Social Media Tips – Week of February 1, 2026

Social Media Tips – Week of February 1, 2026

Big updates across both Instagram and TikTok this week! If you didn’t already know, Instagram recently launched three major features, including the long-awaited map and repost features, plus rolled out powerful new analytics. TikTok introduced Creator Mode with a suite of new tools. Here’s what you need to know.

🗺️ Instagram Launches Instagram Map, Reposts, and Friends Tab Globally

Instagram dropped three major features that are changing how users share and discover content:

Instagram Map

• A new Snap Map-style feature that lets users share their location with friends

• Location sharing is OFF by default and only updates when you open the app (not real-time)

• Find the map at the top of your DM inbox

• Users can leave short “Notes” on the map for friends to see

• Explore location-based content from friends and creators (like Stories from a music festival or Reels about a new restaurant)

• Currently rolling out in the U.S. with global availability coming soon

Reposts

• Instagram’s version of the “retweet”, share public Reels and feed posts to your followers

• Reposts may appear in your friends’ feeds and show in a new “Reposts” tab on your profile

• Add a note to any repost by typing into the thought bubble before sharing

• Great way for creators to reach wider audiences through shares

Friends Tab in Reels (Now Global)

• See public Reels that your friends have liked, commented on, reposted, and created

• Want privacy? You can opt out of having your engagement shown in the Friends tab

• Mute specific people’s activity if needed

What this means for school districts: The Map feature could be useful for event promotion, when staff post Stories from school events, friends can discover that content on the map. The Reposts feature is a great opportunity for community members to reshare district content to their own followers.

📊 Instagram Launches Major Insights Updates

Instagram is giving creators and businesses much more detailed analytics:

“When People Liked Your Reel” Chart

• An interactive chart showing the exact moments in your Reel when people hit the like button

• See which parts of your video captivated your audience

• Use this data to refine your creative process and make more engaging content

“When People Liked Your Carousel” Insights

• See which specific slides people were viewing when they liked your carousel

• Numbers appear under each slide showing engagement

• Helps you understand what part of your carousel resonated most

Post-Level Demographics

• Previously, you could only see audience demographics (gender, country, age) for your overall account

• Now you can check demographics for individual Reels and posts

• Great for understanding if a viral Reel reached beyond your typical audience

Top Content by Follows

• New section in Followers insights showing which content converted viewers to followers

• See your top-performing posts at a glance with follower counts

• Replicate what works to grow your following

Views Replacing “Accounts Reached”

• Instagram is replacing the “Accounts Reached” metric with “Viewers”

• Viewers measures the number of accounts that have viewed your content

• This aligns with their shift to Views as the primary metric

For school communicators: These insights are incredibly valuable for understanding what content resonates with your community. Pay attention to which carousel slides and Reel moments get the most engagement, then create more content like that.

🎬 Use Edits for an Extra Reach Boost

Adam Mosseri confirmed that using Instagram’s Edits app will help your reach, but he noted it’s just “a little bit.” Still, every bit helps! If you’re creating video content, it’s worth downloading the free app for:

• Templates and storyboards

• Teleprompter feature

• High-quality 4K export with no watermark

• Direct sharing to Instagram

The app is free on iOS and Android.

🔍 Instagram Testing “Picks” Feature

Instagram is developing an internal prototype called “Picks” designed to help users discover shared interests with friends:

• Select your favorite movies, books, TV shows, games, and music

• Instagram identifies overlaps with friends who chose the same things

• Could serve as a conversation starter and deepen connections

This aligns with Mosseri’s stated focus on “creativity and connection.” The feature hasn’t been tested publicly yet, so no timeline for launch.

🎥 TikTok Launches Creator Mode and New Tools

TikTok announced a major suite of new features for creators:

Creator Care Mode

• One-click switch that filters offensive, inappropriate, or profane comments

• Also filters comments from users you’ve previously reported, deleted, or disliked

• AI learns from your own report and deletion behavior, the more you train it, the better it works

LIVE Mute Feature

• Bulk mute words, phrases, and emojis during TikTok LIVE

• Commenters who post muted phrases are automatically muted for your chosen duration

Content Check Lite

• Pre-check whether your content is likely to be eligible for the For You feed BEFORE you post

• Available through TikTok Studio on the web

• When tested with TikTok Shop sellers, this feature reduced low-quality uploads by 27%

Creator Inbox

• Professional inbox with Unread and Starred folders

• Set up custom auto-responses for common questions

• Create quick replies for one-tap responses

Creator Chat Room

• Connect directly with your most engaged followers

• Requires 10,000+ followers plus a Subscription or LIVE Fan Club

• Each chat is capped at 300 people; creators can create up to 20 chats

• Appoint up to 5 moderators per chat

• Only available to creators 18+

📚 Learn How the TikTok Algorithm Works

TikTok continues to share insights about how its recommendation system works. Key factors the algorithm considers:

• User interactions (likes, comments, shares, watch time)

• Video information (captions, hashtags, sounds)

• Watch time and completion rate

• Community engagement

Pro tip: TikTok prioritizes content that connects users with niche communities (#BookTok, #TeacherTok, #SchoolLife). Finding and engaging with your community is more important than chasing broad viral hits.

🌐 “Your Algorithm” Expands to All English Speakers

Adam Mosseri announced on January 13 that Instagram is expanding “Your Algorithm” to all English-speaking users worldwide. For a limited time at the start of 2026, users can also tell their algorithm the top three interests they want to see more of.

This is Instagram’s most transparent feature ever, users can now see and customize exactly what topics the platform thinks they’re interested in.

💡 Quick Tip of the Week

With all these new analytics from Instagram, here’s how to use them:

1. Check your “When People Liked” charts — identify your most engaging moments

2. Look at post-level demographics — see if certain content reaches new audiences

3. Review your “Top Content by Follows” — double down on what converts viewers to followers

4. Watch for patterns — are certain topics, formats, or posting times performing better?

Data-driven content creation isn’t just for big brands. These free tools can help every school communicator understand what their community wants to see.

Be on the lookout, tips drop every Monday!