I have incredible news! Recently, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri finally made an announcement that we all like.
Usually, he pops up in the feed with his pretentious glasses and tells us all that we will burn in hell for eternity, and our Instagrams will all die if we’re not posting high-quality, original vertical Reels at an unsustainable clip.
This time, he did a Q&A with the audience. And he gave Instagram purist radicals some very positive news!
He said, and I quote, “I think we were over-focused on video in 2022 and pushed ranking too far—and basically showed too many videos and not enough photos.”
He continues: “We’ve since balanced.”
So, things like how often someone likes photos vs. videos and how often someone comments on photos vs. videos are roughly equal, which is a good sign that things are balanced.
To summarize, still image photos are back! Whether it was that Tweet from Kylie Jenner or just the constant groans from average Instagram users, Instagram is at least listening to the people.
TikTok already exists. We don’t need two TikToks.
What does this mean for agents?
It does not mean you should stop making videos. Because we all know to get your clients to know you, like you, trust you, video is the best way to connect with people.
It does mean that you can and should start sharing more photos without being scared that the algorithm will depress it.
Over the last couple of years, many agents got away from sharing listing photos and actual real estate pics, charts, or stats because they knew those posts would not perform well.
Also, the Reels and TikTok trend created a contagion of influencers/agents who seemed to be more focused on becoming mini-celebrities than on actually promoting their real estate business. These agents would go on listing appointments and brag about having 10,000 followers because they had a viral lip-sync video. But then, they don’t even post the listing on their Instagram because it wouldn’t do numbers—it wouldn’t get likes.
So, as the market continues to shift, I believe the more serious edutainment content will be the winning strategy for agents in 2023.
The best way to post photos
The best way to post photos is the carousel slideshow post. These are crushing engagement right now. I get more shares, likes, and comments on my carousel posts than I do on Reels because Reels are so oversaturated.
So, if I were you, I would work on implementing as many slideshows in your content strategy as possible.
Think of slideshows like a Reel:
- The first slide needs a hook; this can be either visual or text-based.
- The middle slide(s) provide the value.
- The final slide is your call to action. Ask the audience a question and let them engage in the comments.
Again, your main focus when posting on Instagram should always be “How do I keep them on this post as long as possible?” The same goes for your photos and slideshows.
So, there we have it. Photos are back on Instagram, for now. If you’re a radical Instagram purist like me, I’m willing to bet you’re pumped about this change. As someone who runs a meme account, I certainly am.
