Help, My Instagram Engagement Is Down: Dear Devlin

Dear Chris from Cheshire,

Let me start by saying this: you are absolutely not alone in feeling worried about wedding photography Instagram reach right now. I hear this same thing from so many photographers, especially those who have been consistent for years. The truth is, it’s not just you. The platform has changed and continues to evolve. But that might not be as bad as it feels.

First, let’s be honest. Who do most of the likes and comments come from? Is it other people in the wedding industry? Fellow photographers, planners, and makeup artists? I hate to break it to you, but while it’s lovely to feel supported by peers, those people are not going to book you.

The people who will put money in your bank: couples planning weddings are using Instagram in a totally different way. They aren’t sitting around waiting for your next post to pop up in their feed. They’re using the platform like a search engine. They might find you weeks after you post something because the algorithm has decided to serve it to them based on their interests or recent activity.

Understanding Wedding Photography Instagram Reach Today

So what’s the takeaway here? That likes and comments are nowhere near as important as you might think. What you should really be focusing on are shares and saves.

• Shares often mean people are sending your post to their partner, to a wedding group chat, or to someone helping them plan.
• Saves? These are gold. This is when someone bookmarks your post for later – maybe to show their partner, maybe because they’re not ready to enquire yet, or maybe because they’re building their dream day in a folder (like a mini Pinterest).

Instagram gives you insights on every post. Dig into those instead of worrying about vanity metrics like, like counts. That’s where the strategy comes in.