Happy Monday!

We’ve got a lot of Instagram ground to cover this week, and I’m here to explain exactly how the new algorithm updates are going to impact your content strategy.

Also, I’m hiring two (remote-friendly!) PT contract roles on my team:

• Social & Marketing Coordinator

• Social Video Editor

I won’t be reading emails or DMs about these roles, so please keep correspondence to the application link, I promise I’ll see it! 🤗 

And now, for a sh!t ton of social news:

Instagram News

• Meta expanded their Meta Verified program to include three new pricing tiers…and the ability to add links to Reels. 🤯 But if you want to link a product to your reel, the cheapest plan is $44.99/month for 2 links/month (and it’s only available to businesses, not creators)

• Instagram is expanding the Creator Marketplace to new markets and integrating AI to match brands with creators

• As if we needed more vanity metrics in our life, view counts on Threads are now a thing

• You can say goodbye to a cluttered Reels feed, Instagram is testing clear mode for Reels 😶‍🌫️

• IG is testing the ability to automatically cross-post photos to Threads, and it’s giving me PTSD flashbacks from when people would share their Instagram posts to Twitter and it looked, well, terrible.

TikTok News

• The TikTok and UMG drama is over! We can scroll to our fav tunes again (with a little AI protection)🤳🏼

• Looks like TikTok is copying one of Reels’ best features: collab posts

• Lawyers are rallying content creators for a class action lawsuit in an effort to save TikTok 🗂️

• TikTok becomes the first social platform to automatically label AI-generated content

Instagram is Making the Algorithm Great Again

Big changes are coming to Instagram’s algorithm, and this time IG is being super transparent about how, exactly, it works.

There’s no set date for when they will come into effect, all we know is that it will be “in the coming months.”

Update #1: Instagram is giving ‘small’ creators a better chance to reach more people.

What you need to know: the Reels algorithm is becoming more like TikTok’s algorithm.

• Every reel will now automatically be shown to people who don’t follow you, but might be interested in the topic of your video

• If your reel performs well with these people, it will be shown to a slightly wider audience, and if it continues to perform well it will be shown to wider groups of people

• Your reels will still be shown to your followers (if you choose to share to feed). Nothing is changing about that!! Instagram is just adding an additional way for you to increase your reach. Yay!

What it means for you: if you want to take advantage of this change, your content strategy should have a balanced mix of content that is for your existing followers and content that is designed for people who aren’t following you.

• A good example of content that is designed for reach is this reel. It should be high-level content that isn’t designed to sell, but rather to maximize views, reach as many people as possible, and provide value or entertainment that entices someone to follow you.

• Trending audios may play a bigger role in having your video seen. You know how as soon as you save a reel, you start to see a lot more reels that also use that audio? 👀 

• You might get some shitty comments now that your content is being shown to more people. Yes, trolls feed the algorithm, but it shouldn’t come at a cost to your mental health. Turn those comment filters on!! 

• Before this change, how your followers engaged with your content dictated how many views your reel would get. This made it hard to get views on content that was outside of your niche!

• If you want to branch out with your content, try experimenting with posting directly to Reels without posting it to your followers (once the change takes effect). You might have more luck with Instagram choosing the audience who would like your content!

• You realllllllly need to stop posting TikToks with the watermark to Instagram, because those will not be recommended.

If you need some help with creating your content strategy, join the waitlist for my new content strategy workshop coming soon.

Update #2: Instagram is targeting serial reposters and will no longer ‘recommend’ their posts.

What you need to know: content aggregators are in for a rude awakening as reposts will no longer be shown in the explore page, reels tab, or as a suggestion in the main feed.

• Reposts will be replaced with the original content in recommendations (aka IG won’t be pushing reposts to a wider audience in the algorithm)

• This doesn’t affect how an aggregator’s content is shown to their followers, it only affects whether Instagram recommends it to non-followers (which in turn impacts growing your following).

• When Instagram identifies a repost, a repost label will be added to the content that links back to the original creator and is shown in-feed to their followers.

• Creators will be notified if their content has been reposted or replaced as a recommendation

What it means for you: if you want to repost content, you need to “create or enhance (it) in a material way.” Meme accounts like Saint Hoax are safe 🙏 because they pair content with text or gif reactions, whereas meme accounts like this are not safe.

• If your content strategy heavily relies on reposting content, you need a new strategy. It’s no longer enough to be a curator, you need to be creating original content. There’s a ton of UGC creators you can hire to create videos for your brand (like Jasmine)!

• You can still repost content — but do it sparingly. Instagram defines an aggregator by “accounts that repost content more than 10 times in 30 days.” If your account is flagged, you can become eligible for recommendations again once it’s been 30 days since your last unoriginal post.

• Instead of reposting customer content, use Instagram’s remix features! If someone posts an epic reel using your product and tags you, remix it with a reaction video.

