ICYMI: 5 Types of Shareable Content

Instagram content categories most likely to get shared

[Instagram Creator Culture panel at VidCon]

Shareable content hasn’t always been Instagram’s star player. Followers, likes, and comments used to be all the rage. But now, the focus on shares is right up there, if not higher.  

Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram himself, has tripled down on shareable content, most recently revealing that Instagram isn’t going to emphasize long-form video on the app. The emphasis is on short-form that can easily be shared among friends.

Instagram’s also started testing public share counts, listing sends alongside likes and comments under posts. 

This further proves that sharing and receiving content in the DMs is now an integral part of the Instagram experience, and therefore, a key signal to the algorithm.

“When a piece of content is shared, it’s a high signal indication to the algorithm that your content was so good that it was worth sharing it with somebody else,” said Dan Toffey, Director of Meta Culture Lab, during a Creator Culture panel at VidCon. 

One way to think about it, according to Dan, is to keep this formula in mind: DM shares “spark conversation; reach new audiences.”

And while there are 3.5B shares of Reels across Instagram and Facebook every day, one of the most common things I get asked, by both brands and creators, is how to create shareable content. 

What type of content inspires fans and followers to hit send, giving your post a chance to slide into the DMs or group chat and reach more people?!

~ This is part of a monthly series for paid subscribers ~