MASTERING THE INSTAGRAM ALGORITHM

HOW IT WORKS

INTEREST:

THE ALGORITHM PREDICTS HOW MUCH A USER WILL CARE ABOUT A POST BASED ON THEIR PAST BEHAVIOUR. IF A USER FREQUENTLY INTERACTS WITH POSTS ABOUT A SPECIFIC TOPIC (E.G. FITNESS OR FASHION), INSTAGRAM IS MORE LIKELY TO SHOW THEM SIMILAR CONTENT

RECENCY:

NEWER POSTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO APPEAR AT THE TOP OF THE FEED, IT FAVOURS FRESH CONTENT AS IT CHECKS FOR RECENT POSTS FOR USERS TO SEE THE LATEST UPDATES

RELATIONSHIP:

THE MORE FREQUENTLY YOU INTERACT WITH A USER, THE MORE INSTAGRAM WILL SHOW YOU THEIR CONTENT AND VICE VERSA.

ENGAGEMENT:

POSTS THAT RECEIVE HIGHER ENGAGEMENT ARE SEEN AS VALUABLE AND ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE BOOSTED, EACH FORM OF ENGAGEMENT SIGNALS INTEREST TO INSTAGRAM, THE FIRST HOUR AFTER POSTING IS CRUCIAL!

TIME SPENT ON POST:

THE ALGORITHM ALSO CONSIDERS HOW LONG PEOPLE SPEND VIEWING A POST; IF A POST KEEPS VIEWERS ENGAGED LONGER, IT'S MORE LIKELY TO BE SHOWN TO OTHERS. YOU CAN VIEW THIS IN TOOLS AND ANALYTICS IN YOUR ACCOUNT SETTINGS.

ACCOUNT ACTIVITY:

REGULAR ACTIVITY ON INSTAGRAM SIGNALS THAT YOUR ACCOUNT IS ACTIVE AND WORTH PROMOTING. FOR EXAMPLE: POSTING, LIKING, COMMENTING, REPLYING TO DM'S ETC.

CONTENT TYPE:

INSTAGRAM FAVOURS THOSE THAT MIX UP THEIR CONTENT WITH A VARIETY OF POSTS; INCLUDING PHOTOS, VIDEOS, REELS AND STORIES. THIS VARIETY KEEPS YOUR PROFILE DYNAMIC AND ENGAGING.

HOW TO BEAT IT

POST CONSISTENTLY:

POSTING REGULARLY (AT LEAST 3-5 TIMES A WEEK) HELPS KEEP YOUR CONTENT IN THE ALGORITHM'S ROTATION, POST WHEN YOUR AUDIENCE IS MOST ACTIVE, USE INSIGHTS TO IDENTIFY PEAK ACTIVITY AND SCHEDULE POSTS ACCORDINGLY.

FOCUS ON QUALITY CONTENT:

INSTAGRAM IS A VISUAL PLATFORM, SO HIGH QUALITY IMAGES AND VIDEOS ARE CRUCIAL. SHARP, WELL-LIT AND VISUALLY APPEALING CONTENT IS MORE LIKELY TO PERFORM WELL.

LEVERAGE INSTA STORIES:

POST DAILY STORIES TO KEEP YOUR PROFILE ACTIVE AND TOP-OF-MIND,. FREQUENT UPDATES ENCOURAGE FOLLOWERS TO SEE AND ENGAGE WITH YOUR CONTENT REGULARLY. USE POLLS, QUIZZES, QUESTION TABS AND SWIPE-UP LINKS TO ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE DIRECTLY.

ENGAGE WITH YOUR AUDIENCE:

REPLY TO COMMENTS AND DM'S AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, PROMPT RESPONSES ENCOURAGE MORE INTERACTION AND SIGNAL TO THE ALGORITHM THAT YOUR ACCOUNT IS ACTIVE AND ENGAGING.

ENCOURAGE SAVES AND SHARES:

MAKE SAVEABLE OR SHAREABLE CONTENT AS THIS CAN MASSIVELY INCREASE YOUR PRESENCE ON INSTAGRAM DUE TO YOUR CONTENT BEING SO VALUABLE AND RELATABLE THAT PEOPLE WANT TO KEEP IT FOR LATER.

EXPERIMENT WITH REELS:

INSTAGRAM IS CURRENTLY TRYING TO LEVEL WITH TIKTOK SO REELS ARE A GREAT WAY TO PUSH YOUR ACCOUNT; PEOPLE USING THEM NOW ARE NOTICING LARGER AMOUNTS OF ENGAGEMENT JUST THROUGH REELS ALONE.

USE RELEVANT HASHTAGS:

USE A MIX OF POPULAR, NICHE AND BRANDED HASHTAGS TO INCREASE THE DISCOVERABILITY OF YOUR POSTS. HASHTAGS HELP THE ALGORITHM CATEGORISE YOUR CONTENT AND DISTRIBUTE TO USERS WITH THOSE INTERESTS

MONITOR AND ADJUST STRATEGY:

REGULARLY CHECK YOUR INSIGHTS TO MONITOR WHAT CONTENT IS PERFORMING BEST; EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT TIMES OF DAY AND TYPES OF CONTENT TO SEE WHAT RESONATES MOST WITH YOUR AUDIENCE, ADJUST YOUR STRATEGY ON WHAT DRIVES BEST RESULTS.

AVOID PENALTIES:

DO NOT USE BOTS, BUY FOLLOWERS OR ENGAGE IN GAIN GROUPS (FOLLOWING LOTS OF PEOPLE FOR THEM TO FOLLOW YOU THEN YOU UNFOLLOWING THEM); THESE CAN LEAD TO SHADOW-BANNING WHERE YOUR CONTENT IS SO SUPPRESSED THAT THE ACCOUNT IS UNSEARCHABLE. ENSURE YOUR CONTENT ADHERES TO THE INSTAGRAM GUIDELINES AS THIS CAN CAUSE YOUR ACCOUNT TO BE REMOVED.

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