The Algorithm Isn't Punishing AI. It's Punishing Sameness | Coffees & Content

Instagram just changed something that sounds small but changes everything for anyone creating content on the platform. And once you hear what it actually means, you'll realise this isn't just an Instagram update - it's a signal about where every platform is heading.

Here's what's covered:

• The new Instagram "Your Algorithm" update - what it is and why topic clarity now directly affects your reach
• Why every platform is starting to reward human, specific, real content - and penalise the generic stuff
• The difference between using AI well and letting AI think for you
• Why founders in particular need to be showing up as a person with a point of view
• What kind of content is going to cut through in feeds that people have now curated themselves

Links:

• Join the IHEE WhatsApp community
• Follow on Instagram: @inhererampireerapod
• Find Loren on LinkedIn: Loren Tomlinson
• Visit us at: inherempireera.com

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Good morning. Happy Monday and welcome to today's episode of In Her Empire Era Coffees and Content Edition. Today's Coffees and Content episode is going to be slightly different to what I have recently been doing, which is obviously a formula going through three different updates. And the reason for that is because this morning's update, I think, is one that can stand alone. I think this one can stand on its own two feet and needs no further introduction. So grab your morning cup of coffee if you don't have it already. Sit down, get comfy, and let's dive into today's episode of In Her Empire Era. So today's episode is a exciting update that has happened on the platform of Instagram. And I thought, like I said, this episode needs essentially its own space to be talked about. And that is because there has been a really exciting change to the algorithm, or I guess I should say to your algorithm. And that is that you can now go inside the Instagram app and actually change what you would like to see in your Instagram feed. I know it's, I think, really exciting because no longer are we going to be spammed with content that we're not interested in. And it also means that for creators, for brands, for businesses, we're going to start being able to get in front of the right people instead of our content getting in front of people that could not care less. So the way that this now works is you can go onto Instagram, jump into the settings, and type in your algorithm and actually select through some little bubbles exactly what you want your Explore page to share with you, which I personally think that is incredibly exciting. I think it is about time that we have full autonomy over what we are being served. And I also think for creators and brands, it means that we're now going to get our content in front of people that actually really want to see it, rather than it just getting in front of people because it's gone viral or because the algorithm has served it up to somebody, even if they might not necessarily want it. And more importantly still, I think this really places an emphasis on the importance of having really clear strategic content when you're posting online. I think the days of posting at random and bulk content and just for the sake of it or in the attempt to go viral, I really feel like those are far and few between these days. And now it is becoming a much more important conversation to bring value, to bring something worth people taking their time to stop and to actually read and engage with your content. And I think this is, again, a really exciting opportunity for businesses and for creators and for anybody that uses the Instagram platform. Because if you're showing up consistently and you're talking about real and really specific things too, this new algorithm change is going to completely work in your favor. Because I think in a nutshell, the way that you're going to win the most when it comes to this algorithm change is if you know how to speak to your people, the platform is going to make it really easy for them to find you. If you are talking, I had this uh conversation with my ads manager at the end of last week. We were catching up and we were talking about a lot of our clients. And she brought up a really valid point, which was that when she writes copy, anytime that she is writing a piece of copy or talking about it, she is always thinking about how she could write this to a 12-year-old. Because on average, the average human has the reading literacy level of a 12-year-old. And I think that's really important to think about when it comes to how you communicate about your business and about your brand, because we don't need to overcomplicate it. And it's actually really simple and really easy. We just need to make it so simple for people to understand. And I think that's especially important when it comes to this new algorithm change because the easier and the simpler we can get it, and the more accurate keywords we can get in our content, the easier it's going to be for Instagram to be able to serve our content up to the right people. But I think this is also part of a slightly larger conversation as well. And that it isn't just about Instagram anymore. It's about all the platforms. And I've previously talked about this with LinkedIn as well, but every platform is now starting to really move in the same direction. And that is that ultimately they are rewarding human-specific real content. And as we've seen, I've seen a lot of updates in the last week where AI and just generic AI content, especially on LinkedIn in particular, is now starting to be penalized. And I think that as someone who really loves creating authentic, real, honest content on social media, I think that is so important to recognize that content can be made by anyone, but you are the only person that is ever going to be able to create content that looks and sounds and feels like you. And so that is our role as founders in particular. We are responsible for understanding our tone, understanding the business, understanding what it is that we're trying to communicate and who we're trying to communicate to, and then being able to brief our teams in so they