Say Goodbye to Reposting Rewards

A much-celebrated update has been announced by Instagram this week, affecting the algorithm for countless users and creators across the platform.

The announcement states that reposting accounts will no longer be viewed favourably, putting much higher emphasis on the original creator of content and giving original posters more visibility on the app.

What This Means for Creators

This is excellent news for creators, who have previously always been subject to other users taking their original content and sharing it – sometimes even gaining higher visibility as a result. 

While many creators have previously turned to purchased packages of followers and view to keep engagement high, this strategy can now be matched by an increase in organic reach, as Instagram backs and supports the sharing of original content across relevant user groups. The app will also favour collaboration posts and posts that have been enhanced in tandem with the original poster.

What This Means for Repost Accounts

If an account is built on the art of reposting content, it will find that its visibility starts to drop as Instagram looks to penalise and limit their visibility.

This is all in an effort to further reward those creators who generate creative new content, by acknowledging that often repost accounts can gain better traction and viewing figures simply by endless exposure and posting. 

An account will be subject to penalisation if, during a 30-day period, it is regarded as posting more rip-off content than it is posting original content. It’s important to note here that content which significantly changes the messaging or value of the post, for example taking a viral clip and adding new voiceover or a new perspective, is considered original as opposed to reposting. Instagram is looking to tackle direct copying, without penalising those who creatively build on existing content concepts and streams. 

Is this a change to the algorithm that you welcome?