The perfect Instagram post requires a lot of things: a good and unusual photo or video, the perfect description and suitable. But there is a catch – if you want your post to reach your audience, you have to conquer the powerful Instagram algorithm, which is also constantly changing.
It is therefore important to understand what the algorithm considers important in order to develop the perfect marketing strategy for Instagram. In this article, we will show you which factors are important for a good ranking on the platform so that your sophisticated content is also seen on the platform.
What is the Instagram algorithm?
The Instagram algorithm is a set of instructions on how and when to display certain content for individual users. The algorithm takes into account hundreds of factors such as user history, location, profile, device, trends, relevance, popularity, russia email list and more. Since the algorithm is constantly changing, you must always adapt your strategies.
How does the Instagram algorithm work?
The Instagram algorithm dictates the order of posts users see as they scroll through their feed.
Based on certain signals, what is a hyperlocal marketing strategy? it prioritizes the best posts by bringing the most relevant content to the top and giving it the most visibility, while placing other content further down.
Even though the algorithm has not yet been finally defined, the following three ranking factors can serve as the basis for your Instagram strategy:
- Relationship with users. If certain users have interacted with a lot of your previous content, they are more likely to see your future content. That’s why consistent, recurring engagement with your posts is so important for building a loyal audience.
- Interests expressed by users. This signal is based on whether users interact with similar feed posts and accounts while browsing Instagram. Users who engage with similar content are more likely to see your own posts.
- Relevance of the post. When you publish a post on the platform, the algorithm gives it a relevance score. This score, china phone numbers in turn, affects who sees the post in their feed.
There are also other, more general considerations to keep in mind:
- When users follow many accounts, you automatically have more competition for the top spot in their feed.
- It could also be that users don’t spend much time on social media or don’t open the app that often.
- If the content posted does not comply with Instagram’s community guidelines , the platform will remove the posts. If this happens repeatedly, the user’s account will be blocked.
- When users post something that is marked as misinformation, Instagram labels the post accordingly and reduces its reach in feeds and stories. If users post misinformation multiple times, the platform can make the content of these profiles much harder to find. This is often referred to as “shadowbanning.”
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Instagram feed and stories
Most of what you see in your feed and stories are the most recent posts from the people you follow. In addition, the algorithm adjusts the order in which you see these posts and stories in the feed. Here are the most important signals that are taken into account:
- Basic information about the post or story .
- Data about the account that created the post. For example, how many people have interacted with this account in the last few weeks (in other words, how popular this account is).
- Your activity. The algorithm remembers how many posts you have liked, shared and saved and uses this information to assess which posts might be of interest to you.
- Your interaction history with the respective account. This measures how often you stay on the corresponding posts, comment on them, like them, save them or visit the profile page of the account.
Instagram takes all this data and then uses predictions to decide what type of content to show in users’ feeds.
- Following: Displays posts from accounts you’ve followed in chronological order in your feed.
- Favorites: Shows posts from accounts you interact with most at the top of your main feed. You can also view them in chronological order.
The algorithm will continue to personalize your main feed based on the signals described above.
Instagram Explore
It uses the same signals as in the feed and stories, but it uses them to curate and rank engaging content for individual users. The user actions that the Explore algorithm pays the most attention to are likes, saves, and shares.
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For example, if someone is a big fan of the Avengers movies, Instagram can find other popular superhero content to display on the user’s Explore page.
To appear on users’ Explore pages, use strategic hashtags and jump on current trends. Use current topics or news to rank your posts higher on users’ Explore pages and increase your exposure.
Instagram Reels
Like Explore, users typically see Reels from accounts they don’t follow. Instagram uses the same signals as Explore, but focuses on what entertains users. One of the most important points is predicting whether users will watch a video to the end.
To increase the visibility of your Reels, you should first share them on your feed and tag them with hashtags and a location. You can also try to engage with Reels that appeal to your target audience.