What Hiding Instagram Followers Means For Digital Marketers

Big changes are sweeping across Instagram. After running tests internationally, Instagram has begun testing hiding likes and video views in the United States. While users themselves will still be able to view how many likes or video views they receive on a specific post, their followers won’t see those numbers.

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri explained that the decision to remove public likes stemmed from mental health and hopes that the disappearance of likes will take away competition and pressure users can feel when on the app. However, some users, particularly those in the digital marketing world, are concerned that this will dramatically decrease engagement rates and also make it harder to identify legitimate influencers.

Whether you are supportive of this update or nervous, there is no doubt that the way we use Instagram will change moving forward.

Here is what to expect as hidden engagement becomes permanent. 

Likes Will Be Hidden, Not Gone

One of the biggest misconceptions about Instagram’s latest test is that likes are disappearing. Technically, they are still around, and users can still see how many likes they receive. Likes will just stop being publicly available. 

When coordinating an influencer campaign, you should be requesting post analytics from influencers as to get the full engagement picture including likes received on their posts.

Analytical Tools Will Be Essential

Additionally, analytical tools and platforms will be able to access analytics, especially if they have first-party access to an influencer’s profile. 

Investing in analytical tools that can access and track key metrics will be pertinent to successful campaigns moving forward.  The hiding of likes “will push brands more so than ever to move towards using first- and third-party data access to receive an influencer’s overall analytics,” our founder Beca Alexander asserts.

Engagement Rates Will Likely Decrease

Feedback from general Instagram users has been positive, but creators are understandably concerned that their engagement rates will suffer. Without the public incentive to like a post, followers will instead engage more with content that is relatable, interactive, or creative, rather than what is popular. For instance, influencers in Australia, where hidden likes have been tested, noticed an overall decrease in engagement, though there were a few instances of increased likes as well.

As the testing continues, expect engagement rates to fall before leveling out again, so take this into consideration when vetting potential influencers to partner with and focus on other engagement metrics instead.

Other Engagement Benchmarks Will Be More Valuable

Likes have always been susceptible to fraud, as users can purchase likes from third-party apps, so hiding likes will disincentivize bought engagement. This will allow the truly influential creators to stand out, while those who have purchased fake engagement are left behind.

Other forms of engagement including comments, saves, and shares will become even more valuable, as will statistics like reach, impressions, and views. Our Director of Brand Partnerships, Amanda Sorenson, welcomes this development, stating that “brands have been placing far too much emphasis on influencers’ ‘worth’ by measuring how many likes they receive on an image” while overlooking an influencer’s true connection with their audience. “Just because an influencer receives hundreds or thousands of likes, it doesn’t mean they can sell your product.”

Brands and agencies will instead look at the larger analytical picture as they assess the performance of digital campaigns. 

Influencers Can Stop Stressing, Start Creating

From a creator standpoint, hidden likes are a positive change. As Instagram has become more saturated and competition amongst creators has increased, users feel pressure to only post certain things based on how many likes they receive. 

Without public like counts, influencers can stop stressing over what will receive the most likes and focus on content creation itself. “Over the past few years,” says our Director of Talent, Becca Bahrke, “we’ve seen Instagram turn into a place where people feel pressured to have the jaw-dropping, perfect photo that shows a glimpse into the best version of their life.” With the removal of public likes, Bahrke continues that “the hope is that this will minimize that pressure for not just content creators, but also real everyday people so they can share the content that they enjoy.” With an increased focus on authenticity on social media, hiding likes will help bring back an authentic feel to the platform.