• IGTV tiles are often presented four times larger than image tiles on the explore tab, so this means your chances to grow via the explore tab are increased if you present a really good IGTV tile. (IGTV is the Instagram long-form video format.) Instagram acknowledged that the machine-learning built into the algorithm is aimed at weeding out engagement pods and bots, in favour of truly authentic engagement. The widely shared myth that a comment doesn’t get recognised as such by the algorithm unless it’s longer than three words was also debunked. Verified or business accounts are not favoured by the algorithm – users see all the accounts in which they show interest and interact, equally.
Instagram clarified some points about its algorithm after users called for a chronological order feature.
• A simple way of boosting engagement is by using stickers that encourage engagement with your stories, like polls, questions and emoji sliders.
It is really important to keep an eye on any movement on this front. Obviously, loads of blogs, thought leaders and even news sites carry updates on algorithm trends. Another safe bet is to keep an eye on the platforms themselves.
Senior Facebook, Instagram and Twitter staff members shared some best-practice guidelines for creating digital content that performs well at a workshop I attended in May 2019. This was at the start of my two-month stint working for the International Cricket Council (ICC) as a digital reporter on the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
One of the key messages to come out of that session – and subsequent visits to Facebook’s headquarters in London – was that video is a crucial component for driving engagement on both Facebook and Instagram. Regularly creating live videos longer than five minutes, preferably around the ten-minute mark – both for Facebook and Instagram – was a key part of the suggested best-practice strategies we used. Another thing I learnt from the experience was not to think of these live videos as tightly rehearsed, content-filled pieces like traditional TV (in performance or technical execution).
The aim is not to replace live TV, with professional lighting and high-end cameras. The point is to just be in the moment, to create a feeling of community with the viewers who join in, to break down as much of what creates distance between you and your followers as possible, and to create an authentic, immediate and interactive experience.
Nine weeks later, when the final of the 2019 Cricket World Cup played out to a thrilling super-over climax between the host nation England and New Zealand, we made our way from the media centre at Lord’s Cricket Ground down to the side of the pitch and went live on the ICC’s accounts. When I say we, I mean the digital reporters and the producers who worked with us.
We were not looking to replace or substitute what people were seeing on TV. We were not even showing the pitch – the camera was facing the stand, with us in the foreground. In fact, from where I was standing, I couldn’t even see the pitch properly because of the advertising boards and the fact that the fans behind us kept asking us to crouch down so they could see!
We were waiting there because we were on standby to run onto the pitch and interview the winners as soon as it all wrapped up, but we hosted the live video feed in the final few minutes of the match to create a second-screen experience for fans who were already watching it on television. The point was to help our highly engaged digital fans feel closer to the action, as if they were there with us. We didn’t provide them with expert commentary either, because an exceptionally talented bunch of commentators were already doing so on the TV broadcast.
What we were doing was simply opening up the experience of being pitch-side for five to ten minutes, so that more fans could hear the noise of the crowd and could identify with other fans (me, the people around me in the stands, my colleagues) because what unified us in that moment was the sheer exhilaration that only a great sporting event can deliver. We felt like we were all witnessing history and we loved being able to do it together.
Facebook, for example, has a wealth of information tailor-made for creators, available at facebook.com/creators. There you can find step-by-step instructions on how to link seamlessly and cross-post on your Instagram and Facebook accounts, for example. This way you do not need to create the same post twice – you can merely amend and tailor it slightly for the two different audiences and formats. Facebook provides step-by-step instructions on how to convert your personal profile into a fan page, with detailed information on monitoring how people view your content, so that you can learn more about what works and what doesn’t. Mark Zuckerberg’s own Facebook profile (which is public, by the way) is another great place to see which features the company would love to see you accessing and utilising.
The 2018 update to the Facebook algorithm was designed to focus content on an individual’s friends and family members, rather than prioritising spam from businesses.
At help.instagram.com you will find very useful and up-to-date outlines on how and why you should make the most of IGTV and convert your account status to content creator. It also outlines the interesting and important added features available to creator accounts: a two-tiered direct message inbox; the ability to monitor, as well as share, stories that mention you; and, of course, the all-important insights, also known as metrics or the numbers. This is where you can monitor
