Instagram just changed everything (again)

Hey!

I’ve got a couple of things to break down today - one about how to ruthlessly edit your videos, and one about Instagram's latest updates.

Let's get into it 👇

PART 1: RUTHLESS EDITING

Your viewer doesn't care about how long it took to film something.

They don't care about the perfect lighting you waited three hours for.

They care about how the video makes them feel in that moment.

When was the last time you watched a video and thought "wow, they must have spent ages on that shot!" Probably not very often.

But I bet you've thought "this is dragging on a bit" plenty of times.

The things we get precious about as creators?

Our audience barely notices them.

I see this pattern all the time.

Creators hold onto moments because:

• They were hard to film

• They're technically impressive

• They took ages to set up

• They show off a particular skill

But keeping something in your video just because it was difficult to create is the fastest way to lose viewers.

These days, my editing process is simple but harsh:

If a shot doesn't move the story forward or trigger an emotion, it's gone.

Doesn't matter how good it looks.

Doesn't matter how long it took to film.

This is especially true for those first few seconds.

I can't tell you how many times I've cut what I thought was a perfect opening because it wasn't grabbing attention fast enough.

Next time you're editing, keep this in mind:

Every single second needs to fight for its right to stay in.

Be ruthless.

Your content will be better for it.

PART 2: SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS

So, Instagram’s dropped some big changes recently that are worth getting up to speed on...

1) Longer Reels (3 Minutes)

Reels can now be three minutes long instead of 90 seconds. This is where ruthless editing becomes more important than ever. The temptation to include everything will be stronger, but just because we can make longer videos doesn't mean we should.

2) Trial Reels

This might be the most interesting update they've dropped. You can test your content with non-followers for 24 hours before sharing it with your actual audience. Think of it like a soft launch for your content. I love this because you can experiment with new styles without risking your main engagement. Been wanting to try something different but worried about how it'll land? This is your chance.

3) New Profile Layout

They're moving to a rectangular grid instead of squares. This changes how our profiles look as a whole - worth thinking about how your content will display in this new format.

4) DM Scheduling

For those of you managing multiple accounts or running campaigns, you can now schedule DMs up to 29 days ahead. Small change, big impact for organising your content strategy.

5) Story Highlights Tab

They're giving Highlights their own dedicated tab, moving them off the main grid. Makes everything cleaner and a little more organised (I know this is a controversial change. A lottt of unhappy creators 😅).

Looking at all these changes together, Instagram's clearly pushing us toward more experimentation and better planning. They're giving us tools to test what works. Smart creators will use these changes to try new things while keeping what already works.

Instagram creators, what do you think of the new updates? Hit reply and let me know!

With that said, that’s all for this week.

I’ll see you next Thursday,

Jeremy

P.S. Inside Viral Academy’s Content Accelerator, I break down my complete system for making videos that actually perform (and make $). From ruthless editing to platform-specific strategies, it's everything I know about going viral. Click here to join hundreds of creators already using these frameworks to transform their content.

Don't forget to use the tips from my past newsletters to keep improving. (Missed an issue? Catch up here).

If someone forwarded this to you, click here to subscribe and get the next one straight to your inbox.