As social media marketers and business owners, we’ve all been personally victimized by the Instagram algorithm.
Post doesn’t perform? Blame the algorithm. Reel gets buried before it truly sees the light of day? 100% the algorithm’s fault.
But, what if we told you that there are things you can do to make the algorithm work for you – oh, and that there’s actually not just one, but multiple Instagram algorithms to consider when you’re creating content? Mind. Blown.
While the Instagram algorithm is ever-changing, understanding how it works could be what helps you level up your content in 2024. We’re digging deep with a full analysis, starting with the big questions – what is the Instagram algorithm, and how does the Instagram algorithm work?
What Is The Instagram Algorithm?
Ahh, algorithms – we love to blame ‘em when our content doesn’t stack up to our expectations, but what do we actually mean when we reference them?
Put plainly, a social media algorithm (such as the Instagram algorithm) is a set of invisible rules that govern how your content performs or ‘ranks’. Just like certain factors influence what appears first in search engine results, similar factors apply to content on social media, and impact what we see when we refresh, browse, or search on the app.
Having a clear picture of the ranking factors used by a specific platform like Instagram is super helpful when you are trying to grow your engagement, as you can use it to guide your content and give your posts the best shot at success.
How Does The Instagram Algorithm Work?
While social media algorithms might seem mystical, Instagram has one of the most transparent algorithms, and head of the platform Adam Mosseri has kindly stepped it out for us.
View this post on Instagram
Yep, you heard the man! Content on Instagram is ranked across multiple algorithms, and each determines what performs on different parts of the platform – Reels, Stories, Explore, Feed, and Search.
Although it’s important to consider each algorithm individually, they have some things in common:
- Post information and relevance: The topic or niche the post addresses and whether it falls within the profile Instagram has built about you based on what you’ve historically engaged with (i.e., through saves, comments, likes, and shares).
- Past behavior: Whether you’ve interacted with the poster’s content in the past and if so, how frequently.
- Recency: How recently the content in question was posted. While this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, the fresher the content, the more likely you are to see it in some areas of Instagram, including the Feed and Stories.
- Post engagement: The amount of engagement this piece of content has already received. If a post is going viral, it’s more likely to be served to you if it satisfies other factors like relevance and recency.
Unpacking the Instagram Reels Algorithm
How does the Instagram Reels algorithm actually work? These factors play a major role in which content pieces ‘rank’.
The Instagram Reels algorithm uses a handful of ‘signals’ from users to rank content and determine what is relevant to them. Let’s break them down…
1. Your activity
According to the team at Instagram, your previous activity is one of the most important things Instagram considers when figuring out what content to serve you. For example, if you’ve liked, shared, or commented on content about slow fashion in the past, you’re more likely to be recommended slow fashion Reels.
The content you’ve previously engaged with helps inform your Instagram algorithm.
2. Your interactions with the poster
Ever wonder how you keep seeing content from a user in Explore or Reels until you finally bite the bullet and hit ‘follow’? It’s all in the algorithm, baby.
If you’ve previously interacted with the poster, whether that’s by watching their videos or saving, commenting, and sharing, you’ll continue to see them in your Reels tab, thanks to Instagram’s algorithm. This is a huge win for creators and brands alike, as it can help you slowly build trust with a user until they (hopefully!) follow you.
3. Information about the Reel
Just like Google uses signals to rank your website content, platforms like TikTok and Instagram collect information about your videos so they can categorize them and recommend them to users.
The Instagram Reels algorithm considers elements like the audio you use, the visuals, and any text on screen. It then recommends your content to users based on whether these things align with their preferences.
It’s also important to make sure your Reels are unique and adhere to Instagram best practice, because if they don’t, they’ll be deprioritized by the algorithm. This means capturing your own content rather than using stock footage, using trending sounds, making sure your audio is royalty-free, and always including text on the screen to signpost your videos.
4. Information about the poster
Lastly, Instagram considers your account info when recommending your content to others. This makes a great case for a complete and SEO-friendly profile, as you’re not just communicating who you are to other users, but to Instagram’s algorithm, too. Be sure to build out your profile with all the relevant information, and use keywords in your bio to help boost discoverability.
While these are the four key things Instagram says forms its Reels algorithm, we can add two other factors to the mix – recency and engagement. The algorithm is more likely to show newer content to users, rather than backlogged posts from years ago, and if a post has received great engagement, this signals to Instagram that it’s valuable and worth showing to other users.
