Keen to encourage lapsed members of its community to return to the fold, and possibly to get occasional users to engage a little more, Instagram has turned to email to show members what they’ve been missing.
That’s right, the Facebook-owned media-sharing outfit has started sending out “Highlights” email messages to a selection of users, showcasing content from their feed that they’ve more than likely missed.
Instagram, which confirmed its new email strategy to TechCrunch, says it’s the first time it’s sent out promotional messages designed to spur former users into rediscovering the app.
The service, which is similar to one launched by Twitter several years back, could also be useful for regular users who follow so many accounts that much of the content passes them by, with the emails offering a “best of” selection of images. However, as Tech Crunch notes, there currently doesn’t appear to be a way to sign up for Highlights, though such an option may be just around the corner.
Of course, some ex-Instagrammers might not take too kindly to receiving emails from a service they’re no longer interested in, especially when they didn’t even sign up for them. If you’re one of those, simply hit the unsubscribe button included in the email and you’re all sorted.
Instagram, which launched in 2010 before being acquired by Facebook two years later for $1 billion, has more than 300 million active monthly users. Of course, with the app now pulling in cash via ads, it needs all the eyeballs it can get in order to attract marketers and charge lucrative rates. Highlights, it seems, could be one way of reigniting interest in the app among those who’ve drifted away from the service in recent months and years.
Editors' Recommendations
- Meta unveils paid verification service for Instagram and Facebook users
- Instagram boss highlights three new features, including Profile Embeds
- Instagram Reels launches in the U.S. to lure you off TikTok
- Instagram food porn: Top U.K. chef reignites debate over diners’ meal pics
- Instagram will give users chance to fix accounts in danger of being banned
