Instagram enhances direct messaging features with an emphasis on supporting creators
Instagram announced an update to its direct messages inbox on Friday, aimed at enhancing the experience for users who receive a high volume of incoming messages, such as creators and influencers.
On Friday, Instagram announced an enhancement to its direct messages (DMs) inbox, aimed at improving the experience for users who receive a significant volume of incoming messages, particularly creators and influencers. The application is now rolling out features that enable users to organize and filter their "message requests," which are messages that do not appear in the primary inbox, according to user-defined criteria.
These new features will empower users to categorize and filter message requests based on various parameters, including follower count, verified accounts, brands, creators, and more. This functionality will assist creators in identifying higher-priority messages that may warrant a response due to their potential impact on the creator's business and relationships.
A new "Story Replies" folder will be introduced to consolidate story replies in a single location.
The company indicated that these modifications are being implemented in response to feedback from creators globally regarding the challenges of managing their direct messages.
"Accessing the requests inbox can often feel quite overwhelming," stated Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, in a post on the platform. "To address this, we have introduced features that allow users to filter their requests to focus on the messages they wish to see," he elaborated. "There is still much work to be done to enhance the inbox experience for creators and their requests," Mosseri acknowledged. "However, we hope this represents a positive step forward."
The "Sort & Filter" options will be available as an overlay within the inbox, enabling users to organize requests based on their recency or the number of followers the sender possesses. This feature aims to emphasize messages from other creators or brands that may be reaching out for potential business collaborations. Additionally, users can select or deselect various criteria to refine the displayed messages based on factors such as account verification status, whether the account is a business or creator account, and the number of subscribers, among others.
Instagram has committed to ongoing investments in direct messaging features in the future.