As of April 2022 reposted or shared content will no longer be rewarded by the algorithm, as Instagram is changing how it works. Creating a marketing plan along with new and original ideas can feel tough. Reposting and sharing other relevant content is a universally used way to fill the social calendar; however, excessive use of this is no longer the best way forward!
Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, tweeted about the changes. They have added new features like product tags and a better ranking for originality on posts.
The theory behind this change is creators who are making original content should get more credit than if you’re just re-posting another user’s content. Coming up with fresh ideas, and posting to your grid will see the algorithm favour your posts meaning that you will more likely appear in searches compared to an account only reposting.
So this begs the question, what defines original?
Although that can be a difficult thing to keep track of, some questions about how it will work with original content from other platforms have been answered on Twitter to give us an idea of what to expect.
Mosseri responded saying “the idea is if you made it, it’s original. It’s okay if you edited it outside and bring it in via the gallery”. This means that if you have other social accounts, you should edit the content to fit Instagram and post this via your account as something new.
He also said that identifying originality can be challenging, even with the algorithm, so they will continue to look at it and make changes where needed.
Why have these changes been made?
The main suspected reason that this has come to fruition is to cut down on accounts whose content is focused around reposting other creators’ stuff. Under the new changes, people using accounts like this will likely see a decline in how many users their content reaches. Part of the algorithm will also check the history of the account, so original content peppered with shared posts from other relevant accounts should not have a catastrophic effect on your Instagram.
So what else is changing in 2022?
Some other changes that are being made this year include the video Remix feature. As an answer to Tiktok’s ‘Duet’ feature, you will be able to take a video from another user and add your own video alongside it.
Stricter rules for unethical marketing will also come into place. Instagram has introduced a take a break feature to remind users to have a break after a certain period of time. Something Instagram is hoping young people will take advantage of, there is also more parental control too. This is to encourage companies to think about who they are marketing toward and to remind them the people supporting their businesses are human and sometimes impressionable.
If you are struggling to keep up with your Instagram marketing or need someone else to take the reins to get in touch.
Katie Gillingham
Katie is a Freelance Copywriter living in rural Dorset with her daft old Labrador. She first started writing content for the property industry back in 2015, and loves nothing more than bringing brand voices to life!
