Instagram users are viewing more photos, while views of Reels have decreased.
According to a new report, Instagram Reels views are declining while photo performance is improving. Adweek reports that views on Reels have declined as Instagram takes steps to address the issue
Four sources familiar with social media strategy reported to Adweek that the performance of Reels on brand social accounts has been declining, with some viewing figures up to 20% lower.
According to reports, Instagram's photo performance has improved in recent weeks.
Brands have had to adjust their social media strategy to prioritize posting photos over creating Reels on Instagram.
Ashni Mehta, an independent social strategist, expresses that the beginning of the year is when most brands have their strategies and budgets confirmed. Mehta reported that the minimum views for Reels across the five managed brands decreased from 1,000 to 100 over the past two weeks.
Mehta reports that the five brand accounts have 5,000 to 10,000 followers and notes that similar Reels performance has been observed in versions with up to 100,000 followers.
instagram aggressively deprioritizing reels overnight after making every brand completely pivot their social strategy will be my villain story 🥲
— Ashni Mehta (@ashnimehta_) February 13, 2023
'We Overfocused on Video'
In recent years, Instagram has focused more on video content, including the replicated TikTok feature Reels.
In June 2021, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, announced that the platform was transitioning from a photo-sharing app.
Since then, Instagram has made Reels its primary feature and changed the design of its app to contend with TikTok, sparking an adverse reaction from photographers and the general public.
Data analysis from last year showed that the engagement rate on traditional Instagram feed posts, like photos, had dropped by 44% since the introduction of Reels.
Photographers sought strategies to include their photos in the Meta-operated platform's algorithm again. Others consider using other platforms as an alternative to Instagram.
Last month, Mosseri acknowledged that Instagram had greatly emphasized video content and noted that the platform would be adjusting this disparity between Reels and photos. Mosseri stated that the excessive focus on video and emphasizing rankings in 2022 resulted in inadequate video and photo content distribution.
We have achieved a balance where liking photos and videos and commenting on photos and videos occur at similar frequencies, indicating that everything is in equilibrium.
