McCauley Wycliff
Member
Instagram has announced that it is making changes to its algorithm on how recommendations for Reels are made. In short, the company is discouraging users from posting recycled TikToks on the platform.
Instagram says that creators will now be issued with best practices and tips on making content that is likely to be seen and promoted.
Among the tips, users are advised to post vertical Reels with videos that use background music obtained from Instagram’s library or sounds that they find on Reels. The company also suggests that creators start trends that others can participate in. These include dance challenges as well as other fun and entertaining content.
Instagram has also said that Reels which are covered mostly by text, are blurry, have a watermark or logo such as TikTok, or have a border around it will not be appear in its algorithm as much.
“We’re building on what we’ve learned from Explore to recommend fun and entertaining videos in places like the Reels tab, and personalize the experience,” Instagram spokesperson Devi Narasimhan said in an email to The Verge.
“We are getting better at using ranking signals that help us predict whether people will find a reel entertaining and whether we should recommend it.”
According to Narasimhan, users have had a less satisfying Reels experience owing to the fact that most of the content is recycled or blurry. As a measure, the company has opted to change its algorithm to deemphasize such content.
The changes come just six months after the launch of Reels. Although the company was okay with people posting their TikToks on the platform, it is now taking measures to establish its own base other than operating as an advertisement for TikTok.
This means that creators will now have more work coming up with original videos for multiple platforms, as opposed to the current style where they do one video and post on all platforms.