Hey Reader!
Yes, Instagram posted a video on their Creator account that caused a lot of controversy and confusion and NOISE.
The controversial news:
Instagram quickly deleted the video post, so I can’t directly link to it, but here’s exactly what was said in the video:
“Here are the things to avoid that can limit the reach of your content. First, don’t try to hack engagement, and here’s what we mean by that: If we believe your content explicitly asks for engagement through shares, comments, tags, or other actions, then we won’t recommend it. An example of this is asking people to comment with a specific word, number, or emoji. We do, however, encourage you to create content that inspires people to engage in real discussion, so open-ended questions and call to actions, they’re both fair game.”
If you saw any of my posts on Instagram in the last week, I did a "Comment 'CLUB' to join" in my caption. I was promoting my membership and wanted to easily send people a link to the page where they can get all the info about Chai Social Club and join.
My goal was not to reach new people. My goal was to talk to my current followers, who who are considering joining my membership (so my warm audience!). So I wasn't expecting likes...I was expecting a comment or a DM.
I actually do not use a ManyChat automation (YET). I actually personally replied to everyone who did comment CLUB or reached out in my DMs about joining.
If you do use ManyChat, and it has been working for you to send people links to your lead magnet/freebie, or make sales...KEEP DOING IT.
If you are trying to get a lot of comments for engagement and "hack" the algorithm....DON'T DO IT.
According to Instagram, this is a form of engagement-baiting trying to boost reach.
My Take: It looks like this only relates to recommendations in Explore and to non-followers, so if you are selling or trying to get leads to email to your current followers, you may not worry about it, but it is worth testing and keeping an eye on it.
Here are some other things you can do, instead to automate sending links and make the experience easy for your audience:
- Ask people to DM you the word instead of asking them to COMMENT the word
- Make sure you use STORIES and ask people to Reply a word to get the link
- Add "DM the word [JOIN] to get in" in your bio, and promote your main offer, whether it's a lead magnet, or a link to buy
We're not hacking the algorithm here, we're just merely using other placement and channels of opportunity, until Instagram can clear the confusion and we can see what happens.
The other news you should know:
Instagram says “You can post a video over 90 seconds on IG, just remember that any video over 90 seconds won’t be eligible to be recommended in Explore or Reels Tab.”
My Take: if you really want to post that longer reel then make it for your current followers, to go deeper into a topic and speak to them (not try to reach new people). And promote it in your stories with a link to it, in your email list so you can direct people to watch it versus counting on Instagram to push it out for you.
Here’s the breakdown from Social Media Today.
As part of your social strategy, don't forget that your goal may not always be to attract new people. It will be to serve your current audience!
Let me know if you have any questions about either of these updates or if it’s confusing (cuz I know it can be distracting for your business!)
talk soon,
Prathi