]: "They seem more prepared than TikTok to have their search replaced by AI because they've got their own tool."

Exploring Instagram's Blend Feature

One of the standout updates discussed is Instagram's new Blend feature, which allows users in a group chat to share a unified Reels feed based on their combined algorithms.

Key Points:

• Blend enables collaborative content discovery by merging the algorithms of all participants in a group chat.
• Marketers can leverage this feature to gain insights into diverse content performance and enhance collaborative strategies.

Notable Quote:

Jerry Potter [04:54]: "If you're in a group chat, you can't, like, I couldn't just do it between Jerry and I... So every time you go to that group chat, you can tap this sticker icon of blends, and you can now be completely transported to a reels feed that is literally their algorithm."

Review of Instagram's New Edits App

The episode also covers the introduction of Instagram's Edits app, a free video editing tool designed to simplify content creation for users.

Key Points:

• Edits app offers user-friendly features, making it accessible for beginners who might find other editing apps like Cap Cut overwhelming.
• The app includes functionalities like green screen, which can significantly enhance video engagement for creators.
• While Edits provides a streamlined editing experience, it doesn’t currently offer algorithmic boosts to content performance.

Notable Quote:

Jerry Potter [09:16]: "For people who just want the basics, I think it's actually brilliant... especially the green screen feature, which is such an incredible way to boost engagement for creators."

The Introduction of Instagram Storylines

Another exciting update is the potential rollout of Instagram Storylines, a feature that allows collaborative storytelling within the Stories format.

Key Points:

• Storylines enable multiple users to contribute to a single narrative, enhancing event-based storytelling and collaborations.
• This feature is poised to rejuvenate the Stories segment by fostering shared experiences and increasing user engagement.

Notable Quote:

Jerry Potter [13:56]: "If you do take part, they're going to throw your stuff right in front of our faces."

Marketing Implications and Strategies

Throughout the discussion, Jerry and Shannon explore how these updates can be leveraged by marketers to enhance their social media strategies.

Key Points:

• Improved search functionality allows for better content discovery and SEO strategies within Instagram.
• The Blend feature offers a novel way to conduct competitive analysis by accessing diverse content feeds.
• Edits app can streamline the content creation process, especially for those new to video editing, while Storylines presents opportunities for collaborative campaigns and increased reach.

Notable Quote:

Shannon McKinstry [07:05]: "I can see, hey, would you be interested in setting up a blend where we could kind of see what other people are being recommended if they know about you? Hopefully your content is being recommended, but that could be another interesting way to do it."

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

As Instagram continues to evolve, these updates reflect its commitment to enhancing user experience and providing robust tools for marketers. Both Jerry Potter and Shannon McKinstry emphasize the importance of staying adaptable and leveraging new features to maintain a competitive edge in social media marketing.

Final Takeaway: Instagram is strategically enhancing its platform to better serve both casual users and marketers, positioning itself as a versatile tool in the ever-changing social media landscape. Marketers are encouraged to explore these new features to optimize their content strategies and engagement tactics.

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For more insights and detailed discussions on the latest social media trends, visit SocialMediaExaminer.com/liveshow.

Transcript

[Michael Stelzner]

Hey there, it's Michael Stelzner from Social Media Examiner. Are you a marketer trying to navigate the AI revolution? What if you could create content twice as fast, automate tedious tasks and become the go to AI expert in your company? The AI Business Society, brought to you by your friends at Social Media examiner gives you expert led training, a supportive community, and proven frameworks to master AI marketing that will boost your value and your productivity. Join now and lock in your discounted member pricing@social mediaexaminer.com AI.

[Jerry Potter]

Welcome to the Social Media Marketing Talk show, your guide to the ever changing world of social media.

[Shannon McKinstry]

On today's show, we're going to explore the most important Instagram updates that we have to be on top of. As marketers, including Instagram has said they want to to be a platform for friends to connect with each other. Right. They've been saying that for a while and there's two new features that allow people to do that, which we'll talk about in a minute. One for reels and one for stories and how we can take advantage of those as marketers. Also, Instagram is finally taking something really seriously that TikTok figured out a few years back. And have you heard about Instagram's new video editing app? We'll share whether it's worth considering for your workflow or not. It is free, which is nice. My name is Jerry Potter, host of the Social Media Marketing Talk show, a Social Media examiner production. We break down all the latest social media news and what it means for marketers like you. Today I'm joined by Shannon McKinstry. Shannon's an Instagram strategist, trainer and mentor who guides small business owners into making a big splash online and growing their accounts through proven, organic and sustainable strategies. She's also host of the Good Content podcast. Shannon, welcome to the show.

