Instagram just shifted the goalposts… again. 📱
If you've noticed your reach plummet lately, it’s not you. The platform’s priorities have changed.
Here’s the quick breakdown of the stuff that matters for us nail techs:
What Instagram cares about now
  • Engagement ratio > likes. Old IG needed likes to grow. New IG wants ratios — how many people interact compared to how many people saw it.
  • Comments are losing power. In 2026, they’ll matter way less. DM shares, saves, and replays are the new heavyweights. Private shares, especially, they’re worth 12x more than other interactions.
  • Hooks matter. Those first 0.8–2.1 seconds? That’s your hook strength score. If people pause, you win.
  • Share ratio% (how often people send your post).
  • Save-to-view ratio (especially important for carousels).
  • Completion rate (whether people swipe through your first 1–3 slides).
I'd recommend shifting the bulk of your posts to carousels.
Instagram is clearly favouring them again. So give the platform what it wants.
For nail techs, this is actually easy mode. We already take multiple pics of the same set from different angles - that’s an easy carousel 💛
What to post
Think savable, educational, “oh I need to come back to this” content your clients will keep.
Examples:
  • 5 ways to make your gel last longer
  • 3 habits secretly ruining your cuticles
  • What to do the week after your appointment
  • Signs your nails need a different base product
You’re not just showing work, you’re also creating tiny cheat sheets people want to save.
The more they save and DM-share… the more IG pushes you. 🫶
I’d love to use The Nail Tech Corner IG account to help lift up your posts too 🫶The only hiccup is that Instagram mostly shows me the accounts I interact with the most, so sometimes I simply don’t see your posts in the feed.
If you want me to catch them:
Just tag @thenailtechcorner when you post. It sends me a little notification so I can come over, leave some love, and help move your post along x
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7 comments
Nicky MacLean
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Instagram just shifted the goalposts… again. 📱
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