Four Reasons Why Instagram Hiding Likes is Good for Brands & Influencers
In this guest post, Sling & Stones’ Callan Green discusses the benefits of Instagram’s public removal of likes.
There has been no shortage of conversation about how Instagram’s removal of likes might negatively impact a brand or influencers’ ability to do business on the platform.
Concerns have been raised that hiding likes may impact discoverability for smaller brands and influencers who depend on photos with high-like counts to catch people’s eyes as they scroll locations or hashtags.
Some hypothesise that the shift will require brands to redistribute efforts away from influencers and pay more to use Instagram ads where they have more transparency into metrics.
While there may be some truth in these concerns, the shift by the platform brings far more good than bad for brands and influencers.
Here are four reasons why we should be celebrating this move from Instagram.
It allows marketers to measure what matters
The change presents major benefits from a measurement perspective. The hiding of likes helps us to refocus our campaign measurement away from vanity metrics that can be bought or manipulated and towards business results.
Brand managers and influencers have faced a constant challenge educating stakeholders on what metrics they should be tracking. With “likes” and “followers” metrics being easily available to anyone with a phone, these metrics have unintentionally overshadowed the more important numbers, like sales lift and traffic to site. When these vanity metrics are hidden, it gives those who work in the space the opportunity to tell more meaningful stories about the results of their influencer and campaign strategies.
It helps Aussies feel less pressure and anxiety
While only a small step, it’s encouraging to see Instagram make a change aimed at decreasing anxiety and pressure on social media. The more we evolve social media platforms, the longer they will be around to help us tell our stories and run our businesses.
As an avid Instagram user both at work and in my own time, I can attest that the shift has actually led to a change in my own behaviour and mindset. Now that finding the number of likes on a photo requires extra clicks, it takes more effort to check, making me hyper-aware of how often I’m looking at this number. As awareness of my dependence on a vanity metric increases, the desire to check said metric, quickly decreases.
But more importantly, I’ve already noticed an impact on the weight I now give to likes. Over the past few weeks, when I’ve had a photo that didn’t get as many likes as I thought it “should” or “normally would” it felt much easier to shrug-off, given the fact that even Instagram is decreasing the emphasis on this metric.
It’s easy to see how, over time, these little shifts in perceptions could lead to a significant decrease in stress and anxiety with using the platform. This is especially for brand managers or influencers who are on Instagram for large portions of their days at work.
In the long-run it could actually help, not hinder, the discovery of smaller brands and influencers
While the loss of likes in the short term may impact discoverability, in the long term, this shift may actually be a benefit to smaller brands and influencers. Currently there is a subconscious (or sometimes conscious) bias towards liking content that already has a lot of likes, as likes are interpreted as a validation that the content is “good.” But if this new test becomes permanent, and the emphasis on likes decreases, users will no longer have this cue to determine if a piece of content is “good” or not. Instead they will be free to discover brands and influencers based purely on what they think of the photo or video itself. This actually could serve to level the playing field for smaller brands
and influencers, who may have beautiful and highly valued content but who aren’t growing as fast because they don’t have the obvious scale.
It opens up the door for new types of creative and content best practices
Throughout my career I have had hundreds of conversations with creators about the difference between what they want to post and what does well in the algorithm. It’s a balance that every brand manager and influencer has had to contend with on an almost daily basis. But by hiding the like count on content, it decreases our dependence on posting content we know will get “liked”. When no one knows if a post got 100 likes or 10,000, we’re less inclined to hold back – even if we’ve “posted one too many times that week” or if “black and white underperforms”.
While the shift doesn’t mean a total disregard for engagement metrics or the algorithm, it gives brands and influencers the freedom to test new content styles without the stigma of having a post “publicly bomb”. Who knows, we may even find new content types with even higher engagement rates than our flatlays, sunsets and selfies.
In the end, the hiding of likes on Instagram posts doesn’t actually take anything away. All the metrics that were available before are available now. What the shift does is remind the world that “likes” are not the end-all, be-all measurement of worth and that we should re-evaluate our dependence on them as validation. I, for one, am optimistic that this move could actually usher in the next era of social media content and help push brands and influencers into new creative territories.
Latest News
Choose A Path Less Trodden This Cannes In Cairns
Don’t be basic. Think creatively and you shall reap the benefits of Cannes in Cairns. “We want brands!” “We want the CMOs!” We heard you and we acted. The content slate at this year’s Cannes in Cairns, presented by Pinterest, is packed to the rafters with some epic brands and top marketing talent. But that’s […]
Cannes In Cairns MC Keeva Stratton Shares Her Top Session Picks
Self-professed nerd and one of four top Cannes in Cairns, presented by Pinterest MCs, Keeva Stratton has a front-row seat to some fascinating minds and fierce debates. But who should you put on your must-see, must-hear list? Here, B&T grabs five with the Quip agency founder, who will be helming the lecture in the Rainforest […]
Here Are The Agencies That Made AFR’s Best Places To Work List And What The Industry Can Learn From Them
Did your office not make the list? Make sure your boss shouts at least two schooners at office drinks come Friday.
Get Ready, B&T’s Best Of The Best Is Back With The Top Holding Company Executive Leaders – Creative!
Want to know who the Grandest of the Grand Poobahs in the industry are? Look no further than this exhaustive list.
How A Glittering Campaign Helped The Australian Museum Sell 400,000 Tickets
B&T thoroughly enjoyed the Ramses exhibition at The Australian Museum, despite thinking we were going to the Archibald.
TV Ratings (30/04/2024): A “Shoey” Straight From A Fish’s Mouth Launches The Cheap Seats Into 2024
Last night's TV saw horny farmers beat Lego nerds, who beat fame-obsessed home cooks, who beat a chap with a large fish.
