Instagram Reels adds dedicated 'trends' section for creators

New Delhi: Meta-owned Instagram has announced new features on its short-video making app to empower creators.

The social network has added a dedicated destination for trending audio and hashtags, two new metrics to Reels insights and brought gifts on Reels to more countries.

Creators will now be able to see what the top trending topics and hashtags are on Reels.

"We're making it easier for you to edit your reels on Instagram by bringing together video clips, audio, stickers, and text on a unified editing screen," said Meta.

This makes it easier to align and time elements of your reel to the right moments in a more visual way.

This feature is available globally, across both iOS and Android devices.

The two new metrics being added on Reels are total watch time and average watch time.

"Total watch time captures the total amount of time your reel was played, including any time spent replaying the reel. Average watch time captures the average amount of time spent playing your reel, calculated by dividing watch time with the number of total plays," explained the company.

For example if your average watch time is 17 seconds, out of everyone who watched your Reel they watched an average of 17 seconds.

This will help creators better understand where people are being engaged or where you may need to create a stronger hook to have viewers stay longer.

"We're also adding a new way to see how your reels are contributing to your growth. You'll now receive a notification with new followers from your reels," the company mentioned.

The company is also adding a new feature to show creators which fans have sent them a gift, so they can recognise their supporters.