Instagram Groups: A Convenient Way to DM All Your Besties

Profile photo of Karen Lin, author

Karen Lin

Instagram 101 | Feb 06, 2024

Want More Real Instagram Followers?

Instagram groups are probably one of the most useful features of direct messaging on the app. Instead of messaging multiple friends separately, you can make a group chat to text your friend group at once. It’s perfect for making Friday night plans, sending funny Reels, and just having fun conversations throughout the day.

In this guide, we’re covering the ins and outs of IG group chats, from its top benefits to how to make one yourself. Keep reading to learn about this awesome feature that makes talking to your besties super convenient.

A group of friends drinking and singing while gathered in a campsite at night.

What Is an Instagram Group Chat?

The concept of an Instagram group chat is pretty self-explanatory. It’s a direct message, but instead of messaging just one personal profile, you chat with an entire group of people. Every member of the group can message the chat any time they want, and all members will see everyone’s messages. It’s a convenient way to have group discussions, make plans, catch up with a specific social circle, and more.

People who create these group chats can choose whoever they want to add to the chat. Note that you can add up to 250 people in a single group chat. You can even name your group chat to make it memorable and easy to identify among other groups.

Like all Instagram direct messages, group chats are private. These groups won’t come up in the app’s search feature. Only people invited to the group by the creator will be able to see and participate in the conversation.

3 Key Benefits of Group Chats on Instagram

Group chats on Instagram have plenty of benefits, not just for personal profiles but for professional creators. Here are three of the biggest advantages of the group feature on Instagram DMs.

Communication Between Friends Can Be Centralized

Obviously, the biggest benefit of group chats on Instagram is that you can centralize texts between friend groups. You don’t need to send direct messages to one friend at a time and relay the discussion to another friend. There’s only one clean, easy-to-follow thread of messages where everyone gets to chime in and speak.

This is awesome for group discussions, such as making plans where everyone is involved. It’s also terrific for sharing life updates with your friends. That way, you no longer have to tell the same story over and over again to friends in individual chats.

Another plus of having a centralized DM with your besties is that you get fewer notifications. Messaging multiple people at once can bombard your phone with plenty of notifications to sift through. By having just one chat with everyone, you get consolidated notifications for that one group DM. Bye-bye, notification overload!

A group of friends having a discussion while sharing a meal in a garden.

You Can Share Content With Multiple People at Once

Have you ever come across a funny Instagram Reel and wanted to share it with your best friends? Maybe it reminded you of the group’s inside jokes, or perhaps it was a viral Instagram challenge for friends. With group chats, you can easily share content with multiple people at once with the touch of a button.

Share fun, interesting content with your friends and talk or have a laugh about it together. Here’s how to share a post on a group message, step by step:

1. On the post you’d like to share with the group, click on the Share button. The icon should look like a paper airplane. You’ll see this on the bottom of a feed post and the right side of a Reel.

2. Choose the group you want to share it with among the suggested recipients. You can also search for your group name in the bar above.

3. Write a message to go with the content you’re sharing if you want. Then, hit Send.

Three friends with various reactions while watching an Instagram Reel together.

You Can Use Groups To Network With Other Creators in Your Niche

Group chats aren’t just for personal profiles who want to talk to their friends on Instagram. They’re also amazing for content creators who want to connect with other influencers within their niche. The chat can become an online hub for creators to discuss work, share trends, and support each other’s posts. Basically, it can be a safe space and support system for creators.

Being a part of these group chats can also help you network and find collaboration opportunities with other creators. And instead of it feeling like a business transaction, it would be like networking with genuine friends in the chat.

Here are some other benefits of creating group chats with other influencers in your community:

  • Everyone can share resources and ideas about content creation and the latest trends in your niche.
  • You can ask or offer advice about brand partnerships and the struggles of creating content on Instagram.
  • You can share your content there for everyone to see. You can ask them to support your post with likes or comments or even just share general feedback on it. This is a terrific technique for upping your posts’ engagement rates in a genuine, authentic way.

Two female fashion influencers filming a collaboration video.

How To Create Groups in Instagram

Do you want to make a group chat of your own to make mingling on Instagram easier for friends or fellow creators? It’s super easy to make your group chat. Here’s how to create groups in Instagram DMs, step by step:

1. Open the Instagram app.

2. Click the Messenger button on the top right-hand corner of the screen.

3. Click the New Message button above the search bar.

4. Select Create a group chat at the top of the screen.

5. Select all the people you want to include in your chat. You can search for their Instagram handles on the bar at the top.

