Last updated: 12 October 2026.
Welcome to the first edition of our weekly Instagram roundup, where we pick out the changes that matter to creators and explain what to do about them. The past fortnight brought a new way to promote live broadcasts, carousel tools inside the Edits app, and two app tests that hint at where Instagram is heading.
You can now boost an Instagram Live from the app
Instagram has added a Boost option to the livestream composer, so you can promote a broadcast as an ad in the same way you already can with posts, Stories and Reels, Social Media Today reports. You choose an audience (or accept Instagram’s suggestion), set a start and end time, and either boost just before going live or schedule it in advance. The live video itself becomes the ad and can appear in Feed, Stories and Reels, and the promotion only runs while you are actually broadcasting, so it reaches people who can join in real time.
Promoting a Live was already possible through Meta Ads Manager; the difference is that it now takes a few taps rather than a full campaign set-up. Instagram’s Help Centre has a page on boosting live video. The report does not say which regions or account types have the option yet, so check your own composer.
What it means for creators: a paid boost is most useful for lives with a clear reason to tune in at that moment, such as a launch, a Q&A or a collaboration. Instagram suggests scheduling the boost at least two hours ahead to avoid delivery delays. Keep the budget small for your first test so you can compare the viewers and follows it brings with a similar live you did not boost.
Edits gets carousel editing tools
Meta’s Edits app, which until now has focused on video, can now build carousel posts. According to Social Media Today, you can drop photos and videos into layouts, reuse the app’s fonts and text styles, and cut out your own stickers to use across your content. The feature is available on iOS now, with Android described as coming soon and no date given.
What it means for creators: carousels remain one of the easiest formats for people to save and share, and doing the design work in the same app as your Reels keeps your fonts and styling consistent. If you are on iPhone, try rebuilding one of your best-performing Reels as a carousel this week and compare saves and shares. Android users can plan the content now and edit it once the update arrives.
Instagram tests opening the app on Reels
App researcher Radu Oncescu has shared images of an option that would let people open Instagram straight into the Reels feed instead of the main feed, with Stories still at the top and the usual feed a swipe away, Social Media Today reports. It appears to be an optional setting rather than a new default, and Instagram has not officially confirmed it. A similar Reels-first layout was tested in India previously.
What it means for creators: nothing changes for now, but the direction is clear: short video keeps getting the most prominent spot in the app. If Reels are not yet part of your weekly routine, make them so, with a strong opening second and on-screen text for people watching without sound.
A read-only profile view is in testing
Another test, spotted by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, would let someone view a profile in read-only mode. In that mode they could browse posts but not like, comment, follow, send a message or see that account’s Stories. Social Media Today notes that it may eventually be offered to paying Instagram Plus subscribers as an add-on. There is no official word on whether or when it will launch.
What it means for creators: if it does launch, some visitors will be browsing your profile without being able to interact while they do it, so likes alone will tell you even less about how many people are seeing your work. Track reach, profile visits and follows in your insights, and make sure your bio, highlights and first few grid posts explain who you are at a glance, because a read-only visitor has nothing else to go on.
What to do this week
- Plan one Live with a clear purpose and, if you have a small budget, test the new Boost option scheduled at least two hours ahead.
- On iPhone, turn a top-performing Reel into a carousel in Edits and compare saves and shares after seven days.
- Set a Reels schedule you can actually keep, even if that is two a week.
- Review your bio, highlights and first nine grid posts so a new visitor understands your account in a few seconds.
- Check reach, profile visits and follows in your insights, not just likes.
Growing on Instagram is mostly about consistent, useful content, but a little extra visibility can help new posts get noticed. If you would like a starting boost alongside the organic work above, our Instagram services use gradual delivery and no password needed.