53: How to Grow on Instagram in 2025: What's New on Instagram for Content Creators

It’s 2025, and Instagram has made some updates and changes I want you to know about so you can enhance your content creator journey. From 20-page carousels to story replies, to $1,400 Meta Business subscriptions, to are hashtags dead? We are going to dive into all the things you need to know about Instagram’s 2025 updates and which ones are worth pursuing.

Chapter Marks: 

00:32 Exciting Instagram Updates for 2025

01:03 New Carousel Feature: More Than 10 Posts

01:43 Commenting on Instagram Stories Explained

02:43 Introducing Instagram Profile Cards

03:41 Personalizing Group Chats with Nicknames

04:37 Meta Verified: New Features and Pricing

07:20 Changes to Hashtags and Their Relevance

08:56 Story Highlights: Do They Still Matter?

11:12 Trial Reels: A New Way to Test Content

14:33 Wrapping Up: Goals and Newsletter Insights

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Transcript

 [00:00:00] Hey, you travel creators. Welcome back to the very first solo episode and solo episode. That's going on YouTube of 2025. So, if you are listening to this, like you typically listened to this podcast. Hi. Hi, I like being in your ears, but now you have the opportunity to watch me speak to you on YouTube. 

Laura Haley: So if you want to throw me up on your. Computer your phone, your projector. We recently got a projector for all these like winter, stormy days. So much fun. We watched wicked on the projector. So much fun. But today, I'm here to bring you. 

Some Instagram updates changes for 2025 that I want you to know about that can enhance your creator journey. 

Some of these have been out that you might already be using. And if that's the case, I want you to either leave a comment on this YouTube video or mention. Who are head on over to my Instagram at trouble content writing to let me know what you like, what you don't like. What you wish Instagram had for their features. 

[00:01:00] So. Let's get into it. 

 The first feature we are chatting about is something that a lot of people have been wanting for a long time. And it's finally here. And it is that carousels now have more than 10 posts. You can now add 20 images to your carousel. Thank God, this can be super helpful. for a lot of reasons, especially if you're sharing like a little travel guide about a destination or you're sharing just photos from a recent trip. I wouldn't recommend putting text on graphics. For 28 years old. For 20 slides, don't make somebody read that spoiler alert. 

Laura Haley: They're not going to, if you wouldn't read a 20 slide carousel. Your audience. Sure. Wouldn't either. So. Just keep that in mind. 

Another exciting feature that has been around for a minute. And I get questions about this from people is they don't totally understand. So I'm here to shed some light. And it is commenting on Instagram stories. So. only people you follow, who also follow you can comment on your [00:02:00] Instagram stories and this is actually a setting you can enable, in your setting. 

So if you just want to turn off commenting or story replies or anything like that, That is an option you can do in the Instagram settings and app. This commenting can be helpful because then other people can see what is commented on your stories as well. But keep in mind, if you comment on somebody's story that is public. And if you still, you can DM somebody or send a direct message there. 

And that will go as a DM to them, which is private. So just don't get those two confused. don't get those two confused and say something you wouldn't want other people to see. Not that you probably are, but just in case there's like a little inside joke or something. Keep those between you two. 

There's another update here, which I think. Is a little bit interesting and it's an Instagram profile card. Essentially, it's kind of turning your Instagram profile into a business card. Now, if somebody came to me and they're like, here's my business card and it was really their Instagram profile. 

That would [00:03:00] probably concern me. 

Um, one reason why is because Instagram is just one part of your marketing of your business strategy and it shouldn't be the entire bit. And so if someone's like, here's my business. Guard and it's just their Instagram profile. 

I would be a little bit concerned. But, um, in his profile card, it has your profile photo, your handle, your bio, as well as any links that you have linked in your bio. Which can be great. You can also share, Your profile card via text message. So if you needed to quickly add somebody on Instagram, you can do it that way. Let me know if anyone's ever used that feature. 

I don't know. I don't know if I will, but. There you go. Another feature Instagram has rolled out, which can be really helpful for creators who are wanting to create more of a community or engage with the people they already have in their audience is to personalize. Names of people in group chats. rather than being in a group chat and it's like, oh, [00:04:00] user. 5 million is here. You can rename user 5 million to be their actual name. 

