The 6 Instagram features your charity’s possibly ignoring (but shouldn’t be)
One minute you're posting a carousel, the next you're wondering what a “Repost Tab” is and why no one has engaged with your Stories quiz. 😩
We’re constantly told to make more Reels! or post more videos! - and while that’s not totally wrong, it’s also not the full picture.
What often gets missed are the smaller, quieter updates that can actually help you build community, boost engagement, and (drumroll please) find out what your audience really cares about.
In our most recent Social Snapshots webinar, Kerry was joined by Ramin, Tonina and Arantza, who unpacked 6 underrated Instagram features your charity should be using - and exactly how to get started with each one.
1. Reposts - Think beyond your own content
Instagram’s finally joined the reshare party, with a shiny new Repost tab - and no, it’s not just another place for your content to gather dust (well, hopefully not).
Used well, reposts can help your charity:
Spotlight user-generated content (UGC)
Reflect your values by sharing aligned causes
Resurface campaigns that still deserve the spotlight
✨ Ramin’s tip: “Add a ‘repost this’ CTA in your caption. It gives your community a clear, easy way to become your amplifiers - and it works.”
Reposts can be used to amplify messages and spotlight community voices.
2. Interactive Stickers in Stories - Tiny tools, big impact
Polls, quizzes, countdowns, “ask me anything”… These might look like playful extras, but they can quietly do a lot of heavy lifting.
Used well, stickers can:
Interrupt the tap-tap-tap of passive scrolling
Turn one-way updates into actual conversations
Give you fast feedback on what your audience cares about
And help your Stories feel less like a digital noticeboard and more like a real person is behind them (because… there is)
Plus: Stories sit at the very top of the Instagram feed - so they’re often the first thing people see. Now that's pretty important.
✨ Ramin’s tip: “Don’t treat Stories as filler. Plan them with the same intention you give your main feed - especially if you want people to keep coming back for more.”
Instagram Stories stickers are a powerful way to spark engagement, add depth, and understand your audience better.
3. Polls in Posts – Not just for Stories anymore
Polls have quietly made their way out of Stories and into the main feed - and they're just waiting for someone to put them to good use.
Now you can add a poll to:
Reels
Carousels
Static image posts
It’s an easy way to stop the scroll, invite a quick reaction, and open up a two-way moment. Yet 47% of social media managers say they rarely or never use them.
That’s a missed opportunity - especially when your audience wants to be heard.
✨ Nina’s tip: “If you’re tired of guessing what content your audience wants - just ask. Polls are fast, interactive, and they make your content feel more human.”
If you follow up with what came out of the poll - even just a quick “you said this, so we’re doing that” - it helps build a real connection.
Nearly half of social media managers rarely or never use polls - are you missing an engagement win?
4. Reels Analytics: Skip Rate & Retention Charts
This one’s a biggie - Instagram is (finally!) rolling out proper analytics for Reels. We’re talking drop-off points, watch time, and how many people skip out in the first few seconds.
You’ll be able to spot things like:
Are people sticking with your Reel or skipping it?
Is your opening hook grabbing attention or losing it?
Which bits are holding interest, and which aren’t?
✨ Nina’s tip: “If people are disappearing in the first 3 seconds, it’s probably not your message - it’s your opening line. Don’t scrap the whole thing, just rework the start.”
This kind of data is gold - it helps you improve what you’re already doing instead of starting from scratch every time.
🛑 Heads up: This feature isn’t available to everyone yet. It’s being rolled out gradually, so if you don’t see it in your Reels Insights yet, hang tight.
5. Trial Reels – Your quiet testing ground
Ever wished you could just test a Reel before committing it to your main feed? Good news... now you can!
Trial Reels let you share videos only with people who don’t follow you, so you can see what lands before showing it to your full community.
You can:
Try out new hooks, captions, audio, or topics
Test different styles or lengths
Get early performance data in 48-72 hours
Choose whether to publish it fully based on how it does
✨ Arantza’s tip: “Use it as a mini focus group. You can experiment without risking your feed, and gather insights fast.”
Instagram says 80% of creators who used Trial Reels saw an increase in reach. And let’s be honest - sometimes you just want to try something without everyone watching.
Instagram's new Trial feature lets you test Reels with non-followers before sharing them more widely.
6. Alt Text - The simplest win you’re possibly skipping
Alt text isn’t just a box to tick. It’s a simple line of text that helps people using screen readers understand your post and, when written clearly, it can also give Instagram helpful context about what your content is about.
Used well, alt text can:
Make your content more accessible to visually impaired users
Reinforce your message (especially with storytelling posts)
Help Instagram understand the content of your post - but that’s a bonus, not the point
✨ Arantza’s tip: “Alt text is one of the easiest ways to make your content more inclusive and help it get seen. It takes 20 seconds. Just do it.”
Most scheduling tools let you add it, and you can go back and edit it later if you forget. The goal isn’t to boost SEO - it’s to make your content meaningful and accessible for everyone. But when you write alt text clearly and naturally, Instagram can better understand what your post is about - and that can help more of the right people find it.
A small habit, with a big impact.
Adding alt text on Instagram makes your content more accessible to everyone
So, what should you try next?
If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the right things on Instagram but still not seeing much in return, these underrated tools could be your new best friends.
👉 Start with one.
👉 Test it out.
👉 See how it feels in your content mix.
💬 And if you give any of them a go, let us know - we’d genuinely love to hear how it goes.
Want more where this came from? Check out the Social for Good Accelerator - our practical training course built just for charities.
It’s co-created with charity social media managers like you, packed with real-world tactics, and designed to help you stop firefighting and start making a real impact. 60 spaces available in 2026 - get in touch to find out more.
