Interested in learning Instagram’s Topics and Reels features?
In order to better promote content to its users, Instagram has introduced a new option to classify Reels by adding a subject.
Instagram: What Are the Topics?
Instagram’s Reel topics are tags you may use to organise your material.
Why are Topics important to your Reels?
By tagging your Reels with relevant Topics, you can let Instagram know exactly what you’re focusing on. Then, you may set the bar for the algorithm and for your audience’s expectations.
In order to maintain uniformity, organization, and brand coherence across their social media channels, most social media managers rely on content pillars.
Three to five themes that your company will regularly debate, promote, and generate content for on social media are known as “content pillars.”
Content pillars have been hailed by Instagram producers as the holy grail of Reels on the platform.
To make sure your Instagram Reels are seen by the proper people, you may specify the Instagram Topics you’re focused on in the caption.
Now that we have that settled…What’s the distinction between Instagram Topics and Hashtags?
Instagram Posts: Hashtags or Topics?
Is the # dead? That is a question that has been on the minds of many of us.
With Instagram’s new Topics feature, they might as well be dead now.
Although originally created to facilitate content organization, hashtags have since come under fire for being used inappropriately for spammy keyword stuffing (#follow4follow).
The CEO of Instagram has made it clear that hashtags aren’t the best way to expand your audience.
Instagram Topics has the potential to be a more refined recommendation engine and a potent method of expanding your specialised audience.
Why, then, is Instagram trying to classify Reels so specifically?
Do TikTok Trends Influence Instagram Content?
It has been claimed that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” a quote attributed to Oscar Wilde.
The idea that Instagram copied features from TikTok has been a running joke for quite some time.
Is TikTok being used as a template for Instagram trends? Well, sort of.
Hashtags have been used to organise content for quite some time.
However, TikTok’s for you page (FYP) has been an absolute juggernaut when it comes to recommending relevant material to relevant users.
TikTok’s method for the For You page is described as follows:
This feed is driven by a personalised recommendation engine that sends users information that they are most likely to find interesting. TikTok’s appeal lies in the fact that each user’s For You feed is different and personalised to their tastes; while users may stumble onto some of the same noteworthy videos, their feeds are otherwise distinct.
And the results have been positive.
According to the WSJ, TikTok users watch more than 10 times as much footage on the app as they do on Reels.
A leaked Instagram data shows that Reels are receiving 13.6 percent less likes and comments than they did a year ago.
To what end? Some have speculated that this is due to Instagram including posts from users they don’t follow in their main Feed.
Instagram’s dwindling engagement and need to remain competitive with TikTok may be rescued by the introduction of Topics.
Now, what should you do?
Since this is a very new function, there is little hard information on whether or whether it increases exposure.
We advise trying it out, keeping tabs on the data, and fine-tuning your approach, just like you would with any other social media plan.
What’s even better? Vista Social allows you to simultaneously upload short videos to Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and then have them automatically post at the optimal moment for each platform.
By expanding beyond the typical 30-day numbers, you may find out which platforms are responsible for the most engagement.