So you could rename user 5 million to be like Laura. And then just in that chat is where my name will be. Laura. If you add me to another group chat, I will go back to being named user 5 million until you change me there as well. These are called nicknames. And like I said, I think it can be a great way to stop remembering people's handles and remember them as real people. 

especially if you are a creator or trying to engage or do market research, or just get to know more people in your community. 

Okay. This next one here. 

I need a moment before I tell you. 

We all know about Metta verified. Okay. So for 1499 a month, you can get a little check mark next to your name. Cool. What is coming out for users who are. Interested in this, service, is that. You can now add links in reels. I think this is fantastic. This is a great idea, because then again, it changes. [00:05:00] The way that, You. 

Market your products, your services, your blog, your content. To have direct links for. Watchers to your, whatever you want. But this is not available to people who are just paying 1499 a month. No. No, no, no. Let me tell you what it's available for. So. 

4 44 and 99 a month or four hundred and seventy nine ninety nine a month. 

You can add two links in your reals per month, just to. 

I don't know if that is worth the price of adding links in your reels. When you could just work on stronger calls to action, work on engaging more of your community, getting them excited. Yeah. Or if two feels like interesting, but it doesn't feel like enough links. Don't worry. Metta Metta Gushue. For 119 $99 a month. Or for. 1,399 [00:06:00] and $99 a month. 

You can get four links per month, four links per month. 

That is a difference of 921. Dollars from the business plus account the business premium. So for 900 for almost a thousand more dollars. You can get two more links in your emails. Of course, this comes with other features. And one is that is really interesting to me is the protected business accounts. 

You can protect up to 10 business accounts. If you're paying $1,400 a year. For Metta, verified. And I think I want to do a whole episode on what the F they mean about protective business accounts. What does that really mean? Because if you have listened to anything, any of my prior episodes, you know, that I'm a big, I'm a big supporter of getting your entire community off of a social media platform and why it's so important to have a newsletter because it can all be wiped away. Whenever we don't even know. 

We're just trusting [00:07:00] the Metta gods to protect us. And I don't know if that's enough. So I'm really curious what they mean by this protected accounts. And I want to do a little bit more research before I bring you an episode on. What that means. And if it means we can just post whenever we want and pay $1,500 a year to. Have no worries. 

We'll see. We're going to find out. 

Another update has to do with hashtags. And this actually came out in mid December of 2024. So not even about a month ago, by the time you're listening to this. But you actually aren't able to follow hashtags anymore, nor are you able to see in your feed content from hashtags that you were previously following? Essentially, this is because really viral hashtags, like for example, brat summer. Our so convoluted with content and photos and videos that are, have nothing to do with the actual topic of the hashtag. So in order to reduce spam, to clean up all that mess, the digital [00:08:00] chaos that has ensued Instagram is like, all right, we're just, you're just, Nope, we're just done. You just can't follow those anymore. There's also a will naturally lead us to believe that hashtags are becoming more and more irrelevant. 

Honestly. I feel like I was already noticing this. We already knew this. This doesn't surprise me. I don't think it should surprise you. 

But now there are just a lot different ways to get in front of your audience. There's different ways that Instagram is working to get you in front of your audience. And I don't think hashtags is a make or break deal anymore, especially considering you can't follow them. And this leads me to believe. 

I wonder what happens if you. 

Try and use hashtags to get on the explore page. Like what does that mean for hashtags? I don't know if it's worth diving into a full episode on hashtags, but if that is something you have questions about or want to know more about in the travel creator world. Please, let me know. You can let me know on Instagram or leave a comment. 

If you are watching on YouTube. 

 Okay. Story highlights let's get into it. [00:09:00] So I had a listener reach out to me and say, Laura, do story highlights even matter? And to that, I said, I don't really think so. I don't know. I think at times when I am looking at a service providers, Instagram account, and I want to hire them, or I'm like really interested in working with them. I kind of want to know everything about them. 

Laura Haley: And if they have a story, a highlight that is like, Learn more about me or like start here or something. I am more likely to click on it because I want to know more about them. But from a travel creator perspective, I don't know. I don't think it's as relevant. And that's all I'm going to say on that topic because I will be releasing an episode on story highlights. And I'm doing research to see. Are people actually clicking on them. 

What is the data behind this? But the update Instagram has for us on story highlights is that when you were looking at somebody's profile, You will see a grid. You'll see the [00:10:00] little grid of their posts. You'll see their little reels tab. You'll see. They're tagged. Images or tagged content tab. In between the grid. 

