Instagram is DYING. Here’s why. 

Thanks for watching this week’s RU-vid video! I’m curious what are your thoughts about not putting all of your eggs on Instagram? Comment down below! Get the Notion Content Planning Dashboard here: vanessalau.samcart.com/products/content-dashboard

agreed instagram is trying to be everything to everyone and when that happens you become nothing to no one 👌

I miss the old instagram where you see all the people you follow content. Now it’s just ads or suggested content.

Yup instagram sucks now. You're right it feels like a messy imitation of other apps mixed with tons of content from people you dont follow & sponsored posts, completely lost it's identity

I experienced that as an artist. I kept creating beautiful art which takes 8+ hours, and barely got any returns on my effort. It's almost impossible breaking through on Instagram. You have to be creating content ALLLL THE TIME like mass production

I have to add that, as a user, when I'm scrolling through Instagram lately, I am SO BORED. I don't know what it is, but Insta fails to keep my attention when it comes to suggested content. If I want to spend some time learning about things or being entertained for a while, I come to RU-vid. If I need a quick distraction, I'll check out TikTok. I used to look at Instagram all the time, but I just don't feel drawn to it any more, because it's so dull.

It's so frustrating that Instagram is losing its identity and becoming more like TikTok. It's great to hear about RU-vid monetising shorts more though! I'm posting more on Instagram this week so it will be interesting to see the results after a few weeks of posting more frequently.

I was a heavy IG user until 2021 when I noticed the shift from gaining a substantial following with 2-3 posts a week to literally no growth at all in 2022. You're totally right about using RU-vid and Newsletters as the content is evergreen.

I believe a lot of influencers who solely rely on social media platforms will have a tough time in the coming years.

As a writer, I've found that keeping my social media strategy in the written space, (Twitter, Newsletter) has been really productive. I have a Twitter account, a personal website with a blog, and a newsletter. It's really worked for me. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone or even every other writer, but it's been a good mix for me.

Completely agree! I’m so fed up with IG as a creator. Definitely experienced burn out from this content hamster wheel and now, they’ve stopped pushing out my reels, cutting my reach by 80%! I’ve started focusing here now on RU-vid, as well.

I needed this vid today. I was literally on the verge of tears yesterday because our content all of a sudden started performing so terribly (even reels) despite me putting so much work in😭. I spend significantly more time on IG and w/ such little return it's making me feel defeated and burnt out. This video has made me realize I need to pivot our social strategy and that's okay. ❤ Also love the tips on how to maximize IG for stories, relationship building, and sales. Cannot thank you enough for this video!

I don't disagree but the ones who hurt the most are smaller brands business or starter accounts. The chances of being seen is even harder if you aren't approaching instagram immediately with consistent content everyday. Can't be compared to those who are actively posting once a week with 100k followers, or even 6k to 10k.

Thank you for this video. As an artist, IG used to be perfect for us, and photographers. Basically anyone who sold visually. Now, with these changes, so many artists are frustrated. Keeping up with the Instagram algorithm is like having a new, second, full-time job. I do not want teenaged eyes on my content. I want art buyers’ eyes on my content. It’s too bad Instagram ruined itself. Greed and abandoning their core purpose in favor of flash. Many visual artists who don’t want to create video as a second job do not know where to go. Maybe a wholesale rejection of their algorithm by users will straighten them out. Maybe not. Instagram is pandering to the short attention spans of teenagers with nothing but free time on their hands in favor of making creators pay its’ bills by forcing them to spend money (time, skills, etc.) creating and boosting posts, reels, stories to a continuously dwindling audience of true potential supporters in favor of a group of teenagers on a rabid quest for bigger, faster, more and better. We are fools to pay them anything, or create a ton of content, to serve this population. Time will tell.

I've been feeling that instagram hasn't been what it used to be but haven't been able to articulate it well. It's sad that we see less posts from the people we follow. Even when you say you post every day, I feel like I only see 20% of your posts and see soo many "suggested" posts on my feed 😭

This video is super important, I've been seeing a shift on Instagram algorithm lately and even posting EVERY SINGLE DAY the content is really not reaching as many people or having as many interactions as before (even reels). It's a huge concern for me since I'm a SMM and try to bring quality and growth to all of my clients.

