Have you ever wondered why so many times, despite having posted valuable content, very few people interact with it? In this article, you will discover how the Instagram algorithm works.
You might be thinking:
I use the right hashtags, my images are quality, my content is interesting, I keep my community updated with videos and stories, what am I doing wrong?
Now stop right here, at this reflection!
You are not doing it wrong … you are simply not taking into account that in everything you are doing, someone ( Mr. Instagram Algorithm ) is watching you!
For this reason, the only solution to your problems is to learn to observe it yourself. This means that not only must your profile be followed to perfection, but it must also be subject to rules, which someone (always Mr. Instagram Algorithm) has chosen for you.
But now let's go into the details of what I'm telling you.
Who is Mr. Algorithm of Instagram?
There is not just one algorithm that Instagram uses to evaluate your profile and the content you share, but rather there are many that select and filter the content to show to your users. Each of these Instagram algorithms has its own specific purpose.
In fact, these small mathematical formulas, which are called algorithms, are designed by Instagram to make your experience within the app unique and personalized . You may be wondering:
yes, but how does Instagram understand what I like?
The answer is very simple: based on your actions performed within the platform.
The need to personalize the experience within the application comes from the vastness of content and users that have been generated in recent years thanks to the success of Instagram and that often caused the content to be lost within the feed itself.
Another important topic for Instagram is “followers” , that is, all those people who constantly interact with you and your content : the algorithm identifies those users and when you publish a post, they will be the first to see it and will act as real judges of your content, compromising its performance.
Remember that Instagram's only real goal is to get you to spend as much time as possible inside the application.
As I was saying, there are several Instagram algorithms that regulate the progress of content and we can summarize its functioning by considering three large types of content:
The Feed Algorithm
The algorithm for stories
The Algorithm for Reels and IGTV
Instagram's Feed Algorithm
Imagine analyzing your company profile: obviously you would like to be constantly surrounded by information about your competitors, colleagues, suppliers and at any time you would like to stay updated on what happens to them or on the news they propose, with absolute priority over all the others.
Instagram's algorithm works the same way, determining the order of posts shown to you based on specific signals it receives:
The profile information you are sharing the content and the affinities it may have with users' preferences
Interactions , the algorithm detects how much your post is liked by your users, taking into account how many likes it has received and secondary information such as tags, geolocation, publication date, duration and other similar information
The activity of users , therefore their interests (always taking into account the actions that they carry out within the platform: likes, comments, saved content, tags, etc.)
Information about the content so you can understand how valuable it is and which similar users to show it to
The fundamental rule is interaction : the more you interact with a content and take actions towards it, the more it will be shown to you in the Feed and will have the possibility of reaching, through a sort of chain reaction, users similar to the preferences it is taking into consideration.
The Instagram Algorithm for Stories
Always following the principle of interest and interaction, the algorithm will tend to show you first the Stories of the users with whom you have the most interactions .
In fact, the more interactions your stories receive, meaning comments, reactions, direct messages and viewing time, the more each time you publish a new story, it will be viewed by an increasingly wider audience.
Always remember that the contents you publish must be of VALUE , in case you publish false information or contents that go against the principles of the Social media itself then you can say goodbye to any form of interaction and visibility.
The Algorithm for Reels and IGTV
In this step it is essential to remind you of what I told you previously, "Instagram wants to keep you on the platform" for this reason in recent years contents such as Reels and IGTV have been created, which have the exclusive purpose of entertaining you for as long as possible, in fact as you can see, very often it is more likely that you will see video contents of users you do not know rather than images.
Here too, Instagram takes into consideration the actions carried out towards these contents:
Interactions made on the content (likes, comments, shares, etc.)
Interactions with the user who published the content
Information about the content itself (quality, audio track, hashtags and attached copy)
Information about the user who posted the content , always according to the affinity principle.
The algorithm for the Explore section
Imagine a chain, each link joins the next and could continue to grow if the links fit together perfectly.
This is the principle of content views on the Explore Page, starting from a profile with which you often interact, the algorithm tracks all the other users who by affinity often interact with him and once studied the interests, it shows them to you!
How to use the Instagram algorithm to your advantage?
The quality of the content makes the difference , by quality I mean that your post must be creative and engaging, never leave anything to chance and invite your followers to interact with you, call them to action!
These actions will reward you with visibility and at the same time allow you to create an active community that is interested in you and is always ready to discover what you have to offer.
Be consistent, attract people like you and who think like you, in tune with your values, with your brand because the greater the affinity between you and your users, the more interactions there will be.
At this point you will ask yourself:
but isn't quality subjective?
Yes, although it is important to recognize that if a photo is well made, or if a video is well made, anyone is able to recognize its quality.
To support this thought, however, I want to answer you that yes, very often quality is subjective and depends on people's tastes.
For this reason, it is very important to connect to the concept expressed previously: remember that each user has a specific target audience and for this very reason your content must satisfy that audience.
Finally, remember to communicate value , the fundamental lever for triggering attraction and therefore interaction: it seems like a play on words but in reality it is the secret of correct and effective communication.
Here are some tips:
Publish your users' content by sharing it in your stories , so you can inspire your users to create similar ones and expand your user network, thanks to their tags.
Get involved with Reels , they are short and fun and you can also try your hand at filming, audio, effects and many other creative tools; you can also share them in your stories and within your feed, expanding your information offering.
Responsiveness is key , replying to comments not only allows you to consolidate the relationship with your users but also to leverage the principle of social proof, increasing your chances of engaging users.
The Instagram algorithm is constantly changing, so it's important to know it, but always remember that, even if virtual, these are still relationships !
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