And the reels tab is now a heart, which is your highlights tab. So essentially it's moved, um, your highlights from being at the top that you can kind of swipe through, click through. To being down below. If you don't see this on your account yet, this is new. This is in its testing phase and it will be rolled out. More broadly, shortly. So. One of the reasons instream has decided to do this is to kind of declutter. The little upstairs bio first impressions page. 

There's just a lot of junk going on. I'm noticing a theme here. Okay. And we'll come back to this theme again, when we talk about trial rules, but. This theme of trying to declutter. Instagram has been like. Pumping, you know, the last five, six years. And now it is sort of a hoarder of content. [00:11:00] And we are. They are trying to actively clean it up by implementing these strategies. which is kind of fun to watch from a consumer's perspective, but. They're your highlights. 

They've been moved. Okay. Now. 

We get to talk about trial reels. Ooh, do I have things to say. About trial rails. Okay. 

Before I kind of explained to you. What trial reels are. 

I want to say my piece, I suppose. I think this. Feature is pushing us to think of every single piece of content we create as being incredibly strategic. And it is pushing us to believe that Instagram is the place to market your. Business and your products and grow your creator journey. Well, all of that can be very true and I think it is important to approach. Sharing, um, each piece of content intentionally with, you know, a goal behind each post. I think it pulls us away from wanting to share what we [00:12:00] want that can still be on brand and can still be true strategic, but yet helps the people who really want to connect with you, be able to find you and not just kind of get to you through this salesy convoluted. Way, I think it can be a great tool, but it's pushing us towards an Instagram world where we're just using Instagram for business rather than a social connection. 

We have to remember that social media was created to be social. It was a place to connect with people. It's a place to. Grow and learn and not constantly be bombarded with sales information. A reminder that on social media people expect to be entertained and in their email inboxes, they expect to be sold to. There's one reason why I love so much talking about newsletters and newsletter content, and actually have a free newsletter template for travel creators. That is always linked below and I'll leave it in the description for you. 

You can grab and start using and then hop on a coaching call with me. If you have any questions about [00:13:00] how to use it. Sound like a frog. 

So what is trial reels? If you are unfamiliar? Instagram is now allowing you to create a real. And send it out as a trial. And it gets sent out to non followers. So people who are not following you. Four. A certain time period. And the goal is to see, well, Instagram's goal for you. You can make your goal, whatever the F you want it to be Instagram's goal for you is to make it. Easier for you to see how that real will perform when you share it with your real followers and people in your audience. And it can be a great tool, like I said, but I think it can kind of pull us towards a direction where we have to be on strategically. Creating content all the time. And it takes away the fun of it. 

And I especially think it's a dangerous. Path to go down. When we consider the level of burnout and stress, creators [00:14:00] are already feeling like they have to constantly be performing and keep. Pushing out new things. 

That's my kind of take on trial reels is that it can be really useful, but what is the long term goal with this? 

If you have used trial Rios, please let me know. I have not used it. I am very curious how, It's going for you. I will, of course report back. If I decide to take my reels to trials might as well give it a little spin, right? But that is what I have for you for what's going on with Instagram. As we enter this new year as we're in 2025, you probably have a lot of new goals going on for the new year. if that's the case. Okay. We're mid January. If you're like stressing about your goals and where you are with them already. I would encourage you to go listen to my episode that came out, I believe January 2nd on. Y, I think January goals are total BS. Uh, that will make you feel good. Because we are entering February [00:15:00] and that's where the real work begins. 

We're using January. To get. Our systems in place and using February to kick booty. So, if you want even more insight on ways you can kick booty as a travel creator in 2025, I highly encourage you to sign up for my free newsletter. It comes out every Tuesday and I share things in my newsletter that I don't share anywhere else. Or if I do the newsletters, the first place to hear about them. Especially new digital products that are dropping for travel creators this year, as well as new programs and coaching opportunities. 

So. 

If you are trying to grow as a tribal creator in 2025, that newsletter is the place to be. The link for you is always in the show notes during the description. Thank you so much for incredible year of YouTube. No. 

I'll be saying that next year for an incredible year of the podcast, I really do appreciate you tuning in so much in sending me those kind messages that like. I can't even express how touched [00:16:00] I become when I received those messages. It's just like the best. So if you want to say hi, Instagram's the best place to do it. 

I am at travel content writing there. But. I'm wishing you the happiest of creating this week and I will see you soon.