We all know that the Instagram algorithm has become a thing of frustration worldwide, but what does it really mean for accounts and is it possible to outsmart it?
In 2018, Instagram announced that it was changing the way things appear in our feeds in a bid to show us more of what we want:
“What shows up in your feed is determined by what posts and accounts you engage with the most, as well as other contributing factors such as the timeliness of posts, how often you use Instagram, how many people you follow etc”
So, what they’re saying is that your feed is tailored to you and the accounts you’ve been interacting with the most, whether that be DM, comments, likes or even watch time, they want to bring you closer to the people and things you love.
With this in mind, there are ways to up your engagement if you’re not feeling the love.
Be easy on the eye…
Don’t forget that, unless you’re a meme account where relatability and humour trumps photo quality, Instagram is super visual platform. People want to see well taken photographs of beautiful things: but don’t stop with the individual photo, think how it will look on your feed. Are you following a theme? Do you use the same presets every time- should you be? Are you considering how your photo grid will look with the new post in it? Remember, that’s people’s first impression of your account.
Start talking!
The best way to get people to engage with you, even if they don’t “like” your post, is to start a conversation with the caption. Ask a question, provoke emotion or give people something that will genuinely add value to their day.
This goes hand-in-hand with replying to all your comments, is there room to ask another question? Keep the engagement and conversation up as much as humanly possible- the more engagement, the better.
Conversation is a two-way street.
DM’s (direct messages) are another way of Instagram sussing who you’re most interested in. If someone replies, reacts to your story or sends you a DM, be sure to engage with it some way, even if it’s a like or an emoji response (but we know you can do better than that…).
But don’t forget, conversation works both ways, are you commenting on other accounts? If they’re following you and you get a reply, it’s another nod to the ‘gram that the account in question might want to start seeing more of your posts.
Timing is everything.
There’s a popular misconception that now the algorithm’s in full force, it doesn’t really matter what time you post, but that’s simply not true! There are still peak times to post so don’t be shocked if when you upload something past 10 PM on a Monday, it bombs.
I know that your internal monologue is now probably screaming “BUT, WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO POST ON INSTAGRAM TO GET MORE LIKES?!”
Panic over, we’ve already done the work for you- What Is the Best Time to Post on Instagram to Get More Likes?
Added value.
Don’t just post for the sake of posting, think about it, what’s your motivation? We’ve made a simple checklist to help you make sure you’re on the right track.
Want to speak to one of our social media experts today? Get in touch!