Instagram Changes That Will Affect Hashtag & Comment Campaigns Globally

Social media has become a huge part of our lives. For most people, especially celebrities and public figures, there really is no better place to connect with fans, followers, and loved ones on this special day than in Instagram – but that’s all about to change.

How much change, exactly? On December 11th, 2018, Instagram announced several changes that affect how data can be accessed for marketing campaigns. If you run giveaways or campaigns via Instagram often, you might want to pay attention!

These changes will affect how you plan for your marketing campaigns and the type of data you can access.

1. Instagram comment giveaways

This is by far one of the most used engagement strategies on Instagram – where you pick a random commenter from one of your Instagram posts as a winner.
Then: Before the update, Instagram limited the number of comments you could pull from a post to the most recent 150.
Now: Now, the sky’s the limit as Instagram understands the need for brands and individuals to be able to view everyone that engages them. View every single comment on your posts with no hassle – great news for brands and individuals who maintain high engagement levels with their followers!

2. Instagram hashtag contest

Many individuals/brands love hashtag contests, as it is an easy way to collect posts from the same hashtags on Instagram.
Then: Instagram used to provide all of the posts for a hashtag at any time, and you could wait until the end of your contest to collect all entries using the hashtag.
Now: Instagram only shows posts made in the last 24 hours that use the hashtag. This means no more end-of-contest checking, as you have to stay vigilant in order to not miss any entries!
This means we at Social Grooves will pre-plan for you prior to your contest. And will constantly check for new Instagram posts with your chosen hashtag.

3. Old posts will no longer be collected

Some sneaky contest participants try entering their older posts into a contest by simply commenting the contest hashtag on it.
Then: Users were able to add hashtags to an old post or change the caption on an old post to include your hashtag, and it would be collected.
Now: In the new Instagram API, the 24-hour rule stops this from happening. Edited posts will no longer be collected if it was not posted within the past 24 hours.

4. Usernames are no longer collected

Pretty much self-explanatory, Instagram will no longer provide the username of the profile who posted using a hashtag.
Then: Usernames of campaign participants can be easily collected at the end of the contest
Now: It is no longer possible to collect usernames by the end of the campaign/contest, but fortunately, Instagram provides the URL of the post with the hashtag. Visiting that link will give you details of the user/campaign participant.

5. Instagram accounts must be connected to a Facebook page

Then: Many campaigns and contests previously ran without the need to link the Instagram account to a Facebook page.
Now: Your Instagram account must be connected to a Facebook Page as part of the requirement for all Instagram campaign functions. No exceptions.

With all the new updates in place, there is no doubt that extra attention needs to be paid to the platform, as these changes have shaken up how campaigns work. More updates HERE

Ring in the New Year of 2019 with SocialGrooves.com, and leave all your digital marketing worries to us – the fastest growing digital marketing agency focusing on Human relations, because we believe that the relationship between a company and its people is the essence of a successful brand.