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Archive 2024 · Getting less and less views on Instagram

  
 
RustyBug
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p.2 #1 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


Mitch Alland wrote:
IG did not help me in selling my photo book which came out in November 2019, going straight into Covid. Come to think of it, there is only one useful thing that I have gotten out of Instagram: that is to be able to see, all together, all the photos that I marked as having liked. I never marked that I liked a photo of some people who sent me messages, "I'll like your pictures, if you like mine." No, I only "liked" photos that I really liked.

The interesting thing is, if I now look at the images
...Show more

It comes as little surprise, that IG wasn't a strong sales / marketing tool. I think one has to understand the audience for which IG is going to be in front of ... which may / may not be your target market.

Good to hear that it has provided an analytical role for you, in your own assessment(s).





Edited on Jan 16, 2024 at 11:33 PM · View previous versions



Jan 16, 2024 at 11:31 PM
rscheffler
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p.2 #2 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


Seems like you're always at the mercy of the app changing how things are done, forcing you to constantly play catch up. Sounds tiring/exhausting if trying to ride the wave for any stretch of time.

I can appreciate they're trying to stay relevant in changing times with a specific demographic range that tends to be fickle and will quickly move to the next best thing... sucks for the (apparently insignificant) others who would prefer some sort of consistency and continuity. Seems like the only platform where you'll have that control is your own site. But who will bother to visit it if most are sucked into the various social media platforms?



Jan 16, 2024 at 11:32 PM
highdesertmesa
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p.2 #3 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


Mitch Alland wrote:
It's not the "likes" that I'm interested in chasing, but I see that in the last few years views of photographs that people post have gone down drastically. When I post images now, I get 2-4 likes, compared to 20-40 about a year ago. I saw the following statement on RFF: "So basically, Meta increased overall engagement times with the app at the expense of individual engagement with the photographers you like. It must be true - the pictures I posted 2-3 years ago have more likes that posting them now with the same hastags. It just feels that

Also, rather than looking at tiny images on my iPhone, I'm looking at Instagram using a Mac app called "Grids"; but this app has become abandonware. I'm thinking of throwing in the towel on instagram, as it's not worthwhile posting images that only a handful of people look at. Has anyone else come to the same conclusion?
...Show more

Hashtags for me stopped making much of any difference for all types of engagement for all types of posts. I stopped using them.

I only post photos maybe one or two per month. They engage very, very slowly. And the longer I wait to post the next photo, the more engagement my current most recent photo will rack up. Reels hit like photos used to. Can't really blame IG for this change, though. Would any of us watch TV if it were just a slow slide show? Photo-based image sharing was bound to die in an age where video can be shared and viewed with the same ease.

One thing's for sure on IG, there are so many fake/bot accounts that it's impossible to determine real views and likes from fake. You can drive up human engagement by relentlessly spamming those you follow and who follow you back with over-hyped positive comments on their images because there is this IG culture of reciprocal comments. But that kind of comment culture is gross to me. Anyway, assuming fake engagement is similar for photos and reels, maybe these two stats view images below can help illustrate how photos and reels are offered up to audiences by IG. This disparity between photos and reels has been consistent for me over time.

End result of the shift from photos to reels is I rarely post on IG any longer. It's essentially a dead platform being held together by zombie accounts that repost TikTok content and Millennials sharing their daily life in their IG Stories. The latter becomes difficult to watch by the time you follow over a few hundred people, even more difficult at over 1,000. Every single day you will see someone's heartbreaking story about a family member, friend or pet that has died. Occasionally you'll see someone contemplating suicide. Longterm exposure to that kind of brutal truth is rough.






Photo post







Reel post




Jan 16, 2024 at 11:34 PM
RustyBug
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p.2 #4 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


rscheffler wrote:
Seems like you're always at the mercy of the app changing how things are done, forcing you to constantly play catch up. Sounds tiring/exhausting if trying to ride the wave for any stretch of time.

