Meta announcement today that it is launching new Reels features for Instagram and Facebook. Most notably, the company is rolling out an “Add Yours” sticker for Reels on both social networks. The sticker allows users to respond to other users’ reels with their own by following a prompt or a certain topic. For example, you can share a reel with an Add Yours prompt that asks others to post videos of their pets.
Each time you share a new Add Yours prompt, reels added by others will appear on a dedicated page for that prompt. At the top of the page, users will see who initiated the prompt in order to give credit to the original creator. While the feature aims to get users to collaborate, it can also be seen as a way to discover more people to follow.
The feature was first introduced for Instagram Stories last fall. The company says the sticker is a popular feature in Stories, so it makes sense that Meta would bring it to Reels as well, especially given its plans to double down on the short-form video feature. Since the sticker encourages users to post their own Reels in response to an original, Meta could see it as a way to increase the number of Reels on its platforms, while also incentivizing users who may not have maybe not published any Reels to share one.
Meta also announced its opening Stars, virtual items that allow fans to show their support for their favorite creators on Facebook Reels for all eligible creators. The company previously extended Stars to Facebook Reels and is now rolling it out to all eligible creators. Meta also notes that it recently launched new mobile options to start with Stars and to track revenue.
Additionally, Meta now allows all users to easily post Reels from Instagram to Facebook. The company says this will allow creators to build communities on both social networks and participate in monetization programs offered by Facebook and Instagram.
Picture credits: Meta
Meta is also launching auto-created Facebook Reels, which are reels compiled from your previously shared Facebook Stories. The new feature is designed to make it easier to share your favorite memories as reels. Given Meta’s increased emphasis on Reels, it’s no surprise that the company is looking to encourage users to turn their stories into Reels.
Today’s feature drop also includes the addition of new Facebook Reel information in Creator Studio. Meta says the new information will help creators identify which Facebook Reels are performing well. For example, creators will have access to new metrics, such as reach, minutes viewed, and average watch time.
Finally, Meta is launching new Reels Remix features for Facebook Reels, as you can now remix Facebook Reels sequentially. Along with the ability to have your remix appear side-by-side alongside the original reel, the new option allows you to remix by displaying your clip after the original reel.
Meta bet big on Reels, and even recently announced that new video posts under 15 minutes will now be shared as reels on Instagram. The change is likely to upset some users, as it may cause issues. For example, it can be difficult to post a horizontal video if it is uploaded in a vertical Reels format. However, the move wasn’t exactly unexpected, especially since Instagram has been hinting at these plans for some time. Last year, when Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced Instagram’s priorities for 2022he said the company would dub the video and focus on Reels.
It’s no surprise that Meta is doubling down on Reels, especially since Reels is a big potential moneymaker for the company at a time when its revenue is starting to decline. Zuckerberg recently noted that Meta has achieved an annual circulation rate of over $1 billion on Reels ads. He also shared that the time spent by users watching Reels has increased by 30% since the last quarter, but it is possible that the cause of this increase is that we receive so many Reels by the algorithm.