Adam Mosseri addresses Instagram reach myths and ‘Edits’ app boost

New Delhi: Instagram head Adam Mosseri has shared insights via Instagram Stories regarding factors that may affect content reach on the platform, while dispelling a common misconception about engagement strategies.

Mosseri explained that videos created using Meta’s new “Edits” app currently receive a slight boost in reach when shared on Instagram. He described this as a temporary initiative designed to increase awareness of the app.

“For now, Edits does help a little bit with reach. It’s not going to be something that’s going to be around forever. Do not just use Edits to try to pass through content [because] we can check for that. But we are trying to bootstrap the app, and we’ve also found that predicting whether or not you’re going to tap on the ‘Edits’ button is something that we can add to ranking, and therefore hopefully show more of this kind of content to people who are interested in it, and who are going to be interested in the app itself,” Mosseri said.

He also addressed what he referred to as a “myth” that engaging with content similar to one’s own is necessary to maximise reach.

“One myth I learned recently about Instagram is that you have to interact with similar content to the content that you create to maximize your reach. That is definitely not the case. It’s great to interact with people in your comments, and with your followers in general, but what you decide to consume is not going to affect who you reach with your content,” he added.

Mosseri encouraged users to “feel free to engage with the content that you love, then try to create content that your followers love.”

While he acknowledged that engaging with accounts within a similar niche could increase profile awareness and potentially generate more interaction, Mosseri clarified that this is not a direct factor in Instagram’s algorithmic recommendations.