Since a lot of you might already know that Instagram is removing its “like” feature from the posts soon. Subsequently, Instagram developers have already started testing a beta version in Canada and the United States, which is affecting the sponsorship for some full-time social media influencers like me.
Once the change will be made a permanent feature, viewers won’t be able to see the number of “likes” on a post. This can become an issue for the full-time influencers on social media, since, it is the number of likes and the number of engagements that the sponsors look at when investing in a social media influencer.
Understandably there is an air of uncertainty among the social media influencers, especially, the micro- and min- influencers, who highly depend on the number of engagements for being sponsored.
As a full-time influencer myself, I want to reach out to my audience and let them know that this is not the end of the world and we can still find ways around the change.
“You only lose when you accept defeat”
Firstly, in such a time, it is necessary for the influencers to stay positive because if you stay positive, you can find a way out of even the most negative situations of life. So, how can we, the full-time influencers work our way around this change?Remember that social media influencers are not great because of the likes they get, but because of the great content, they create. This specialty can never be taken away from you and you will always stay special.
With the “likes” out of the way, organic content will have more value than just the number of likes there are on a post. This is a huge benefit for the genuine social media influencers, who have not “bought likes” to climb the ladder. Thus, the full-time influencers must focus on creating organic content that has meaning and value.
The better the content will be, the more compelling it will become for the sponsors, who will now make decisions based on the quality of the content, rather than the number of likes a post has got.
Media Kits are another tactic that social media influencers must invest in right now. For those who are unaware of the term, media kits are like portfolios. As a result, you should get working on creating a professional media kit that will compel the sponsors to stay in touch with you.
Also, you can include your “public engagement” statistics on various social media platforms in the media kit.
But remember, you should never use fake numbers or stats as there
Note:I will create a separate post on “how you can create a professional and compelling media kit” where I will discuss this in detail.
Furthermore, it has been observed currently that people, especially social media influencers, share content that is bound to get more likes rather than what they truly want to say.
With the “like” feature out of the way, the influencers will have the freedom to post what they are truly passionate about rather than what gets more likes. We influencers must make full use of this opportunity and redefine our posting strategy. This will help us stand out from the crowd, and distinguish us as a genuine influencer, increasing our visibility for the sponsors in the process.
Summing up, it is just a beta feature on Instagram and after seeing the overwhelming reaction from the influencers, the feature might not even make it to the permanent stages.
Though, even if developers do decide to introduce the change, a lot of new software, such as like-counters will evolve that will still help sponsors to reach out to the influencers.
Either way, I would suggest all my readers to be versatile, create original content and develop impressive media kits to stay on top of your game. And remember, no-one can take away your creativity from you.
For, life has taught me one thing,
“Difficulties are not the end of the world, and solutions are always greater than the problems”.
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Grace
colorandgrace.com occasionally receives vendor/brand sponsorships for mentioning their products and services.(Visited 97 times, 37 visits today)
GRACE LIANG
I am a success coach, lifestyle Influencer, and speaker. I teach people how to renew their life in thirty days. I teach people how to become social media influencer in one year. I bring people hope, help them rise and thrive after loss.View all posts by Grace Liang
21 Comments
Iris Duhamel
Nice outfit. I love the sandals and your hair :-).
Iris
https://lamoumous.com
Grace Liang
Thanks Iris, you’re too sweet!
Angela
Great post Grace. I guess I have a different perspective, as I teach high school, I see how things such as “likes” affect young people. They will think they are only as good as the amount of likes on their last post – and it hurts their self-esteem. For that reason, and the amount of young people using social media, I think for mental health, this is a positive move! But I can understand how it can affect influencers as well. Everything will work out!
angela
wwwlenorth.com
Grace Liang
Angela, social media is playing a huge role in the lives of young people. It has affected and continues to affect many young people. Because of this certain reason, I can agree with you that changing this feature can do some good!
Maureen
I didn’t know about this change so thank you for this information. The points you bring up are good and I agree with you. I think it will be difficult to transition in the beginning but with great content creation, it will be much better in the long run. I guess we shall see what will happen. In the meantime, your shoes are fabulous! Obsessed with them
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
Grace Liang
It will be difficult but we will make it work! Thanks, Maureen!
Stephanie
This is such an informative post. On one hand I can see the appeal on the other hand I can also see why a lot of influencers are going to have a hard time with the change if it happens. Which it probably will because Instagram would do that.
Grace Liang
This will be a pretty big change for everyone!
Cheryl Shops
I, for one, welcome the change. I spend way too much time thinking about likes and engagement—time that would be better spent creating content!
Cheryl Shops | http://www.cherylshops.net
Grace Liang
Cheryl, you do have a point there! With great content, we can show the world a lot more!
janet
Thanks for explaining the pending change. I’m looking forward to the post on creating a media kit. I need that!
Grace Liang
Janet, I will be happy to explain what its all about.
Dee
I don’t think Instagram has announced that they’ll be making this change, so is this speculation based on the fact they’re testing this feature in some markets?
I agree with you that not seeing likes would make influencers produce more meaningful content, and it will especially hit those who are buying likes and followers and producing mediocre content..
Jill
I had no idea Instagram was taking away the like feature! I completely agree though that if you have great content, you are still going to stand out. Thanks for sharing this info!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Grace Liang
Thanks for your support, Jill!
Sarah @ Foxy's Domestic Side
I had sort of heard of this change, thanks for sharing more details. Looking forward to your social media kit.
Grace Liang
I am excited to share it with you all!
Gail
Loving your positive spin on this Grace! I’ve been noticing lately how the number of likes seems to be falling on mine and everyone else’s posts. Thanks for joining #WowOnWednesday.
Grace Liang
Thank you for your support, Gail!
Michelle
Excellent point about Instagram users being sponsored for the quality of their content as opposed to counting on the number of likes. I can see why this change causes insecurity for those who have grown within the current system.
Grace Liang
Yes, I am hoping this change will be beneficial to all in the end run, somehow.