In 2018, iHeartRadio set out to differentiate themselves from their competitors when it came to Instagram strategy. By implementing a grid focused strategy, iHeartRadio wanted to increase their engagement, their following, and their visibility among musicians in the industry.
The idea to rebrand the iHeartRadio Instagram page stemmed from the desire to create a visual look for the brand that was unique from other competitor accounts. Music and pop culture brands have a tendency to post the same types of content and have very similar looking feeds. In order to break from that mold, iHeartRadio began focusing on posting content that would display best as a row on Instagram. This created what iHeartRadio calls an "edition," and each photo or video in the row of 3 needs to match or revolve around the same artist and/or theme. Whether it's a row of similar photos of an artist, a row of engaging graphics, a row of performance photos from an iHeartRadio event, or a row featuring an active iHeartRadio marketing campaign, they have formulated a new method for their digital strategy that has proven to work.
This has challenged iHeartRadio to find and create content that makes the Instagram feed match. Each edition is focused on the content posted in the middle, or in other words, the second video and/or photo that is posted. This means the highlight of the edition is in the middle of the feed. On each side is supporting content that adds to the content in the center.
Many musicians have responded to the new Instagram strategy, saying that they are excited to be featured in an edition and are inspired to do ones themselves. Tour photographers working with some of the biggest names in music have sent iHeartRadio exclusive photos that hadn't been seen before in order for iHeartRadio to create an edition.
The results have been proven to work for iHeartRadio. When compared to a period six months before rebranding, iHeartRadio saw a 35% increase in interactions and a 25% increase in followers after rebranding to the grid strategy. The strategy and the appeal to celebrity photographers has also given iHeartRadio exclusive access to photos that their competitors don't have.
