The Instagram algorithm has created trouble for all its users. Those of us who have used Instagram and has followed the process of this popular social media thoroughly will know that there has been a significant drop in the impression rate, number of followers and general engagement.
Things became tougher with 2019. Owing to the new algorithm only 10 percent of your followers can see the posts you make. But then I got thinking- why would Instagram ruin the user experience like this? Why would the app hack its own growth rate?
The answer to these pertinent questions was revealed to me after I did my own research.
The algorithm change and all the other changes that Instagram has brought in was done with the sole motive to monetize. But that is an obvious thing but how does changing the total algorithm help with that?
The algorithm of Instagram ensures that users keep their followers hooked and engaged for as long as possible. Thus by changing the algorithm, Instagram is not only making some good profit but is also improving the quality of the posts being made on this social media.
Now that brings us to the next part of the discussion, how do we make sure that our followers are engaged to the content that we share?
There are a few ways to go about it:
- Post interesting photos and videos
- Post stories
- Go on with Instagram live
- Be active on IGTV
- Reply to messages
- Reply to comments
If you are already doing these things it’s really great, but for these to be effective, you need to do it quite often.
Here is a fact: The more time you spend on Instagram keeping your followers hooked, the more favour will Instagram bestow upon you.
This means that you have to do most of the points mentioned above almost every day. Make posts daily, reply to comments and direct messages as soon as possible, go live for at least two minutes and do all the things that will attract engagement rate.
If you do not do these things often, then your growth rate will stop and you will continue to be oppressed by the algorithm change of 2019.
With the new algorithm of Instagram understood, and the expectations from the users made clear, let’s move into a few tried and tested tactics which you can use to grow your Instagram.
Try to post, engage and comment back within the first 60 minutes to get more engagement.
Once you do this, you will get something more than just appreciation from your users. Instagram will boost your post and show it to more followers.
Do not edit the posts, location, tags for a given post for 24 hours:
I am not sure how, but doing this will significantly lower reduce your chances of being seen.
Try to avoid deleting a post and reposting it:
This goes hand in hand with the same reason mentioned above.
Although you can use up to 30 hashtags in a post, it is now being considered as spam:
If Instagram thinks that you are spamming then obviously it will keep the reach of your posts low. The sweet spot for hashtags has been discussed for some time now. There are mixed reviews about it clearly. While some people have not made luck with all 30 hashtags, some say that they have made luck with just 5! It is okay to say that there is no hard and fast rule about it so test it out yourself to check which works best for you.
Don’t use the same hashtags again and again:
You need to change your hashtags with each post, otherwise, your post will seem like one made by a bot, which again means spam and that leads to lower reach. Try adding emojis as your Instagram captions or hashtags. Yes, the emoji marketing has so revolved that emojis can be used as hashtags as well.
Where do I put my hashtags? In the comments? In the post?
Honestly speaking, this really does not matter. There have been times when posting hashtags in both the places have worked out great, while in other cases the reach and response rate had been awful. Thus, it is advisable to try this thing out yourself to see which works better. Though posting hashtags in the comments look like spam, you can try it once to see how it comes out
Buying Instagram Likes:
This works good and draws a lot of attention to a post. Naturally, when people see one hundred or three hundred likes on a post, they are drawn towards it. This increases the reach of your post and of course the engagement rates. Though people misunderstand buying Instagram likes, think of it as an investment to bring in real, organic likes and engagement.
Post Less To Gain More Followers:
Yes, this does seem like a very risky option. However, many people have reaped the benefit of this. When they have posted less, the reach of their overall post has been quite high. This is because the post gets enough time to circulate. Due to the change of algorithm, our feeds are no more in chronological order. In fact, it is distributed as per what Instagram thinks we like. So even if your post does not show up on most of your follower’s feed, to begin with, it will be circulated to the later on.
So use these tips to win the Instagram algorithm game! All the best!