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Instagram just got a bit more social. The platform recently rolled out two major updates; Reposts and Interactive Map—reminiscent of Snapchat's Snap Map— and if you're in the world of digital marketing, content creation, or social media management, this is news you want to pay attention to. These tools are about more than just fun updates, they hint at where the platform is headed and how businesses and creators cay connected and ahead of the curve.
Let's get right into it and break it down.
What is Instagram's New Repost Feature?
Finally, Instagram is letting users reshare other people's posts to their own feeds. This has long been a missing feature and very similar to TikTok's reshare button. Before now, resharing a post to your Instagram profile involved third-party apps or clunky workarounds like screen-recording, but not anymore!
Reposts now live in a dedicated tab on your profile, so your grid stays curated, but your community-building gets easier. According to Instagram, "With reposts, you can repost public reels and feed posts, making it easier for you to share your interests with your friends."
From a brand prospective, this opens the door for collaborative storytelling, community shoutouts, and influencer cross-posting in a much more organic way. It also provides added visibility for creators whose work gets reshared.
This is especially helpful for business working with UGC (user-generated-content) creators. If someone posts about your brand, you can now feature that post directly on your profile. No screenshot, no loss in quality.
The Rise of the Interactive Map
Next up: Instagram's new interactive map, which feels like a direct response to Snapchat's Snap Map, but with a focus on recommendations, discovery, and local connection.
The map lets you explore popular spots your friends are tagging and saving. Think restaurants, venues, stores, and events. Instagram stated, "to a concert or finding a new place to hangout from a local creator’s reel, there’s content to help you and your friends connect with the world around you."
For small businesses, this is big.
If you're a local coffee shop, a restaurant, or even a photo studio, the interactive map helps put you on the radar in a way that was previously reserved for influencers and restaurants with huge budgets. The more people tag your location and save your post, the more discoverable your business becomes.
It’s also a cue to optimize your geotags and encourage followers to tag your location when they share. It’s not just about feed aesthetics anymore—placement on the map equals visibility.
Why These Features Matter for Creators and Brands
These updates show us that Instagram is leaning deeper into community, discovery, and personalization. For creators and brands, that means it's times to rethink how you engage your audience.
- Use Reposts to highlight your community. This isn't just about sharing memes, it's a chance to build trust by resharing reviews, testimonials, and collaborations.
- With the Interactive Map, location-based marketing is back. If your brand lives in a physical space, optimize every post with local tags. Encourage customers to tag you and share their experiences.
- Most importantly, continue shoeing up with original content. These new tools are meant to amplify what's already working, not replace it.
Instagram said it best, “These features are designed to help you express yourself, discover more of what matters, and connect with the people who care about the same things you do.”
What to Do Next
If you're running a business or managing social media, now's the time to:
- Develop a repost strategy. What type of posts will you reshare to your profile? Who in your community deserves a spotlight and vice versa.
- Encourage tags and saves. The interactive map thrives on user data. Use CTAs that ask people to "save for later" or tag your location.
- Experiment and track. Test both features over the next few weeks. Watch how engagement shifts, and tweak your approach accordingly.
Final Thoughts
Instagram is clearly taking notes—from creators, from platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, and from how users interact in real time. These updates aren’t gimmicks. They’re part of a larger shift toward a more connected, location-aware, community-driven platform.
The brands that will thrive on Instagram in 2025 won’t be the loudest. They’ll be the most engaged, the most attuned to their audience, and the most willing to experiment.
We’re here for it—and we’ll be testing these features ourselves, too.
Want connect on how to grow your brand presence on social media? Contact us today and lets's chat!
