The key to getting more reach on Instagram is understanding the Instagram algorithm introduced in August. Since then, the Instagram feed has no longer been displayed chronologically but prioritized by Instagram for users according to the following criteria.
- interest
- timeliness
- relationship/interaction
- frequency
- followers
- use
It is important to know that the factors of interests, topicality and relationship/interaction are classified as particularly relevant by the new algorithm. This is mainly because Instagram tries to personalize content and display it according to user preferences. The interest of the respective users is particularly important. In addition, the content should, of course, be fresh. Since Instagram is a social media app, interpersonal relationships are important because many people use the app to stay in touch with friends or to follow influencers.
Instagram introduced the change in its algorithm to keep users in the app longer. While a chronological timeline may not have shown anything interesting or exciting, and users have closed the app again, the algorithm constantly offers contributions worth seeing and matching your interests. This keeps users in the app longer. In addition, the algorithm now ensures that the timeline ends slowly. This effectively allowed Instagram to increase the time people use the app, so more ads are consumed. The longer users use the app, the more ads they see and the more money Instagram makes.
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The Six Factors For Organic Reach on Instagram
Based on these factors, the algorithm only shows users content that suits them perfectly. One part of the algorithm is what is known as machine learning. It ensures that Instagram shows its members the right content more precisely the longer they are used. The algorithm gets to know its users and constantly analyzes in the background what the person particularly likes. It is therefore not only able to display suitable content in a targeted manner but also recognizes trends or changes in personal taste and adjusts the timeline accordingly.
However, this also means that this knowledge can be used to improve the performance of your own Instagram presence. The algorithm also allows smaller Instagramers to reach many people if they play the cards cleverly. Following the detailed explanation, we reveal a few simple tips & tricks to increase the range with the help of the algorithm.
Interest
Instagram evaluates in advance how interesting a post will be for the respective user. But how does Instagram do that? Relatively simple: Instagram compares the content with users’ past behaviour. For example, if you have liked photos of small puppies particularly often, you will also see more of these photos in your news feed.
Instagram also measures the time users spend on a post. If a post has been viewed long, it seems relevant and interesting to users.
This factor is the most important and counts because Instagram thrives on users being shown content they like.
Timeliness
Instagram is a very current and incredibly fast-medium. New posts are given priority, so the anger of many users about the end of the chronological timeline is exaggerated. As a result, newer content tends to be higher up. However, this factor depends heavily on the usage time of the individual user.
The good thing about this factor is that a post with few likes can still reach more people. So likes may still be given to two or three days old pictures. Missing the perfect time to post no longer means the end of the world, and wasted time for the effort expended as the post can still appear in timelines hours and days later.
It’s also reassuring that real fans are likelier to see the post and not miss anything. This means that influencers and companies keep in contact with their best followers because Instagram knows: Even if the post is no longer up-to-date, these users want to see it.
Relationship / Interaction
The relationship between recipient and sender is one of Instagram’s three most important factors. All interactions play a crucial role. The algorithm determines which images are liked, but comments or the activation of messages are also measured for this factor.
Since Instagram remains a social media platform people use to nurture interpersonal relationships, the “connectedness value” must also be noted. It stores how frequently DMs are written back and forth between people. The tagging of users also counts in this category. Unfortunately, Instagram has not yet revealed which of these values is most important. It must therefore be assumed at the moment that they are all equivalent.
The developers of Instagram even claim that the algorithm allows users to see almost 90% of their friends and family’s posts. On the other hand, users missed 50% of their friends and family’s posts in the chronological timeline. Whether and to what extent these values are correct cannot be said.
Frequency
In its algorithm, Instagram considers how often users use the app. If you open Instagram 30 times a day, you will mostly see a few minutes old posts. However, if you only open the app once daily, you will see the best and most interesting posts posted since your last visit, even if they are a few hours old.
This also shows again that the chronological timeline no longer exists on paper but is more or less still available for active Instagram users.
Following
This factor is self-explanatory: The number of accounts a user follows is decisive for the strength of the selection. As a result, the algorithm works more efficiently when users follow many people on Instagram. Because with 100 followed accounts, much more content has to be sorted out than if a user only follows ten accounts. Above all, the first three factors, interest, topicality and relationship, are weighted more heavily the more accounts are followed.
Instagram users with a small number of followed accounts can tend to get the chronological timeline back. Because with fewer accounts, less is posted, the algorithm has no choice but to display the postings chronologically.
App Usage
Instagram analyzes the type of use. Are frequent and short trips made to Instagram, or is the news feed scrolled for minutes? Do you prefer to look at pictures or videos? Instagram uses this data to generate a news feed tailored to users.
This allows Instagram to respond even better to the interests of its users. Because with the interest of “puppies”, the algorithm knows what content the users like, but not whether they would rather see videos, pictures, or exciting stories with puppies.
Differences To The Facebook Algorithm
As is well known, Instagram belongs to Facebook. It is reasonable to assume that the two platforms use the same algorithm to provide users with the best unique content. However, the social media giants don’t use the same algorithm!
While there are similarities and the two algorithms will likely share some factors, there is one major difference: On Instagram, users only see posts from people they follow. On the other hand, posts from accounts that are not followed can also be seen on Facebook. On Facebook, posts with which friends have interacted appear in the news feed because the Facebook algorithm thinks this post could also be of interest to users who are friends. On Instagram, on the other hand, users have more control over their feeds and only see posts from accounts they follow.
Also Read: 6 Things To Consider When Choosing Instagram Growth Services
