Beyond the credibility of a blue checkmark, MetaVerified now offers a tangible SEO advantage. Instagram will automatically rank verified profiles at the top of search results for a given name, making discoverability—not just status—a key reason to pay for the service.
The long-standing strategy of posting just one Instagram Story for a massive view boost has been intentionally neutralized. CEO Adam Mosseri confirmed a fix that balances the reach between single and multiple stories, meaning the disproportionate advantage of posting only once is gone.
Users can now manually add or remove interest categories to customize their feed algorithm. This allows creators with a well-defined niche to be directly recommended to users who have explicitly expressed interest in that topic, leveling the playing field for smaller accounts to get discovered.
The growth hack of repeatedly posting the same 'Trial Reel' is no longer viable. Instagram's algorithm now identifies this as a 'spam vector,' throttling views and imposing posting caps. To reuse content in Trial Reels, the first 6-7 seconds of visual content must be substantially different.
According to Instagram's CEO, users now share more content via direct messages daily than they post to the public feed. This fundamental shift makes 'shareability' the most critical metric for creators aiming for growth, prioritizing content that compels users to send it to friends.
While Instagram now throttles identical 'Trial Reels,' this penalty does not apply to regular feed posts. Instagram staff confirmed that creators can re-upload the exact same Reel to their main feed after a period of time (e.g., a few weeks) without it being flagged or penalized.