Over the past year, we’ve gotten almost one new Story feature per month with only a few exceptions, and this month we got the Chat Sticker!
Here’s how they work: Users add the “Chat” sticker to their Story, which essentially invites followers to request to join a new group chat in Direct based on that Story. When users click, they can request to join said group, and the account holder can approve these requests as they see fit.
Right now, Instagram is positioning this as a way to start a massive group chat if a large number of people wanted to make plans or talk about something in common. This sticker can be a little tricky though; accounts with large audiences may end up swamped with requests, and chats that are too busy for anyone to really interact can lose a little value.
For marketers, a good option here may be to show a story to a small, segmented audience. This could be members of an exclusive group associated with your brand, high-value customers, or those who participate in specific programs or services. The group would then have something in common, whether you’re offering them access to beta-test something, an exclusive sale, or even just for their opinion.
Overall, this won’t be a sticker than marketers and brands will rely heavily on, but it’s a cool feature that could have interesting uses, especially for smaller brands nurturing tight-knit communities.
