As Instagram mulls concealing ‘likes,’ marketers must rethink their approaches

Because the visible affirmation is a key indicator for communicators using the platform, the shift would require a dynamic change in content strategy. Here’s what to bear in mind. 

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Instagram has a billion active users per month, and a key change to the platform may be in the offing.

Platform users post photos or videos, share stories, produce live content, and interact with others by “liking” or commenting on posts. However, Instagram recently began testing the idea of removing public visibility of “likes” from photos and videos that show up on the main feed, profiles and permalink pages. 

That’s big news for marketers.

“Likes” are a primary way for businesses to measure engagement with their Instagram posts and, by extension, the likability of their business, their products/services and their competitors. 

If this trial run gets implemented across the platform, here’s what you should know.

Instagram will still be tracking the amount of “likes” a post receives. The ability to view how many “likes” a post gets will not be wiped out completely. It will be viewable only by the owner of the Instagram account and by whoever manages the Instagram page—the businessowner, its social media coordinator or a third-party agency handling the account.

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