Global Instagram Post Benchmarks
The 2023 Instagram Benchmarks Report
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Instagram posts include: single images, Carousels, and Reels.
2022: A year of change
Instagram is constantly tweaking their algorithm. Here are the notable updates they’ve made:
- Dec 2021: Announced that they’re no longer a photo-sharing app, and would be doubling down on videos and consolidating their video formats around Reels.
- Mar 2022: Brought back a new version of the chronological feed, by introducing 2 new options, Favorites and Following.
- Apr 2022: Improved ranking content, by prioritizing original content over reposted ones.
- May 2022: Tested a new immersive experience by ramping up content recommendations, and changing photos and videos to full-screen and vertical.
- Jun 2022: Opened their Reels API to developers, allowing influencer marketing platforms to report on Reels performance.
- Jul 2022: Merged all video formats on Instagram into Reels.
- Jul 2022: Triggered a “Make Instagram Instagram” movement because users were upset about their fullscreen feeds. Their feeds prioritized recommended content and videos over their friends and photos. This was later backtracked.
- Sept 2022: Tested “Topic Tags” on Reels, to help better categorize them so they reach people with similar interests.
All these changes impacted how influencers performed on Instagram in 2022, compared to 2021. But in what ways?
Globally: Micro- & macro-influencers reached more users
The changes Instagram made over the year impacted what posts users see and engage with. But depending on what influencer tier you look at, they’ve either had a positive or negative effect on their reach rates.
In our analysis of reach rate on Instagram posts, nano-influencers experienced a small decline of 5%.
While macro- and mega-influencers performed roughly the same in 2022 as in 2021, micro-influencers saw a boost, with an 11% growth in reach rate.
Did you know? 🤔
For all types of Instagram posts, impressions typically increase for 5 days, before flattening out. As a best practice, always wait a minimum of 5 days before collecting and reporting on influencers’ results.
Globally: Fewer users engaged with influencers across all tiers
In 2022, influencers were hit especially hard when it came to engagement. Across all influencer tiers, influencers saw fewer users interacting with their Instagram posts.
Micro-influencers experienced the smallest decline in engagement rate at 9%. Macro- and mega-influencers had the biggest drop at 17%, with nano-influencers following closely at 14%.
Engagement also fell among users the influencers reached. Nano-influencers experienced a 5% decline in engagement-on-reach rate. They’re followed by micro-influencers, with a 16% decline, and macro- and mega-influencers with a sharp 18% decline.
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