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Instagram Notes are text updates you can share with followers that appear in the DMs — notably, they disappear after 24 hours (like Stories). And they're trending. It's easy to understand why: The character limit is 60, which includes emojis, so it can be a relatively easy lift. Perhaps because of the ephemeral content, personalization, and authenticity that requires little effort, Notes are growing from a niche feature into a major engagement tool.
Why Notes are useful
After a low-key rollout in 2022, Notes surged in popularity. More updates like music integration, emoji customization, and AI-powered friend suggestions. And more customization features like colored backgrounds and emoji avatars were added in mid-2025 to keep this feature top of mind.
Businesses are also using Notes for micro-engagement and announcements like flash deals and sneak peeks. And they've reported higher engagement compared with Stories.
5 tips to make Notes work for you
1. Spark conversations: Text is cool again, especially among Gen Z and millennials. Text-based Notes is ideal for conversation starters. Plus, since Notes sits at the top of DMs, asking questions is a great way to invite quick replies — turning it into instant Q&As
2. Share micro-content: It’s perfect for bite-sized and approachable conversations like quick thoughts, easy tips, and fun polls. Micro-stories like personal anecdotes sprinkled with humor humanize your channel.
3. Promote long-form content: Drop teasers and sneak-peeks in the DMs that link to bigger videos or articles to engage your followers and bring them deeper into your platform.
4. Show personality: The short 60-character limit is great for sharing behind-the-scenes thoughts and quick takes in a clever and casual way.
5. Pair Notes with Stories: This one-two punch is great for keeping engagement flowing across features. Just hook users in Notes, then expand in Stories (see point #3).
The bottom line
Keep Notes short and timely by posting things like questions and polls during peak engagement hours. For extra credit, pair them with Stories or Reels to capitalize on more engagement throughout the channel.
