Welcome to another update of Instagram algorithm updates!
Instagram makes regular changes to how their algorithm works in pushing your content to your audience and those who are waiting to discover your account. Keeping on top of these changes will ensure you remain visible, relevant, and grow on this platform.
Let’s get into it!
Hashtags are not crucial for growth
We have had many cycles of hashtag changes, from loading up posts with as many hashtags as possible to using a regular subset of hashtags on your posts and reels.
Instagram is now geared more towards keywords and how users use them to search for content they are interested in.
Longer hashtags, which capture the keywords of your content, combined with captions that are keyword rich will perform better and reach a larger audience than posts whose captions consist of a laundry list of hashtags.
Edit Within Instagram
It is still important that you edit your content within Instagram, as they are prioritizing this content above others.
What this means is that they do not want to have watermarks from other social media sites appearing on their platform. Instagram’s AI will pick them up and suppress them as a result. You can use videos and content that you have shared elsewhere, but the best practice is to do your initial edit outside of any platform before uploading it and tweaking it within the app.
Post and Story Frequency
All social media algorithms are modeled on keeping audiences on their platform for as long as possible, and this includes rewarding creators who show up consistently to post and contribute content to the platform.
Therefore, posting once a day (either to your profile or to Reels) and keeping your stories updated is key to keeping the algorithm happy. With stories, however, Instagram’s sweet spot is 5-6 stories per day. Any more than that will make you look spammy. Social media is particularly sensitive to spam or what could be construed as spam because it turns audiences off, and that is the last thing Instagram wants!
Replying to Comments and Engaging With Your Audience
The new Instagram algorithm is also considering comments on your posts and your engagement with these comments.
By replying to comments within the first hour of them being posted, you are signaling to Instagram that you are an active and aware user, and this behavior is what they are rewarding. Once again, it all goes back to social media wanting to keep users (and creators) on their platforms for as long as possible, and accounts that demonstrate they are spending time on the site will be rewarded with increased reach.
Getting Your Posts Saved
The number of times a post has been saved is a new data point that the Instagram algorithm draws on.
A saved post signals that the content is high value, and something that users will revisit again later. One which has been saved multiple times is more likely to be recommended to others than one which is not. You can get your audience to save your content simply by incorporating a call to action in it, whether in the caption or the piece itself.
For example, “save this post to enjoy later” is a simple way to remind people.
In conclusion, the key thing to keep in mind with these changes is to remember the human who is enjoying your content.
People are searching using keywords, they do not like spam, and they want to engage with creators. If you keep your strategy in line with these principles, which underpin the Instagram algorithm changes, you will have an increased chance of success.
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Rem Sequence is an Australian adult content creator, blogger and internationally published alt model. She has a background in psychology, philosophy and political science and has worked in health and sex education, youth work and trauma counseling for almost two decades. Contact Rem via rem@ynotcam.com and visit her on Twitter at @remsequence.