Funny how instagram want creators to be authentic when they themselves are a mash of other social media platforms

As a blogger, i do feel instagram has changed its core values to the creator (mostly ever since it was taken over by Meta) and those changes make me feel unsafe whenever I put my genuine content to the platform. it feels like once the algorithm shifted, your contents are buried or even on the same way as gone. Thank you for your insights again:)) Good to know not only i myself felt so.

You’re gonna disrupt the industry with this one Vanessa! Great work & I totally agree IG better get it together!

I also hate the Reels on IG. They are chasing TikTok. It’s boring and far less interactive than photo posting. The entire platform is a big ZERO in ROI.

I love your videos, but I also love the comment section. Everyone always has such smart and thoughtful input. You have created such a wonderful community of creators and entrepreneurs. ❤

Thank you so much, I truly needed this as I’ve been so burned out and uninspired with Instagram.

I have noticed a serious decline in my reels views dispute they claim original content would be push out more over trending sounds. I went from an average of 300 -2500 views per reel to 0 views to 100. Anyone else ?

I’m a SMM and I definitely agree. Reels used to create an instant turnaround for my clients. That is so not the case anymore. It’s super hit-or-miss now and it’s risky to create well-produced content because more often than not we find we’ve exhausted tons of time for very little payoff. Don’t even get me started on photos… you’re dead in the water if you’re not constantly posting video content.

So true. I agree. Especially the burn-out part. That is exactly what happened to me. That is why I don’t post on social media any longer (Instagram, Facebook etc) due to severe burn-out. This burnout literally took the passion and drive out of my creativity of my hobby/work, it’s drained me!!! I love RU-vid though.

I think the constant push for new content applies to all social media. It's what make people indifferent, and ultimately leave.

I see the difference in the IG algorithm as well and haven’t seen significant growth on my account for months now as opposed to 2019 and 2020. It’s not realistic to expect people to be able to post daily. And you’re right, after a couple weeks the reels aren’t even being pushed out anymore even though they also take time and energy to create. I will be utilizing RU-vid a lot more! Thanks for sharing!

I've been considering reintroducing RU-vid into my content mix and this was the confirmation I needed -THANK YOU.

I realized very fast that Instagram was exhausting and felt like a hamster wheel. So much effort for something that just disappears essentially.

PREACH SISTA. Thats why I no longer make reels on instagram. not wasting my time

"Hamster Wheel." That's the most accurate description I've yet heard.

Totally agree with you: I had a burnt out creating for instagram even talking in account that it takes so much time to create a video

Instagram (and Meta in general) do not offer any solid creator support and their algorithm can take down content because it does not understand context and other languages around the world. They can also easily take down your account without any clear process to get help or support. In short, it is risky to spend money to grow on a platform that lacks support. Worse, if you are outside the US and Canada there are no monetization opportunities for you. A person could have 100 000 followers and over a million minutes of views, but you will not get any share of the ads that run on your content.

This was brilliant and the exact PEP TALK I needed to hear! I used to get 200+ likes per post now I barely get 50. It takes hours to create, edit, post and the return is "you can't sit with us." 😅

As a photographer, most of us have been leaving instagram in drones for the past few years. Vero is becoming more popular for us, as well as twitter believe it or not! it just doesn't cut it for us anymore, especially cause it's priority is reels now. I'm at the point where we should all just boycott Instagram and teach them a lesson..they're never gonna change and give us what we want unless they risk losing money

Being as a photographer I completely lost my trust on Instagram

Well said Vanessa, good for you on being able to pivot and be open about it. You are one of my favourite content creators and entrepreneurs that i've followed since day one!

THANK YOU for your honesty, Vanessa! I saw a post on your Instagram a month ago about the longevity of RU-vid videos and it hit me like a ton of bricks: WHY am I spending all my time on Instagram missing the "glory days"?! I've started my RU-vid channel, followed your banner tutorial, and installed TubeBuddy and I'm committed to posting a video on RU-vid every week for at least next year. Thank you for sharing your expertise and helping me choose a more constructive direction for my content creation! xxx

Instagram does feel like it is dying. I don't post as regularly as they'd like but when I do I get nothing but bot "promote this on..." comments or people just wanting me to follow them.

