Instagram is a unique platform when it comes to what it allows you to create or post on it. The fact that a platform affects what you can or want to create should not be undermined. The difference between platforms that allows you to attach or add an image to your post and Instagram is that the latter does not let you post without a picture, unless it’s a video post. The audience always expects pictures. No one expects text only, or audio only. So you have no option but to post what you want to say in a picture form that comes before any elaborative text that accompanies it in the caption, and the audience are expecting that as well. All of them are expecting that from you on this platform. And this is what they want, because if that is not exactly what they want, they will go elsewhere. The same could be said about YouTube for example when it comes to video, just like Instagram is the place to be when it comes to pictures. Another fact is, Instagram values pictures. They care about that. They are not just a picture sharing app. They are like Netflix when it comes to movies. They want the movie to be high definition. They don’t give you the latest avengers movie in low quality or bad resolution. It’s full high definition or bust. Unless it is you who asked for the lower quality. So Instagram value pictures by loving them so much they would never settle for pictures that are low quality. And they are not hiding their emotions about it. They are telling you that you cannot promote your entire post if the quality of the picture is not perfect, not of maximum quality, or not high definition enough. And they don’t allow you to promote reels videos because guess what? They are all low definition because they are taken quickly by your cell phone. Also they are doing the natural promotion of reels videos by boosting them beyond reason already. Let’s get back to pictures. The platform deranks your post and suppresses it in the algorithm if the picture is of low quality. Why am I telling you this? It’s because there’s a certain direction or trend that Instagram wants you to take when you deal with them. You do not just share every day life random photos on it. At least not anymore. That was in the past. Just like Facebook was all about friends from high school when it first started. Instagram is now a visually engaging platform. They don’t want you to post random pictures of your every day casual life. They want you to contribute to making their platform a visual art gallery. Every post should be a masterpiece. That is why they’ve taken the organic reach away from the average user. They don’t want that to be spread around like it’s all there is. They want a certain feeling to come to you when you open their app. That is how they will stand out and be unique. That is how they will teach you that no one can compete with them at meeting a certain need you have. The need for visual cleaning of the clutter in your head. Or Visual refreshment. How to not feel stuck in your empty life. How to not feel trapped, with the only way out being to watch an entire movie. Now you can do it within a few seconds. Five minutes. And you’ll feel not trapped in an endless loop of repetition. Where you can’t stand doing anything in your real life because everything is the same. The same activities are being repeated over and over again. You have to brush your teeth every day. You take a shower in the same bathroom every day. This is driving you insane. That is why Instagram is addictive, because it provides you with an instant escape from the repetitive visual activities of your boring to death life. Your daily routines are killing you. And these activities are essential. The only way you can get through them without being miserable is to have your mind already fantasizing about imagery that you’ve been recently exposed to that make you do the daily routine or repetitive tasks of your day without actually being there. If you are not part of those who make sure the platform stays the place to be when it comes to fulfilling that washing, cleaning, or refreshing aspect or process that is highly essential in our lives, the platform will derank you, suppress you, shadow ban you, unless you get insane engagement that is high enough for them to ignore the fact that you suck, because at least you are keeping people on their platform longer or for quite some time. The point is: keep that in mind. If you have some teaching to do, do it in a carousel post so that the words are not on an empty background like in the caption, but are beautifully written on a captivating and spectacular background image. This is why the algorithm favors carousel posts, because whatever that people are reading now is written on a beautiful image which would make them feel good enough for them to want to come back more often in the future to learn again this way. You want that beauty again. That is why you spend way more time on Instagram than any other social media platform. That is why you hate LinkedIn although it might be better for your business. Now you understand why.

Contribute to making Instagram beautiful, and visually captivating and rewarding again, and you will rise to the top over there in no time.