Instagram is starting the new year with a real highlight: the customizable recap feature. Your best moments from 2024 are summarized in dynamic collages – ready to share in stories. There are also festive upgrades such as the exclusive New Year font and other features that make the turn of the year even more personal and creative.
More visual vibes, more community feeling: At the end of the year, Instagram is increasingly focusing on image content and personal interaction options. With the new year in review feature, users can capture their highlights from 2024 in dynamic collages and share them in their stories.
The feature, available until the first week of January, invites you to celebrate the most beautiful moments of the year with the community. This highlight is complemented by seasonal updates that make the social media experience around the turn of the year even more personal and festive.
Instagram relies on personalized annual reviews in Stories
Instagram is introducing a new year in review feature in late 2024, as social media expert Matt Navarra recently reported on Threads .
Users can share their highlights of the year in the form of a dynamic collage directly in their stories. Inspired by formats such as Spotify Wrapped or TikTok’s Year in Review , Instagram focuses on visual compilations that create both personal and emotional connection.
The annual review on Instagram makes it possible to capture the best memories and at the same time share them with your own community. The personal touch makes the feature special: friends can not only like the reviews, but also respond with their own content. This brings moments back to life in a simple but effective way. For brands and creators, this tool opens up a new opportunity to creatively present their successes of the year.
Instagram has already introduced features for more visual creativity in previous updates. One example is the collage mode launched in November, which allows you to combine several photos in one slide and thus create creative stories.
Four additional Instagram features for the New Year
In addition to the personalized review, Instagram has announced other features that make the New Year interactive and festive:
Custom Add Yours Templates
Users can share their annual reviews with friends and encourage them to participate. Instagram provides five Add Yours templates for this purpose , matching the New Year’s theme, which can be found in the Add Yours Discovery Surface under the “End of Year” category. The interactive function increases the reach and creates a greater sense of community.
New font and text effect
Instagram is introducing a seasonal New Year font and the countdown text effect for Stories, Reels, and the feed. This allows users to make their content festive and build visual excitement for the New Year.
Holiday Chat Themes in DMs
Instagram DMs are also getting festive: Users can choose from various new chat designs , including “Mariah Carey,” “New Year’s,” or “Chill.” These options allow you to personalize chats with family and friends to match the holidays.
Custom Like for Stories
Anyone who wants to celebrate their friends’ year-end reviews can now react directly: Instagram is introducing a Custom Like feature for end-of-year stories to honor the highlights of the year.
How visual formats give brands and creators more reach
The annual review fits seamlessly into Instagram’s strategy to promote visual creativity and interaction. For brands and creators, the feature offers an excellent opportunity to visually present successes and important moments of the year and thus increase reach and engagement. Companies in particular benefit from presenting their year in a creative and appealing format – and reaching their community directly on an emotional level.
The increasing popularity of collages also underlines this trend. Platforms such as Pinterest have already shown how visual compilations open up creative possibilities – from creator-inspired collages to formats in which collages can be remixed and then shared as a video. Instagram has also tested similar functions in the past. These developments show that collages are becoming increasingly important as a creative format – both for individuals and for brands.
Visualization remains a central social media trend
The introduction of the annual review in collage form and the other New Year’s features on Instagram clearly show that visual and personal content will continue to play a key role in the social media landscape in 2024. Users want to present their experiences and messages in a creative and approachable way – a trend that Instagram is responding to with new tools such as personalized reviews and other seasonal features.
Those who capitalize on these trends early on and integrate visual storytelling into their social media strategy can secure clear advantages in communication.