[Jerry Potter]

Thanks, Jerry. I'm excited to be here.

[Shannon McKinstry]

So for a long time, TikTok has become a search engine a lot like Google. And now Instagram says, yeah, we're going to take this a little bit more seriously than we have in the past. So what's the latest on this?

[Jerry Potter]

Yeah, so they said they're going to make a lot of improvements in their searchability. It's very smart on their part because they know the Gen Z crowd, the and also my generation, I know, my friends and I, we always say we go right to TikTok to search for something. Now I skip over YouTube. It's either usually ChatGPT or TikTok. I go to search for something so they know that. So even though Instagram is still family friends, they've learned that most people, the non business owners, the non creators, aren't really posting to Instagram as much. They might post once a month, once a week. So most people on the feed, they see our creators and business owners. So what they're using Instagram for, for friends and family is more so the DMS Instagram stories, right? So most users, when they're looking at the feed, they're on there to search for things, whether it's local restaurants or news updates. That's what they want. So they know if they want to compete with TikTok, they have to keep up. So they're looking to update those features. I know Siri just said coming soon, but hopefully very soon it'll be interesting.

[Shannon McKinstry]

To see if people like. When you say, you know, I just go to TikTok to search. Are you primarily searching for products or do you search for topics?

[Jerry Potter]

Typically topics. So I'll put, you know, recipes, a lot, makeup, toddler tips. Right. I've got a rowdy toddler. And the searchability, I will say, is astounding. Instagram, not so much. And also Instagram has that new tool, you may have seen it, where underneath the post, it will say the topic with a little magnifying glass. And they're saying they're going to get better at that because right now it's a little. Sometimes I'm like, that's actually not what this topic is about. But usually what TikTok does with that little search bar is it's by usually what people are talking about in the comments. So what they're trying to do is make that better. So the same thing happens because what they're doing is kind of grabbing keywords from text and the caption and kind of making it up, but they're going to get better at that. So that whatever people are talking about in the comments, whatever the conversation is, that search tool will say those words.

[Shannon McKinstry]

Okay. It's interesting seeing this evolution because for the last few years it's felt like the algorithms have gotten so good at knowing what we want that we just open and it's there. But obviously there's still that intent. And this is coming from Google. One thing I keep thinking about is, you know, meta has been like meta AI, meta AI. They released a dedicated app. I don't hear a lot of people going, yeah, I asked meta AI. I'm sure it's starting to happen and maybe it's just not in my circles, but obviously this will tie into that as well. They seem more prepared than TikTok to have their search replaced by AI because they've got their own tool.

[Jerry Potter]

Yes. Yeah, they're ahead of the game on that. And, yeah, I haven't heard anyone talking about meta AI, but I'm sure it will. You know, sometimes they take things and, you know, we're like, we already have our tool, but once people start using it, I'm sure they'll love it.

[Shannon McKinstry]

Yeah, they'll have to come out with some killer feature that other people don't have.

[Jerry Potter]

Exactly.

[Shannon McKinstry]

You know, and I think that's when it'll happen. So. All right, another big thing that's been rolling out and everyone, I believe is supposed to have this now is the new Instagram Blend feature. So first explain to us what it is, and then I know you've started playing with it. So what's been your initial thoughts around that?

[Jerry Potter]

Yeah, at first I was like, what's really the point of this? But once I did it, I was like, this is actually very fascinating. So I tested it out with a chat I've had for years with some of my girlfriends. I was like, hey, guys, we need. I need to test this thing out. Let's see how it works. So if you're in a group chat, you can't, like, I couldn't just do it between Jerry and I. Right. You have to have at least, you know, three people in the chat or more. And it's right at the top of your dm. It's like two little caption bubbles. You tap it, everyone gets kind of opts into a blend. So every time you go to that group chat, you can tap this sticker icon of blends, and you can now be completely transported to a reels feed that is literally their algorithm. So as I'm scrolling, it was really interesting. It's like this reel was suggested to Carly and I swiped to the next one. This reel was suggested to Marissa. So it's showing me what reels my friends are seeing. So the way I thought about it, as a marketer, I have my team. I was like, we could do a blend so that when we're helping come up with hooks for our clients and things like that, we're now all kind of looking at each other's algorithm. So I'm seeing content I wouldn't normally see in my feed, which is fascinating because we know the algorithm's feeding us content we want to see. So it's cool to see other algorithms because you're missing content that you can study to see what's performing well in the app. So that's how I'll be using it. Now that I got in there, I'm like, this is very, very cool.

