Instagram's new "Series" feature is really about loyalty - here's what it could mean for your small business
Meta is currently testing a new feature called Series, which lets selected creators group their Reels into episodes with a dedicated home on their profile - so instead of a viewer stumbling across one video and moving on, they land in something they can follow, episode by episode.
It was first reported by TechCrunch in early June 2026, and it's rolling out to a limited group of creators for now rather than everyone at once, so if you haven't seen the option in your own account yet, that's expected.
I want to be upfront about where this sits right now. Instagram hasn't confirmed a full public rollout, and details may shift before it reaches everyone. But the direction is worth paying attention to regardless of the exact timeline, because it isn't really a new video format. It's Instagram formalising something small business owners have always understood instinctively - that the businesses people keep coming back to are the ones that feel familiar.
What the Instagram Series feature actually does
Based on what's been reported so far, Series takes your existing Reels (or new ones you plan going forward) and groups them into a structured, ongoing thread that lives in its own section on your profile. Each video becomes an episode rather than a one-off. Viewers can find the whole run in one place, watch in order, and pick up from where they left off.
This is working well on TikTok and Youtube and Meta is bringing the same logic to Reels and Facebook. If you’ve been around as long as me, you might remember that the old ITV (Instagram TV) had series functionality too and it was great.
The platform isn't just trying to boost watch time for its own sake. It's trying to support Creators by shifting behaviour away from the endless scroll and back toward something closer to appointment viewing - a reason to come back on purpose or to binge on a whole topic.
Why this new Instagram feature matters in a regional or small town business
Like most new Instagram features, this was made for Creators, not really for small businesses. Because of that, you’ll find most social media advice on this topic will be written for brands trying to reach strangers at scale.
So hi, I could be your secret weapon 👋 because you and I both know that ‘strangers at scale’ is not the game most regional businesses are playing. You're not trying to go viral to people who'll never set foot in your town. You're trying to stay front of mind with people who already know your name, have your website bookmarked, already drive past your shopfront, and just need a reason to think of you first when the moment comes. That’s what I want for you anyway…
You might know by now that most of the relationship happens after someone's already bought from you once. The job at that point isn't to win them over again, it's to stay present enough so they never have a reason to look elsewhere. Cue Instagram Series - because a signature series is a genuinely simple way to do that. Recognisability does the trust-building work for you.
Think about what this could look like for the kind of businesses I work alongside every week:
A butcher doing a weekly "what's in season" cut of the day, filmed the same way, at the same counter, every Thursday.
An earthworks or trades business running a "site or job of the week" walk-through, building genuine trust in the lead-up to a quote.
A regional tourism operator or chamber of commerce spotlighting one local business, one week at a time, in the same format - building goodwill across a whole community rather than one brand.
A farmers' market or produce stallholder doing a consistent "what's fresh this week" episode that locals start planning their Saturday morning around.
None of these need to be polished. They need to be recognisable. That's where regional, suburban and small town business owners already have an advantage - because you're not competing with a thousand accounts that look the same. You're being yourself in a feed that's about to reward exactly the kind of consistency small operators are naturally suited to.
How to set up your own series without overcomplicating it
Pick one repeatable angle, not a general theme. "Behind the scenes" is too broad. "One cut of meat, one cooking tip, every Thursday" is a series.
Name it. A title card does more work than people expect - it's the difference between a random video and an episode someone's been waiting for.
Keep the format identical every time. Same intro, same pacing, same sign-off. The repetition is the point.
Number your episodes. It signals there's a body of work to catch up on, which is exactly what turns a scroller into a follower.
Post on the same day, weekly. Reliability is the entire mechanism. A series that shows up whenever you get to it isn't a series, it's just more content.
The bigger picture
Instagram testing this feature is a signal, not a deadline. You don't need to have a series live the day it reaches your account. But it's a good prompt to ask yourself a question worth answering regardless of what any platform does next: if you stopped posting tomorrow, is there anything your audience would actually notice was missing?
If the answer is no, that's less a content problem and more a relationship one - and it's usually the smaller, more consistent thing that fixes it, not the bigger one, because familiarity is what earns repeat custom in a town where everyone has options and long memories.
While you wait for Series to roll into your feed, start thinking about what your series might be.
This post reflects what's publicly known about Instagram's Series feature as of July 2026, based on reporting from TechCrunch and Creators who are already testing it and describing how it works. Details of the rollout may change before it reaches a wider audience.
Hi, I’m Erika McInerney - a marketing and customer experience strategist working with regional, suburban and small-town businesses.
I help you see where customers and revenue are leaking, build practical marketing strategies around your real capacity, and create systems that actually support your business (and your life).
Alongside one-on-one work, I partner with councils, business groups and organisations to deliver practical workshops that build marketing capability across entire communities.
If you’re ready for clearer strategy and more confident visibility, you can book a free discovery call, send an email or connect on social media.
