Instagram continues to evolve, offering new tools and opportunities for influencers to monetize their content, enhance engagement, and refine their strategies. In 2025, the platform has introduced several updates that impact how creators collaborate with brands, engage with their audience, and manage their content. Here’s a deep dive into the most important Instagram updates in 2025 that influencers should be aware of.
1. Monetizing Brand Partnerships with Testimonials
Instagram has launched a new feature under its Partnership Ads called Testimonials, designed to help creators earn money through written endorsements. This update formalizes a practice already common on social media—brands paying individuals to leave positive comments on their content. Now, influencers can openly participate in this process while maintaining transparency with their followers.
How Testimonials Work:
- Creators write short, under-125-character endorsements about a brand or product.
- They send their testimonial to the brand, which attaches it to a relevant ad.
- The testimonial is pinned to the top of the comments section on Feed posts and Reels.
- The deal and payment are negotiated directly between creators and brands, outside of Instagram.
- Creators can track their Testimonials under their Creator Settings and even remove them if needed.
With 40% of Instagram users relying on creator recommendations for shopping, this feature allows influencers to earn while maintaining authenticity. However, influencers must be selective about their endorsements to avoid damaging their credibility with followers.
2. Instagram DMs Get Major Upgrades
Instagram has introduced a range of enhancements to its direct messaging system, making it a more competitive alternative to apps like iMessage and WhatsApp.
Key DM Features:
- Message Translation: Supports 99 languages, enabling influencers to communicate with a global audience.
- Message Pinning: Users can pin up to three messages per chat, keeping important info easily accessible.
- Message Scheduling: Similar to iMessage, users can now schedule messages up to 29 days in advance.
- Music Sharing: Users can send 30-second previews of songs directly from Instagram’s music library, making it easier for influencers to share favorite tracks or promote music collaborations.
- QR Code Invites for Group Chats: Instead of sending invite links, users can generate and share QR codes for easy access to group chats.
These features provide influencers with better tools for community engagement, brand collaboration, and content organization.
3. Testing the ‘Dislike’ Button for Comments
Instagram is experimenting with a dislike button for comments on both Feed posts and Reels. While users can downvote comments, the count will remain private. This feature is meant to improve the quality of discussions and reduce negativity.
How It Works:
- Users can downvote comments privately.
- Disliked comments may be ranked lower in the thread.
- No public dislike count will be displayed.
- The test is limited to a small group of users for now.
This feature aims to promote healthier conversations and filter out irrelevant or harmful comments, benefiting influencers who deal with online negativity.
4. Enhanced Reels Analytics for Creators
To help influencers better understand their content performance, Instagram is introducing new analytics tools for Reels.
New Insights Available:
- View Rate: Shows the percentage of viewers (both followers and non-followers) who watch past the first three seconds of a Reel.
- Views Over Time: Displays how a Reel’s performance compares to the creator’s average.
- Actionable Insights: Instagram will provide personalized tips, suggesting which content types perform best.
For example, Instagram might notify a creator: “This Reel is doing great! It got 20% more views than your recent average. Create more content like this.” These insights can help influencers refine their content strategy and maximize engagement.
5. Meta’s Push to Attract TikTok Creators
With TikTok facing bans and regulatory challenges in the U.S., Meta is aggressively pursuing TikTok creators, offering monetary bonuses and exclusive content deals to encourage them to post on Reels. Instagram’s improvements in analytics and audience insights are part of this broader strategy to position itself as the top short-video platform.
Final Thoughts
The latest Instagram updates create more revenue opportunities, improve audience engagement, and enhance content management for influencers. However, creators should carefully navigate these changes:
- Be selective with Testimonials to maintain credibility.
- Use new DM features to enhance communication and engagement.
- Monitor comment sections with the dislike feature to manage negativity.
- Leverage new analytics to refine content strategies.
- Consider Meta’s incentives if transitioning from TikTok.
Staying ahead of these updates will help influencers maximize their potential on Instagram in 2025. As the platform continues to evolve, adaptability and authenticity will remain key to success.
