Instagram Videos Get Explore Page Love
Don’t blink, but what once started as a photo platform could well transform into a video platform in the coming years. Following Instagram’s March algorithm announcement that had both brands and influencers alike nervous about slashed reach and nose-diving engagement numbers (Newsflash: engagement numbers were already in a -50% downward spiral before the algorithm change), the social media platform has made yet another change to user feeds, this one involving the way they find and experience video.
“Videos You Might Like” and “Featured Videos” are now part of users’ Explore feeds.
Videos You Might Like
This is a single video channel that will live permanently at the top of the Explore page, and aggregates videos from across the global Instagram community based on a user’s interests. To give an example of what this looks like, I recently clicked on my “Videos You Might Like” channel and was delighted to find a mix of kitten, NBA, cooking, and workout videos.
Featured Videos
This is an ever-changing group of channels that will appear throughout the Explore page and showcase videos focused on distinct topic areas. One of the earliest and most cited examples of “Featured Videos” was the Experience Coachella 2016 channel, which collected a mix of attendee video and behind-the-scenes footage to keep users connected to the festival.
An important note is that both “Videos You Might Like” and “Featured Videos” are built to adjust to user preferences over time, and show them more of what they like.
Eastwick’s Take on Instagram Featured Videos
While the addition of these two new video features will not significantly change the way Explore functions or how users operate it, there are two big takeaways.
1. Video Rules: First Instagram introduced video posting, then they lengthened clip times, now they’re making videos more discoverable. If this roadmap doesn’t tell you where the platform is headed, consider that in the last six months alone, Instagram has seen a 40% spike video consumption. This rise is not only indicative of its audience’s clear preference for video, it’s also perfectly in line with what we’re seeing across the digital space and what’s been projected for the future of all web activity. So lights, camera, action, roll ’em, baby.
2. Relevance Matters: It’s important to remember that no matter how hilarious, heart-warming or high quality your videos are — if they aren’t relevant, they don’t matter. Instagram’s algorithm is the first line of defense in keeping user feeds clear of junk content, but users are also making their interests known with a simple click of the “Fewer Posts Like This” button. And while you might be thinking to yourself “Who is actually going to take the time to unfollow my posts?” the truth is users are incentivized to tell Instagram when they find your content irrelevant, because the result is a more personalized algorithmic experience for them.
What does this mean for you?
For now these features are only available to Instagram v7.20 users in the United States, so there’s still time to test your audience’s taste for video content and see what works for your brand (B2B marketers — this post might be helpful in assessing content themes).
The bottom line is: if you haven’t already boarded the video train, it’s time to hop on — and with an audience first approach!
Interested in learning how your company can start using more video content to engage with audiences? Checkout Eastwick’s Digital Brand Lab, here.