I can appreciate they're trying to stay relevant in changing times with a specific demographic range that tends to be fickle and will quickly move to the next best thing... sucks for the (apparently insignificant) others who would prefer some sort of consistency and continuity. Seems like the only platform where you'll have that control is your own site. But who will bother to visit
...Show more


1% of 1% of 1% of a (potential) bunch = something more than nothing. Now, what is the driver of that bunch, or those 1% ... that'll be they key.

Imo, IG will only be intended as a gateway to lead to a dedicated site ... picking up some crumbs. Ultimately, you have to drive folks to your own. I don't see IG as being the end ... rather, just one of another entry ways > to the end.

In my mind, it is like having a store, with more than one door. IG might just be the side street entrance, or the back alley entrance ... but, I wouldn't expect it to be the main entrance under the marquis.

And, as to the point of playing "catch up" ... yeah, that's a time suck proposition of return value. Imo, it is just to be considered an alternative entry point. I mean, the effort put into the marquis entrance will be X, the effort into the back door entrance will be Y or Z. But, it'll still be an alternate entrance for some who may travel that venue. But, are you going to put your "best doorman" at the back alley, entrance? Likely not. But, you might still unlock it for those that come that way on their own ... with a sign that says, "Entrance, this way > ."



Jan 16, 2024 at 11:41 PM
RoamingScott
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p.2 #5 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


IG was fun when I could get companies to send me free stuff for giveaways thanks to “influencer” status. There is no way they got their money back on that, as even with 10s of thousands of followers I couldn’t move a dime of my own product. The moment the algo shifted to reels, I was out and even deleted my main account.

I even mostly stopped posting on my friends and family account because the ads are so unbearable.

I think anyone dumb enough to give all their data to China/TikTok deserves whatever social score comes their way.



Jan 16, 2024 at 11:58 PM
1bwana1
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p.2 #6 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


Glad I never participated in any of these apps. I have never even seen one on a computer screen.

My Wife however does pay people to manage such things for her businesses. So she sees value in them



Jan 17, 2024 at 12:32 AM
johnvanr
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p.2 #7 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


1bwana1 wrote:
Glad I never participated in any of these apps. I have never even seen one on a computer screen.

My Wife however does pay people to manage such things for her businesses. So she sees value in them


The latter applies to me too: when I consulted, I have advised on or run social media campaigns for my clients. All depends on the target audience and the client’s agenda.



Jan 17, 2024 at 01:26 AM
Mitch Alland
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p.2 #8 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


RoamingScott wrote:
...I even mostly stopped posting on my friends and family account because the ads are so unbearable...


That's why I look at IG using the Grids app on the Mac, which doesn't show the ads; but, as I said, it's become abandonware.



Jan 17, 2024 at 01:39 AM
sirimiri
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p.2 #9 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


Maybe it's already been cross posted, but this thread well it begs for posting elsewhere, too.

As I read only a short time ago, and this is not meant as judgement for anything or anyone, but:

"Be wary if your business is based on someone else's business."



Jan 17, 2024 at 02:53 AM
RustyBug
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p.2 #10 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


There are a lot of ways to think about it, but (imo) none of them will be the "Front Door".

Sometimes folks put up a kiosk in the mall with images (i.e. Senior Portraits or Wedding Pics) ... it is a passive marketing for the masses that pass that way. Would anyone think that their business would "take off", based on that passive marketing alone ... likely not.

Also, the use of the kiosk at the mall ... well, where the mall was once "the place" that folks go shopping, that has shifted online. So, if you're going to build some form of passive marketing, it the masses are going online (not new news, I know).

But, I think the salient point that some folks understand ... and some may not ... is the difference in application of active, targeted, campaign marketing using a social media conduit to build / collect prospective leads, or redirect along the route of the prospect > client.

That is a very different thing from a passive, algorithm based, "autopilot" , hands off, I don't like to do marketing, so I'll post on IG, and it'll do it for me, kind of expectation thing.