[Shannon McKinstry]

Interesting. So, yeah, we're obviously all in our own bubble. Right. For years. For years I've. If somebody will let me, I'll be like, I see you're on Facebook. I see you're on Instagram. Do you mind if I just scroll your feed for a bit? And some people, it's private. Some people are like, sure. And then some people say, no, I don't want you to mess up my algorithm or whatever. Or, I don't want to miss anything, you know, so. But it is always fascinating because we see obviously the stuff that appeals to us. So that's an interesting way to shake it up. I wonder if it would be because we were sort of talking pre show, like, what. What are the use cases for marketers? I like what you said about, like, you know, having your team. It might be an interesting way to do customer and client research as well. And if they let you do that, like, if you did a customer survey, I could see, hey, would you be interested in setting up a blend where we could kind of see what other people are being recommended if they know about you? Hopefully your content is being recommended, but that could be another interesting way to do it.

[Jerry Potter]

I love that. Yeah. Because we can see what content's getting fed to them, but why it's getting fed to them.

[Shannon McKinstry]

Yeah. Did you notice patterns as you were watching? These are friends of yours that you did it with, right?

[Jerry Potter]

Yes.

[Shannon McKinstry]

So as you were watching, you were like, oh, that's so Kaylee. Or that's so. Yes.

[Jerry Potter]

No, I was. But it's mainly entertaining for them. Right. But again, like, they're not business owners, so for them, the algorithm is feeding them a lot of entertaining, funny content. Right. So it's interesting. It's like, okay, so just another interesting thing to think about, like, how can you make your content more entertaining and so that it goes out to more of the masses? So I have a feeling that's what the masses are seeing if they're not necessarily right scrolling for our products and services. So. But I do love that, you know, again, it's like we get an inside scoop into what content the algorithm is feeding certain people based on what signals they're sending it. But again, it was mainly comedy that I saw. But okay. It's really fascinating to test things out with other people.

[Shannon McKinstry]

Yeah, that's a really interesting use case. So awesome. All Right. There's another feature around Stories that's similar to this that we'll tell you about here in just a second. But moments ago we were talking about meta AI. Obviously AI is changing everything. What could powerful AI marketing training help you accomplish? Think about this for a second. A lot of people are still trying to figure out how to use AI in their marketing. The AI Business Society can help you master cutting edge AI tools that drive measurable results, filter through all of the tools that are out there, implement proven strategies from successful AI marketers, stay ahead of the curve instead of playing catch up. And so by joining this membership, you get expert led training from top AI marketing innovators. A welcoming community of forward thinking marketers. Zero risk. You can try everything in there 100% free. Being an AI powered marketer is not going to be optional in the future. So we all have this opportunity to jump in and become that AI powered marketer. Now it's the best time to get started. Just go to social media examiner.com AI business to check it out. Okay. Social media examiner.com AIbusiness so one of the big announcements, well, I'd say they announced at the beginning of the year during the TikTok chaos. We're making an editing app like Cap Cut, but it finally rolled out for everybody last month and so you've gotten a chance to test it. What are your first impressions around the Instagram edits app?

[Jerry Potter]

Yeah, I mean personally I love it. I love that it's another option. It's not for me. It's not going to replace other apps that I've already been using, but I love it for especially Green Screen. For me, my opinion, big opinion on Edit's app is it's really good for people who aren't familiar with editing. They're kind of new to editing. A lot of the other apps I find and I've heard from users, Cap Cut is a little overwhelming, right? It's not user friendly, it's really not. And I actually grew up doing Final Cut Pro and I'm like, I'm even like this is a lot. So for people who just want the basics, I think it's actually brilliant. For like my students, I'm like, you need to. And it's, it's pretty user friendly, it's pretty self explanatory. But for the green screen, I really love it because I think green screen is such an incredible way to boost engagement for creators. So what's cool about edits now when you open the edits app, you literally just press the camera like you're going to record and it's one tap to the green screen, super easy. I always found that my. A lot of people that are kind of getting beginners and or just like this isn't necessarily their strong suit, I find that Edits is a lot more user friendly. And you know, the big announcement, they rolled out more fonts, they have more features, so it's going to get more and more robust. But people are so they love their Cap Cut. They love. Right. And I'm like, no, I don't think it's going to replace at any time, but I still think it's worth checking out and playing around.

