This week Instagram launched a brand new feature to its app that can truly change the game for its social competitors. Instagram Stories is the latest addition to the Instagram application, and if you use Snapchat you’ll notice it’s eerily similar to their Story feature.
Both Instagram and Snapchat are known for their high-level of engagement between big brands and celebrities, and their fans. High profile athletes, actors and musicians provide their most loyal followers with an inside look into their personal life. Specifically, the Story feature, where you post an image or video that stays up for 24 hours for your followers to view. Stories tend to be used as a way to get an inside look into “a day in the life of” or sneak peeks into private events, games, movie sets, etc. as a PR tactic to generate more buzz.
With the Olympics in full swing and an influx of interest in learning more about the athletes competing in Rio, Instagram launched Stories at a perfect time. When Instagram users start to follow the accounts of Team USA members and hashtags for the Games, there is no reason to jump over to a new app to get an inside look.
Instagram signed on Serena Williams as one of the first adopters to document her travels and road to Rio through the new feature. Time has even put out an article with a suggested list of Team USA athletes to follow, specifically on Instagram.
Some of the beloved filters and text overlay on Snapchat have also been carried over to Instagram Stories. Instagram not only implemented what made Snapchat’s app successful, but built on it by including additional options such as choosing who to exclude from seeing your stories.
It will be interesting to see by the end of the Olympic Games, which social network obtains the most engagement, both in posting frequency and number of views. Share in the comments below which social network, Instagram or Snapchat, you think will win the Gold and Silver medal.