Video or images? What's going on with Instagram?

After the past few years on Instagram, you may be left wondering if you should be posting videos or images, especially if you’re an entrepreneur who wants to boost their visibility and engagement online.

So what’s the answer in 2023? What’s going on with Instagram and what SHOULD you post? 

Instagram changes over the past year

In late December of 2021, the Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, shared a video detailing some of the things users could expect on the platform in 2022, and one of the major changes and topics of discussion was video. Adam announced that they’d be consolidating all Instagram videos into the Reels format, that they’d be doubling down on supporting and focusing on Reels, and that they’d continue to build on Reels (i.e. increasing the amount of features).

The focus on Reels was undoubtedly Instagram’s answer to TikTok, which is a short-form video sharing platform, and it’s growing popularity. Although TikTok became popular with their short form videos (there’s over 1 billion users), the prioritisation of short form video content on Instagram has been met with some mixed reactions - perhaps more bad than good. Even celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian chimed in about the changes to the platform and the platform’s shift away from images. In 2022, they both shared a post to Instagram Stories, asking for Instagram to “Stop trying to be TikTok,” and to “Make Instagram Instagram again,” by going back to its roots as a photo sharing app. 

Fast forward to 2023

Earlier this year, Adam Mosseri admitted that Instagram put too much focus on video, saying, “I think we were overfocused on video in 2022 and pushed ranking too far and basically showed too many videos and not enough photos.” A month later, Adweek reported that Reels views had begun falling as Instagram tried to correct their prioritisation of Reels and Instagram worked to improve engagement on photos. At SongBird, social media is a major part of what we do, and we also noticed that Reels analytics began to fall in 2023 - so it’s not a surprise that other users have been experiencing the same thing. Adam Mosseri, also shared that Instagram had begun to see a balance between the performance of video and images.

How does this affect your strategy?

So what does that mean for entrepreneurs planning their social media strategies? What should you post moving forward this year?

Currently, it seems as though creating a mix of content is the way to go! For example, diversifying your content may help you reach new users through Reels and raise your engagement through images and Stories.

So for 2023, we suggest creating a mix of video and image based content - share Stories (both images and video), Reels, single static posts, and carousel posts!

Ultimately, it’s also important to note that although Instagram may be shifting towards a balance of video and images right now, there’s no telling what tomorrow will look like. Especially with factors such as more and more discussion around the banning of TikTok and what that change may mean for other social media apps. So we’ll have to learn and  adapt as time goes by and as the platform changes.

If you want to stay up-to-date on social media changes, trends, and more, follow us on Instagram, where we’ll share important changes and news, helpful tips and guides, and more!

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