No More Instagram Stalking - Removal of Following Tab & Other Instagram Updates

This week, Instagram will be removing the Following tab in their app, where users can view the activities of everyone they're following. Despite this feature being out for more than five years, not everyone was aware of the feature.

The Following tab was first introduced in 2011, marketed as an account discover tool from which users can catch up with what their friends, family members, frenemies and more are doing on Instagram.

As long as you follow the user, you can view their activities in real-time - which post they like, what they commented and so on.

Instagram users will see the tab being removed within this week, although users from other countries have reported it being missing from last month as well.

Part of the reason for the removal of this feature is that users have reported feeling paranoid about their activities being seen & judged for the posts that they interact with, but there's also the relatively new feature, the explore tab.

Explore Tab to Replace Following Tab for Account Discovery Feature

Earlier last year, Instagram also rolled out the Explore tab, which shows you the type of content that you should be able to enjoy.

Instagram algorithm looks into the accounts you follow, posts that you engage with and more to find similar posts and show them to you.

The explore tab has also come to include tabs on the top, including IGTV and shopping feature. Users can browse their explore section, finding posts that are relevant to them.

Users can then click into the posts & the poster's account to view other similar posts. With any luck, they'd find new accounts to follow!

Instagram is also taking steps to make users feel less insecure or pressured about posting on the highly aesthetic social media platform.

Instagram Experimenting with Removal of Total Likes

While still in beta testing, Instagram has removed the number of total likes on posts to help users feel less pressured when posting. This experiment is running in several different countries, including Canada, Australia, Japan & Italy among others.

As an example, viewers to a post will see 'Liked by Username & others" rather than "Liked by Username & 12 others". The original poster of the images meanwhile will still be able to see how many likes in total their posts garner.

With the number of total likes removed, Instagram hopes that users will be less focused on the amount of attention they get, but rather, focus on telling their story and share what they love.

This move was performed in light of studies linking social media platform usage to mental health issues, especially in terms of self-esteem.

Earlier in July, Instagram also revealed their plans to curb online bullying.

Instagram to Alert Users as They Type Potentially-Harmful Comments

Instagram to Introduce 'Restrict' Function

Focus More on Mental Health

Every business can build some brand awareness using suitable high quality graphics they post on Instagram. It's the age of social media, and everyone's turning to platforms such as Facebook, Twitter & Instagram to see how other people review your products and services.

Include Hashtags in Your Post

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Instagram is Introducing In-App Checkout for Limited E-Commerce Brands

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Current Brands Open for E-Commerce on Instagram

Instagram has been pushing its new feature - IGTV - to us for a while. Recently, however, Instagram has stepped up their efforts to make its users use IGTV more.

IGTV - How to Upload, Edit & Remove An IGTV Video

Once in a while, when you down your Instagram news feed, you might notice a video with a small horizontal button at the bottom left of the video saying “Watch Full IGTV Video”.

When you click this button, you will be brought to the full screen IGTV experience. Here, you will also be able to browse through other IGTV videos. These videos could be uploaded by other users you follow, or simply as a recommendation for you to watch and follow.

This update by Instagram allows for IGTV previews to be shown in your news feed, and has been officially implemented since the 7th of February 2019. Here’s what you need to know about uploading your own videos to IGTV.

Creating A Channel on IGTV

You will first need to have a channel on IGTV before you can upload a video. Instagram has made it easier to do this by allowing their users to open a channel via their Instagram or IGTV app, as well as from their web interface at instagram.com.

Creating a Channel on IGTV via Instagram or IGTV app:

1. Click on the TV icon on the top right corner of your Instagram app. You can also directly open the IGTV app if you have it installed.
2. Tap the gear icon and select ‘Create Channel’, then follow the next on-screen instructions.
3. Creating a Channel on IGTV via web:
4. Go to instagram.com and log in to your account.
5. Go to your profile and click on the IGTV button under your profile bio.
6. Click on ‘Get Started’, and then follow the on-screen instructions.

That’s it! You have opened an IGTV channel on your account, and you can now upload your IGTV videos.

Do note that the visibility of your IGTV videos are subject to your Instagram account’s privacy settings. If you have set your account to private, only your followers can see your IGTV videos.

