Whether you’re a social media influencer, journalist or just want to share footage of your cat, Mabel, the Instagram algorithm will have undoubtedly affected your account.
Who remembers back in 2016 when every Instagram user woke to the news that the platform would be filtering what users saw on their feed, with poor performing posts pushed to the bottom? Who also remembers the sheer panic when influencers took to their profiles to urge their followers to click ‘turn on notifications’ so we would never miss a post?
Well…
Ever since this new algorithm launched, users have complained that their engagement has fallen, along with their reach and performances on posts. This coupled with a new experiment currently being held in Canada of removing the number of ‘likes’ a post has received has made the ever growing Gen X influencer shiver…
So what can we all do to try and combat this format? Here are 6 tips to help maintain your Instagram performance alongside the new algorithms.
- Stay consistent
Whether it’s posting regular stories, going live, or simply creating more content on your feed, be it images or videos, consistent posting will keep followers engaged and maintain interaction levels.
2. Utilise the interactive side of the platform
Increasing audience interaction through Instagram stories with stickers such as: polls, questions and comments which will not only allow a better understanding of what your followers think or want, but will also increase your engagement levels.
3. #UseHashtags
Using hashtags is vital in order for your posts to stay relevant and seen. The days of #followforfollow are (hopefully) over and instead, this concept can be used to increase the number of eyes on your posts and therefore an increase in engagement.
Research has shown that using 9 hashtags was the optimal number of hashtags for maximum audience engagement. So start hashtagging away!
4. Creative captioning
Now you’ve got your hashtags perfected and ready to go, it’s time to evaluate if you’re fully utilising your captioning space.
Tagging people or brands in captions will generate a higher chance of people stopping and engaging on your post, coupled with open-ended questions will allow your followers to feel as if they are a part of your feed, not just someone scrolling through.
5. Posting at peak times
Seems simple enough, and is likely the most effective way of working alongside the algorithm successfully. Of course, it does not guarantee a huge increase in engagement but the chances of your posts being seen by more accounts is higher at 7pm on a Tuesday compared to Sunday at 1am.