My main point here, is that if someone wants to harness part of that latter ... the "new math" of IG includes REELS. Which, I kind of correlate to putting up a flashing neon sign in the back alley. There may be a lot of folks passing by on the main street, but if you want them to notice your alternate entrance ... you'll have to first give 'em a reason to glance that way.

Of course, one neon sign in the sea of neon (IG REELS) won't be the holy grail of marketing. But, without some neon REELS in the game of IG, yup, it'll yield even less, and less. Having your neon at the bottom of the neon pile is one thing. But, without at least some neon, your stills only, will be even farther beneath the neon (REELS) pile. The question is if you want to jump into the foray of REELS, or do you want your stills to be buried under the mountain of REELS.

Yeah, new algorithm ... REELS oriented.

As with most any marketing, passive mass marketing will yield different results than active, targeted marketing. Of course, they each take a different level of effort to drive. So, like many things ... you're not going to get a lot out of something you don't put much into.

IG wants you to put REELS into it, if you want them to move your posts in front of folks / drive traffic your way (real, passive, targeted, bots, empty volume, meaningful or ) ... your call, if / what / how much you want to put into it ... actively targeted or passive or none.

Imo, IG for most folks will not be what they are looking for ... i.e. post my pics and folks come flocking to see.
No matter, the basic point is that the reason for the drop ... is IG changed their algorithm priority to REELS, etc.

YMMV









Jan 17, 2024 at 07:32 AM
retrofocus
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p.2 #11 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


One thing I fully dislike with the IG reels is that they disappear after a day or so. If I want to share photos on IG, I have then to double up and post them separately on the photo stream. Pretty much double the work: putting them all (or some of them) into the IG reel and then posting them again in the photo stream. Reels are okay for short-lived attention. Definitely doesn't fit my personal style how I want to use IG. But doesn't matter much to me since I am not trying to gather followers on IG. The IG algorithms make it already very cumbersome for amateurs who are not providing business to get visibility on this platform. The maximum "likes" I can get now on a photo is about 50 from 100-150 several years back.

IG went quickly downhill for photographers (not doing video) after fb purchased and tried to commercialize it.



Jan 17, 2024 at 09:47 AM
RoamingScott
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p.2 #12 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


retrofocus wrote:
One thing I fully dislike with the IG reels is that they disappear after a day or so. If I want to share photos on IG, I have then to double up and post them separately on the photo stream. Pretty much double the work: putting them all (or some of them) into the IG reel and then posting them again in the photo stream. Reels are okay for short-lived attention. Definitely doesn't fit my personal style how I want to use IG. But doesn't matter much to me since I am not trying to gather followers on IG. The
...Show more

Stories disappear, reels don't. Reels live in a separate tab of your personal feed unless you also pin them to your main feed page too.



Jan 17, 2024 at 10:02 AM
retrofocus
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p.2 #13 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


RoamingScott wrote:
Stories disappear, reels don't. Reels live in a separate tab of your personal feed unless you also pin them to your main feed page too.


Wasn't aware of this - thanks for clarifying. Still wouldn't go for reels.



Jan 17, 2024 at 10:05 AM
RoamingScott
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p.2 #14 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


highdesertmesa wrote:
I only post photos maybe one or two per month.


Your profile is a perfect example of what I saw 3 years ago and why I bailed.

Your pinned post from 2021 garnered over 2000 likes...33% engagement wasn't unheard of back then.

Now you're getting 1/10th of that per post, a 3% engagement rate, which...sadly, is still better than most. <1% isn't shocking for still photo content now.



Jan 17, 2024 at 10:06 AM
fededuran
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p.2 #15 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


Regarding social networks like IG it's as simple as this: we are the product. Photography is less and less relevant on these channels and Meta and other players do not care. They want you to pay if you feel you "deserve" a broader audience or bigger impact. Having a Youtube channel helps to get more followers and notoriety, but that's almost a full time job and some of us will never ever try that path.