can continue on that tone. They can continue on that legacy that we have begun. And then also for creators and for, especially if you're a content creator or if you're an influencer or you're just a solo business owner as well, this is also a really great time to make sure that you are showing up. And we're not just asking Claude to create a whole bunch of social media posts for us, or we're not just pulling from templates and Canva. We are authentically showing up. Because the problem with content that I see these days is that it's not that AI is involved. I think the bigger issue stems from the fact that people are getting significantly more and more lazy and we are actually allowing AI to think for us. And I've talked about this in previous episodes that with the social collective, we think first, we execute with AI second. That is always the way that this company is going to be run. And I'm saying so strong on that because I think when we see changes, like algorithmic changes like this, when people get to choose what they see, if everything sounds the same, it is going to be really, really obvious on your feeds. And the people that are individualistic, they have their own individual styles, they have their own individual takes. That is the content that is going to stand out the most. Because I think at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how good your content looks, if your caption doesn't land, it didn't land. And if it's not landing, it's not converting. And if it's not converting, we're not seeing that return on our investment and on our time. And I think that is so important. The other thing that I think is really going to cut through this particular Instagram update as well is human-driven content and making sure that it is founder driven or it is team driven. And we are, as humans, getting in front of the camera, we are like making sure that we're showing up with photographs and things like that. I think it's really important to make sure that in what can potentially on people's explore pages become a sea of very same, same, same kind of content, especially when it comes to anything that's graphic design driven or any sort of template-y posts. I think the ones that are, again, really obviously human-driven, human-led, that is going to stand out. And that's why things like all of this yapping content on Instagram and talking to camera is making a comeback because people want to see faces. This is why, while there are some days when I don't feel like, like today, don't feel like putting on any inch of makeup, I'm still gonna record to my camera because I feel in a good mood. I've got my hair in a little slick back bun situation. And I'm like, you know what? This particular episode, I really want to turn into some video-based content because I think it is important for me to be having this conversation with you and being able to talk to you face to face. And I think that stuff, again, is really gonna cut through these changes that we're seeing. So I think to kind of wrap up this episode with these little updates is platforms are not punishing AI, but they are starting to punish the sameness. And I think especially with this update, with being able to decide what we want to see on our algorithms, I think it is so important that we start really leaning into what makes me me, what makes our company and our team so unique, so special, so exciting. And that might even look like showcasing your work. That's something that we're incorporating a lot more into our marketing strategy, is still having education and value, but a lot of that comes through in her empire era these days. And really leaning into also showcasing the work that you do. So showcasing the humans behind the brand, showcasing what the brand is getting up to, sharing a little bit about you and your day and your journey and what it looks like to actually make everything come to fruition in your business because people love to see that and then incorporate things like your tips, your tricks, your education information and pull them into your email database so you can continue that conversation. But I think the bigger conversation here is that algorithms are changing. AI is being punished for, well, we are being somewhat punished for utilizing AI in a very generic way. So it is time that we start really personalizing and individualizing everything that we do. And then I also think when it comes to the way that the algorithm has changed, it is going to be really obvious who doesn't think for themselves, who isn't using their time and their knowledge to come up with their own individual take on content and is just asking Claude to scrape the internet for all of the latest updates. And I think we're really going to start to see that in people's feeds. And again, if you don't know your target audience and you're not speaking to them with your content, again, it is going to be really hard for you to get in front of them. But if you're nailing that, you are going to have no problem getting in front of the right people. And so I don't know about you, but I personally am so excited for this change. Not only because my own feed is not going to be filled out with garbage that I don't want, but also I know that my team, our content, my content, our clients' content is all going to be resonating and getting in front of the right people, even if they make those algorithm changes under the your algorithm setting. So I think that's a really exciting update. But for now, go and see if you have that feature now live in your Instagram. It is obviously being rolled out to everybody, so there will inevitably be some accounts that don't yet have it. But for the most part, you should have that in your settings now. So go play around with it, change it up a little bit, and report back to me on how you're going. But that is everything for today's episode. I'm going to be back same time, same place next week or well, next week with a copies and content episode. And I'll also be back on Wednesday with our regular In Her Empire Era episode. So I will see you then. But that is all for today for our little updates episode. I hope you've enjoyed having your morning cup of coffee with me. And I will see you soon. Bye.