New Instagram AI to Reward for Organic and Original Content

The Marketing Maven here, CEO and Founder of Anchors To Dusk Publishing, LLC… But, that’s besides the point.
I’ve built my entire social media management career off of organic social media content creation. I teach my clients — who are essentially long-term students — not only how to create but WHY original content is absolute TOPS when it comes to positioning themselves for success on the internet.
And to be frank, in the past, when social media originally was released (think 2005-ish with Facebook) to the public, we all had ONE JOB. That was to be ourselves…to share interesting facts about our daily lives and connect. Period.
Well, actually, the original functionality of Facebook — when it was wet around the ears — was to allow students to connect with classmates on their campus. And that was truly the Wild West of social media back then.
There were NO rules, and one could post status updates similarly to iChat or AIM and have a grand ‘ol time of it. That was it. That was social media.
Next, we all experienced MySpace. Talk about an original platform. Tom (remember that handsome face that was a friend to every single one of us?) opened a digital world to the masses and he allowed us to thrive and excel on original content. We were allowed to express ourselves however we wanted — okay, with some limitations — and were thriving on how to implement basic HTML, AND share blogs…one of the first digital diaries on the net before platforms like Medium were even a glimmer in their creators’ eyes.
So, where exactly did humanity go wrong and start rewarding us for being carbon copies of one another? Uh-hem… TikTok, I’m pointing directly at you.
When I read, and studied and explored HubSpot’s latest article, “Instagram’s New Algorithm Update Prioritizes Original Content: What Marketers Need to Know”, by Caroline Forsey, I shook my head and let out a “tisk, tisk, tisk” noise from my curiously pursed lips.
“Ah-ha!” I thought. “Finally, FINALLY, organic content is catching-on…” Well, we’re actually experiencing a resurgence of, OR participating in, a new organic content revolution.
According to Forsey, to paraphrase, “Consistently creating content across your social media channels can be hard and at times, time-consuming for marketing teams.” I’d have to agree, creating content for 3–10 clients at a time, can, in fact, take its toll on a marketing manager. It can also be rewarding but, whew, it costs a lot of time to get the messaging just right. And even then, it takes approximately 3–4 months JUST to hit that sweet spot and get out of the “learning curve” mode.
Forsey continues, “To combat those challenges, most marketers have relied on reposting content from other creators and brands as an opportunity to fill their social calendars and provide valuable content on a more consistent basis.” I’m guilty of that, too. I’ll fully admit that fact. UGC, or user-generated content, can help boost engagement and grow an audience on social media faster than implementing other marketing tactics. It happens. But, times are changing, folks…
HubSpot reports that as of April 20th (it’s almost May now, so we’re past that date… We’re living in a new world…), reposted content will NO LONGER be rewarded.
This is going to make my life as The Marketing Maven that much easier… At least, I’m hoping so!
Instagram confirmed: Original Content Will be Prioritized
So, what does that mean for marketers running brands for a living? Here’s the skinny:
A. Largely penalize aggregator sites — If your entire Instagram account is built solely on reposting funny videos from other accounts, you could potentially see a decrease in ranking over time. If your account is filled with a higher percentage of originally content, you’ll be just fine.
B. Be iterated over time — The Instagram platform is currently working overtime to define what “originality” means, and it will take some time to “get it right when it comes to identifying what’s truly original.”
C. Allow you to post content you’ve created and edited outside the app — You can and should feel comfortable posting your own content that you’ve already posted on your other social accounts, as well as other content you’ve edited outside of the Instagram platform. You made it, so it still constitutes as original content.
D. Reconsider your strategy if you primarily post user-generated content — UGC isn’t going anywhere, so relax. If your entire Instagram feed, however, is reposted content from your customers, for instance, you may want to reconsider that “ratio of UGC to original content.” Start creating branded content with quotes or short-form/longform videos from your customers and advocates.
And as I recently stated on “Marketing Champions”, hosted by MaryTherese Griffin, longform video content, especially on Instagram, will be transformative in the long run for those looking to get ahead in business.
Keep on creating content, friends, just make sure it has a point, is less than 2-minutes in time and relates back to your outward-facing business persona or brand messaging.
And if you require assistance, you can certainly contact The Marketing Maven and book your one-on-one free 20-minute consultation.