Instagram has been testing Instagram notes for a while now and they’re finally being rolled out to all accounts in all regions.
They began trials with the new feature back in June 2022 and after a successful take-up, they have decided to roll it.
What are Instagram Notes?
Instagram notes are like post-it notes at the top of your monitor. They contain up to 60 characters (text or emojis) and, like stories, disappear after 24 hours.
The nature of Instagram notes means you can drive immediate engagement on Instagram and get people to respond to messages quickly.
You can share these notes with people you follow (as long as they are following you), or with your Close Friends list.
People can then respond to your message which will start a chat between you and them (as if you had DM’d them!)
Why has Instagram rolled out Notes?
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has said that more interactions are now happening within private channels, and this is where engagement is shifting.
Interaction on main feed posts is declining, so they wanted to capture and retain an audience that likes quick messaging between friends.
How to create Instagram notes
It’s extremely straightforward to create notes for Instagram.
Open up your DM’s on Instagram and click on the + sign on your profile picture.
Type a 60-character message and choose who to send it to.
You can either send it to followers who you follow back or to people on your Close Friends list.
This note will appear at the top of people’s DM’s and will disappear in 24 hours. They can reply to your notes and this reply will appear in your DMs as a message.
Why should we use Instagram notes?
- It is a quiet way to communicate
- They are quick and easy to create and can get straight to the point
- They can potentially play a part in the Instagram algorithm
- A great way to communicate with your followers
- Real-Time messages and marketing
1. It is a quiet way to communicate
The beauty of notes for Instagram is it is a quiet way for people to communicate after all the noise of Reels in the last few years.
They don’t have notifications and you can only see them if you go into your Instagram inbox.
2. They are quick and easy to create
They are straightforward and to the point. They don’t require hours of content creation, editing and audio finding and can get straight to the point.
Perfect if you just want to announce something new or get followers to visit your feed for more.
3. They can potentially play a part in the algorithm
Although Instagram hasn’t said whether Notes will have a part to play in the algorithm, my guess is that it will.
If people are engaging with your notes and sending people to your feed to look at more content, that can only be a good thing.
Instagram considers everything when deciding what content to show you, so I’m sure it will take whom you engage with via Notes into consideration. Especially as messages from followers replying to your notes will drop into your DMs.
One of the best ways to increase engagement!
4. Communication and being part of a community are key!
Feed posts are decreasing in engagement, Instagram notes are a new way to directly connect with your followers and get them to engage with your account.
The messages appear at the top of people’s Direct messages and they can quickly scroll through and reply to notes at a glance.
5. Real-time messages
Life is fast and furious and people seem to have less time on their hands. This could be down to the many different social media apps to browse, so you have to catch people’s attention quickly.
Notes can do just that!
Got a new product coming out? Put a note up. Want people to see new content on your feed but you don’t seem to be shared on the main feed? Put a note up to alert people to new content.
Posts to the main feed take time and effort, if you have breaking news or need to let your followers know something quickly, Notes is the perfect place to do it.
I wasn’t sure about Instagram Notes when I first read about it, but now I realise that I quite like the feature!
I put up an Instagram Note yesterday and I have already had more engagement on that message than anything I put on my main feed or in my stories.
This is probably because it is a new feature, so people are responding and testing it out. Only time will tell if Instagram Notes will be a hit!
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are Instagram Notes?
They are at the top of your inbox, directly underneath the search bar. They show up under the title “Notes” and appear as a scrolling feed, just like Stories
The Notes appear directly on the screen, but you may have to click on them to see the full message.
Is there an algorithm associated with Notes?
Refreshingly, no! They appear in chronological order with the newest Note appearing first, after your Note if you currently have one running.
Can I delete an Instagram Note?
Yes! As simple as they are to create, to delete, all you need to do is click on the Note and select Delete note.
What messages should I put in Notes?
Anything goes really and as the feature is so new, only time will tell what messages people will leave. Here are a few Instagram Notes ideas to get you started –
- What you are currently up to
- Announcement of any new product or service
- A quick inspirational post
- A motivating quote
- Ask a question! Topical is best, such as –
- what are you watching on TV?
- Did you enjoy the new *insert TV series here*?
- New post up now!
- Message me with ideas for a new post
- What would you like to see more of?
The best messages are ones that people can interact with, so they reply to you in your DMs.
It is a well-known fact that talking to people in DMs has a huge influence on your engagement and algorithm, so leaving a CTA is the best way to get people to engage!
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