If you follow Adam Mosseri, social media news, or (even better) me on Instagram, you may have already seen the news. This week, Instagram announced that there will be 3 Instagram feed options rolling out for users in 2022.

To give users more control over what they see, they will be able to switch between the three feeds at any given time, allowing you to choose how you want to consume your content.

So what are these 3 Instagram feed options, and how will they impact your strategy? I’m glad you asked.

The 3 Instagram Feed Options for 2022

In a recent Instagram video from Adam, the three feed options will be:

• Home
• Favorites
• Following

Each of these works differently, which means that the way you think about your Instagram strategy may change.

Home Feed

The home feed will be the most reminiscent of what Instagram looks like today.

This feed will use the algorithm to show your content ranked by how much Instagram thinks you’ll like a post. Over time, you’ll see more and more recommendations for new content and creators.

This feed will be the best for finding new content, which means that as a business, this is the feed where you’ll have the highest chance of being found by non-followers.

Favorites

Favorites will be a subset of accounts you don’t want to miss updates from. You fully customize this feed.

As you add accounts you follow to your favorites, you’ll be able to quickly find their content in this feed, and it will be in chronological order.

As a business owner, this is the feed you want to end up on. So CTAs to “add you to favorites” will be necessary (don’t overuse them), though it will be essential to explain why.

For example, instead of just saying “add us to your favorites,” you might use a call-to-action to “add us to your favorites to be the first to see our new products” or “add us to your favorites, so you don’t miss any of our tips.” This CTA tells people the value of giving you a coveted spot on their favorites list so they know what to expect in return.

As a business owner, it’s also essential to consider how you’re using your favorites list. For example, while just adding your best friends or family might seem like a great way to use this feed, it’s not the most strategic choice.

A few ways to think about this include:

• 3-5 large accounts in your niche which you want to engage with consistently
• 3-5 ideal followers who you want to build a relationship with
• 3-5 of your most loyal supporters to ensure you’re returning the loyalty
• 3-5 news sources in your niche, so you’re always up-to-date in the industry 
• A combination of a few of these

I predict that this will be the most impactful feed in the future, but only time will tell.

Following

 Following is a throwback to the early days of Instagram where your feed was a chronological list of posts from every account you followed. I’ve also been referring to this feed as your chronological feed.

Over the years, many people have wished for this to come back (some more vocally than others). 

With this feed, it will become more critical than ever to understand who your ideal follower is and what their online behaviors are.

For instance, are you trying to get in front of moms? Think about what time they wake up and when their parenting breaks are so you can post around those times (think right when they wake up and after their kids go to bed).

Is your ideal target businesswomen? Think about right before the workday starts and ends, and maybe even their lunch breaks.

Overall, this will take some testing and observing, but shifts to your strategy may be necessary.

Now what?

Like every Instagram announcement, just because it’s out in the universe doesn’t mean you can start using it yet. The timeframe shared in this week’s video mentioned that, if all goes well, these feeds will launch by midyear. 

In the meantime, there are a few things you can start doing to prepare.

1. Start thinking about who your ideal audience is and what their online behaviors are.
2. Figure out the “why” for why people should add you to their favorites (you hopefully know this already, but if not, it’s time to figure it out)
3. Get insights from your current audience (use story stickers to find out why they follow you, the content they want to see more of, when they use the app, etc.)

Want help evaluating your strategy for these new feeds? Contact me to learn more about my social media strategy services. Plus, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for the latest tips and updates on navigating these new feeds when they launch.