Instagram photos have a 23% higher average interaction rate than photos posted on Facebook. More than 25 million business accounts are already taking advantage of this. The proactive promotion that comes from the Instagram platform extremely increases the ability of companies and brands to grow. However, a new trend is making the industry stop. Despite Instagram Reels, Stories and the IGTV, photo posts received the most likes on average.
What conclusion can be drawn from this development and what other, important information you need to know as a company in the future, we briefly show in the following article.
Photo vs. video posts: Current developments show new trend
Photo posts received an average of 28% more likes than permanent video posts, such as those represented by Instagram Reel on the platform. In contrast to previous years, when video formats were still considered the pioneers, the interaction rates show a clear trend towards photo motifs .
Two conclusions stand out in this regard: despite the success rate of video posts to date, fewer videos are being posted and interacted with. Instagram Stories clearly have the advantage here, as they represent a more personal reference than was previously the case. Instagram users are increasingly using the platform to get inspiration on a wide range of topics, and thus there is a greater interest in permanent photo posts at the same time.
Abolition of the like numbers
The growth of corporate profiles on Instagram didn’t go unnoticed for long, with numerous direct competitors quickly sharing the platform. The goal has always been to maximize likes, and as a result, influencer marketing has received increasing attention.
This was followed in April 2019 by the announcement that public likes would be eliminated and the focus would return to shared photos and videos. There are three Like categories, which can be divided into Likes on photos, on videos and on posts in carousel format.
However, it remains to be seen how Likes will develop in the future. Nevertheless, the companies or brands should already implement a content strategy that can flexibly respond to possible limitations with regard to the measurability of Likes. If Likes are removed in the future, other interactions, such as comments, will again become more important.
Image descriptions & hashtags for more interaction
Securing likes and comments with the right image descriptions is not so easy in reality. The image descriptions often put the content of the article into the right context. However, one principle should always be taken into account when creating: The caption should attract attention. Because the longer someone interacts with the post, the better the Instagram algorithm affects the interaction numbers.
Detailed captions are therefore well suited to tell a story to the target group and thereby bring you closer to the brand. However, it should be noted that the hashtags, as well as the image descriptions, are included in the character limit.
Originally, the hashtags were introduced to assign the contributions or posts to certain topic categories and to make them findable for the different target groups. For some time now, so-called “branded hashtags” have also become established in the content strategies of many companies or brands. User-generated content posted under these hashtags can be reused by companies free of charge. They also strengthen brand awareness among users.
Therefore, it is recommended to avoid the generic Instagram hashtags and instead develop brand or campaign related hashtags. In terms of interaction rate, posts with five or six hashtags are the most promising.
Accordingly, one of the most important findings is that sufficient time should be taken for the posts. Attention should be paid to both the wording of captions and the number and quality of hashtags. Particularly positive feedback is observed for image descriptions with 500 to 1,000 or 1,000 to 2,000 characters.
Author: Sylvia Muschalski