What are the Video Upload Requirements for IGTV?

• Video length: 
• Minimum: 15 seconds
• Maximum: 10 minutes 
• Some bigger, verified accounts can upload videos up to 60 minutes long, but these videos can only be uploaded from a computer.
• Video format: 
• MP4
• Video resolution & size: 
• 9:16 aspect ratio 
• 30 frames per second (FPS) minimum
• Minimum resolution: 720 pixels
• Maximum file size:
• 650MB (Less than 10 minutes)
• 3.6GB (Less than 60 minutes)
• Thumbnail:
• 420px x 654px (1:1.55 aspect ratio)
• Cannot be edited after upload as of date of writing

How to Upload a Video to IGTV

You can also do this via your Instagram app, IGTV app or Instagram web. The only difference is that you are restricted from uploading any videos that aren’t vertical on web, while uploading one from your IGTV or Instagram app will automatically have your videos cropped to become vertical instead.

Uploading a Video to IGTV from Instagram / IGTV App

1. Click on the TV icon on the top right corner of your Instagram app or directly open the IGTV app.
2. Click on your profile photo to enter your channel.
3. Click on the + icon and choose the video that you would like to upload, and then click the ‘Next’ button.
4. Create a title and description for your IGTV video. You can also choose a video thumbnail either directly from the video or by uploading your own custom video thumbnail.
5. If you want to share a preview of your video to your Instagram News Feed (limited to 1 minute only), you can switch that option on.
6. If you would like to share the video onto your Facebook page, you can also check this option.
7. Click on the ‘Post’ button and allow it to completely upload.

Uploading a Video to IGTV from Instagram Web Interface

1. Go to instagram.com.
2. Click on your profile and click on the ‘IGTV’ icon in the middle underneath your bio.
3. Click on ‘Upload’.
4. Click on the + icon and select a vertical format video from your gallery that you would like to upload.
5. Create a title and description for your IGTV video. You can also choose a video thumbnail either directly from the video or by uploading your own custom video thumbnail.
6. If you want to share a preview of your video to your Instagram News Feed (limited to 1 minute only), you can switch that option on.
7. If you would like to share the video onto your Facebook page, you can also check this option.
8. Click on the ‘Post’ button and allow it to completely upload.

How to Edit IGTV Video Title or Description

As of date of writing, you can only edit the title and description of your uploaded IGTV videos from a computer or web interface.

After visiting instagram.com, going to your profile and clicking on your IGTV channel, you can open any IGTV videos that you have uploaded. Once open, you only have to click on the 3-dot icon on the top right corner and click on ‘edit’ to make any desired changes.

Simply click ‘Done’ to complete your changes and save it!

How to Remove IGTV Preview from Profile

Once the IGTV video and its preview is uploaded, you can find the preview displayed as a normal video on your profile. All you have to do then is to tap the 3-dot button on the right upper edge of the post and click ‘delete’ to remove it.

Your full-length IGTV video will still be available on your profile.

How to Remove an IGTV Video from your Profile

To remove an IGTV video completely from your profile, you will first need to open the video on the IGTV tab on your Instagram app. Once the video is loaded and playing full-screen, you will see a 3-dot icon which you can click to delete the video. The IGTV video is now erased from your profile!

Do you have anything else that you would like to know about IGTV? Instagram frequently updates their help centre page to ensure that their users are getting the latest news about their products. Try visiting this page to find out more about IGTV and its features!

In 2018, Instagram introduced ‘Paid Partnerships’, which shows up on an Instagram post when influencers or any other users are promoting certain products as part of their sponsorship program. This update would later be known as Branded Content on Instagram.

Instagram Now #1 Platform for Influencer Content

This power move by Instagram increases the transparency of branded partnerships or sponsorships to the audience and users, increasing the users’ confidence and trust in this platform.

Previously, YouTube was the go-to platform for influencers. As a YouTube user, you might have seen your favourite YouTubers using certain brands’ merchandise or reviewing it. While some of these YouTubers would thank their sponsors for the opportunity to review the products or for the free samples, it is not as clear as the ‘Paid Partnership’ tag that you can find at the top of these Instagram posts.

Thanks to this transparency, Instagram is now the preferred platform by consumers.