I agree it would be very nice to have some new digital community where photographers of all kind can share their work and projects, but at the end of the day any of these platforms will think on monetization. If that business strategy means to change the algorithm, promote reels or copy TikTok as much as possible, or if on the other hand it means to ask users/photographers to pay under a subscription model, that's a different story. I'd happily pay a reasonable fee in exchange for a truly photography-based social network.



Jan 17, 2024 at 10:09 AM
Mitch Alland
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p.2 #16 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


As an experiment, I've just posted on my IG an 89-second reel of an exhibition project that contains 28 images and is titled, EXPOSED. My IG name is @mitchalland; this reel is currently the first item after two pinned items. There is music, so the speaker has to be turned on.

I've included an abbreviated concept statement that I doubt people will read, though one of the images has an old election poster in French from Zaire (currently Democratic Republic of the Congo) for the fake 1977 Mobutu election, in effect calling for dictatorship (image no. 7).

Image no. 13 has Thai text that says, MOTORBIKE REPAIR.

Image no. 26 is an appropriation of an image from Peter Beard’s large Taschen book of his diaries, on which I've handwritten, In memoriam Peter Beard.

If you're inclined to look at the reel and comment, please let me know.



Jan 17, 2024 at 10:58 AM
retrofocus
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p.2 #17 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


fededuran wrote:
I agree it would be very nice to have some new digital community where photographers of all kind can share their work and projects, but at the end of the day any of these platforms will think on monetization. If that business strategy means to change the algorithm, promote reels or copy TikTok as much as possible, or if on the other hand it means to ask users/photographers to pay under a subscription model, that's a different story. I'd happily pay a reasonable fee in exchange for a truly photography-based social network.


Hypothetical at this point, but I don't believe that all is about monetarization. The quite successful freeware Darktable is a good example for a very proficient post-processing software competing in many areas very well with the commercial LR product. Bonus is that Darktable continues since years to be further developed and improved - and is still free! Enthusiasts pulled this off and keep it going. Same could happen with a novel free photo sharing site. It just takes one or few enthusiasts to develop it on a easy to navigate platform. One potential issue to resolve is needed cloud space to store shared photos which will cost money. But maybe with more and more cloud options available and cheaper storage space plus getting support from donations....maybe it works.



Jan 17, 2024 at 11:13 AM
pdesopo
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p.2 #18 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


On a general note, I think there isn't much people should complain about the new direction IG took. On a broad level, this situation is, simply put, our fault. Before social media, we would look for websites, not those of Musk or Zuckerberg's places. Ironically, the connection was deeper.

People who reached out to me through my website were genuinely interested — nothing of this follow/unfollow BS. We would engage in honest conversation through something out of fashion nowadays: email. The connection could last longer because the conversations were more than a simple like or a two-word comment.

But guys like Zuckerberg understood that on a general level, people are more superficial. They knew that what appealed to the majority was the ludicrous, the entertaining side.
We jumped on the bandwagon. Now we can either deal with it or get off.
Funny enough, I opened my IG account only less than two months ago, after years of tenacious refusal
I still believe that is a messed up system. Nonetheless, it's an interesting experiment.



Jan 17, 2024 at 02:37 PM
highdesertmesa
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p.2 #19 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


RoamingScott wrote:
Your profile is a perfect example of what I saw 3 years ago and why I bailed.

Your pinned post from 2021 garnered over 2000 likes...33% engagement wasn't unheard of back then.

Now you're getting 1/10th of that per post, a 3% engagement rate, which...sadly, is still better than most. <1% isn't shocking for still photo content now.


Yeah, I've had my finger over the Delete IG button for a while now. There is a small but fairly connected group of people I do want to keep up with there, so that keeps me from pulling the plug... for now.



Jan 17, 2024 at 03:47 PM
stgrove
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p.2 #20 · Getting less and less views on Instagram


Interesting read. Guess I am a dinosaur since I have never used social media and do not intend to start.


Jan 17, 2024 at 04:00 PM
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