2020 was a year for change, and Instagram was no exception. From keeping up with TikTok, to changing the way the entire algorithm functions, there was a lot to keep up with as a marketer. Come with us as we look back at the biggest changes from the past year.

January - March

The beginning of the year saw minor changes to the app itself but mostly involved grappling with the plethora of changes that came with the pandemic. As soon as January 30, Instagram and parent company Facebook announced that they would remove potentially harmful posts regarding COVID-19 symptoms and cures.

On a lighter note, in an effort to invite users to edit their content in-app, a video trimming tool for Stories launched in February. Instagram’s long-format video platform, IGTV, became a larger consideration for online businesses in 2020. Popular creators were given the opportunity to monetize their content with ads, encouraging many to move or combine their YouTube with IGTV presence.

April - June

The spring of 2020 was an especially tumultuous time for many, and Instagram rolled out resources for users to support causes they care about right from the app.

New features for small businesses launched in April, including gift card, food order, and fundraiser stickers in Stories. Users can then share these stickers on their own stories to show their support, leading new customers to use the new “order now” buttons that also became available for business profiles. Fundraising on Live also launched during this time, with 100% of the money raised by users going directly to the nonprofit of their choice.

In May, Instagram worked with experts and creators to create Guides focused on well-being tips, such as how to look after yourself, maintain a connection with others, or manage anxiety and grief during COVID-19. After seeing the community’s response and requests for increased availability, they expanded Guides to everyone in November.

July - September

The biggest changes to the app itself occurred over the summer, including Shop, Reels, new authenticity measures, and the launch of Instagram messaging on desktop.

Instagram Shop, a new destination in Explore, made it easier to shop from brands and creators. Users discovered the latest trends, got personalized recommendations, and previewed exclusive launches all in one place. Checkout arrows indicated which products could be bought directly on Instagram without leaving the app. Later on in 2020, a new Shop tab was added in the navigation bar.

In August, Instagram launched Reels, their response to TikTok. With their own separate segment of the app, users can create 15-30 second multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and new creative tools. While many would repost their TikTok content in hopes to gain more views, TikTok’s lack of accessibility features such as captioning invited many to give the new auto-captioning feature a try.

Furthermore, Instagram began implementing new authenticity measures in hopes to limit bots and misleading information. If the app recognizes a pattern of inauthentic behavior, users will be asked to confirm who’s behind an account. If no response is made, their content may receive reduced distribution, or the account may be disabled.

On September, 10 new features were added to enhance the messaging experience, including cross-platform messaging, custom emoji reactions, direct responses and many more. Access to DMs from desktop was also introduced during this time.

October - December

In October, Instagram’s 10th birthday marked a new era for the platform. In their blog, they announced major changes, such as a new home screen, and big improvements to messaging. They also announced their support for their creators and pledged to “continue building new features that fight bullying, improve equity, address fairness, and help people feel supported.”

A variety of different user interfaces were tested during this time, possibly affecting the engagement rate for a lot of brand accounts. Instagram ultimately landed on a new home screen for all accounts that replaced the “activity” and “new post” tabs with Reels and Shop.

Finally, Instagram released new insights on how their algorithm works. According to a series of Stories posted on their @creators account, all account types (such as personal, business, or creator) are viewed equally. The algorithm will serve users content based on what they’ve engaged with the most. In addition, they debunked a common theory that the algorithm will increase distribution if a post gets high engagement for the first 30 minutes after it’s been posted. Instead, it’s best to strategically post when your followers are the most active. We’d recommend reading Later’s full blog about the announcement to learn more.

What’s next?

The future of Instagram looks bright, and after looking back at all of the new features from the past year, we can see there is a lot of potential for brands to find success in 2021. On the other hand, limited reporting capabilities have left many marketers rethinking their KPIs. Until those options are available, we recommend testing out different content strategies to see what works best for your brand and keep innovating into the new year.