How To Get More Impressions For Your Instagram Posts (And Beat The New Instagram Algorithm)

You might have heard the rumors: only 10% of your Instagram audience actually sees your posts in their feeds. Some say this is due to reach caps, while others swear that you can push the number up with Instagram hacks.

 

 

Whatever the case may be, in this article we are going to clear the air of all the myths and give you a clear look at how Instagram feed algorithm actually works.

 

Use this article level up your Instagram marketing knowledge so that you can provide better result to your or client’s brand-

 

Now, here’s how the Instagram algorithm works :

 

One thing you must know at the beginning of everything –Instagram has never announced how its algorithm works.

 

However, Instagram gave some hints Twitter, even invited journalists into its San Francisco office for a brief explanation how Instagram chooses content to list first.

 

 

In this embedded Twitter post above, Instagram clearly told the public that it doesn’t cap reach at 7%. Your reach depends on a few different factors-like how often you post, the timelines of your posts, how many people your audience members follow, etc.

 

Instagram also told this group that the algorithm puts more emphasis on the following three factors over everything else.

 

Recency:  Simply put, this is how recently you published a post. Recent posts always get top priority, but one thing you must know that the algorithm is not chronological.

 

Interest: Instagram predicts what type of content users like based on past activity. If you like cat pictures, you will see a lot of cat picture posts in your feed.

 

Relationship: posts with people you often interact with will frequently show higher in your feed. Interactions that includes likes, comments on past posts play a crucial role.

 

So now you might have realized that Instagram’s algorithm works by taking the timelines of your posts and combining that with your audience’s relation to you and their interests. So, the more people like your past content, the more likely they will be able to see your posts first in their feed.

 

Now, it’s time to know how to make Instagram’s algorithm work for you-

 

Make sure you are posting in a consistent manner:

 

In order to hit the timeline factor, you must post on a consistent basis. This will keep your content fresh and allow Instagram to serve more content to your audience.

 

Union Metrics pulled data from 55 top accounts and found they post 1.5 times on an average. so, keeping this factor in your mind, posting 1-2 times per day would be a perfect idea.

 

Post When Your Audience Is Active and Online

Make sure you are posting when your audience is online. You need to understand where your audience is based and then schedule your post outside of their business hours and before or after meals.

 

 

For example, if your audience is based in Chicago, you should not post between 9 am to 5 pm central time when a majority of the people are working. Instead, post during the lunch break, commute time, and after dinner.

 

Put More Focus On Video Content:

 

Between 2017 and 2018, Instagram video views nearly quadrupled. This shows Instagram users are not only uploading videos, but they really like watching and engaging with them too.

 

You should post more short-time video content to Instagram. You can make the video for a maximum of 1 minute. Always remember that the shorter the video is, the more engaging it is. And, when Instagram sees that your posts are getting more engagement, it’s more likely to prioritize your content in your audience’s feeds.

 

Build Relationship With Other Instagram Users:

 

Work on building good relationships with your audience. Make sure you give reply to their comment, follow relevant users back, interact with their posts too.

 

Doing this will encourage these audience members to come back and interact with your content, giving you a better shot at ending up at the top of their feeds. Further, this is a generally good way of growing your Instagram following.

 

 

Stay Skeptical:

 

Since Instagram serves content based on interest, so it’s always better that you keep your Instagram account centered around one niche. This will help get you to the top spot on the feeds of audience member that are really interested in a topic.

 

Bottom Line:

In this article, you learned how the Instagram algorithm works and what you can do to outsmart it. Use this knowledge to up your Instagram marketing game and provide better results to your Instagram clients.