How to Reset Instagram Algorithm in 2024 & Get It On Your Side
If your Instagram content feels drastically out of sync with what you want to see, or if you’re a creator looking to capture quality engagement and attract new followers, follow these guidelines to reset your Instagram algorithm.
For users
- Clean house: Unfollow accounts you don’t align with, and replace them with accounts whose content genuinely interests you.
- Train the algorithm: You’ll be surprised how quickly you can reset Instagram’s algorithm if you like, comment on, save and share posts you resonate with!
- Go beyond your Feed: Use Instagram’s search functionality to browse the kinds of content you want to see more of in Explore.
- Curate your Following: If there are accounts you can’t unfollow, try using the ‘Mute’ function to see less of the content you don’t like. Alternatively, you can use the ‘Favorites’ tool to bookmark the accounts you enjoy interacting with the most.
Want to see more content you really resonate with in the Feed? Consider using the ‘Favorites’ tool to narrow things down and ‘train’ the Instagram algorithm.
For creators
- Build relationships: Instead of posting and ghosting, interact with your followers to gain trust and keep ‘em coming back for more. Reply to their comments, answer their questions, and even follow them!
- Create high-quality content: Success on Instagram all comes down to content that offers your audience value. Be critical about what you post, and curate a strong content strategy rather than just throwing stuff against the wall.
- Encourage engagement: Across your Stories and posts, let your audience have their say. Use question boxes and polls on Stories, and strong CTAs at the end of your Reels and posts to encourage commentary.
- Refine your profile: Give the Instagram algorithm the best chance at working by curating a strong profile. Be sure to include your niche, your unique selling proposition (USP), and if it’s relevant to your business, your location.
Future Trends: What’s Ahead for the Instagram Algorithm?
We don’t have a crystal ball, but it’s almost certain that the Instagram algorithm will continue to evolve over the coming years as the platform grows.
As AI capabilities grow, we predict it will become even more embedded into Instagram’s algorithm, both to analyze and assess content and as a ranking factor itself.
We’re not sure whether the platform will favor AI-generated content or put you in the naughty corner if you use it – only time will tell!
Instagram Algorithm: Your questions, answered
What factors influence the Instagram algorithm in 2024?
Your activity, post information, post relevance, past behavior, recency, and engagement are all factors that can influence the Instagram algorithm in 2024.
How can I optimize my content for the Instagram algorithm?
Make sure your content satisfies the Instagram algorithm with these top tips:
- Creating engaging Reels with a strong hook to immediately capture user attention.
- Using varied content and different cuts or locations to keep people engaged throughout.
- Signposting your video’s topic with text on screen and a quality caption.
- Considering SEO when writing your captions – include keywords for better discoverability!
- Ensuring your content is high-quality with good video resolution and sound.
- Using trending music or sounds to boost your content’s visibility.
- Removing the TikTok watermark if repurposing content.
- Staying away from political or controversial topics that could get you shadowbanned.
- Answering common questions or encouraging a reaction (e.g., asking people to comment) to build rapport with users.
Optimize your content for Instagram’s algorithm by posting high-quality, engaging and relatable content like this funny Reel from creator @rianne.meijer.
What does it mean to reset the Instagram algorithm?
For creators like businesses and personalities, ‘resetting’ the Instagram algorithm means optimizing your content so it’s more likely to be seen by your target audience. If you aren’t creating content, you might refer to the practice of refreshing the content Instagram serves you in Explore and the Reels tab as ‘resetting’ your algorithm.
How does the Instagram algorithm affect reach and impressions?
The Instagram algorithm has a pretty big bearing on key analytics like reach and impressions. The more effectively you give the algorithm what it wants (using these top tips as a guide!), the more likely your content is to be seen by more people, which means better reach.
Schedule your Instagram content with Plann
Every good content creator or marketer should understand the Instagram algorithm, as it’s a free pass to success – the more you master the algorithm, theoretically, the better engagement you should receive. Keep the finer details of the Instagram algorithm, how to reset the Instagram algorithm, and our top tips for giving it what it wants in mind when you’re next creating content.
Need a little help staying across best practices? We’ve got you covered with Plann’s suite of tools designed to strengthen and automate your Instagram strategy.
Within Plann, you’ll find everything you need to dial up your content and boost engagement, including hashtag suggestions, tips to tailor your content to various social platforms, AI-generated captions, and analytics to measure performance. We even auto-post your Instagram Reels to take the hassle out of growing organically on the platform!
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