Giddy up, ‘gram! – Understanding Instagram’s Algorithm in 2024

Giddy up, ‘gram! – Understanding Instagram’s Algorithm in 2024

Ready to make Instagram’s algorithm work for you in 2024? Here’s your no-nonsense guide to understanding and leveraging the platform to boost your brand and reach. 

Your Feed: Cracking the Code 

Think of your feed as your brand or business’ personal billboard. Here’s how you can make it shine: 

• User interests: Instagram shows more of what users interact with. So, if your audience loves your product posts, keep them coming! Likes, comments, and shares signal the algorithm to show more of your content.   
• Timeliness: Posting fresh content is key. Posting consistently keeps your brand top-of-mind and ensures your posts are seen when they’re most relevant.   
• Engagement: Interact with your followers. The more they engage with your content, the more likely they are to see it in their feed. Responding to comments and DMs builds relationships (and the algorithm loves that!). 

Stories: Top of the Heap 

Stories are your Instagram goldmine. Here’s how to make sure yours shine at the top: 

• Frequent viewing: If your followers consistently watch your stories, Instagram will prioritise your content (because they’re nice like that). Post engaging and consistent stories to keep your audience coming back for more! 

• High engagement: Instagram has a whole host of amazing story features, like polls, questions, and interactive stickers. Use them. The more your audience interacts, the better your stories will perform! 
• Close connections: Foster a community. This is SO important. The more your followers feel connected to you, and your brand, the more your stories will be shown to them. Side note: I’ve just read a really interesting book about community, and I recommend it. Check it out here.  

Reels: The Fun Zone 

Alexa, play Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone… Reels are Instagram’s answer to TikTok and can be a great way to expand your reach. Here’s what you need to know: 

• User activity: Your audience’s interactions with reels influence what they see. Create entertaining and shareable content to keep them engaged. 
• Past interactions: If users interacted with your brand’s videos before, your reels are more likely to appear. 
• Content quality: High-quality, engaging content with trending music or effects can boost your reels’ visibility. Here’s how to find music that’s currently trending on Instagram. You’re welcome! 
• Inclusivity: Even smaller or newer accounts have a shot at virality. Consistently engaging reels can help you gain traction, regardless of your follower count.  

Explore page: It’s like, the Discovery Channel 

The Explore page is your gateway to new content and can tell you a lot about a person. My explore page is full of Carhartt dungarees, French Bulldogs, and burgers… How about yours? Anyway, here’s how to get on there: 

• Post popularity: Quickly gaining likes and comments helps your posts climb the ranks on the Explore page. Focus on creating content that sparks immediate engagement. 
• User interaction: Your audience’s activity in the Explore page influences what they see (tbh, I do like a lot of videos of French Bulldogs…). Encourage interactions on your posts to boost your visibility! 
• Active engagement: The more interactions a poster has recently, the better. Keep your audience engaged with regular and interactive content. 

Before I go, here are my final tips and tricks:  

• Interactive content: Ask questions, use polls, HAVE FUN, and encourage comments to boost engagement. More interaction = better visibility. 
• SEO for Instagram: Use relevant keywords and hashtags in your captions, alt text, and bio. This makes your content discoverable in searches and on the Explore page. Btw, at the time of posting this, the advice is to use 3-5 RELEVANT hashtags. (Be gone with your paragraph of hashtags – they’re useless!). 
• Get your timing right: Check out Instagram’s analytics to post when your audience is most active. Timely posts maximise early engagement (like, who’s realistically going to like your post at 4am?), which signals to the algorithm to push your content.  

• Keep it spicy: Mix your content up with photos, carousels, reels, stories, and lives (if you’re brave). Diverse content keeps your audience engaged and increases your chances of being featured across different parts of Instagram. 

By mastering these strategies, you can make the Instagram algorithm work for you, helping your brand reach more people and drive engagement.  

Good luck! And if the algorithm changes again (as it inevitably will)… 

Don’t have the time or patience to wrangle the algorithms?  

Get in touch, we might be able to help! 

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