Another Instagram algorithm update dropped last week.
Cue the collective panic across social media.
Creators scrambling to decode the "new rules." Gurus selling courses on "algorithm mastery." Comment sections filled with theories about shadowbanning and reach reduction.
Here's the thing that might surprise you: the algorithm hasn't fundamentally changed in years.
While everyone's obsessing over posting times, hashtag strategies, and mysterious engagement pods, Instagram's algorithm has been optimizing for the same two things since 2018:
Watch time and engagement.
That's it.
Not your follower count. Not your posting schedule. Not whether you use trending audio or the perfect hashtag combinations.
Just: how long do people actually watch your content, and do they engage with it?
Everything else is noise.
The accounts thriving through every algorithm update? They figured this out years ago and built their content strategy around these two metrics instead of chasing every new "hack."
What's interesting is how AI is changing the game here. The Big Players newsletter has been breaking down exactly how creators are using AI to improve their Instagram performance—not just for content creation, but for strategic optimization.
One insight I found mind-blowing: AI can now think with tools and empower anyone to build a system that creates content while they sleep. We're talking about AI that analyzes your best-performing posts, identifies engagement patterns, and generates content variations automatically.
Check out Big Players Newsletter here:
Sponsored
Big Players
Stealing billion-dollar growth strategies so you don't have to. The exact data-driven tactics, AI tools, and marketing frameworks that scale businesses to $100M+.
This isn't about replacing creativity with robots. It's about using data to understand what actually keeps people watching versus what we think should work.
Instagram wants people glued to the app. If your content keeps people watching and engaging, you win. If it doesn't, you lose.
Simple as that.
The algorithm rewards what works, not what feels authentic.
So instead of worrying about the next update, focus on the fundamentals that never change:
→ Create content that holds attention for more than 8 seconds
→ Make people want to comment, save, or share
→ Test what actually keeps your audience watching
Everything else is just creators trying to game a system that's already telling them exactly what it wants.
The algorithm isn't the enemy. It's just brutally honest about whether your content is actually valuable.
And honestly? That's probably a good thing.
Talk soon, Digital Savage
