The Instagram Stories - Social Media News

Major update - I have launched a video version of this show! In today's episode, Meta rolled out their latest AI updates but that included the ability for anyone to generate any AI images from anyone's Instagram posts. If you don't want that, I explain how to prevent it by going into the Instagram settings. Additionally the YouTube team has updates for Shorts and Account Status, and the Edits app...

The Meta team announced Muse Image, the company’s first image generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs. Also the Edits team added the ability to automatically generate bilingual captions, and the Head of Instagram explains how to create a shared collection. In the strategy section of the episode, we get into the value of cross-posting Reels to Facebook and how to use YouTube Shorts to cre...

Google adds Search Profiles for creators who have over 100,000 followers, YouTube posts get music, and the YouTube team explains how to get started with YouTube Shorts. Also the Threads team has been improving live chats, and the Head of Instagram explains how to handle a post that doesn't perform well - should you take it down and repost it immediately, or leave it up? If you are interested in sp...

If you find this show valuable or helpful, would you mind leaving a review? It doesn't cost anything and it's greatly appreciated. Leave a Review of the Podcast: Apple Podcasts Today on the show, the Head of Instagram answers questions like "how do I find the setting to add more captions to the carousel?", "how do I know when someone specific posts?" and "do you ever just stop adding features to I...

The CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerburg, announced Meta Ray-Bans - without the Ray-Bans - for $80 cheaper. Also Rene Ritchie from the YouTube Creator Insider team explains how to use the AI tool Ask Studio, and the Head of Instagram explains how long to wait before posting your next video. Links: Meta: New Smart Glasses (Instagram) YouTube: Ask Studio - Getting Started Guide for Creators (YouTube) Instag...

The Head of Instagram announced on Threads that the Instagram app is now available for Samsung TVs. Also, the Instagram team announced on Friday that carousels now support multiple captions - so you can make one caption per slide. In today's episode, the Head of Instagram answers questions about Reach, Engagement, Stories, and short form vs. long form video. Links: Instagram: App Now Available on...

Snap has new AR glasses and they're $2,200. They're also massive. The Head of Instagram explains when the best time to post is, and why you might not want to create a new Instagram account if you pivot to a new topic. Also the Edits team is adding AI to help assist you. Links: Snapchat: Snap Unveils Specs Smart Glasses at AWE 2026 (YouTube) Instagram: The Best Time to Post on Instagram (Instagram)...

The Head of Instagram explains how to re-order your grid, explains that editing a post after publishing does not hurt performance, and explains about the AI they're building in Edits to help you make better videos - and maybe even do the video editing for you. He also answers questions about turning off follower count, and customizing your algorithm to affect the content you see from people you've...

Instagram announced today they are bringing Customization of Your Algorithm to the main feed- you can see the topics Instagram thinks you're interested in, and change them. You can access Your Algorithm by navigating to Reels or Explore and tapping the icon in the upper right corner (the two lines with hearts). Also 3 tips for sharing content on Threads, plus a roundup of the latest YouTube news....

With the new “Reorder your grid” feature, you can now rearrange content on your main profile grid. It's been a long time coming. Also the Head of Instagram answers questions about creators using Instants, Translation, the sweet spot for length of Reels, and more. Links:    Leave a Review of the Podcast: Apple Podcasts   Connect with me on Instagram: @danielhillmedia Connect with me on Threads: @da...

Today the YouTube team adds the ability to talk to the AI in YouTube Studio and have it remember, Instagram gives more details about Instagram Plus, Adam Mosseri answers why the same Reel posted twice performs differently, and a TikTok creator shares a strategy for getting more views.   Links: YouTube: AI Labels, Ask Studio History, Nano Banana Effect Maker (YouTube) Instagram: Instagram Plus (Ins...

The Head of Instagram announced the teleprompter feature from Edits is now in the Instagram app, then answers questions about when the Edits desktop app is coming, the best times to post, whether or not to have 2 Instagram accounts or just one.   Links: Instagram: Instagram introduces teleprompter tool  (Social Media Today)   Leave a Review of the Podcast: Apple Podcasts   Connect with me on Insta...

The Head of Product at Meta, Naomi Gleit, announces new Subscription options at Meta, Rene Ritchie from the YouTube Creator Insider team explains the new AI Remix feature inside YouTube Shorts, and Adam Mosseri explains how to understand Instagram's insights.   Links: Meta: Subscriptions for Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Meta (Instagram) Meta: Facebook launches a ‘Plus’ subscription that give...