Insights from Rakuten Marketing

The 2019 Influencer Marketing Global Survey polled 3500 consumers and 700 marketers around the world. Their key results include:

• Where Users Follow Influencers:
• 65% users polled Instagram
• 62% users polled for YouTube & Facebook.
• Preferred Content Type
• 64% voted video
• 61% voted images
• 38% voted written content
• Where Users Discover New Influencers
• 48% polled for social media platforms
• 48% polled for friends and family.
• 32% polled for giveaway offers
• Users Purchase Pattern from Influencers
• 80% made a purchase recommended through shared image / link
• 74% made a purchase up to $629 on a single purchase from an influencer
• How Often do Consumers Discover New Brands?
• 65% discovers at least once a week
• 24% discovers on a daily basis
• When do Consumers Share These Content?
• 66% share when they think the content is interesting / different
• 50% share to refer the brand or product to a friend

Is Influencer Marketing Looking Up for Businesses?

Previously, businesses can only go as far as to expect a better brand awareness by using influencer marketing. However, with the change in purchasing patterns among consumers, influencer marketing could be the next good move that works for your business.

The survey from Rakuten Marketing also revealed the following insights from marketers’ perspectives:

• Young marketers are more inclined towards influencer marketing as compared to traditional marketing methods
• 39% of brands would be more encouraged to invest more in an influencer program if they can see the impact of their activity across the wider consumer purchasing journey.
• 60% of marketers are planning to increase their influencer spends in 2019.

More Focus Needs to Be Given to Influencers on Instagram

With Instagram’s transparency when it comes to paid partnerships, customers are having a better perception of Instagram as compared to other social media platforms where they follow influencers.

Perhaps it is time for businesses to consider influencer marketing, or start focusing on creating quality content on their Instagram account!

If you have skipped an Instagram Story ad without even looking at it, you are not alone. You won’t be the first ad audience to do this, nor will you be the last. In fact, if you just ask around, you will find that most individuals, especially teenagers, barely stop to look at what you are advertising before they skip your ads. However, if you are not looking at these ads, can you be confident that these ads can help your business?

Okay, let’s take a step back and maybe try not to be too pessimistic about these ads just yet. There are reasons why these ads are failing. You’re going to need some good designing work and a concept brainstorm, but when these mistakes are rectified, you might just be able to stop your audience in their tracks and capture their attention.

Here’s what’s causing your Instagram Stories to not work out as well as you expected, and how you can fix it.

What’s The Prompt?

So, let’s say your audience has watched your Instagram Story. What’s next? Whatever your business industry might be, you could be making the biggest mistake of all - not providing your audience an action that they can take while they are watching the story that you painstakingly took 1 week to plan, 2 weeks to create and 3 weeks to strategize the ad delivery.

Remember the blue and black or white and gold dress debate that happened 2 years back? This year, we also have the Laurel or Yanny debate. Meanwhile, in the tennis world, Roger Federer was recently asked if tennis balls were green or yellow, and Pantone jumped at the chance to create an engaging Instagram Story for their audiences with this simple question.

Guess what Pantone does? They provide exact shades of colors for their prints, fabrics, plastics and the like. Here’s what they did:



It’s okay, you don’t have to create Instagram Stories the second viral color questions come up, but…

Here’s what you can do:

It’s 2018 - Stop undermining designers and their talents. Hire an in-house designer, and have the creatives do what they do best - proposing you an art direction for your Instagram content and design it for you. It’s not just for Instagram Stories either - you can have your designers create stunning graphics for every other normal posting as well.



The rectification does not stop there either. Ensure that the creative approval process is being overseen by the appropriate people. Consider adopting social media collaboration tools that can streamline the approval process where the designers can also be actively involved in the communication process so that everyone stays in the loop. With the art direction out of the way, you can leave the rest to the digital marketing agency! You can expect digital marketing agencies to further help you determine the best ad format to use for your next ad campaigns.

Who Are You Appealing To?

59% of the Instagram audience are made up of 18 to 29 year-olds. If your Instagram ads are too plain or corporate, we can almost guarantee you that your stories are not reaching its reach potential. Your industry might not appeal to youngsters, but there are certain ways (remember the talented designer team that we mentioned above?) to create aesthetic Instagram stories that can appeal to them.

