Don’t worry. Your content doesn’t all of a sudden suck. Everyone’s reach on Instagram is down significantly, especially over the last couple of months. Likes, comments, saves, shares, new followers… all of it.
Look at this data from Instagram coach, Brock Johnson:
Last year, the average Reel reached almost 20,000 people while the average feed post (non-video) reached just over 2,500.
This year, the average Reel reached less than 5,000 people while the average feed post reached just under 2,500.
What Does This Mean?
It means you should give up, delete your account, and hit the phones!
Just kidding. It means a couple of things:
- Social media is cyclical: The last three years have been all about short-form video. Hook people in, entertain them as quickly as possible, and then end the video (preferably in 30 seconds or less). Now, there might be a shift in the other direction. You’ll notice that both Reels and TikTok extended their upload times to 10 minutes. Why did they do this if not to encourage their creators to make longer videos? Clearly, they are also seeing a trend that people might want to create and consume content that is more long-form. The good news is that longer videos build trust and convert at a much higher rate than short-form. That’s why YouTube is the social media king for real estate leads.
- Oversaturation and Overexposure: Maybe we’re just getting sick of it? I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve seen and posted everything. The daily dopamine that TikTok and Reels used to bring as we discovered new posting styles, audios, and editing is not satisfying my receptors anymore. I’m getting bored. I am losing the desire to like, comment, and share.
What IS Working on Instagram Right Now
Carousels. According again to Brock Johnson, slideshow/carousel posts are reaching up to 13% more people than they were in 2022.
Here’s what he said in his caption:
Views are DOWN 76% on REELS in 2023, compared to 2022!! 🤯
And even on PHOTOS posts, engagement is down by 17%!!
But for CAROUSELS, engagement is up by 15% and reach is up by 13%! 🥳👏👏
Carousels are a great way to reach new followers and increase your engagement! 👀
Here’s an EASY Carousel template: ⤵️
1. Find one of your best Reels from the past few months
2. Take the transcription (what you said) and break that into 10 (or less) bullet points.
3. Open up Canva and create a 10 (or less) text-post images
4. Add your text (what you said in the reel) to the different pages of the carousel!
Love this tip from him. Turn your Reels into Carousels and farm content from yourself. And if that doesn’t convince you, Gary Vee is also a fan.
The moral of this story is the moral of every social media story: keep evolving. Just because a type of content WAS working does not mean it will work today. I’m not saying to stop posting Reels, I’m saying to mix in a variety of posts, audit what’s getting engagement, and go in that direction. Also, this is just another reminder to build your email list, focus on other platforms, and expand your brand outside of this infuriating app that never stops disappointing.
May the force be with you.
And for the most up-to-date info on what’s working and what’s not on Instagram, sign up for BAMx, where you’ll have access to exclusive courses, bi-monthly webinars, and a private community.
