The Algorithm Lie Everyone’s Talking About
If you spent any time on Instagram last week you probably saw a post showing you the ‘new’ Instagram algorithm that values saves in the highest place, followed by sends, comments and then likes in the lowest position. Posts like this spread like wildfire. Suddenly everyone was creating their own post, sharing it to stories, asking followers to engage in this new way. Fellow social media coaches, bloggers, influencers shared their take on the change. And the whole thing took on a life of its own.
The trouble is… there is NO PROOF that this is truly the new Instagram algorithm. NONE!
Maybe it’s the journalist in me but whenever I see these types of posts, my first reaction is to fact-check it.
Is this something that Instagram has stated? Has someone in the organization said this? Has it been shared on one of the valid Instagram accounts? Was there a recent valid news article that offered and explained this information with sources cited?
The answer to all of those questions is NO!
Here’s what we do know:
PS All of this comes directly from Instagram - not other people’s take on what IG is doing.
Instagram measures post ‘Interactions’ (aka engagement) by adding likes + comments + shares + saves. Having a variety of these on each post is good for your engagement and therefore good for your account. For example: my carousel posts with tips get a lower number of likes than my selfies, but a significantly higher number of saves and shares - making them some of my posts with the highest interaction.
Instagram wants you to focus on content creation AND community building. A highlight from Ig’s @creators account states, “the most successful Creators on Instagram build community and optimize for engagement. We have a number of tools to help you do this, including utilizing carousels, asking your followers to turn on notifications, creating conversations via comments, and so on… As always make sure that you are creating content that is keeping your followers and community engaged and constantly coming back for more!’
Instagram wants you to use all the various features provided. We’re talking permanent feed posts, Reels, Guides, IGTV, Lives, Stories, etc… Again, from the @creators account it states, “It is also super important to use all the different surfaces for creation that Instagram offers- not just Feed but Stories, IGTV, Reels, and Live. We recommend you post a mix of content types and lean more into video.”
Instagram is pushing video! As mentioned in the quote above, Instagram suggest we all ‘lean more into video.’ This doesn’t mean you need to replicate what others are doing. Figure out how you can make video content work for you.
Instagram values consistency - in posting and engagement. As I’ve mentioned a dozen times before, pick a plan that works for you and your business and then stick to that plan consistently! Better to dedicate 2 hours every week, than 30 minutes one week and 6 hours another week.
Looking for more insights straight from the source? Check out these accounts owned and operated by Instagram: @creators, @instagram, @instagramforbusiness, @shop, and @design.