[Shannon McKinstry]

I think Cap Cut was probably less overwhelming in the beginning though too. Like right now, Instagram is just like, yeah, we just kind of put a few things in there because if they didn't, then, you know, nobody would. Would stick with it. So. And you recommend, like, let's say somebody does want to edit on their phone, they're not already attached to another app. Because I always tell people they're like, what's the best video editing app? I'm like, which one do you already know? Let's start there, then we can continue that conversation. But, you know, do you think if somebody has nothing, would you recommend based on your experience, that they edit in edits versus natively in Instagram? Like they're making a reel?

[Jerry Potter]

I do. It's way easier to edit in Edits than Instagram.

[Shannon McKinstry]

Okay. You're the first person I've heard say that.

[Jerry Potter]

Yeah, because I just, it's very finicky to me. I find Edits a little more easy. I don't know, it's just easier to navigate. I think things are labeled a little better. Again, I love the font choices they're giving now because I know a lot of people are kind of bored of the Instagram fonts, but it's Instagram's five fonts. Yes, Right. But I love native to Instagram because they, you know, again, they want us to use it. I've shared a couple with Edits, but I again, my last few were edited within shot sometimes with Cap Cut. For me, again, it depends, like what features do I need? So if I'm going to do green screen, I'm going to use Edits. If I'm going to do something with lots of animations, I'm going to use Cap Cut. If I'm just doing a talk to camera, I'm going to use Inshot because I love their AI cut. So like you said, what works Best for you. But I think Edits is a perfect one to start with because it has less bells and whistles to overwhelm you.

[Shannon McKinstry]

We are so different. Like, as you were listening off all of your stuff, I was like, oh, my God. Like, I don't want my brain to even to me, I'm just like, what's the one tool that's going to do everything I need? Pretty good, right? I don't want to be moving stuff around. And it's the same thing with AI tools. When people talk about which model should you use for this and which, you know, And I've got Claude, I've got Chat GPT, and I'm like, nope. I just need one that'll hopefully do stuff well. When Amazon announced their. I don't want to say her name because I've got a smart speaker in here, but when they announced that that was going to get AI, they said, hey, you don't have to choose the model. It'll just choose the model based on what your question is or what your. And I was like, yes, yes, thank you. Why can't we all have that? So, But I'm glad that works for you. Yes. Yeah, yeah. Do you think. And I guess this is probably just conspiracy theory at this point, but do you think there is anything to be said for editing in the edits app or Instagram natively and publishing directly from there? Because you can publish directly from the Edits app, correct? You don't have to save it to your phone in between.

[Jerry Potter]

Yeah, I didn't see any boost in Engage. Nothing crazy. And that's why I tested it, because I was like, I wonder if they're going to kind of boost. Because, you know, when you see something created in edits, it will say made in edits. Like, Instagram's pushing that. But, yeah, I didn't see anything remarkably crazy. I mean, performed well. But like you were saying, if you're going to choose one, if your goal again, it's also based on your goal. If your goal, you want cool animations and funky fonts and all like Cap Cut, still the clear winner. But if you just want basics and trimming and adding some fonts and a couple animations, then Edits is great.

[Shannon McKinstry]

Okay, awesome. All right, so this is such a test. This is like, so early. Instagram hasn't officially said anything about it, but people have seen screenshots and code. It's something new called Instagram Storylines. And before you say what it is, I just want to say I like the name. I think Instagram's gotten pretty good at naming things, but explain exactly what storylines is.

[Jerry Potter]

Yeah. So like we were saying earlier, I don't know if it will. We'll see if it actually rolls out right. I kind of love it because Instagram stories are my favorite feature of Instagram forever and always. If it was just stories, I would, I would love it. I'd be totally okay with that. But you can collab with stories. So now like Jerry and I could collab on a story so people are watching the same storyline. I'm curious of how it will. Where in the feed it will be. But what's so cool what I think personally, where as marketers, it will be so great. You know, store openings, launches, obviously really important for events like social media marketing World. Like, how cool would that be that two speakers there can now have a shared story and they're collaborating. So we know the power of collaborating. Collaborating with reels, collaborating on lives. I think this definitely will be one of those things when Instagram, if they roll it out, it's something that I'm going to beg everyone to hop on. Because I can tell you right now, I have a feeling it's one of those things where if you do take part, they're going to be like, yes. And they're going to throw your stuff right in front of our faces.

