Instagram’s Notes Feature Expands to Posts, Reels
Acting as temporary virtual Post-it notes, Notes are designed to help strengthen mutual connections, not reach new audiences.

Essentially, Notes act as short, virtual Post-it notes that last three days before disappearing for good.
They can be added to your own content or applied to posts and Reels from other creators.
To add a Note to a post or Reel, users can tap the “paper plane” icon, hit “Add note,” type out their message, and then choose to share it with one of two audiences—followers who follow you back or Close Friends, a feature that allows users to curate a specific group of followers with whom to privately share content.
Notes will be visible to only the indicated audience, and they can be deleted at any time.
Those who can see the note can reply to it, and that reply will appear as a new chat in the note-maker’s inbox.
Notes originally launched at the end of 2022 when it rolled out as a feature within the Instagram inbox, allowing users to find their profile photo at the top of the inbox and leave a short message.
These Notes function similarly to how they do on posts and Reels, except when added in the inbox, they last 24 hours instead of three days.

The Notes feature can be used like a conversation starter, Meta said in its initial announcement, used for things like sharing what you’re up to or asking for recommendations.
Mosseri wrote in a later Instagram post that they’re “sort of like [an] AIM status.”
“Notes are not for reaching followers whom you don’t follow back, sorry creators,” he wrote. “This one is all about starting conversations with people you care about.”
To reach and connect with loyal followers through this new feature, businesses would need to first follow those accounts back.
One way to reach new audiences while also nurturing mutual-follow relationships could be to publicly post a new Reel, and then, once it’s up, add a Note with a special message or announcement to be seen only by that designated community.
Notes is an evolving feature, and many users report that they don’t have access to it at all.
There is also other feedback about downsides to the feature.
Some users dislike that the feature causes them to see posts they don’t care about (or wouldn’t normally choose to see) appearing in their feed, simply because a mutual friend has left a Note on the content.
Some also say they’ve turned off suggested posts (content the app inserts into your feed from accounts you don’t already follow, but that Instagram thinks you may enjoy) for this reason.
Notes can also be turned off in settings.
The feature appears to show Notes in the Instagram app only, not on web browsers.
The Latest

Located in NorthPark Center, the revamped store is nearly 2,000 square feet larger and includes the first Tudor boutique in Dallas.

The nonprofit has made updates to the content in its beginner and advanced jewelry sales courses.

BIJC President Malyia McNaughton will shift roles to lead the new foundation, and Elyssa Jenkins-Pérez will succeed her as president.

Gain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.

As a nod to the theme of JCK Las Vegas 2025, “Decades,” National Jeweler took a look back at the top 10 jewelry trends of the past 10 years.


The company plans to halt all consumer-facing activity this summer, while Lightbox factory operations will cease by the end of the year.

Following weekend negotiations, the tax on Chinese goods imported into the United States will drop by 115 percent for the next 90 days.

Supplier Spotlight Sponsored by GIA

“Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop, the Diane Venet Collection” is on view at the Norton Museum of Art through October.

The deadline to submit is June 16.

Moti Ferder stepped down Wednesday and will not receive any severance pay, parent company Compass Diversified said.

Lichtenberg partnered with luxury platform Mytheresa on two designs honoring the connection between mothers and daughters.

The miner announced plans to recommence open-pit mining at Kagem.

Michel Desalles allegedly murdered Omid Gholian inside World of Gold N Diamond using zip ties and then fled the country.

Associate Editor Lauren McLemore shares her favorite looks from a night of style inspired by Black dandyism.

Sponsored by Instappraise

CEO Beth Gerstein discussed the company’s bridal bestsellers, the potential impact of tariffs, and the rising price of gold.

The brand’s first independent location outside of Australia has opened in Beverly Hills, California.

Cathy Marsh will lead the jewelry company’s efforts in the upper Midwest and western United States.

The company has multiple strategies for dealing with tariffs, though its CEO said moving manufacturing to the U.S. is not one of them.

Connecting with your customers throughout the year is key to a successful holiday marketing push.

Its commercial-quality emerald sale held last month totaled more than $16 million, up from about $11 million in September 2024.

Designer Lauren Harwell Godfrey made the piece as an homage to the 2025 gala’s theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”

Expanded this year to include suppliers, JA’s 2025 list honors 40 up-and-coming professionals in the jewelry industry.

Located in Fort Smith, it’s the Mid-South jeweler’s first store in Northwest Arkansas.

The episode about the family-owned jeweler will premiere May 17.

The Houston-based jeweler’s new 11,000-square-foot showroom will include a Rolex boutique.