Instagram's data dive: Why frame-level insights can be a game changer for creators and brands
While carousel posts already offered greater reach than single image uploads, with Instagram’s strategy of resurfacing unengaged frames, this new feature introduces a more precise feedback mechanism. And with it, a new set of opportunities and challenges.
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In a platform long dominated by short form video content (SFVC), Instagram’s latest experiment with frame level analytics for carousel posts marks a significant shift. The feature, currently in testing, breaks down like counts by individual frames within a carousel, providing creators and brands with granular insights into what exactly resonates with their audience.
While carousel posts already offered greater reach than single image uploads, with Instagram’s strategy of resurfacing unengaged frames, this new feature introduces a more precise feedback mechanism. And with it, a new set of opportunities and challenges.
“Creators can now highlight specific high performing frames,” says Shudeep Majumdar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Co-Founder, Zefmo. “That makes data driven analytics easier for brands and agencies, strengthening brand trust in influencers. From a pitching and reporting perspective, it’s excellent.”
By isolating frame level engagement, creators can tailor their pitches more effectively, focusing on what worked rather than relying on generalized metrics. But this sharper lens may also reshape how compensation models evolve.
“Brands might start compensating based on high impact frames only,” Majumdar adds. “It could lead to a pay per performance model similar to how digital ads are priced. That means more negotiation power for creators, but also more micromanagement from brands.”
“The best creators will command more. Brands will invest with purpose. It’s no longer about the whole, it’s about the parts that move people,” says Bhushan Kadam, Creative Director Art at White Rivers Media. “This shifts negotiation from vague averages to clear value.”
From Flat Fees to Frame Fees?
Some believe this level of insight could redefine how carousels are valued. “Eventually, it will evolve into something like old school YouTube CPM rates per geography, per watch time,” says Anirudh Sridharan, Co Founder and Head of Product at HashFame. “Not all frames are equal. The smart brands will start slicing budgets per content unit, not per post. A carousel becomes a storyboard, more like a funnel.”
Sreeram Reddy Vanga, CEO and Co Founder at Kofluence, agrees that while it’s early days, such metrics are already feeding into hybrid payment models. “We’re increasingly seeing base flat fees with performance incentives,” he notes. “Frame level insights will likely add value to existing models rather than replace them.”
“We expect to see performance based compensation models starting to include these metrics as ancillary data points and not just primary payment drivers,” Vanga adds. “These metrics will add value, but not define deals entirely.”
The Double Edged Sword of Data
Yet more data does not always mean more clarity. “There’s a risk of data overload,” warns Majumdar. “We don’t currently have robust tools that help interpret this kind of frame level performance. And creators might prioritize attention grabbing visuals over authentic storytelling, what we call algorithmic gaming.”
That tension between optimization and authenticity is particularly relevant in vernacular markets. “Indian consumers may prefer cultural relevance over polished, templated frames,” Vanga notes. “If every frame is over optimized, you risk alienating your audience and losing that genuine connection.”
“Expect to see thoughtful frame optimization emerge from elite creators and in verticals like finance, wellbeing, and education,” he adds. “But it will not necessarily serve as a primary strategy across the board.”
Gaming the System or Building With Intent?
Still, many see creative sequencing as a natural evolution of platform savvy design. “Do I expect creators to start optimizing frame sequences to game engagement, like YouTube thumbnails? Yes. And they should,” says Kadam. “Attention is earned, not assumed. Smart creators will build with intent. Flow is everything.”
According to Kadam, this kind of clarity brings with it a new kind of accountability. “With data revealing what holds a viewer and what loses them, arranging the strongest visuals or messages at key points becomes a common strategy,” he says. “The platform’s algorithm may eventually factor in this granular engagement. The algorithm may reward it, but the audience demands it.”
Instagram’s frame wise analytics signal not just a technical upgrade but a shift in the nature of storytelling, compensation, and collaboration on the platform. As Majumdar puts it, “This has the potential to revolutionize how creators work with brands. Over time, we will see more precise and collaborative campaigns.”
