Platform Update: How Instagram is Re-Prioritizing Photos
Our cries have been heard! Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri, has released that more photos will be prioritized on the platform. This means our beloved reels, lives and IGTVs will be put on the backburner for some time.
On his weekly Q&A series, Mosseri stated, “I think we were overfocused on video in 2022 and pushed ranking too far, and basically showed too many videos and not enough photos. We’ve since balanced, so things like how often someone likes photos versus videos, and how often someone comments on photos versus videos, are roughly equal, which is a good sign that things are balanced.”
It’s worth noting that this change will also mean that businesses and influencers may need to adapt their strategies for reaching their audience, as the new algorithm will likely have a significant impact on the visibility of their posts.
But thank goodness for some sense of normalcy! It’s about time Instagram realized that photos are the bread and butter of the app, it’s what made it popular in the first place. What does this mean for digital marketers? Two things:
- Value
Focusing predominantly more high-value content is what will set you apart from the rest. Users only spend about 30 minutes on Instagram a day. This means we, as marketers, need to make sure we are sharing content that will add value to the users’ lives, while still keeping it enjoyable for the social media space.
- Quality
The focus should then be to creating engaging, high-quality and phenomenal looking content that will entice our target audience. A little bit more time effort will be required to create visually appealing and compelling content that will stand out in the crowded space. But it will be worth it.
The changes in Instagram’s algorithm have caused the platform to move away from its original focus and become more cluttered and less unique in its offerings. However, Mosseri is aware of this and is working to address these issues and bring the platform back to its roots. How this will work now is that if Instagram sees more engagement and more time spent photos, or carousels, your content will likely have a higher reach and greater engagement rate.
Overall, Instagram’s re-prioritization of photos on the platform is a significant change that will have a major impact on how users interact with the platform and the way brands and influencers reach their audiences.
The key is to create shareable, engaging and authentic content. Because if Instagram is doing it, so should we.
