Last month you might have seen a slight update on your Instagram feeds where the number of shares are visible for your post, an intentional development led by chief Adam Mosseri who has reiterated that sends are a key focus for engagement. However, reaction has been a mixed bag. Negative comments on the Mosseri post accuse the platform of creating flawed features, not giving creators what they need and operating as a business. 

“Unfortunately, that’s a flawed method. Most wholesome or good content that’s not rage or trigger baiting is just consumed. They watch, they like, and/or comment but it’s not often sent privately. I post relatable pet content, not going to tease my pets or go over the top just for views etc…” - @through.the.whiskers 

It prompted a slight reaction from me that maybe some creators don’t have a full grasp on the varied behaviors of users and how truly useful this feature can be. In contrast to what some creators might think, I’m the last person to share a baiting post from the likes of LadBible on how “drinking vodka everyday can decrease chances of dementia” but would be the first person to share wholesome pet content to my family. And I’m certain I’m not the only one. You see, likes/comments are not the only indicator of impact. In fact many posts can cause quite the stir and discourse but still receive few likes. For instance, no one is really going to share your beach post in the Bahamas. It might gain envy in the form of comments saying “you look stunning, babe 💋”, but a post where a creator might be giving make-up tips or providing wholesome content is the perfect opportunity to engage with my friends on our shared interests, or to have a passionate conversation on why someone’s polarizing post is a bad take.

My advice to many creators is to not forget about the huge pool of “invisible users”. Whilst there are record downloads of social media apps, studies by the Wall Street Journal show that less and less people are posting and commenting than ever before. It means that discourse and consumption of content is more likely to be engaged behind closed doors in more intimate circles and DMs, making the “share” post metric a very useful layer of the engagement onion!