Damn Instagram really has been busy! Over the past few months, they have been hitting new features out left, right and centre. One of its latest is pinned comments. So, what are pinned comments and how can you use them?
What are pinned comments?
In an attempt to reduce negative comments and interactions, IG’s newest feature allows you to pin up to three comments to the top of the post. This not only allows you to set the mood of your feed by highlighting positive comments it also allows you to answer common questions, showcase users and showcase brand partnerships.
How do you do it?
The pinned comments will appear immediately under your photo or video with a ‘pinned’ label underneath, similar to the ‘like’ and ‘reply’ labels. These three comments hide all other comments which can only be accessed by clicking ‘view all comments.’
When you pin a comment, the user who originally wrote the comment will get a notification. You are able to change your pinned comments, as you are only allowed three at a time, when you do so users will not get a notification. This means you can continuously mix up your pinned posts depending on the comments.
Some benefits of using pinned comments
✨Manage the tone of the conversation: pick the best, most on brand, positive comments to be featured.
✨Keep the trolling down: who has time for negative Nellys that aren’t contributing anything positive to the conversation? Not us. These comments will be harder for other users to see now.
✨Encourage user engagement: in a bid to get their comment pinned, users might start to comment more in depth and well thought out questions and comments.
Here a few ways brands can use Instagram’s pinned comments.
📍 Highlight positive customer feedback: see some great comments about how they enjoyed lunch, or that the shipping was super-fast? Pin it. Surveys have revealed that 91 % of consumers say positive reviews make them more likely to purchase from a business. Win.
📍 Answer popular questions: how many times have you been stuck scrolling through comments trying to find an answer to a question? Not anymore. If you can see common questions, pin them to the top of your feed with the answers.
📍 Get chatting with your audience: pin great conversation starters to the top, hopefully this will encourage other users to get chatting with each other.
📍 Highlight influencer relationships: do you engage with influencers or other brands? Has someone high profile commented on your post before? Pin it. This give you a little street credit and users are likely to think more highly of your brand or product.