Sam Graviet, the creative director of brand partnerships at Doing Things, a prominent media company known for running a variety of popular meme accounts on Instagram, has revealed the company's strategic pivot towards creating more shareable content. This shift is driven by Meta's recent emphasis on "shares" as a key metric for content ranking on Instagram. Shares occur when users send posts to their friends via direct messages (DMs) or stories, and they have become increasingly critical for boosting content visibility on the platform. According to Graviet, the Instagram algorithm favors content that users forward to their friends, making shares a potent signal of engagement. Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, underscored this in a 2024 post, advising creators to focus on making content that people want to share. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's CEO, also highlighted the importance of messaging, stating that the real social interaction now happens in private chats rather than the feed. To capitalize on this trend, Doing Things aims to create content that resonates with a broad audience and evokes strong emotional reactions. This approach involves using relatable prompts such as "What's your biggest pet peeve?" or "What's the thing about your family that annoys you the most?" These prompts help to identify common experiences that many people can relate to, thereby increasing the likelihood that viewers will share the content with their friends and family. One successful example is a meme video poking fun at dads being obsessed with lawn care, which taps into a widely recognized stereotype. Workplace humor is another popular theme, particularly on accounts like Middle Class Fancy. The company also strategically places the most shareable moment within the first few seconds of a video to act as a hook, drawing viewers in and encouraging them to pass it along. Graviet emphasized that Instagram's growing focus on sharing has made it a crucial part of the company's content creation process. Being an Instagram-first media company in 2025 means prioritizing shareability. "It is kind of always on your mind," he said. Doing Things, which raised a $21.5 million Series A round in 2022, boasts tens of millions of followers across its over 40 different accounts, ranging from city-specific feeds like Overheard New York to animal-centric accounts like Doggos Doing Things. This strong following positions them well to implement and refine their share-focused strategy. The importance of shares extends beyond just visibility; it can also significantly impact a creator's reach and influence. By focusing on content that is easily sharable, Doing Things and similar media companies aim to penetrate private messaging spaces, where users often engage more deeply and frequently. This shift aligns with Instagram's broader strategy to enhance its messaging capabilities, including over 20 new updates to DMs between March 2024 and 2025. Industry insiders commend Doing Things for its proactive approach to adapting to platform changes. Their focus on emotional resonance and relatability is seen as a smart move, given the platform's evolving dynamics. Companies like Doing Things, which have a diverse portfolio of accounts and a strong understanding of their audience, are likely to thrive in this new environment where sharing is king. This shift also reflects a broader trend in social media, where platforms are increasingly prioritizing private interactions to foster more meaningful connections and increase user engagement.