Did you know Instagram Tests Lockable Posts to Boost Engagement with Secret Codes for Exclusive Content Access

 

Instagram is looking for new means to drive engagement on the platform, and the latest experiment has to do with a feature called Lockable Posts.

This new offering means posts can only get unlocked with the help of a code. As shown through the app’s Design Profile, the platform is rolling out a locked post format that prompts viewers to add secret codes to see content from the user.  

This seems to be intriguing as it would drive engagement to certain parts of the audience, such as superfans who get codes in whatever manner they choose. It can also be used to provide discounts to different clients as compared to the entire followers list. Similarly, it can provide updates to certain regions in combination with off-platform related details.

There are several ways that brands might use this, as regular users could also provide more targeted and intimate forms of contact for certain members of the audience, like friends or their followers.

You can liken this to the app’s Reveal Sticker that was a part of the Stories in the past. This will hide Stories using blurred effects that would be lifted by notifying the creator with a DM. It’s quite obvious how this would also increase engagement through DMs on Instagram. It could also give rise to more texting conversations than anything else.

The new offering is leaning more towards getting codes separately from a certain post. So this engagement is different from what was seen in the past. However, we do see it making connections better through interactions.

The experiment is quite interesting, but only time can tell how much it’s adored after the release. For now, the feature is a test, and we’ll need to wait for the app to share more details about it and any plans for a bigger rollout. We will keep you updated on this as soon as we hear more about it from Instagram, so stay tuned.