How Word of Mouth Works on Instagram

Word of mouth in the era of Gen Z.

Think about the last time you got a great recommendation, whether for a restaurant, a new piece of clothing, or even a brand of pet food. If you’re part of the growing group of Gen Zers, it’s very likely that you got that recommendation on Instagram.

We’ve known since time immemorial that honest word-of-mouth reviews are the best and most effective strategy for persuading new visitors to become buyers. Instagram takes that and amplifies the signal onto the next level.

Word of mouth in the era of Gen Z is as powerful a force to influence buying behavior as it was ten years ago. The factor of social media, and particularly the media photo-sharing giant Instagram, has been not to diminish word-of-mouth advertising, but to raise it to a new level.

The world of Gen Z, or the latest generation of consumers, is simultaneously much, much wider than that of its predecessors and much, much smaller. Gen Zers constantly consume content from all around the world, building strong relationships with brands and personalities they’ve never met before, getting reviews of products, merchandise and experiences that they value and trust. And it goes both ways.

Ten years ago, you could tell your small circle of immediate friends and…