Move over, Algorithm! Instagram’s new feed will include a chronological order and more
Last year, the head of Instagram Adam Mosseri announced to congress -under a bit of pressure- that Instagram would bring back a version of the reversal chronological feed. So you could see Instagram posts in the order they were posted, from newer to oder, as you scroll in the app.
Mosseri said this feature was being tested and would roll out in the earlier part of 2022. He also announced a new favorites feature was being tested, where you can create a segment of the accounts you follow on Instagram with your faves, so you don’t miss anything they post.
This week, Mosseri kicked his 2022 videos with more details on how this should pay out - at least in this test phase:
Here’s what the new Instagram feed will look like, as we now have 3 ways to scroll instead of just using the default algorithmic feed:
You will have 3 feed options on a drop down menu on the left of your screen
Home - your default and algorithm-based feed, which he says in the future should have more recommendations (as in accounts you don’t always follow - hello TikTok FYP 👋)
Favorites - which is a list you make of the accounts you don’t want to miss
Following - this is the chronological feed you guys have been asking for
Unlike most people, I am generally excited about Instagram changes (I know, “Manu, party of 1”!), because they usually address what users have asked for, or open new ways to engage.
So here are my predictions for these changes in the Instagram feed:
1) people will waste more time mindlessly scrolling, because they will start scrolling and switch between all these three feeds instead of just the default algorithm feed we have today.
2) the hottest call to action on IG this year will become “add us to Favorites”. Brands and influencers alike will try to be your BFF, just to be added to your VIP list of accounts whose Instagram feed posts, Stories, Lives and Reels you don’t want to miss. No shame there. 😎
3) with more recommendations popping up in the Home feed, there’s more chance for discoverability, but potentially less engagement from people who follow you, since these recommendations will be taking space in the scroll and people will miss even more content in the Home feed.
4) if people use the new Following feed more often, the chronological one because they want to see the latest posts, we will see potentially more engagement from random people who follow us and less from our biggest fans. This could be good to re-engage followers, but could also affect clicks and sales, because we may not always reach the people most likely to shop from us.
I know a lot of people wanted the chronological feed back. But in my opinion, what they wanted back was a less competitive Instagram, like we had before the algororithm. But that was 2016 when Instagram “only” had 500M users. We can’t get that back.
But as I always say, it’s nothing to mourn about, because back then, even though it was easy to grow, we didn’t have as many opportunities to generate revenue and monetize Instagram. Today, even with lower engagement and less followers, it’s a lot easier to make sales, run successful Instagram campaigns and grow your business using the platform.
When it comes to the chronological feed, it’s one of those cases of “be careful what you wish for”. The algorithm was implemented to grow engagement and according to Instagram findings after they implemented is, it worked.
In sum, I absolutely do not think these are bad changes, though. It’s always good for us to have more control of what our user experience looks like in these social media apps and platforms, but we have to wait and see and adapt our social media marketing strategy accordingly to the changes that happen.
My biggest takeaway from all this, is that content will continue to be king, more so than ever. We need content that your audience don’t want to live without, so your account is a must-follow to our audience. Otherwise we may get lost in the chronological pot.
The trick is to evolve with the platform, but got run over by their new features and changes!
Should be a fun challenge, but more importantly, nothing anyone should lose sleep over!
For more tips and strategies to help you use Instagram to grow your business, follow us on… you guessed it, instagram @yoursocialteam
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Manu Muraro is the founder of Your Social Team, an Instagram training membership and content shop to help social media managers and Instagram savvy women entrepreneurs to beat the algorithm and grow their organic engagement (yes, even in 2021).
This year she also launched Your Template Club, a Canva Template subscription to provide social media managers and Instagram savvy business owners with content templates designed for engagement in their inbox.
Born and raised in Brazil, Manu moved to the U.S. in 2000 right out of college to work for Cartoon Network, where she made an award winning career in creative and strategy. In 2017, Manu started Your Social Team with the mission of helping women entrepreneurs and social media managers grow engagement and sales through Instagram without the overwhelm.