This is so validating and I have the stats to prove it now: last night I posted a reel and a short - same exact content. The reel has had a whopping 125 views… meanwhile my RU-vid short is sitting at 1,335 views!!! 🎉 glad it’s not too late to stay ahead of the game

i am new to social media but i noticed the same thing.. i was posting mostly often mostly every day and had interest but since recently i only post once or twice a week it seems that i am not getting rewarded.. defiantly IG has changed and it’s crazy to going after it.. i enjoy drawing but i am not going running after algorithm.. why creators blogger are not doing anything about it.. can we oppose and stand against it .. we are not robots!! .. thank you for bringing this up..you were first person on my homepage youtube channel .. never seen you before or hear you.. but i like you already! x

Love this! I started putting more focus back on RU-vid, instagram is too much right now. And I agree I care way too much about my mental health than to burnout on insta!

My kids told me tik tok was the way to go if I wanted to create a channel. They only use instagram to chat with people they know. It’s kinda like Facebook for teens.

A podcast is a great platform for growing your Instagram, RU-vid, TikTok, and Pinterest. Just mention your social medias in every single one of your episodes.

I can't thank you enough for laying this out with so much clarity. I feel more inspired to branch out with my business on other platforms now. Thank you!

Influencing isn't a long term job! Influencers come and go so quickly. Some make it big and others get forgotten about. Hence why you should NOT rely on influencing as a full time job!!! No one wants to actually work any more because they are wanting to become an influencer. But you know what a good influencer really is? A good influencer has a real job and things not handed to them and show people the real life things!!! That's what I consider an influencer!!! NOT someone who just makes random videos to try and become famous!!!🙄🤦‍♀️

IG Reels views have been tanking hard lately

Former product designer here. Apps are not made for users. They’re all businesses. They’re made for investors or Wall Street. Period end of story. You’re just made to believe they’re made for you.

Instagram has hurt their best base - people who create beautiful photos, and people who like looking at photos - not videos!

I mean on your terms i believe is a little bit easier to do a lot of stuff since you have grown into this size already, but what would be your approach for smaller brands and people who is starting out? start on RU-vid and then diversify to Instagram and Facebook?

I loved this video namesake!! I just wanna do my thing, chill, more authentic. But Instagram is driving me crazy and in the end, I chose just to step aside from this crazy world. But listening to you I got hopes and new batteries! Thanks, you're great!☀

Got up to 20k on Instagram, but seriously it took so much time, effort, and deterioration of mental health to get to that level. The result was still worth it in regards to gram helping me sell my service (training) online, but definitely it’s one of the most greediest, profit loving, superficial, and dopamine driven platform. This is just my opinion tho.

My first choice is RU-vid! I prefer YT over the rest of platforms. YT is my main platform and my alternative platform is Instagram. 🌸🧡🌸

I find all viral videos are weeks old, so they’re definitely pushing older content. My videos get pushed out for a month sometimes. You’re absolutely right about everything else though! Always appreciate your content. I’m burning ooooout

Vanessa I am following you since 2018 and found a lot of value, also looking for purchase your course. Thanks vanessa. I broke during pandemic my mental health was too bad but your videos give me clear way to go ahead.

I have recently come to terms with this. IG is like a content black hole! I'm getting off the content wheel and taking back my power, repurposing my content on RU-vid and my blog. Get traffic going to your websites folks! ✌🏽💚

Let me just say that this is your first video that I'm watching and this content is really good. I love that you are thinking of your content like an investment as it really is. Those videos on youtube will pay off in time just like dividends pay you every other month or so. Keep up the good work! :)

Good!Instagram has been shown to have the worst affects on girls mental health of any social media platform along with Facebook.It’s good that these platforms are dying and hopefully better ones(such as RU-vid who has the most chill mental health affects of any platform)keep going or take your place.

