IYCMI: Is there actually a brand play for Instagram’s new Instants?
It's Stories meets Snapchat meets BeReal
⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY
Instagram launched Instants, a BeReal/Snapchat clone for ephemeral content
Meta is doubling down on AI (launching Incognito Chat, and a Meta AI Threads integration) — people are… skeptical
YouTube is positioning creator shows like TV, with new ways for brands to buy into them
TikTok is expanding into travel booking with TikTok GO
Spotify dropped a 20-year personalized listening recap for users
LinkedIn is testing paid 1:1 advice sessions for creators and consultants
Clippers got it right: treat long-form content like raw footage — not just promotional content
💻 ROADMAP
📲 Meta Updates
Instagram dropped Instants (or “Instance” if you’re Adam Mosseri’s caption service). It’s a spontaneous photo-sharing camera that feels like a mashup of Stories, BeReal, and Snapchat — accessible within Instagram or via a standalone app in select countries, including the US.
Instants photos are shared immediately with mutuals or Close Friends, with no editing or filtering. They can only be viewed once; and they can’t be captured via screenshot (I tried).
According to Mosseri, early global testing showed people using Instants to share more casual, authentic moments from their day.
“Sharing personal moments with friends is a core part of Instagram,” he said in a video. He added that since people don’t post a lot to the feed, Instants is designed to help you connect with the people who matter to you the most. (Um, surfacing their content in the feed might also be a solid step but I digress.)
Given the obvious comparisons to BeReal and Snapchat, Instants has strong potential with teens. But what does a smart brand play even look like here — especially when some are already calling it a space for thirst traps? Maybe a creator takeover (a throwback to early Instagram) or behind the scenes at exclusive events?
What do you think — take the poll or leave a comment below!
Meta is giving parents new supervision tools to view the general topics their teens engage with.
Meta announced Incognito Chat as a private way to interact with Meta AI. Go ahead and ask those embarrassing questions that are processed in a secure environment and will surely never ever be hacked.
Meta is testing a way for you to ask Meta AI questions on Threads — the community is less than appreciative.
Related Meta News
How to turn off Instagram’s new Instants feature and retract photos you accidentally shared
Instagram’s new Instants App is a Snapchat clone for thirst traps
If Instants sounds familiar, it’s because Instagram tested something similar in 2022
📲 YouTube Updates
YouTube announced itself as the future of media at its annual Upfront presentation and said it would now let marketers buy sponsorships and ad inventory for individual creator shows — just like TV. Among the slate of new and returning Creator Shows announced as coming exclusively to YouTube: Kareem Rahma’s “Keep the Meter Running,” Alex Cooper’s “Unwell Games” and Hopescope’s “I Acted in a Microdrama.”
YouTube published a Creator Marketing Playbook for advertisers.
YouTube teamed up with the BBC and the National Film and Television School in the UK to offer a new creator training program.
Spotted: Google is now pulling social media posts directly into Google Business Profiles. They’re calling it the “Social Media Updates” carousel.
Related YouTube News
📲 TikTok Updates
TikTok announced its FIFA World Cup 2026™ Creator Correspondents who will provide behind-the-scenes access, POVs, and storytelling from the World Cup.
TikTok announced TikTok GO, a new way for people in the US to discover and book local services, including hotels, attractions, and tours, directly on TikTok. Meanwhile, creators can earn commissions from related travel content that drives bookings.
TikTok is launching an ad-free subscription plan in the UK that costs about $5.44 per month.
TikTok announced a new ad solution, TopReach, that combines two existing placements — TopView and TopFeed — into a single buy to give advertisers the opportunity to reach all available users on TikTok in a single day for key brand moments.
📲 Snapchat Updates
Snapchat published a new report on how teens navigate relationships, content and technolog — revealing the next generation moves fluidly between short-form and long-form, engaging with what they find to be the most intriguing.
📲 Spotify Updates
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Spotify is giving fans a personalized look at their entire music history — from the first song streamed to the total number of unique songs listened to. You’ll also get your All-Time Top Songs Playlist—a collection of your top 120 tracks.
