If you haven’t heard yet, Instagram started to roll out getting rid of posts likes in the US yesterday. (November 12th)

What does this mean?

This means that your followers will not see how many likes each of your posts get; you will be the only one to see the likes.

Why?

Instagram is trying to stop 3 things that are happening:

1) Fake Influencers are earning top dollar based on likes only – not engagement

2) People’s mental health is at stake because sadly some users get jealous, depressed, anxious, and so forth seeing others getting high numbers of likes when their posts aren’t.

3) Instagram is going back to what the sole purpose of social media is: To create engaging content- this is what social media is and should be about- not likes.

What can you do to make sure that your audience is seeing your posts?

Create engaging content- this isn’t just about posts, but you should be using stories at least 5 times a week to create interest in your brand, keeping your brand visible, and getting users engaged in your content.

What should I do with my stories?

You should be posting stuff that makes you look authentic, makes you look real. So many people on Instagram create this fake profile of who they are and what their company is about when your target audience wants to see who you really are- without filters.  Try to post things that are “outside the box” where your users can connect with you but also see a different side to your life or your business.  These work very well in captivating the audience and once they are captivated with your stories, they will take a look at your profile and other posts.