Instagram Says That it Does Not Reduce the Reach of Sponsored Content

Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, has dispelled another frequently-held misconception about Instagram through a new series of informative posts within the app. In his most recent post, Mosseri refutes the notion that Instagram deliberately devalues posts marked as sponsored in an attempt to force businesses to pay for visibility. Mosseri stated, “We don’t downrank posts that you mark as sponsored. It helps us understand Instagram to know what is sponsored, but it’s important for creators to mark things as sponsored without fear of downranking so that they can comply with local laws all around the world.” It's often speculated that Instagram profits by lowering the visibility of these posts, thus making businesses and their partners pay for added visibility. However, as some observers have noted, it could simply be that Instagram users are less interested in sponsored content and when they see a “Sponsored” tag on a post, they may simply scroll past it, thereby reducing engagement and reach. According to Mosseri, the reduced reach linked to this tag is more likely a byproduct of the tag itself, rather than a proactive initiative by Instagram. He further emphasized that there has been no effort on Instagram's part to limit the exposure of such posts, whether through their algorithm or other means. This informative post is the latest in Mosseri’s series aimed at shedding light on aspects of the app that tend to evoke queries from its users. In a previous episode, Mosseri clarified that featuring your brand's logo in a Reel will not lead to penalties, although Reels with TikTok and YouTube watermarks may experience a dip in reach. Although some might still dismiss Mosseri's assertions, for the majority, it is a helpful insight from the Instagram's head, confirming that posts with “Sponsored” tags are not penalized.