The emails were first noticed by TechCrunch over the weekend. An Instagram spokesperson confirmed to the site that the feature is new and it is also the first time the platform has ever sent out a promotional email.
The aim is presumably to reengage those users who may have slipped from the site. A regular email showcasing some of the best photos from the people that they follow may be enough to entice people back to the app, bolstering the service’s user numbers that already total a healthy 300 million a month.
The emails have only just been implemented and may not be seen by all users for some time. Indeed, the functionality is so new there is no way to resubscribe to them in the site settings if you click the unsubscribe button.
Initially, people may be disheartened by the prospect of yet more promotional emails arriving in their inbox but the concept is nothing new. Facebook has been using it for years, much to the annoyance of many, and Twitter has also been refining its “Best of” system recently.
TechCrunch points out a “Highlights” email is actually more useful on services like Twitter or Instagram than it is with Facebook. Whereas Facebook relies on a relevancy-sorted feed, Twitter and Instagram do not, so a “Highlights” email can simply show the most recent activity from users you are most interested in or those who have attracted the most likes.
The news has led to speculation on how Instagram may be quietly letting slip its increasing age. At four and a half years old, it seems likely that some of its users are beginning to turn away towards new alternatives so it could be the perfect time to start a new reengagement drive. After all, parent company Facebook likes to send users emails on anything by default, so it seems fair for Instagram to send a few subtle reminders of its existence by highlighting a few photos that its users may actually want to see.
