New headline, same algorithm 🫠

Katie Wight | April 10, 2023

This past Saturday, Instagram's CEO took to Stories to answer questions like: Do I need to post Reels to improve my reach? Why were Creator Bonuses, a program that paid content creators for their Reels, paused? How do I improve my profile's reach?

His answers:

⚫   No, Reels are not necessarily the best way for your account to boost Reach. You need to observe what your audience is interested in.
⚫   Creator Bonuses were paused because the program — designed to make Instagram more money — is losing them money.
⚫   The best way to improve your reach is to experiment with different types of content that you enjoy creating to see what your audience likes. Not gonna lie, might be the best advice he's ever given.
Remember that time I told you these headlines claiming Reels were the golden ticket were just about Meta shaping user behavior in a way that would drive more shareholder value?

After two years of telling small business owners that they were failing if they didn't post Reels while paying billions of dollars to content creators as a strategy to take out TikTok, the project has not turned a positive ROI, so now, you can enjoy having an actual content strategy!

Look, notice that he didn't say that anything has changed with the algorithm. It's the same algorithm slapped with a new headline — albeit a lack thereof — until Meta's next product campaign comes along and they take to the mass media streets.

Here's my advice:

⚫   Remember, Meta's always doing whatever makes the most money for Meta.
⚫   For the past couple of years straight through to today, we've seen all kinds of different content formats performing well for our clients. Permission to play your own game always, regardless of what the headlines say.
⚫   If you want to skip "experimenting" and learn more about how to create a content strategy that drives algorithm-proof growth with a system that's been proven thousands of times across dozens of industries, purchase our F* The Algorithm! Workshop! If you've already taken this, I'd love to hear how it helped you, if you have time to reply.