[Shannon McKinstry]

Well, and especially when people feel like their stories reach has been so limited the last couple of years, which is partially, probably comparing it to reels. But you know, the way they describe it, this allows friends who follow each other to, quote, link a new related story to your story, creating a larger narrative from an event. So they did talk about it as event based, kind of like you talked, you know, like you just said. But I, to me, I see it as, oh, this is collabs, this is collaborations. Except for stories where a business and a creator or, you know, an influencer, like all of these different potential things, or like you said, two speakers could dramatically increase their reach. And then as you also mentioned too, if this officially rolls out like we all wanted to be the first people to start making feels right because they reward that in such a big way. So I like it because it does feel like the type of thing that could rejuvenate stories for people with your clients. Do you find that people are not posting stories as much? I know it's your favorite thing, but it is.

[Jerry Potter]

No, they are. I still think that's why it was so interesting to me about the big search announcement from Misseri because. And I think we Even talked about it. Social media marketing world. I heard a lot of people talk about how Instagram really is a, at the end of the day, almost a messaging app. Right. Because their messaging is so good and TikTok really isn't a big messaging app. That's where Instagram. But the magic is in the DMS and stories lead directly to DMs. So that's another thing I'm interested about with the storylines is what go to both creators if people respond and how that works. But I also find my clients I know will love it because they have found even when they do a live collab or a collab with anyone, they get a boost in followers too. So. But yeah, my people are posting stories. They did scale back a little bit. I don't know if you all had heard about, you know, if you post one story a day, your views are way up. So some of them tested that for a while, but at the end of the day they were like getting less DMs, which meant less sales. So they're back to posting more stories, even though it becomes a decline. But that's just also user behavior. After I watch anyone's stories a couple of times, I'm kind of like. And you know, and then we come back to it later, but you know, we're doing this all over the place.

[Shannon McKinstry]

So there's always more entertainment. You know, that's something I've said to people for years. I used to tell my clients is when we were at the agency, it's like your post doesn't just have to be good, it's got to be better than whatever they think might be below it. Right? Like that's the key. But for my oldest is now 15 or recently turned 15 and we said, okay, you can finally have YouTube on your phone. I was hoping he might actually start watching some long form videos, you know, and things like that. And he was like, can I have Instagram? That's where all my friends message each other.

[Jerry Potter]

Yes.

[Shannon McKinstry]

And I was like, dang. Adam Masseri was right. I did not see that coming. I know he's never mentioned Instagram.

[Jerry Potter]

It's crazy. My sister, I mean, she's Gen Z. She'll post once a season maybe if, if we're lucky to see what's going on. She doesn't even.

[Shannon McKinstry]

She's messaging. Yes.

[Jerry Potter]

She doesn't use stories either. They are using Snapchat and they're using IG dms.

[Shannon McKinstry]

That's.

[Jerry Potter]

It's crazy. Yeah.

[Shannon McKinstry]

All right, a quick reminder. Things are obviously always changing. Especially with AI. So learn more about becoming an AI powered marketer, go to social mediaexaminer.com aibusiness again social mediaexaminer.com AI business and Shannon, where's the best place for people to connect with you?

[Jerry Potter]

Instagram. I'm on there a lot. I'm on there more than any human should be. I'm just Shannon McKinstry over there. I'm everywhere. I was everyone. You don't have to be, but I'm everywhere. But I'm in the Instagram DMs a lot. Feel free to come say hi. And then my website is shannon mckinstry.com awesome.

[Shannon McKinstry]

And if you want to add a podcast to your listening lineup, couple of you to check out the AI Explored podcast as well as the Social Media Marketing Marketing podcast. Until next time. May you be wise with your marketing decisions. Thanks everyone. Take care. Bye.

[Jerry Potter]

The Social Media Marketing Talk show is a Social Media examiner production. For more social media Insight, visit social mediaexaminer.com.

[Michael Stelzner]

Just a quick reminder before you go. If you're ready to become indispensable in the age of AI, the AI Business Society is your solution. Join now and secure your discounted membership by visiting socialmediaexaminer. Com AI I can't wait to see you inside the AI Business Society.