The Head of Instagram's weekly Ask Me Anything sessions are always full of great info, and this week is no exception. We talk about how to use Trial Reels, what to do if someone is harassing you by creating fake accounts, and some feature suggestions including a dislike button and why Instagram won't let you see who shared your content.   Links:   Leave a Review of the Podcast: Apple Podcasts   Co...

Today's episode is focused on YouTube - they're rolling out carousel posts in YouTube Shorts, plus a new co-viewing metric for YouTube TV watchers. There's also an interview with Daniel Wall of YouTube's Behind the Wall channel, talking about how to know when it's time to hire a team and who to look for. At the end I do Wednesday Waffle where I make a prediction about the item of the summer. Links...

How does Instagram Instants compare to Snapchat and BeReal? Can you turn off Instants? The Head of Instagram answers those questions plus busts a myth about using DMs to increase reach and more on today's episode. Links: SNL - BeReal (YouTube)   Leave a Review of the Podcast: Apple Podcasts   Connect with me on Instagram: @danielhillmedia Connect with me on Threads: @danielhillmedia Connect with m...

Instagram rolls out Instants, and I started using it! Mark Zuckerberg announced encrypted AI conversations, plus how to use Edits to link directly to Reels, and advice on the questions to ask when a piece of content does not perform well.   Links:   Instagram: Introducing Instants! (Instagram) Meta AI: Encrypted AI Conversations (Threads) Edits: Reels and Account Linking Inside Videos (Instagram)...

The Head of Instagram explains why you may have lost followers last week, how long a Reel should be, and how to prevent people from leaving your Reels after 5 seconds. He also discusses feature suggestions including a faster, simpler way to organize a carousel, plus Trial Reels being available on desktop (yay!)   Links: Leave a Review of the Podcast: Apple Podcasts   Connect with me on Instagram:...

The Threads team continues to add features, and this one is important - being able to send DMs from your laptop (or desktop). Now you finally can! Also the Edits team has some new features, including one called "Fuse" that I really like, and we get into Edits features to help you with your workflow. Lastly the YouTube Creator Insider team interviews Adam Savage from the TV show "Mythbusters" all a...

The Head of Instagram does his weekly Ask Me Anything, answering questions like "can I still post memes on Instagram?" and "tips for meme accounts to stay original?". He also talks about the most common traits in successful creators and if Instagram Verification prevents you from having your account suspended.   Links: Leave a Review of the Podcast: Apple Podcasts Connect with me on Instagram: @da...

The team at Instagram is going to start penalizing aggregators who don't make original content, and just take content from others. Additionally, the team at YouTube is going to stop sending push notifications to subscribers after 1 month of not clicking on them, and will communicate new videos through the YouTube Inbox (the bell!) instead. Also the CEO of Snap, Evan Spiegel, explains what it's lik...

The Instagram team has improved insights, making it easier to find the data you need to figure out how your content is performing. The Edits team has added some improvements, including the ability to duplicate videos so you can A/B test content without needing to remake it.   Links: Instagram: Updates to Insights (Instagram) Edits: Updates to Edits (Instagram) Instagram: How To Keep Followers Enga...

The Instagram team has launched a new app called Instants in 2 countries, which seems to be remarkably similar to the old Threads app they had for sharing with Close Friends - before they cancelled that app and launched a different app named Threads. (Confused yet?) We'll get into the AMA the Head of Instagram did last week, answering questions about metrics, translations, trial Reels, and more.  ...

The CEO of YouTube shares what he thinks about how to gain an audience on the platform, and where YouTube is focusing to support creators. The Threads team has launched Live Chat, Edits has some audio tricks for voice you might not know about, and I do Wednesday Waffle.   Links: What Is YouTube Doing to Us? We Asked Its CEO. | The Interview (YouTube) Threads launched Live Chat (Threads) Edits Audi...

What's the best type of content to focus on creating - carousels, long form videos, short form videos, or something else? Today on the show, the Head of Instagram answers the question but then I play a clip of Mr. Beast answering a very similar question. Also the Head of Instagram answers questions about how to handle hate, trial reels, and takes feature suggestions.   Links:   Instagram: Chart to...