Meta reveals brand new Instagram statistics!
In a previous blog, we discussed why Instagram should be an integral part of your marketing strategy. It offers viral potential, and the opportunity to interact with customers and post visually appealing content. It’s no secret that the Instagram algorithm is famous for its complexity, but the exact stats were unknown to the public. This changes today!
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, just gave insights into their statistics on video content, and even described how the algorithm picks content! Brace yourself, because the information is even better than we could ever hope for.
Meta reports reels as being the fastest-growing feature on their platforms. With 50% of all time spent across their apps on video formats, it is safe to say video content is taking over.
Reels currently take 20% of all time on Instagram and this number is still climbing. Since reels are growing in popularity, Meta plans to push them even further, giving creators even more opportunities.
But the stats are probably not what you’re here for. Yes, it’s time for algorithm talk!
Meta provides a few factors detrimental to how much your video gets pushed. These factors include: originality, viewing behavior, viewing attributes, loyalty, and engagement.
Meta describes originality as: “videos reflecting the unique voice and value of the Page that creates them.” Meta characterizes original videos as: “videos that you wrote, shot, edited, and published yourself or with the support of a production partner.”
Interestingly, Meta specifically mentions reposting or repurposing clips may hurt your originality signal. It is important to be aware of this fact when you are creating reaction videos or compilations. Original content may get a great push, but reaction videos or compilations may not.
While originality is certainly an interesting factor to take into account, the next few factors are where it gets fascinating. Meta mentions they prefer longer videos with higher engagement. They also describe how clickbait and static videos get punished by the algorithm. This is an interesting one because algorithms penalizing click-bait content is not something we've seen before.
Next up: Loyalty. Meta describes loyalty as a super important factor in the algorithm. People visiting your page is a positive signal for distribution. Facebook describes clear titles and bonus content as positives for the loyalty factor.
Finally, Meta describes engagement. Engagement is the golden rule standard for every algorithm out there. Watch time, likes, reactions, shares, everything is related to engagement. While Meta does not specifically say which factor has the most priority, we have a strong sense that engagement is the most important. In order to boost engagement, keep the video interesting, and hook people from the beginning (but not with engagement bait Meta specifically notes).
Further proving their resentment of bait tactics, Meta even says that accounts that rely on baiting mechanisms may eventually lose revenue.
Insights into algorithms like this are really something special and not many companies share these kinds of details. Having some suspicions confirmed is interesting, but finding new, interesting details about the algorithm is even more intriguing.
Study these algorithms and you will find your reach increasing significantly. Make sure you stay updated because every day new insights come to light about how to push your content as effectively as possible!