How publishers are bridging their Instagram and Facebook audiences

Since Facebook changed its algorithm earlier this year to prioritize users’ content over brands’ and publishers’ content, some media companies have found a way to boost their Facebook audience, using, of all things, Facebook-owned Instagram. Some are using Facebook to grow their Instagram audience, and others see an opportunity to use Instagram to fortify their Facebook audience. On June 1, digital media company First Media began cross-posting two of its publications’ Instagram Stories to Facebook Stories. First Media was able to increase the Instagram followers for its So Yummy and Blusher accounts when Facebook viewers tapped on the cross-posted Stories to view the publications’ Instagram profiles. Within 10 days, So Yummy was increasing its Instagram followers by 34 percent to 6,358 new followers a day from what it was adding previously, said Yuval Rechter, First Media’s head of digital. On the same basis, Blusher saw its average daily additions increase by 284 percent to 2,301