Take Western Union for example - It’s not a brand like H&M or, say, Steam. However, their Instagram posts and stories appeal to the majority of Instagram users.


It’s okay, you don’t need to start using teen slangs in your Instagram stories all the time, drowning your graphics in #YOLOs and #TGIFs, but…

Here’s what you can do:

In the most straightforward way that we can put it, the words we are looking for would be: Don’t be boring. Don’t sell too hard, and don’t focus on your brand sentiments and values, your company’s vision and mission, blah blah blah… You get the idea. When you are posting on Instagram, you are posting on a platform that is very highly visual, so anything less than highly visual content should, ideally, not be there.

It’s advisable to create content which aligns with your brand well, but to keep it highly aesthetic to keep your consumers engaged. Remember, keeping your content fun does not mean that you have to spam it with stickers and emojis.

Where’s The Text?

A normal assumption would be that your videos would be watched with sound - but did you know that 85% of Facebook videos are watched without any sounds? Most Instagram stories are also watched without any audio, which means that there’s one thing you need to keep in mind when creating Instagram Stories:

Your audience needs some texts to tell them what you are offering in the ad.

Do you have text in your Instagram story? This could be as simple as captioning someone’s dialogue, or just following up your first Insta Story with a second one detailing what the user should do next. Swipe up? Easy.



Currently, the swipe up link feature is only available if you have a verified account or if you have a business profile with over 10,000 followers.
It’s okay, you don’t need to scramble around to get those followers within the next 3 days to get this feature, but…

Here’s what you can do:

Like the old digital ad saying goes, always A/B test your content. If you have access to the ‘swipe up’ feature, then be sure to have a well-thought and designed Instagram story that can that leads up to the action. You can also prompt users to send you a message , which is a feature that is accessible to everyone! When you A/B test your Instagram Stories performance, you will find that ads that are easier to read or provide more information to its viewers are more effective, with higher engagement rates and views.

Why So Flashy?

Of course, you need your Instagram Story to stand out from the rest for effective branding purposes. However, having really loud music, putting 6 stickers and GIFs onto one single Instagram Story and other similarly visually annoying details are just not the way to go. In fact, 51% of consumers will unfollow your social media pages immediately when they see annoying ads or posts. Another 27% would mark your content as spam, reducing your chances for a good ad reach during your next campaign.

It’s okay, you don’t need to keep your stories minimalistic with zero wow-factor, but…

Here’s what you can do:

.This is going to take some practice, but try to find the perfect balance between your visuals and any add-ons. The comparison picture below will speak for itself. Which picture below would seem more alluring to you if you were to see it as an ad? Tell us in the comments below! (Remember Tip#1: Spark conversations!)

How Are You Telling Your Stories?

Remember that one friend who has been telling the same story for the 5th time, or the one who drilled down into details so much that their story about their last Sunday hike became boring? It’s called Instagram Stories for a reason - you need a good storytelling that compels your audience to ask, “Alright, what’s next?”

You might currently have an ad strategy where you use several images or videos back-to-back to tell a good story to your audience, but here’s an issue. It could be content overload to some of your audience, and as you add more and more images or videos to your Instagram Stories, the ones at the back get less and less attention. Similarly, only a small fraction of the readers have made it this far down this article you’re reading. So, if you’re still reading, give yourself a good pat on the back!



It’s okay, you don’t need to start creating really short stories or just post single images (that’s okay too), but…

Here’s what you can do:

Try storyboarding. Get your Instagram Stories’ theme planned out, with its purpose and end-goal. It would be for the best if your Instagram stories share a same theme or style with your previous ones so that you have a consistent branding appearance, but trying out fresh ideas every now and then - including influencers in your Instagram Stories, as an example, could be a good idea too! Lead your audience to keep watching, and bring them to an action at the end.




Now, isn’t that a good story flow?

You are already considering getting Instagram Stories done, and that’s a good initiative to have! You have awesome stories that you’d like to share with your customers, so go ahead and share it! Just remember to plan your stories well, get the right teams involved and you are all good to go.

Do you have any questions about Instagram Stories or other similar creatives? Contact us on our official website and let’s have a chat!