When visual analytics platform Curalate set out to quantify the impact that different image qualities have on Instagram, it discovered that photos with blue as the main color got the most likes. Reds and oranges on the other hand tended to receive 24 percent less likes than blue-tinted shots.
Curalate’s study, which tracked 30 features across more than 8 million photos, found that Instagram followers also appeared to prefer it when a single color’s hue dominance surpasses 40 percent in a shot.
However, low saturation (0-15 percent) photos received 18 percent more likes than more vibrant shots with 20-40 percent saturation. Lighter images brought in 24 percent more likes than darker images.
Curalate also noticed that having a high proportion (90 percent or more) of background space in a shot attracted 29 percent more likes than those without. Meanwhile, posts with a lot of texture received 78 percent more likes than untextured snaps.
While I’m sure some of us everyday users are tempted to start optimizing our Instagram feeds, Curalate’s findings are really intended for business users.
Now that Instagram has started placing ads in your stream, you can expect brands to work even harder for the likes. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing a lot of low-saturated textured shots with a sweeping blue background on your feed.
Related: Instagram’s first ad generated 370% more ‘likes’ for Michael Kors, says Nitrogram
Image credit: WDG Photo / Shutterstock
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