Editor's note: Following the publication of this article, Instagram head Adam Mosseri told Verge that the platform would phase out testing full-screen photos and videos, and reduce the number of recommended posts in the app in response to user backlash. He said these decisions were not permanent.

It’s clear that a lot of everyday Instagram users—and the Kardashians—aren't pleased with the platform trying to copy TikTok, especially after reading the comments under Instagram’s Adam Mosseri’s Twitter post. But advertisers are much more eager for the video elements Instagram has been leaning into that give it a more TikTok-feel. 

TikTok has proved that short video content is popular, so other platforms like Instagram and YouTube have copied this trend, pushing Reels and Shorts, respectively, and making home feeds more video-focused. But even though videos may not be why Instagram’s users joined the platform—and despite the complaints that have risen in recent days—it seems video is here to stay.

“Currently, none of our campaigns are photo-only,” said Mae Karwowski, founder and CEO of Obviously, an influencer agency. “Video is just so much more compelling for ads and driving action.” Ryan Detert, CEO of Influential, said he is seeing a similar trend, with 80% of the company’s Fortune 1000 campaigns being video-first. 

For beauty brand Youthforia, video-first has been a welcome shift.

“I love video. Makeup is so visual, and video is a great way to quickly communicate value,” said Fiona Chan, CEO of Youthforia. “Prior to this, you saw a split of static photos with some information in the caption, or you could go on YouTube to watch a 10-minute video of the same. With Instagram going to short-form video, you can get all that info in eight seconds or less.”

But Instagram's move to video-first may not necessarily staunch the flow of users and ad dollars to TikTok, which has increasingly been gaining users' attention. In 2019, U.S. social media users spent 26 minutes per day on Instagram, compared to 27 minutes on TikTok, according to an April report by Insider Intelligence. In 2020, Instagram went up to 29 minutes, while TikTok jumped to 38 minutes. Since then, Instagram has hovered at 30 minutes per day, while TikTok takes up on average nearly 45 minutes of a user's time per day.

“We are definitely seeing budgets move from Instagram to TikTok,” said Danielle Wiley, CEO of Sway Group, an influencer and advertising agency. “However, it's not because of the changes that Instagram is making. Budget is moving from Instagram to TikTok because the audience is making that move themselves. We were seeing a budget shift before Instagram made any of these changes.”

Not for everyone

Video-first doesn’t necessarily work for every creator. Wiley says that it can be harder for brands to work with creators who are part of the Reels Bonus program because it makes it difficult for creators to apply the branded content tool. According to Influential’s Detert, static content creators aren't pleased because they need to convert everything to video to keep up with the algorithm, which takes more time and effort. 

The same is true for brands that prefer static images. “We see that advertisers like variety,” said Wiley. “They would like to see equity within the algorithm so that they can use whichever type of content makes the most sense and not be pigeon-holed into one versus the other. For example, we have a client who loves to repurpose our influencer's static images for their website and collateral. Reels don't lend themselves to this flexibility of usage.”

“As an advertiser, it's a tough question,” Youthforia's Chan said. “I think about the content quality. I want our customers to get what they need out of the content. If they aren't engaging, the data tells us that. Our strategy is to go where the trends are going, and that has served us pretty well.”

On Twitter, Andrew Rosen, founder of market analysis firm Parqor, expressed annoyance at the full-screen user interface Instagram is testing. 

Other users questioned if consumers wanted to see Reels on Instagram at all.

For now, it sounds like regular Instagram users (and the Kardashians) will have to deal with the changes. “This is all about video,” said Obviously’s Karwowski. “[Adam Mosseri] just said the quiet part out loud, and users will need to get on board.”