Instagram has launched a new test for a Re-Share sticker on Stories. It allows people to reshare feed posts recently viewed in-app through a dedicated sharing format. This differs from simply copy-pasting the whole feed post into Stories.
The new process shows a list of posts you just viewed or saved in the app. It includes feed posts and content from Reels.
You can choose the post to share to your Story. And the post will appear as a small sticker that you can attach to your larger Story image or video.
The idea is to push users to be more creative in their reshares. It avoids the conventional resharing of feed posts into Stories. This is something that Instagram has been trying to stop for the past few months.
“People tell us that they prefer original Stories content over reshared posts, so we’re testing a new way to reshare w/ stickers. Our hope is that people will be more intentional when they share, which will create a better Stories experience for everyone,” says Vishal Shah, Instagram VP of Product.
Instagram started changing how its feed post resharing options work in January. Users saw this in-app notification:
Instagram deleted the option to reshare feed posts to Stories. It was mitigating a rising problem, based on user feedback.
“We’ve seen from research that people prefer to see original photos and videos in Stories from the people they care about. The goal of our test is to better understand how people feel about this type of content and ultimately improve the Stories experience,” said Instagram.
It seems Instagram believes people do not want to see reshared feed posts. Who would want to see repeated content in their main Stories feed, right?
Many Instagram users have opposed the test, especially businesses who use Stories to reshare and amplify posts on their brand and products.
Instagram seems to have heard their worries. It has since been working on different versions of the Re-Share sticker, together with other labeling for reshared feed posts in Stories.
The Facebook-owned social network said this is a limited test for now. Only a small subset of users will see it in the Stories sticker tray.
If it encourages more creativity on sharing, and reshares relevant content, then it’s a good addition.
We will update you on any progress.
