You'll want to know these updates from Instagram
The platform just announced new content metrics - and it will affect your creative strategy.
This morning, Instagram announced that “Views” will now be the primary metric across all formats. This includes reels, photos, carousels, stories and live. The updates will be rolled out over the next few weeks. Here’s my take on it (so far):
This adds consistency across the formats, which could be a good thing for internal reporting and comparing which type of formats are best for your content pillars or storytelling. The challenge will be if you want to prioritize another metric for insight (see below re: paid vs. organic and what we still don’t know)
TBD on how this will effect algorithm plays. For example, I’ll often recommend to clients a strategy that includes IG posts that drive comments to move content into people’s feed. My hunch is it won’t drastically effect these strategies to “break-through,” but it may make it more difficult to understand what is working in order to do so. It will require lots of testing as the features roll out in order to develop our own, brand-specific insights.
My bet is Instagram will start pushing more content to feeds of people who do not follow you. In other words, more frequent “Suggested Posts” as viewers, and a larger gap between posts that are seen (or not) as creators. This is part of the TikTok strategy and Instagram has a long history of following other channels’ strategies to keep customers on platform. (Remember the introduction of Stories after Snap declined IG’s offer?) This is one I’m personally very interested to see.
Paid will become even more essential for brands looking to drive more than views. If anyone is hoping to leverage IG for engagement or clicks to site, it’s (still) going to require funding. This will make it more difficult for those brands or creators without budget in explaining the value of organic as a brand-builder vs. a (direct) business builder. TBD on how Meta explains these policy updates overall on paid/organic.
Your first three seconds of video will become all the more critical. My hunch is video (Reels) will (still) be prioritized in the algorithm in order to compete with TikTok. Meaning, it’s all the more important to capture users in the first moment and get them watching past the point it counts as a “view”. I imagine that we’ll very quickly learn if carousels or single still photos perform stronger for brands/creators, with an understanding of which people spend their time with and what counts as a “view”.
I’m keeping an eye on this from both a personal and professional POV. (I know, I know, it’s nerdy to be fascinated by this. But worth a mention: Meta released their earnings July 30, so this also gives them a few weeks to work things out and get the data to include in the next report about users’ time on site.)
If you see anything - or have any hypotheses as well - please let me know! I’d love to hear them.