The Elusive Instagram Algorithm – Solved!
It’s an everyday challenge for individuals and marketers – getting their posts on social media channels noticed.
But how can you achieve social media success and celebrity?
Each platform has its own methods for finding content that will be relevant to specific audiences, and they tend to change on a regular basis.
These changes aren’t designed to drive you crazy, they’re a reflection on factors that include frequency of searches for specific words, current trends, and audience demand. (This is by no means a complete list, algorithms are deeply complex and rely on thousands of data points.)
In October 2021, Instagram was the fourth most used social channel with more than one hundred million active users. Facebook grabbed the number one spot and was closely followed by YouTube and What’s App.
Obviously there’s a great deal of potential with Instagram, but there is also an unbelievable amount of competition.
The Algorithm Riddle
Rankings for Instagram posts include:
- Information about the post: Is it a photo or video?
- Information about the poster: Are they a friend? Do they post often?
- User activity: How many times does a user view videos and what are they about?
- User engagement: Has a user engaged with your account before? How often?
But wait, there’s more!
Other factors that the Instagram algorithm takes into effect include time spent on a post, and how many likes it receives. Comments and saves are two other metrics, along with taps on your profile.
Grab Your Hacking Hat
Now that we’ve established the basis for the algorithm, it’s time to figure out how to have them play in your favor. They’re easier than you think.
Be sure to include these data points on your posts:
- Call to action
- Ask simple questions in your post
- Use relevant hashtags and keywords
- Consider adding alt text to your posts (this is an option in the advanced settings)
- Publishing at the right time
- Use Instagram story stickers
Creating Content
Of course, content is king in the social media world, and you need to spend time on deciding what to post and its quality.
Start with creating a calendar that lines up with your other marketing events. You may be running a special in your online store. If you write a blog, make it more interesting by posting links to photos and videos that link to your Instagram account.
The actual pictures and videos you post don’t have to be Hollywood caliber, but you want to make sure they look good. Mobile devices have come a long way in quality, and there are loads of apps that enable you to change lighting, clarity, patterns, and other effects that enhance and result in quality results.
Of course, there may be times when a spontaneous post carries more impact – users like to see what’s happening right now. Mix it up so there’s a balance between what you’ve planned ahead, and post that’s reflecting an in the moment event.
Work with Pink Dog Digital
Using Instagram to promote your business and brands requires time and planning, two resources that you have in short supply as you focus the other parts of your endeavors.
Our team at Pink Dog are black belts when it comes to social media, and they can partner with you to take full advantage of Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and a host of other channels.
Call us at (410) 696-3305 to see how we can take your social media presence to the next level.