The reasons for declining reach on Instagram

Research by Fanpage Karma (2022) found that the reach of posts on Instagram has dropped 43% in two years. The research compares figures from organic reach. So without paid and promoted posts. 2 million posts spread across 1,700 accounts were compared. 

Declining results began from 2020. Yet the results revived by the end of that year. From the beginning of 2021, a big drop in reach figures is seen. This decline seems to accelerate even from September 2021. Whereas the reach was still 25% at the beginning of 2020, and about 22% at the beginning of 2021, it has been at an average of 16% since the beginning of 2022. The big question, of course, is: what is the reason for these lesser results? There seems to be no correlation between the negative development of reach pricing and post rate, number of likes or even growth in the number of followers. This suggests that the development is a result of a fundamental change to Instagram itself.

Competition

Instagram has faced stiff competition in recent years from Snapchat and TikTok, which are also fighting for screen time. Every minute on TikTok, is not spent on Instagram. That makes sense. TikTok grew 275% in two years, from 800,000 to 3 million users. Instagram also grew over the same period, but "only" by 15%. From 5.8 in 2020 to 6.6 million users in 2022.

Growth in content

In recent years, the number of posts on Instagram has grown. As much as 11% more in 2021 than in 2020. The rise of Stories has also kept Instagram users away from posts. But these developments do not explain the extreme decline visible in early 2021.

The algorithm

The large drop since early 2021 suggests that at that point Instagram's algorithm was tweaked, and it appears that private profiles are being favored over corporate and influencer profiles. Another explanation may be that Instagram has started to free up space for paid posts on the feed, squeezing organic posts.

And now?

An average organic reach of 16% on Instagram is still very high. Compared to other forms of media, this percentage for organic content is a fantastic result. However, we were used to higher results for years, so it still doesn't feel as good. Therefore, spread your chances and share content on your Instagram feed, Stories and Reels. But also start testing on other platforms, where TikTok will be an interesting channel thanks to the rapid growth they show. Finally, the most important advice is to keep the quality of your content high. Relevance and sharing expertise will always score well with the target audience.

Digital content strategy with the NXTLI Dashboard

Jeroen Westermann is Digital Strategist at NXTLI. With the NXTLI Dashboard, developed by NXTLI, we provide insight into the results of a brand, club, person or organization on its digital channels. We connect this with value and with commercial results. Based on this we strategize and develop digital campaigns that accelerate and optimize growth. Interested? Get in touch with us!

Source: Fanpage Karma (2022) // Newcom Research (2022) // NXTLI (2022)