5 tips to elevate your Instagram experience
Instagram, the leading photo and video-sharing platform, is home to a ton of hidden features aimed at increasing user engagement and reach. These tools come in handy for both casual users and social media buffs looking to take their Instagram experience to the next level. Here are five lesser-known yet super useful Instagram features that can help you up your social media game.
Enhancing accessibility with manual alt text
Instagram provides the option to add alt text to images, a feature that can prove especially handy for vision impaired users. While the platform automatically generates alt text for photos, it also lets you add it manually. All you have to do is click on 'Advanced Settings' while posting an image and enter your own alt text.
Turning photos into stickers for DMs
Instagram also lets you convert any photo into a sticker and share it via Direct Message (DM). To create a sticker, just visit the particular post, click on the three-dot menu at the top right corner of the image, and hit 'Create a cutout sticker.' Once saved, this personalized sticker can be shared with friends or family through DMs.
Muting profiles for a peaceful experience
For those who feel bombarded by incessant posts and messages from a particular profile, Instagram has a 'mute' feature. The tool keeps posts, stories, and notes from the muted user from showing up in your feed without their knowledge. To mute a user, head over to their profile, tap on the 'Following' tab and choose the mute option.
Sharing with 'Close Friends' only
Instagram also offers a 'Close Friends' feature, which lets you share content with a select group of people. This can be your family members, colleagues, or anyone else you want. To create a Close Friends list, head over to your profile and click on the hamburger menu on the top right corner. From there, tap on the 'Close Friends' option and add users as you want.
Scheduling posts for future dates
Finally, Instagram also has a post scheduling feature, but only for business users. The tool lets them schedule a post as much as 75 days in advance. To use the feature, while creating a new post, click on 'Advanced Settings' and choose the 'Schedule Post' option. Then just set the exact time and date for the post to go live.
