Instagram Experiments with Hidden Likes: Redefining Influence and Brand Engagement

Instagram begins testing a change that could redefine how success is measured on social media. In select countries, like counts are no longer visible to the public. Creators and brands can still view their own metrics privately, but followers only see content — not popularity. This subtle shift signals a major change in platform psychology, digital influence, and branding strategy.

Instagram says the goal is to “focus on photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get.” But under the surface, this test challenges how marketers, influencers, and brands operate in an algorithm-driven ecosystem. Visibility, authority, and engagement are still the endgame — but the signals used to achieve them are evolving.

B2B vs. B2C Impact

For B2C brands, hiding likes reshapes influencer marketing. Brands must go deeper than follower count and visible popularity. Micro-influencers and content creators with high engagement and niche trust become more valuable. Content quality, comments, and shares now matter more than the vanity metric of likes.

For B2B companies, the change accelerates a move toward authenticity and storytelling. Since B2B buyers typically value expertise over popularity, removing like counts can actually level the playing field. Educational content, thought leadership, and purposeful interactions become the new path to visibility.

Factics

What the data says:

• Instagram confirms tests begin in April 2019 in Canada and later expand to other countries (Instagram, 2019).
• 80% of Instagram users follow at least one business account, showing platform significance for brand interaction (Hootsuite, 2019).
• Studies show that public like counts create anxiety and competition among users, especially teens and creators (CNN, 2019).
• Brands and agencies begin shifting to “saves” and “shares” as more reliable engagement KPIs (Later, 2019).
• Influencer platforms see demand rise for engagement rate metrics and private performance reporting (Business Insider, 2019).

How we can apply it:

• Shift away from public validation: focus on content value, not vanity metrics.
• Track private metrics like reach, shares, saves, and story replies.
• Evaluate influencers by engagement-to-follower ratio, not like counts.
• Use tools like Creator Studio, Later, or Sprout Social to measure story and carousel performance.
• For brands, test campaigns that encourage direct messages, comments, or user-generated content.
• Use hidden likes as an opportunity to reframe what performance looks like in reports — value depth, not just volume.

Applied Example

Emma manages digital strategy for a skincare brand targeting Gen Z. Her influencer program heavily relies on visual performance — likes, tags, and reposts. Once Instagram hides likes in her market, Emma adjusts. She begins analyzing comments, story taps, and saves. She creates a brand challenge asking users to share “real skin” moments and incentivizes responses through giveaways.

As likes disappear, comment quality and story engagement improve. Emma reports that while visible likes are down, conversions from Instagram traffic actually increase. By focusing on what resonates — not what performs publicly — her campaigns become more relatable and trustworthy.

References

1. Instagram. (2019). Instagram’s hidden likes test. https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/hiding-likes
2. Hootsuite. (2019). Instagram statistics marketers need to know. https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics/
3. CNN. (2019). Instagram’s hidden likes and the social pressure it relieves. https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/30/tech/instagram-hide-likes/index.html
4. Later. (2019). What Instagram’s hidden likes mean for your brand. https://later.com/blog/instagram-hide-likes/
5. Business Insider. (2019). Influencer marketing pivots away from vanity metrics. https://www.businessinsider.com/influencer-marketing-engagement-analytics-2019-04
6. Social Media Today. (2019). Instagram’s test to hide like counts expands. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-tests-hiding-like-counts/553377/