6. After choosing all your members and ticking the circle beside their name, click Create Chat. This will lead you to your new group chat.

7. To change the name of your group chat, click Name this group and type in the name you want. You can name it anything you like and even add emojis for some extra pizzazz!

Because you made your group chat, you’re considered the admin of the group. You can add and delete people from the chat, as well as make them a fellow admin. You can also generate an invite link to send to people if you want them to join the chat.

How To Join Instagram Groups

Are you wondering how to join Instagram groups to be part of a social circle’s discussion? Well, there’s only really one way to join a group chat. A group admin needs to add you. Here’s how an admin can add you to an existing chat.

1. Open the group chat on Instagram Messenger.

2. Click on the group name at the top of the chat.

3. Click Add below the group name and photo.

4. Search for the Instagram user you want to add to the group. Click Next and confirm your decision to add them by hitting Add. You can also copy the invite link at the top of the screen and send it to potential new members.

When a new member joins a group chat, they will see all previous messages and content shared in that group.

Don’t want to be part of a group chat anymore? Luckily, leaving a group chat is just as easy as adding a new member to it. Here’s how you can do it, step by step:

1. Open the group chat and click on the group name on top.

2. Click Leave under the group name and photo.

3. Confirm your decision to leave the group in the message that pops up. If you are the only remaining admin of the group before leaving it, you must choose a new admin. And that’s it, you’re done!

How To Find Groups on Instagram

Are you excited about joining a group chat and mingling with people who share the same interests as you? If you are, you’re probably wondering how to find groups on Instagram. However, note that there’s currently no way to search for group chats on IG.

A group chat is a private direct message between specific people. It’s an intimate communication channel for personal conversations and discussions within social bubbles. So, there’s no way to search for these groups and join them yourself. This helps protect people’s privacy on Instagram’s messaging platform.

If you’re interested in joining group chats on Instagram, form genuine connections with creators within your niche first. Later on, ask them if they’re part of any groups or communities and would like to add you to them.

A man holding a magnifying glass in front of his face, enlarging his sunglasses and nose in the process.

Group Profiles: All About Instagram’s Discontinued Group Feature

Outside of group chats, there used to be another group feature Instagram was interested in rolling out. A couple of years ago, the social media platform tested a feature called “Group Profiles.” Although the company has discontinued rolling out this feature, it sparked great interest. Let’s dive into this feature and what could have been for online communities on IG.

Instagram designed Group Profiles to be very similar to Facebook Groups. People can create their groups according to their social circles or interests and then invite people to join them. Each Group Profile could have had 5,000 members and up to 20 admins.

Unlike group chats, people could search for Group Profiles on the Instagram Explore page. It was a terrific way to hunt down online communities you wanted to join. If you see a group that interests you, you can click “Join.” Then, you would wait for the admin to approve you as a member.

In these groups, people could upload exclusive content that only group members see. The posts will appear on your feed if you’re part of the group. But people who weren’t added to the Group Profile wouldn’t see these posts on their feeds. It was a cool way to create and share exclusive content solely for your social bubble.

Unfortunately, the app doesn’t seem interested in running this feature anymore. According to Instagram, group profiles will no longer be available moving forward. Anyone who has shared exclusive content on their group profiles can download their posts until April 2024. Fingers crossed, we will get a similar group feature on the platform in the near future!

Three fitness-loving women smiling while looking at their phones.

Expand Your Network of IG Contacts by Growing Your Page

Thank God for group chats on Instagram! Not only do they centralize communication among friends, but they also make content sharing and networking easier. It’s an integral part of Instagram’s messaging function that is definitely indispensable.

Being in a community—and texting them as a group—is part of what makes Instagram so fun. Whether you’re messaging real-life besties or fellow creators, making meaningful connections is the key to an enjoyable IG experience.

Do you want to expand your audience and network on Instagram and make more genuine connections on the platform? One way to do so is to work on growing your page. Path Social can lend a helping hand with that.

Our AI-driven algorithm helps you find your ideal target audience on the platform. Then, we promote your content to ensure it shows up on that audience’s feed. That means the content you work so hard on actually reaches the people you make it for. And since people are the most likely to be interested in your content, you’ll get tons of engagement on it!

Not only that, but it boosts your follower count as well, giving you a more expansive fanbase and solid community. Before you know it, you’ll be making Instagram groups with new friends, fans, and collaborators. Start growing your online community and make meaningful connections faster with Path Social!