Instagram has a bug or is the end of the game?
Friends, colleagues, spammers of Stories and devourers of Reels, stop for a moment. If you've felt like Instagram has been acting up lately, know you're not alone. Your feeds might have turned into a real embarrassing-fest due to more or less severe glitches. Let's say the general vibe on Reddit, for those who frequent the marketing subreddits, is one of "What's going on?".
On one hand, there are those complaining because their Stories have become invisible, like that colleague who always hides during coffee breaks. They only appear if someone takes the trouble to click on your profile. On the other hand, there are those who don't receive views even if they pay for them, despite having a following that usually generates numbers. In short, the social platform that was the undisputed king until yesterday seems to have lost some of its luster.
Mute Stories: The Drama of Visibility
Imagine the scene: you've prepared a crazy Story, designed to drive your audience crazy, and then? Zero interactions. Nobody sees it, unless they wake up with the desire to explore your profile. This is what happened to several users, who reported on Reddit that their Stories simply didn't appear in the top bar. Not even searching for them, the green light of the Story would turn on. A real nightmare for those who use Stories as a daily engagement tool or for small activities that rely on immediate visibility.
And it's not just a matter of Stories that don't appear. Some users have noticed a drastic drop in views, going from tens or hundreds of views in a few minutes to… well, practically zero. "It's not that my account is small and I don't have reach," writes a user, "usually I get over 100 views in 10 minutes." This means it's not a problem of organic growth, but a malfunction of the platform itself.
Others have found themselves unable to see other people's Stories, and vice versa. "What's going on with this stupid app," is the common outburst, "I can't see anyone's stories and neither can they see mine. I posted a story hours ago and I've only had 2 views." The feeling is that of an app that doesn't work as it should, creating frustration and questioning the effectiveness of strategies based on this format.
Reels in Crisis: Has the Algorithm Fallen Asleep?
If Stories seem to have gone into hiding, Reels aren't doing much better. Many content creators, especially in the art and small business world, have noticed a vertical drop in reach. We recall that, until recently, Reels were considered the game changer for increasing visibility on Instagram. Now, however, the numbers seem to have plummeted.
A user recounts having managed social media for a small pet store, achieving incredible results with Reels from August 2023 to February 2024, with views ranging from 6,000 to 80,000. Now? "With the new algorithm change, the views of my Reels are..." and here the speech is interrupted, leaving it to be understood that it's a disaster. The feeling is that the algorithm, which until yesterday was pushing you upwards, today leaves you to rot in digital oblivion.
The situation is particularly critical for artists. An illustrator or tattoo artist who relies on Reels to show their work finds themselves with views under 1,000. A number that, let's say it, for those who aim to get known is practically a sentence. The problem isn't the quality of the content, which is often very high, but the difficulty in getting it to the right people. It seems that Instagram is favoring other formats or types of content, leaving behind those who have built their strategy on short videos.
What Does This Mean for Your Business?
Now, the million-dollar question: what does all this mean for those who use Instagram for work, to sell, to get known?
First, resilience is the keyword. If your strategy is based solely on one format or one social platform, you're exposed to enormous risks. These glitches, whether they're temporary or signals of a deeper change in the algorithm, demonstrate how important it is to diversify. Don't put all your eggs in the Instagram basket. If you have a good product or service, think about how to distribute it across multiple channels. TikTok, LinkedIn for certain sectors, and even Google My Business for local activities, can become your allies.
Second, organic engagement is a mirage. That feeling of being able to reach thousands of people for free and without effort is crumbling. You need to be ready to consider more targeted advertising investments. Meta Ads campaigns continue to be a powerful tool, if used with awareness.
Third, the community is your true asset. While the algorithm does its thing, your community, those people who follow you, comment, interact with you, are your safe haven. Cultivating them outside of the main feed, perhaps through newsletters or private groups, becomes fundamental. A user who follows you because they love what you do is less influenced by reach drops that can hit a piece of content from one day to the next.
Lastly, be a data detective. Don't stop at views. Analyze who's watching, what works, what doesn't. If Reels aren't performing like they used to, try to understand why. Maybe the format has become saturated? Maybe your audience is moving elsewhere? The data will give you the answers, but you need to be willing to interpret them.
The Last Tweet (or rather, the Last Post)
Instagram, are you telling us something? Maybe it's time to stop chasing only the latest trends and start building solid foundations. This period of "down" could be the push we need to be more strategic, more creative, and less dependent on an algorithm that seems to have the personality of a teenager in full crisis. Social media marketing is a battlefield in constant evolution, and those who don't adapt end up being cooked, as someone says on Reddit.