Loved this video! On IG our video content feels disposable and I pretty much just make videos when I feel like it. However regarding BeReal- I’m skeptical about it. Posting where you are and what you’re doing in real time seems like EXACTLY the type of thing people shouldn’t be doing for safety/privacy. I’m dubious- and if that’s the way socials start going- I’m out 🙅🏽‍♀️

It would be nice to see a video where you talk about the issues of Instagram and how you would like to see it addressed (or how you think it could be addressed), along with any new features you'd like to see from Instagram. There are so many videos about "How to grow on Instagram" that promote whatever Instagram implements without any critical analysis. I guess the aim is to always "be positive", but more criticism would be nice to see and possibly even make it clearer to Instagram what users want and don't want.

100% agree. I'm not even offering Instagram services anymore and just stick to webdesign + pinterest marketing. For myself I use a mix of Instagram, Pinterest and blog posts.

today you have earned my respect for this frank discourse❤❤❤❤ instagram as a platform is TOXIC for new creators, sply those who are young as it destroys their lives and gives nothing in return other than short lived dopamine kicks

Instagram just fell off when they decided to be like TikTok. They don't even show your posts to your followers and the hashtag game is as confusing as ever. I have a 42k followers account that only gets around 200 likes. And i swear it's an organic account

Great video, Vanessa! I really agree with you. I'm also very frustrated with IG at the moment and just opened a TikTok account as well. You're also right about RU-vid that your videos will be seen months and even years later. I just find the inconsistency of views on shorts at the moment a bit frustrating. Hopefully, things will get better.

This is so true. I went from 500k+ views on instagram reels, rapid growth, etc, to a extremely low views and slow growth as soon as they changed the algorithm in the new year. Whereas in other social platforms, it's normal lol.

totally agree.. Meta has seriously ruin the authenticity of Instagram. So disappointing.

This was really insightful! Thank you 🙌🏼 I’ve recently found myself thinking about creating more content here on RU-vid (I posted my first video in the last week of our home tour of our shipping container home that we also Airbnb) and so far it’s gotten more views than I was expecting, since it’s not necessarily related to my business but now more than ever I’m really considering making RU-vid apart of my strategy!

I have been thinking all these things you have said. It’s taken me about 6 months to realize the benefits of posting long form and then sprinkling short form as a redirect. You are so right!

I remember when I foreshadowed this way before TikTok became super popular(it was when they were still musically or when they just made the switch to the name TikTok) and when insta removed the likes. It was right before the pandemic I just finished my digital marketing classes. And I commented on 1 of your videos about this and I was told I was over reacting now look at where we are today …hm surprise surprise.

I absolutely love how you get to the point, have a quick pace, and speak clearly and concisely. No faffing! Thank you so much.

Thanks for making this video, very important

I agree 100%. I loved Instagram back then it's just so much different now and not in a good way I used to get like 30 likes on a picture photo or selfie and now I barely reach like maybe 11 or 14 likes per post 💔👌👍😭😢 this RU-vid video hits it spot on on the topic nice great good video

I have stopped focusing on Instagram and put my eggs into Google, RU-vid, TikTok and my blog! Great video!

That's exactly what I was going to suggest... Take older pieces, break them into pieces and permutate into "new pieces". I don't know if they compare to your first older stuff so this might help for longer

Thank you Vanessa! This is so informative!

Sadly I'm burned out too, I made sneaker/photography page for my instagram and it is basically tanking every single day no matter how good or interesting my posts are

Such good info here!! I absolutely love RU-vid ❤️ Shorts are a bit frustrating but I like that they are now separating them from the long format videos. I loved Instagram so much, it's sad to see them completely lose what made them great. I've never heard of BeReal, imma have to check it out. Thanks Vanessa 💕

I'm curious, what do you suggest for artist who is searching for an easy way to make a portfolio on social media ? I used to use Instagram a lot back in 2011, when it was a photo app. My art grew a lot. I left IG on april 2022 because I was exhausted. I have a youtube chanel and a mailing list. But I miss the "community" and "easy portfolio" part. I open a Discord chanel and it's quiet good for now, but I have to say, Instagram was really good for visual artists.... I've tried Vero, but for now, it's not really engaging (and it's almost only photographers, not painters / artist).

