An algorithm is officially coming to Instagram. This means the reverse chronological order that organized the feed in the past will give way to push photos the algorithm thinks you’ll want to see most to the top of your feed. The feed will be organized for users based on timeliness, one’s relationship with the poster and the likelihood a person will be interested in the content posted.

The move is of little surprise. Facebook’s News Feed has been operating through an algorithm for some time, and even Twitter is adopting an algorithm with the feature “Show me the best tweets first.” These platforms win when users spend as much time on them as possible, and they spend more time when they are engaged with the content. So now’s the time for marketers to embrace the change.

Paid + Earned.

Exposure, even to followers, is no longer a promise Instagram can (almost) keep. Pre-algorithm, a brand can assume that if a follower checks Instagram, there’s at least a chance that user may see content the brand has posted. With an algorithm, this probably goes away…eventually. Now, Instagram, for the moment at least, is saying all posts will be viewable, but the order will be optimized with the introduction of an algorithm. There’s a chance that in the future this goes away, and posts don’t even make it to the feed.

Organic exposure isn’t guaranteed, and brands would be wise to promote their best content and ensure it gets the exposure it deserves. The days of assuming organic reach will happen have been long gone across social platforms. Instagram is following suit.

Relationships Matter

Competition for the feed is getting stiffer, and that competition isn’t coming from competitors. It’s coming from the interpersonal relationships users have on the platform. Instagram will be looking at the relationships between users to choose what content to emphasize and what not to. Brands don’t have those relationships, which makes the need for paid support all the more important. We can’t compete with family and friends.

Get Sexy or Get Buried

Posting for the sake of posting will mean putting content out into the world that gets no engagement and thus tells Instagram that your brand is one that should be buried by the algorithm. Focus on sexy content that is beautiful to look at and hits on what users love to interact with on Instagram. This content is entertaining and beautiful. It may delve into the worlds of cute pets, drool-worthy food and mesmerizing fashion. Whatever your brand does, emphasize the exciting parts. The parts that make people stop and stare.

Success on Instagram or any algorithmically-driven platform comes from the same thing success on any platform, algorithm or no: create content people care about. Creative content that delivers on both the brand message and the interests of users will get rewarded by users and algorithms alike.