Instagram shifted its priorities. Here’s what it means for your strategy

Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri made headlines earlier this summer when he stated that Instagram is “no longer a photo-sharing app.” The announcement was a shock for some and a no-brainer for others. Many of the tools within the app, like igTV Live, Reels, and Stories, are video centric and already moving away from a photo-first approach. But for some users, particularly photographers, the announcement really hit a nerve. 

Why? It all goes back to Instagram’s inception. When the platform “launched in 2010, Instagram courted the artistic community, inviting respected designers to be among its initial users and naming its very first filter X-Pro II, after an analog photo-developing technique,” according to Amelia Tait in The Guardian. She goes on to explain that the original vision from Instagram’s co-founder Kevin Systrom was that it would be “an outlet for artists.”

For a long time, it was. Photographers, visual artists, architects, designers, and other creatives, were standouts among average users who relied on the app’s filtering tools to edit their photos. The broader audience needed time to get the hang of it and in the meantime, those who came in with photography skills, like setting up gorgeous shots with perfect lighting, reaped the benefits of early organic reach, engagement and followers.

But then everyone started to catch up. Advancements with cameras in smartphones made it easier to take higher quality photos in real-time and business opportunities, outside of selling photographs and art, began to emerge for those with engaged followings. The business of influencers, those who could make money through sponsorships and shilling products, took shape.

The original vision faded. Content no longer existed to simply inspire others, but carried a load of marketing goals, like buy, subscribe, follow, engage, tune-in, watch, click-through, read more, etc. As a result, digital content creators, those who grew up with and not only produced for the platform, but inherently understood it as it’s own medium, fully emerged as a new creative set.

As American documentary photographer Alec Soth stated back in 2018, Instagram can be a creative tool – “a place for me to experiment with an audience” – but fears that “a lot of the time it’s not much more than a branding tool.” 

Which brings us to today and back to Mosseri’s announcement. While it’s understandable that those who helped establish Instagram as a creative outlet feel left behind as those with more digital savvy play the algorithm, it was on them to evolve all along. If there’s anything we can be certain about when it comes to digital and social platforms it’s that they’re going to change. Algorithms will always shift and in order to be successful, you’ve got to be nimble with innovation as a core part of your digital strategy.

Instagram’s “new” focus -- creators, video, shopping, and messaging -- also shouldn’t surprise anyone. It makes a lot of sense given the moves that other social media companies like TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube are making. All have creator funds. All are focused on activating creators on their platforms and all are building out in-app shopping. Instagram needs to be competitive or risk being left behind.

So what does this mean for you and your digital strategy?

We ALL need to think like digital creators. In order to break through on social platforms, and specifically Instagram, it’s not enough to simply produce content and hit publish. Making something is 50% of the work; distribution and optimizing for your target audience is the other 50%. Therefore, no matter your artistic medium, expertise or unique value-add, you’ve got to have a digital strategy. Produce for the audiences on your platform(s) of choice, and use analytics to consistently optimize. You need all that just to be competitive. 

Don’t be scared to learn new skills. You don’t have to be a master at everything, but with newer in-app tools, like Reels, Stories, and igTV Live, comes the opportunity to gain more reach -- if you’re willing to jump in. Reach is the measurement of how many accounts your content is served to. It’s the currency we are all vying for [also paying for] since it’s the precursor to growth. In order to onboard users to new features, social platforms tend to reward early adaptors - similar to creatives early on at Instagram - so the more comfortable you can get with trying something new quickly, the more you’ll set yourself up for success in terms of growth and engagement.

Evolve. Our advice to photographers and artists who are upset with Instagram is that we hear you, we get it, but you’ve got to keep it moving. To assume that the platform would remain a creative community and continue to elevate straight creative content is naive. Look to other platforms like Twitter and VSCO where photography is championed, think of your digital strategy as a well-rounded financial portfolio without putting all your eggs in one basket, and experiment. Stay true to the content, but allow yourself to play with tools that you know will put your content in front of more people [also… focus on your owned platforms]. 

More than anything, you can’t get comfortable. Just as Instagram influencers reached new levels of power and we thought they were invincible, suddenly TikTok emerged and changed the entire playing field with its superior algorithm and a new wave of GenZ influencers.

This is also a good reminder that you can’t rely on social platforms for your entire strategy. You’ve got to build out a full plan that prioritizes your owned platforms - ones that are free from algorithm changes like your website, blog, and newsletter - and use social as a way to drive back to them. It’s like renting versus owning, and it’s a way to fortify your brand and allow for evolution when the next social platform[s] emerge, which we guarantee, they will.