How the New York Public Library Brought Novels to Instagram With Unexpectedly Huge Results

Insta Novels, a Cannes Lions favorite, grew followers 75%

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The idea makes practically no sense at all. Full works of long-form literary fiction uploaded to … Instagram? And specifically to Instagram Stories, a format known for its fast and fleeting posts about nights on the town and outfits of the day?

But the New York Public Library pulled it off, thanks to the creativity, persistence and problem-solving of agency Mother New York. The “Insta Novels” project they created together quickly proved to be a publicity coup for the library, which became the subject of international media attention—and saw its Instagram follower base grow by 155,000, or roughly 75%.

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