Instagram Updates: 90-Second Reels and More

Reels is the real driver of growth for the main social media by Meta: Instagram and Facebook. No wonder now Meta does as much as it can to keep Reels rolling, and new features will appeal to both creators and content consumers. New Reels length, stickers introduction, and new audio editing possibilities are meant to result in better experience.

First of all, the longer the better. Though Reels is still far behind TikTok which has enabled its users to make videos as long as 10 minutes, now it allows creators to make and upload videos up to 90 seconds long. It’s a sufficient progress, given that previously the maximum was just 60 seconds. This will provide more relative freedom and make it easier for telling longer stories (and placing ads before, of course).

Another innovation comes right from Instagram stories. Now creators can use interactive elements (polls, quizzes, and emoji meters) to further engage their audience. These elements have proven their potential on Instagram, so why not put them on Reels? Indeed, for a viewer it’s quicker to answer the quiz than to formulate some comment that makes sense, so why not save time and confusion?

As for creation, Meta acknowledges the postmodern reality of our era, and it allows for meta-creativity based on other users’ work. Now a creator can use someone else’s Reels video as a template or even take a premade audio and complete it with their own footage. Audio editing has also received some new features, like voiceover or importing external audio into the editor. There is a huge library of sound effects (hey someone check whether Wilhelm scream is there), and you can add external audio for any video that’s not shorter than 5 seconds.

Have you already appreciated these new abilities? Have they made it to your device? Or do you see them in your feed, used by creators you follow? Tell us what you think in the comments!