Spotlight Extends Partnership With Starlight Children’s Foundation
B&T always happy to promote the excellent work of the Starlight Foundation. Less so the Starfish Fanciers Foundation.
Amazon’s Advertising Quarterly Revenue Soars To $11.8bn
There are so many Amazon couriers visiting B&T headquarters at the moment our office dog doesn't know who to maul first.
VML Wellington Welcomes Jacob McGregor As Pou Ārahi Māori
McGregor set to lead cultural competency and safety at VML Wellington in important new gig.
“They Grow Up So Fast”: Simon Fowler On Five Years Of ABEL
Abel's CEO talks lessons learned from the agency's first five years. Including staff nicking all the Nespresso capsules.
Kyle & Jackie O Urge Melbourne To Pick A Side
Who can stop Kyle & Jackie O's indelible march into Melbourne radio? Is Peter 'Moony' Moon waiting by the phone?
Future & Taika Waititi Feature In Striking New Global Belvedere Campaign
Not only does drinking vodka make you cool like these dudes, it also has great weight loss properties for the bone idle.
The Fall Of Bonza: A Case Study In How To, And Not To, React In A Crisis
Does the collapse of yet another budget airline hark back to a gentler time of 17 hours spent on a Greyhound bus?
Opinion: Agencies, Be Unique – Stop Using The Word “Unique!”
Trinity P3's Ellie Angell says agencies are overusing the word unique. You could add omnichannel & holisitic to that.
Ex Marketing & Advertising Exec Releases Melanoma Memoir
Ex-adlander Anne Gately has penned a tome to skin cancer. Which is a handy reminder to check your moles, people.
Mamamia Appoint Danni Wright As New Head Of Strategy
Danni Wright takes up Mamamia's strategy reins with a feng shui expert called over positioning of office chaise lounge.
From The Bureau: Championing Competency & Cross-Industry Collaboration
The IAB's Jonas Jaanimagi calls for more specialisation in adtech. Meaning you'll understand it less than you already do.
Rumble Nabs Renee Park From Cutting Edge
Rumble has recruited Renee Park as one of its new sound designers. And it's only right to make some noise about it.
iD Collective Teams Up With City Of Parramatta To Amp Up NRL Fan Experience
Adland's often lampooned for never going further west than Surry Hills. So this Parramatta news is welcome indeed.
Slew Of New Hires At The Company We Keep
The Company We Keep announces new hires. Here's hoping it doesn't impact the RBA's interest rate decision.
UnDigital Announces Brand Refresh Helping Clients Achieve More Than 600% Sales Increase
Warning - this headline comes with some obscene bragging. Much like the B&T editor's 5/8 in the weekend footy tipping.
Microsoft Advertising: “We Make The Complicated Simple”
Microsoft ads wants to make the complicated simple. The total opposite to Korean restaurant menus & the recent Yes vote.
TV Ratings 29/4/24: Farmer Wants A Wife And Lego Masters Lock Horns In Overnight’s Battle
Who won the battle of the big guns - Lego or Farmer Wants A Wife? One thing's for sure, it wasn't Great Train Journeys.
Nielsen Data Reveals Brands Spending Big To Attract Aussie Tourists
Nielsen Ad Intel data has revealed that the travel and tourism industry spent more than $153 million on advertising in Australia in Q1, 2024 – an increase of 8 per cent from the previous quarter, with TripADeal the biggest spender, followed by Virgin Australia, then the Flight Centre-owned Ignite Travel. As many Australians return from […]
IAS Awarded New Responsible AI Certification From Trustarc
Integral Ad Science tossing up over the mahogany or teak frame after being awarded TRUSTe Responsible AI Certification.
AWARD Calls For Hall Of Fame Nominations
B&T's noms for AWARD Hall of Famer includes Louis The Fly, Chums' talking Scottie dog & Mumbrella's coke dealer.
Havas Red Wins PagerDuty PR Account
Havas Red wins PagerDuty's PR. And judging by B&T having to Google PagerDuty, it could probably do with some help.
ACA Poised To Release Results Of 2023 Create Space Census
The Advertising Council unveils date for its census results. Hey, why not coincide it with an office lamington drive?
Why Fear Is Essential To Fernando Machado’s Creativity
If there's anyone B&T loves to chat to, it's fabled marketer Fernando Machado. Although the 5am time difference sucks.
Superdry Drafts AFL’s Patrick Lipinski For New Campaign
B&T fast regretting that poncho we just bought, as it appears the puffer jacket returns as winter's hottest trend.
Elon Musk vs eSafety: Legal Experts Warn That ‘Rogue Operators’ Like X Are Unlikely To Win Federal Court Battle
If this legal stoush boils down to who can afford the better lawyers, B&T's backing Mr Musk every single time.
Amy Poehler Presents First Look At Inside Out 2 At Vivid Sydney 2024
Vivid isn't about freezing your arse off while looking at lights on a wall, as you'll learn with this Amy Poehler news.
Mutinex Launches DataOS Improving Data Warehousing & Quality For MMM Marketers
Work in marketing? Does your data warehousing resemble a teenager's bedroom? Here's a Marie Kondo-approved read.
IMAA Celebrates Three Years Of Group Trade Credit Insurance Deal
Are you a struggling indie? Thinking of firebombing the building for the insurance money? IMAA has you covered here.
Adam Sandler Seemingly ‘Slams’ Ukraine In Pro-Kremlin Campaign
Host of A-list celebs caught slamming Ukraine's president. Thankfully it does have the Milli Vanillis about it.
New Marketing & Comms Agency For Defence & Aerospace Industry Takes Flight
As painful as this is to say, judging by current world events, the bomb & tank industries must be in rude health.