Instagram Update: How the Instagram Algorithm has Changed

Have you noticed your reach tank this week? You’re not the only one. As a social media agency in Melbourne, we’ve noticed across the board that there has been a difference in reach. In particular, we’ve seen both our own, and clients’ content struggling to reach people who are not yet followers.

If you look at the screenshot below, you will see the stats of two posts, posted about a week apart. You can see that the reach is slightly lower in the second post. But what really stands out is the percentage of non-followers seeing the post.

As a social media agency, this is concerning! We don’t like seeing algorithm changes affect our clients’ results.

What algorithm changes are affecting reach on Instagram?

Last week, during a Q&A, Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri announced an algorithm update to re-prioritise photos. This is to combat the over-prioritisation of Reels. Many accounts have seen their reach fall, including fewer non followers seeing their content. This has occurred as the algorithm is trying to re-balance the breakdown between static posts and Reels.

What should you do about it?

As a social media agency that focuses on strategy, we try not to let these algorithm changes worry us too much. Things tend to settle down eventually. Plus, when you have a proper social media strategy, you don’t need to worry about the whims of the algorithm because you know you are posting great content that aligns with your brand and appeals to your target audience.

Here’s what we suggest to combat these algorithm changes on Instagram…

• Experiment with different content types including high value carousels and beautiful photography. See if your reach is better on these.

• Go back to basics and focus on your current community to keep them engaged.

• Spend time actively engaging with new relevant accounts to attract new followers to your content.

Ultimately, brands shouldn’t concern themselves too much with vanity metrics. And Reach can sometimes be considered a vanity metric. Who cares how many people you reach if they’re not the right people and they don’t care about your content?

We always encourage our clients to create content with a specific audience in mind and focus on adding value for those people. You don’t need to appeal to everyone. You need to appeal to the ones who might actually buy your product or service!

It comes down to having a strong strategy that will help you reach your business objectives. If you have a strong strategy and you can see it is delivering real results, these algorithm tweaks won’t affect you too much (even if it’s a bit annoying having your content reach fewer people overnight!)

Looking for a social media agency in Melbourne?

We might be just what you’re looking for! We deliver smart strategies that take what you have available and use it to reach your business objectives. We help you implement new processes to deliver social media content in a way that fits your business. Worry less about algorithm updates and what everyone else is going and get back to focusing on what you do best, satisfying your customers with great content that they love to see.

If you’d like to find out more about our social media services in Melbourne and Australia-wide, get in touch today.

Natalie x