• Use collab posts for your influencer partnerships. Unfortunately you can only request to add a collaborator before the post is published, so baking that into your briefs gives you an option to share the content on your feed without it being a repost.

• It’s unclear if posts from other platforms (like tweets) will be classified as reposts or not, so this might impact your meme strategy.

• If you’re not posting your TikToks to Instagram, you might want to reconsider. You don’t want another account downloading your content, uploading it as their own, and getting credit for being the original creator just because they posted it and you didn’t.

Your take:

Here’s what you had to say over on Threads

My take:

Not all aggregators are evil, so I do sympathize with the good ones out there. I used to manage an Instagram account with 2 million followers, and when we reposted small businesses they would gain thousands of followers and tons of sales from one post.

But I’ve also been on the receiving end of some pretty vicious reposts and had my content reposted countless times without my consent, so I understand how this change is for the greater good.

I know it can be frustrating for brands to have your content strategy dictated by platforms that you have no control over. I probably have to rethink the strategy for @reelstips, I’m not sure if posting our template tutorials or tweet memes constitutes as a “meaningful” enough change.

But that’s something I was already working on, and I’m equipped with the knowledge to create a better strategy and the skills to create original content — a lot of small businesses aren’t.

This algorithm update is a big change that signifies the end of the content curation era. Instagram is making it pretty clear: if you want to grow on Instagram, you need to become a creator.

There’s no more shortcuts: creating content either takes a lot of your time, or it costs money. Yes, you can be more efficient by planning your content and batch filming, but despite what a lot of “Instagram educators” say, you actually can’t create a month of good content in 1 hour.

Which is good news for social media marketers: your job is important! Brands big and small need to have a content strategy that’s focused on creating original content to attract their ideal customer, and that’s where you come in.

Coincidentally, next month I’m launching a Content Strategy Crash Course (yes, this time I am actually launching). If you need some guidance on how to create a content strategy and execute it without burning out, sign up for the waitlist here to get early access 🎉 

Resources:

• Mosseri’s reel 

• Instagram’s blog post

• Instagram’s guidelines for recommendations

In partnership with Markable.AI

Why I Switched IG DM Bots

One of the apps I recently cut was Manychat, which I used to send links in DM if someone commented “XYZ” on a feed post. But you have to pay per contact (aka every person that DMs you) so I switched to Markable instead because you only pay for the clicks you get.

It’s 1 cent/click, so 500 clicks = $5, and just like that I saved myself $30/month. 🙏

I love that you can include a photo in your auto-DM too, so it looks less spammy, builds trust, and I’m seeing better conversions too which I love (over 60% CTR)!

Markable has a ton of other affiliate marketing features too, like creating deep links and AI collages for stories. Check out this reel I posted to learn more, and use my code “taylor.loren” if you decide to sign up!

P.S. if you get over 7500 clicks/month, it’s a better deal to upgrade to their Influencer plan. My code “taylor.loren” gets you 50% off! 

Trendspotting: Aesthetic Memes ❤️‍🔥

Currently crushing on @ssense’s fashionable spin on a viral TikTok sound that’s just chef’s kiss 🤌

Ssense isn’t new to posting memes, but they do something really smart to maintain the it-girl fashion vibe of their feed: they post the text above the 1:1 frame that shows on the grid.

So if you want to capitalize on the engagement and virality of memes without compromising your aesthetic, steal Ssense’s strategy ⤵️

🎶 Trending Audios 🎶

I’m looking for a man…

TikTok creator Megan Boni aka @girl_on_couch asked the Internet to make her lyrics about finding “a man in finance, 6’5”, blue eyes” into a bop, and they DELIVERED.

Be like Ssense and jump on this trend to make it fit your niche, snark on the patriarchy, or post one of the trending remixes as a fit check.

Brand content inspo: @justsalad, @chicagobears, @spongebob, @bored_angels

Creator content inspo: @gatadesofa, @leeymanali, @lily0e

What Scares You More?

…failing, or never trying?👀 This audio is for those of you who followed your dreams and didn’t let fear get in the way!

Content Inspo: @danieldelcourth @altavista.pt @savinapaul

I Wish You Love by Nancy Wilson

For the love of jazz! 🎶 This smooth audio will make any of your videos feel comforting & cozy, perfect for vlogs.

Content Inspo: @luciavidauerreta @oliviadipede @camilaciasu

Pain by Boy Harsher

A song that feels like night time drive through the city: moody, intense, and made for the creatives to play with.

Content Inspo: @erenjam @turkwise @explores.berlin

What’s Your Vision for This Room?

Showcase your favourite corner of your home or articulate your vision for something extraordinary in your life!

Content Inspo: @vernandaestatehomes @thesoulfulsprout @mariesbazaar

Living the Dream or Just Dreaming?

Show off your dream life and its essence💭 with inspo from these epic storytelling examples: @call_me_show_ @bzhvng @krisjonnes

Loved this newsletter or learned something valuable? Buy me a coffee to fuel the next issue! 🫶☕️