How an egg photo got 54M+ likes

And how your brand can too

Fun fact: the most-liked Instagram post is a picture. Not of a celebrity, or a politician, or even solid bars of gold. It’s an egg.

A freaking chickens’ egg.

That anonymous chicken is probably the most famous parent ever, but she’s not the subject of this story. The egg, on the other hand, starting out from nothing in January 2019, has, as of this writing, 54,688,843 likes (not to mention 6.1M followers).

First, a little preamble.

Instagram is the new it in social media marketing. It has shown a high engagement rate over the years, and as such, it is popular among advertisers wanting to get into the minds of young Internet users. People and businesses alike are cashing in on the platform, with micro and nano-influencers multiplying.

But, for an aspiring influencer, or a brand new in the space, it is notoriously difficult to rack up the likes. At best, one spends a fortune on content promotion, without appreciable gains. At worst, one becomes embroiled in the fake follower scandals, which reduce brand trust. Becoming popular on social media is like pushing a boulder up a hill.

However, it’s not impossible, as the “@world_record_egg” account proved to the world. Its inaugural pic, a photo of a quite ordinary chicken’s egg, is the most successful pic in Instagram history, with 54,653,487 as of this writing. In fact, the egg photo surpassed the initial goal — to beat Kylie Jenner’s most-liked photo, with 18M+ likes — three times over.

In this article, I break down the success of the egg, and how you can hatch (get it?) a successful brand on Instagram.

1. Keep it simple — and meaningful

Take a look at the caption to the egg photo. Could anything be more concise?

Most advertising departments are used to writing complex, hazy marketing copy, and for the most part, it works. But not on Instagram. On Instagram, you have millions of eyes, but few are actually seeing anything. Those that are are your troops, whose likes and shares draw others in. Don’t piss them off with sloppy content.

Keep the description short and simple. “I want to beat Kylie’s record — help me!”, is what the egg told the world. “OK, sure I’ll help” was the reply. Lo! Millions of likes and follows.

It also helps if you have a clearly stated goal for the post. Make it something that your audience can relate with, something that wouldn’t be awkward to share with their inner circle. This is precisely what Eugene the Egg did.

2. Get help from more established brands

Generally, Instagram is a scary place. No matter how great your content is, you’ll never be seen without some help. The egg partnered with popular mental health brands, and everyone got the joke when the egg “cracked” from the pressure of social media.

Your brand is no different. Connect with other influencers, brands with similar qualities, and fan bases. Promote each other’s content. They get access to your audience, and you get access to theirs.

This is arguably the first step in building an IG following; get connected to others.

3. Engagements, not followers

While Instagram’s follower count is a very convenient metric, advertisers are looking for more than just millions of (probably fake) followers. They want engagements, which is a fancy term for likes, comments, and shares. The more engagements you have, the more interested fans are in your content. This is why account holders run contests, make requests, and other attention-seeking shenanigans.

Your brand needs comments, most of all. In the beginning, you aren’t sure what your audience wants exactly, and comments help you find out. You can then fine-tune your posts to their desires, encouraging them to share and like your content. This is what you want to happen.

4. Twitter is still a thing

One mistake newbies make is opening just an Instagram account. You need to promote your brand on other platforms, like Facebook for visual brands, Twitter, Twitch, TikTok, anything that works for you. The more the better.

First, this allows you to reach potential fans who are not on Instagram. While you may think everyone is, many people aren’t (myself included).

Second, it boosts engagements. Instagram is more photo-focused than other social media platforms, so it’s encouraged to engage with fans on other platforms, like Twitter. Granted, not many teens use Twitter. But buying decisions (well, mostly) rest in adult hands, and they are on Twitter. If you want people to comment, or share, or like, promote it on Twitter.

Be like Trump.

5. A few dollars can’t hurt

For only a few dollars, Instagram, Facebook, as well as all other relevant social media platforms allow you to boost your posts, displaying them to thousands of potential fans. It costs almost nothing to do so, and the potential gains are enormous.

Do the same on every other possible platform. If you really want to do this whole influencer thing, you should be willing to spend a few bucks.

This is it. We’ve cracked open the egg, and tasted the gooey yoke (yuck). I seriously hope you learned a thing or two about Instagram.

Now, time to take my own advice.

Follow me on Twitter, @randombernie. I’m trying to make a world-record omelette!

(winks).

I write about social media, startups, society, and interesting things in general. Take a look: