Instagram Changes the Game
Instagram announces it will shift from a chronological feed to an algorithmically sorted one. This isn’t just a design change—it’s a strategic pivot that forces everyone who uses Instagram for business, marketing, or content visibility to rethink how they earn attention.
The reason, according to Instagram, is that users miss a significant portion of the content posted by people they follow. By prioritizing content based on user engagement and relevance, Instagram wants to deliver a better experience. But for brands and content creators, this marks the end of guaranteed visibility—even for those who post consistently.
What This Really Means for Brands
This shift signals what we’ve already seen on Facebook and Twitter: platforms are curating content for performance, not presence. Posting more doesn’t mean you’ll be seen. Instead, what gets shown is what performs.
To stay visible, brands need to be strategic. They must understand the intersection of relevance, timing, and storytelling. Every post becomes a chance to trigger a signal: shares, saves, likes, comments—each one a vote for continued visibility.
Strategic Insight: Plan for the Algorithm, Perform for the Audience
• What’s your story? You’re not just posting—you’re offering moments that deserve to be remembered and reshared.
• What do you solve? You provide content that entertains, informs, or inspires, solving the engagement challenge of a fast-moving feed.
• How do you do it? Through media-rich posts, community interaction, and consistency with value—not just volume.
• Why do they care? Because you’re not contributing to the noise—you’re helping them make sense of the stream, and giving them something they actually want to engage with.
Fictional Ideas
A fitness coach uses Instagram to promote personal training sessions. With the feed changes, their posts get less reach. Instead of fighting the algorithm with more posts, they redesign their strategy.
They create a content calendar focused on weekly value drops: short form video tips, before-and-after client journeys, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into their own fitness habits. Each post includes questions to prompt replies, and they follow up in the comments to reward engagement. Hashtags are localized to increase visibility in their city. They also launch a highlight series of client Q&As and pin testimonials to Stories.
The result: even with fewer posts, they get better engagement—and a steady rise in profile visits, DMs, and local inquiries.
References
Instagram Blog. (2016, March 15). ‘See the Moments You Care About First.’ https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/see-the-moments-you-care-about-first
TechCrunch. (2016, March 15). ‘Instagram is Changing Your Feed, Personalizing the Order of Photos and Videos.’ https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/15/instagram-algorithm/
The Verge. (2016, March 15). ‘Instagram is about to become more like Facebook.’ https://www.theverge.com/2016/3/15/11240456/instagram-algorithmic-feed-update-announced
Adweek. (2016). ‘What Instagram’s New Algorithm Means for Marketers.’ https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/what-instagrams-new-algorithm-means-marketers-170014/
Moz. (2016). ‘Social Media and Algorithm Updates in 2016.’ https://moz.com/blog/social-media-algorithm-updates
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