Spotify announced it will adopt Apple Podcast’s new video podcast tech, meaning creators on Spotify will be able to distribute and monetize their shows on Apple Podcasts.
📲 LinkedIn Updates
Spotted: LinkedIn users in the US are set to gain access to Advice Sessions, which will allow consultants, coaches and creators to offer paid one-to-one sessions through their profiles.
🎙️ QUOTE OF THE WEEK
I’ve been writing a monthly blog post for the Adobe Express team and the latest was one of my favorites: What it takes to build a podcast audience on social.
Think of your podcast as raw footage, not a finished product, Peter Sleiman, creative director of What’s Uptin, told me. You’re not cutting down a podcast to post a promotional clip to social; you’re building something net new. The branding may look or sound familiar, but the product is different.
You’ve probably seen a lot of coverage of clippers lately — creators who chop long-form content (usually someone else’s) down into bite-sized videos. The lesson here is to think like a clipper. You’re creating original social content, not just promotional content for a podcast or show.
“I see a lot of companies that take this long podcast and just make it vertical and shorter. But you really have to think of it as a new product. Instead of chopping it down into a short video, I think of the podcast as raw footage,” said Sleiman.
📊 DATA DROP
YouTube is the top platform for long-term creator partnerships
YouTube partnerships are dramatically longer than TikTok and Instagram, with the longest average length being 20.2 months, according to The Influencer Marketing Factory’s Brand Deals Report 2026.
🪩 🏢 🚕 UPCOMING EVENTS
🎟️ The Press Publish LA: The Hollywood Creator Summit — taking place May 28 — shared its first speaker drop, including Smosh’s Alessandra Catanese, creator Michelle Khare and creator Kinigra Deon, among others.
🎟️ VidCon revealed its full 2026 schedule. Creator economy leaders speaking at the June 25-27 event include Twitch’s Dan Clancy, Pinterest’s Malik Ducard, Snapchat’s Brooke Berry, Tubi’s Rich Bloom, and more.
🎟️ Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta Connect 2026 is officially scheduled for September 23-24 in Menlo Park and is expected to showcase AI, VR and wearables.
See: 2026 ICYMI Events Calendar
👀 ICYMI: JUST THE HEADLINES
The clipping economy: How short-form video ‘clippers’ are overrunning the internet - NPR
Disney plans more short-form content and investment in original IP - THR
Prime Video follows Netflix and Disney by adding a TikTok-like ‘Clips’ feed in its app - TechCrunch
I talked to Creator Upload’s Lauren Schnipper about memes, Meta's new AI teen surveillance and conferences - Creator Upload
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Fractional Brand Lead Here:
I think there is an opportunity for Brands (Products and Events) to use this feature for Sneak Peeks for product drops. This could be campaign-focused and audience interactive. Think "12 days of Christmas," or "we're launching something new...can you guess what it is!?" I would announce on the feed that this is happening in Instants only.
Companies to have their internal brand ambassadors/workers show the human side of the business (But this has to be done consistently...think 1-2 people we see all the time, preferably the founders. I don't think it would be as impactful to see someone different all the time. The goal is to build recognition and relations.) I would announce on the feed to "catch a day in the life of Rebeccas on Instants this week!" Personal brands to leverage this feature.
No more excuses for ghosting your audience. Influencers can keep engaged with their audience over Instants to show face. I would think of creative, funny, relatable pictures to snap. (I keep on wanting to say "snaps" from Snapchat 🤪). People who naturally have a creative eye and can see art in what they see will THRIVEEEEE. This will set you apart from the crazy amount of Instants being shared.
But the question will be...how will this differ from Stories, where we can practically do the same thing. I think you have to build a feed campaign first to let people know how we plan to use it. You need to remind your audience over stories of what is being shared on instants until your audience can remember you.
Negative: I think this is furthering consumer social media addiction. I think Meta is pushing us to become more numb and doom tapping. I found myself just tap tap tap tap tap for so so long on nothing of great learning, interest, etc. Right now it is literally all selfies and random shit. I don't need that and thus I've stopped looking through Instants for the sake of my mental health. The rapid eye movement is insane for me.
Oh wow, someone is already working on a strategy. Whoever voted for that option, I want to hear your thoughts!