Instagram, on Thursday April 29, 2021, released the First Edition of its Digital Fashion and Beauty Zine.
The Zine, which has nine pages, highlights what’s trending on Instagram in the area of fashion and beauty, along with emerging creators to follow.
WWD Beauty Inc., was present in a virtual Q&A session on Zoom between Eva Chen, vice president of fashion and shopping partnerships at Instagram, and Kristen Noel Crawley, founder of KNC Beauty, when Facebook unveiled the inaugural issue of “Instagram Insider”.
According to the report by WWD, “Instagram Insider” will be made available to the public via Instagram’s blog. A copy was shared with WWD prior to the event.
Chen said, “We have a team at Instagram that is working with everyone from creators [to] entrepreneurs.”
According to him, “The inspiration behind [the zine] was to take all of the behind-the-scenes info that we see, whether it’s a trend like psychedelia, crafting, shopping, sustainably — not a trend anymore, but there’s new ways to do it — as well as the new skin-fluence[r], which we think is gender-neutral and often male-driven.”
Instagram’s Shop team is responsible for creating the zine. “If you’ve ever spent an indulgent weekend afternoon (or, let’s be real, an indulgent Monday afternoon or Thursday morning) scrolling through your feed, Explore or Shop tab, liking and saving posts… then this ‘zine is for you! ‘Instagram Insider’ is about inspiration and discovery – not just of the trends (Crafty quilted fashion! Stick-on beauty products! Vintage streetwear!), but the people behind them,” the company said while giving the announcement.
The 9-page magazine, which you can download in PDF form, includes overviews of key, rising trends, with example images, and links to top creators to follow.
Social Media Today summarised some key questions which Instagram answered in the last section of the zine.
- Profile verification is only available to profiles that represent “a well-known, highly searched for person or brand”
- Hashtags are “the primary way” that people search and discover content on Instagram, and you should add three-to-five highly relevant hashtags to all of your posts (don’t add too many)
- Instagram’s currently testing a new option that enables users to display total like counts or not on their posts (more info here)
- Instagram is working on new link options in Stories (likely referring to its coming link stickers) which could make Stories links available to all users
Some handy reference info, and it’s an interesting guide overall, with a range of helpful notes and pointers on key trends and tips.
The magazine is specially made to appeal to users, and those looking at what to buy via Instagram trends, but it also provides a lot of ideas that marketers and advertisers can use. Based on this, you may be able to find new angles to shape your own Instagram strategies, while the Q and A section could also be helpful in addressing some of your queries.
Either way, it’s short, it’s free, and you can download it here. Worth checking out when you get a chance.
