Instagram has come out with a few updates to the platform back-to-back. Adam Mosseri, the platform’s chief, went on record to debunk one of the most repeated engagement tactics in the marketer playbook. Instagram also expanded a tool that gives you a clearer look at how its algorithm actually thinks. And a small but useful feature just rolled out that affects how brands manage conversations in the comments.
As marketers, we have to stay updated on every small change in the social media landscape, so let’s get into it.
Overview
- Adam Mosseri confirmed that reposting feed posts to Stories does not boost reach.
- Instagram’s expanded algorithm tool reveals exactly how its recommendation engine works giving insights into what your content strategy should be built around
- Comment editing is now live, with a 15-minute window and no version history
Stop Reposting Feed Posts to Stories in Hopes of More Engagement
If you’ve been reposting feed content to Stories to boost reach, Mosseri just confirmed that it will not work.
In his weekly Instagram Stories Q&A, Mosseri explained that feed posts already get more reach than Stories. Feeb posts show up in Explore, they’re permanent, and they’re visible beyond your existing followers. So, reposting to Stories doesn’t change any of that. Continue posting on stories for follower engagement, but beyond that, reposting as stories will not get you any more traction.
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This update has a direct implication for how a lot of brands are briefing creators right now.
Asking influencers to repost their sponsored feed content to Stories has become a default deliverable for a lot of campaigns. It feels like it extends the campaign’s shelf life, and based on what Mosseri confirmed, it doesn’t, at least not in any meaningful sense.
The better approach is to create a content brief optimised for the format it’s meant to live in.
If you want Stories performance, ask for Stories-first content. So content that is unpolished, in-the-moment, built for how people actually use Stories.
If reach is the goal, focus on in-feed content instead.
But don’t split the brief and expect both to perform.
Use Instagram’s “Your Algorithm” Tool to Build Your Content Roadmap
Instagram also expanded its “Your Algorithm” feature this week. It now works across both Reels and Explore in one place. Users can add or remove topics of interest, and those changes apply across both reels and the explore page at the same time.
We all know most of the people on Instagram won’t use it. But that’s not why this matters for marketers.
This update is an insight into how Instagram’s recommendation engine actually works.
This tool is just a simplified, user-facing version of what Instagram’s algorithm considers interesting for users.
So if your content doesn’t clearly belong to a topic or interest category that real people follow and engage with, the algorithm has nowhere to put it.
So pick your lane. Be consistent about it. Make it easy for the algorithm to know exactly who your content is for.
Comment Editing is Live Now
This update is useful for anyone managing brand accounts or influencer campaigns.
Instagram has rolled out comment editing for all users. After posting a comment, you have a 15-minute window to edit it as many times as you want. Once edited, the comment is marked as edited ( no version history is shown).
For community managers, this is a genuine quality-of-life improvement. You can fix a typo or update a response without deleting and reposting.
For influencer campaign managers, the no-version-history detail is more important; if a creator or commenter edits something that matters, you won’t be able to see what it originally said. So screenshot anything important before it gets changed.
Conclusion:
Taken together, these three updates point in the same direction.
Instagram is being more open than it has ever been about how the platform works.
The marketers who will get the most out of Instagram in the next 12 months aren’t the ones finding clever hacks. They’re the ones listening closely to what the platform is openly telling them and building their strategy around it.
If you’re not sure where to start, this is exactly the kind of shift we help brands navigate. As a performance marketing agency, we’ve been building Instagram influencer campaigns that convert for years. If you want to build Instagram influencer or UGC campaigns that are actually optimised for how the algorithm works today, reach out. We’d love to help.