Instagram recently announced that it will be switching its photo stream over to an algorithm based model to reduce over posting by businesses and spam posters.  The move is similar to what parent company Facebook did on its platform several years ago.  Brands that over-post, and spam the platform, will get downgraded right out of the photo stream. The algorithm model will force publishers to post less and ensure what gets posted is of higher quality.

“Instagram’s new algorithm feed puts an emphasis on quality of content, not quantity of content,” said Kyle Wong, CEO of visual marketing platform Pixlee. “Brands will have to prioritize strategies that maximize their relevance and engagement rates rather than pure following and reach.”

Valentino posted more than any other index brand per week to Instagram, sending out almost 40 updates weekly to its 6.3 million followers. Between October 2014 and October 2015, Valentino also saw the most total engagements, about 60,000, or 10 percent of its followers.  For luxury brands like Valentino, the algorithm will likely reduce the free impressions or posts it makes in its users’ feeds and may have to be substituted with paid advertising to get those impressions back in front of its followers again.

Instagram told ad agencies that, at first, all posts will be be shown to all followers, just out of order and optimized for relevancy.  However, that may be code for retail brands having to pay for for impressions (advertising) to it Instagram following in the future.

In an email sent to ad agencies last week, Instagram wrote,“The goal is to help people see more of the moments they care about first, including posts from businesses. We believe making this change will increase time spent and posts viewed on Instagram, which benefits everyone who utilizes the platform.