The Instagram insight every social media manager should share with stakeholders

The Instagram algorithm 🤝 things I tell my two-year old 

Sharing is good. 

In a recent Q&A, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri shared some insights into the ever-changing, ever-mysterious algorithm, noting how many times a post is shared will drive more reach than likes, comments, and even watch time. 

“More important than watch time or like and comment counts is send rates, [and] generally, I think the rate is more important than the count. The number of sends per reach, the number of likes per reach, the number of comments per reach. But sends per reach correlate more, in my experience, with overall reach than anything else."

Maybe it’s because the weather is getting nicer outside and summer is right around the corner, but this feels like positive news for social managers. This isn’t one of those massive ‘post reels and nothing else’ types of statements, but rather it’s encouraging you to find what resonates with your audience and create more of that.   

The engagement plays aren’t going anywhere and stakeholders will probably still be too consumed by the numbers visible on posts. But there’s now a direct reason to shift the strategy and emphasize content that users want to share with their friends because it’s entertaining, educational, inspirational, or just plain worthy of an entry in the group chat. 

Because after all, the best posts don't always have 5K comments, but they do slide into the DMs.

ICYMI:

• Time flies when you watch TikToks all dang day. TikTok’s new floating player option gives desktop users the ability to continue watching videos even while moving to other tabs. 
• Whatcha hiding in there? You soon won’t be able to see what other users have liked on X, with the platform removing the feature because “many people feel discouraged” to like “edgy” content. 
• AMA about the new updates. Reddit is giving its interview series a major upgrade, announcing the ability to schedule and promote in advance, the addition of up to five guest collaborators who can also answer questions, the inclusion of a ‘remind me’ button that will send a notification to users 24 hours in advance, and more.
• Story time: Instagram is testing a new feature that will create a ‘Lately’ highlight pin. It will automatically pull your stories from the last 7 days and place them in the first spot in the highlight shelf.

LIKE//RETWEET//SHARE//ETC

Status: Burning over this unexpected CDC-Bridgerton crossover.

Even the national health agency of the United States is not immune to the number 1 show on Netflix right now, jumping at the opportunity to put its stamp on the current obsession. From the clever wordplay to the references to the perfect timing, let’s take a look at how the CDC took a calculated risk that paid off:

• A large part of the CDC’s mission is to inform and educate the public. While this post is trendy and tongue-in-cheek, it still checks the box of providing valuable information. But better than that, it did so in a much more shareable way. 
• This type of post is only successful if it feels authentic. There’s clearly a fan or two on the social team over at the CDC who binged the new season the day it came out. 
• Everything from the character references to the wording, and even the format of the post, screams this was created by people who finally were allowed to combine their two passions: seasonal allergies and Bridgerton. 
• Tired: A poster about allergies. Wired: Using this season’s love story – shoutout Penelope and Colin, more affectionately known as #Polin – to make your point about those pesky spring symptoms.
• I know I just made an entire intro post about how likes aren’t as valuable anymore BUT those are the numbers we have access to, so bear with me. A typical post on this account pulls in hundreds or maybe 1-2K likes. This particular one earned over 17K, confirming they should have the freedom to deviate from their typical infographic-style posts more often. 
• Lady Sniffledown. That is all.

Make it work for you: Tapping into the cultural zeitgeist + staying true to your company’s goal = a solid post, 10 times out of 10. 

Oh, the power of social listening. And Taylor Swift. 

Clever tweets deserve to be rewarded, and it’s even better when they can be rewarded with a high-quality pot that probably costs around $200. Let’s open the dutch oven and see why Le Creuset rules for this move:

• Le Creuset’s Twitter feed (and all other social accounts) are filled with beautiful, perfectly-staged shots and videos of their products. They aren’t going to jump on trends outright, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t in tune with what people are saying about them in the moment. 
• Because it was a stellar tweet, it started to get shared quickly to the tune of 1.1M views. Le Creuset was able to leverage this free publicity with a simple retweet and response to start.

• They upped the ante by sending lucky Mr. D’Addario a special gift. They didn’t publicize this, but rather took their chances and let Daniel share the news, making the gesture 100x more effective. 
• With 13K followers and an engaged audience, this user is a perfect brand advocate and they found an organic way to capitalize on the original viral tweet.
• This is how you build brand loyalty. Cue thousands of people tweeting their way into getting expensive new cookware for free. (If you’re reading this, I will take anything in the new Pêche color.) 

Make it work for you: Invest in social listening if you haven’t already. Find the time in your already busy day to scan brand mentions. Don’t get too bogged down in the day-to-day madness that you have blinders up regarding everything else. It is the most sincere way to understand how people really feel about your brand.

Post of the week:

Typo aside, the perfect sign does exist. 

(credit:x/boydhuppert)