Thank you for all your helpful and generous content ✨️ I love seeing your precious fur babies in the background 💖

Oh, it's what I felt a long time ago when my subscribers in Instagram always stuck or even decreasing. Now I give up on IG and focus on short video on RU-vid.

I am not a content creator but however as a user of Instagram I find it very annoying when I follow someone and I'm constantly seeing them in my news feed. That's something I noticed recently. Soon as you follow a page you'll see about 10 posts from them. It becomes overwhelming and I instantly unfollow. I believe alot of platforms have become so greedy to the point, using the platforms feels like harassment. It's not fun anymore or anyway of controlling the algorithms or ads so it's like they're forcing mind control on us and wasting our time, data and life on useless stuff we don't even care to see. Even RU-vid has become annoying with only promoting and pushing certain content and creators. I'm concerned about The future of social media.

For me, I’m currently blowing up on TikTok. What I’ve done on TikTok in 6 months I couldn’t do on Instagram in 6 years. Every vid has at least 20k views and I’m now focusing more on transferring my TikTok audience to my new RU-vid channel cause RU-vid has so much more longevity. I soley use Instagram to post pics and repurposed TikTok’s

Instant content hamster wheel is right! Instagram started dying the minute they stopped letting people see the "likes." It's really frustrating to post and not see if anyone cared to view your post or liked it. I don't really see the reason behind doing that. It makes me not care to post. If noone is going to see it, what's the point? I'm sure this change has many others asking themselves the same question.

So true! As an illustrator, instagram used to be amazing, but now it's forcing us to make reels. That could be animations for illustrators, but they take sooo long to make >

So true!!! Thanks for the video ; it’s so frustrating 😫

hi there, I couldn't agree more. excellent video. I was kinda popular on IG but I literally burned out - so much so that I left social media completely to recover and got a day job again! only now coming back and taking my own time focusing on my niche only since this is now a side hustle for me . IG is totally dead for sure now - it's clear to see: unless you post 3-6 times per day it's unlikely we get seen at all. I have now some 40 subs mostly family who don't even care about what I post there. now it's all about creating 1 single sneak peek content that goes on all platforms once every few days and are all directing to my new YT channel now 1 week old LOL . interestingly enough, my shorts still pop up on friends accounts days later, not too bad - on IG they stop hrs after posting as we are are being pushed all these random stuff. IG has indeed sacrificed everything and now will pay the price for the grind they created.

You just helped me break through SO many blocks!

It’a true! I felt the burnout. I’m an artist and it pushes me to create a new art everyday because of Instagram. 😢

I’m finally entering phase 2 of starting my channel. This is helpful to know!!

Provide consumable value! You need that email list above all. Any social platform can change or delete you anytime.

Interesting post, thanks Vanessa! It really seems like the next generation is saying goodbye to Facebook and Instagram. RU-vid and TikTok are probably the platforms to be on right now. Facebook is still important but in a different age group (more in the 40-60 range). Short videos ("Reels" or "Shorts" on RU-vid) are also a big area. Once created it can easy be postet on all plattforms (they all use the similar format but with a different allowed length)

Instagram got lost! And distribution is everything. I agree with what you said Vanessa! There is a ton of organic growth potential on LinkedIn too!

Thank you for your honesty! Loved watching your content in the past ! - insane value!

Recently found you and thank you for the 2 videos I've seen so far, new to the game and find your insights balancing among the many voices. 🥰

This is exactly how I’ve been feeling lately with Instagram, burned out…

Thank you for this video. I was already thinking the same. RU-vid is actually showing our old videos more!

IG has turned into such a chore. RU-vid is Def the move if you haven't started yet

This is great info! 😊 I just hoped on the RU-vid train. It’s a great experience and actually loving it. IG definitely has changed so much and it’s not the same it used to be. 😔

Gave up on facebook long ago and instagram is becomimg terrible

Thank you very much for speaking out about this. Much needed