How To Unlock Instagram’s Algorithm To Drive Traffic, Engagement…

How to unlock instagram account

Social media algorithms are constantly evolving creatures. A platform can go from prioritizing comments to focusing on video content without anyone noticing. For digital marketers, it can be hard to keep up with the developments, especially in a way that benefits your website. Algorithms aren’t impossible to unlock though. As Instagram grows in popularity every day it’s important to learn how to take advantage of it. Here are a few ways you can beat the algorithm and drive traffic, engagement, and sales.

Post Great Content Consistently

Instagram wants its users to spend as much time as possible on the platform looking at great content. One of the best ways to trick the algorithm into prioritizing your posts is through posting great quality images. This doesn’t mean posting pretty landscape shots, but in-focus pictures with clear composition. Great content is more likely to garner engagement and hold the user’s focus for longer. Shoot your products or promotional images in a modern, positive, and Instagram-influenced style.

 

Prioritize quality over quantity. Posting lots of low-quality images throughout the day will ultimately be detrimental to your account. A selection of 2-3 great posts a day will tell Instagram you’re an account that posts worthwhile content and they should take note. Sprinkle in some variety now and again to reach new users.

Get Engaged

Engagement is the key to success on Instagram. It can help you earn a top spot in a user’s feed. It’s one of the driving forces behind what takes you from just another account your audience follows to something at the top of their feed every time they open the app. Make sure to encourage engagement around your content. Ask for likes, comments, and shares in exchange for a prize or reward. By replying to comments you can build relationships for Instagram to see. Instagram wants to make sure people are seeing their favorite accounts, so use engagement to convince the algorithm of that strong relationship.

 

Don’t restrict your communication to your audience though. Find similarly sized brands in or related to your industry and build relationships with them. This will introduce you to their audience and convince Instagram they might be interested in your content too. It’s important to spread your engagement net wide within your specialisms.

Compliment Posts with your Stories

Instagram stories aren’t subject to the same algorithm as the regular feed, meaning there’s potential to circumvent it and build stronger relationships with your audience. The stories function is used by 500 million users every day, so even if you aren’t getting a measurable ranking bonus from using it, it’s a valuable asset to tap into. Stories can be a place to directly interact with your most loyal users. Highlight your content in stories, which will link back to the original post. This is a fantastic way to promote a new post, highlight something they may have missed or boost underperforming content. This improves visibility and engagement which in turn helps your performance on the algorithm.

 

Using stickers in your Instagram stories can give your audience directions on how to interact with the post, such as telling them to turn video sound on to improve watching time or ask them to comment.

Time Posts Strategically

When you post on Instagram can have a huge bearing on your eventual algorithm placement. It’s well discussed when is the best time to post on social media, but you should primarily keep your posts to weekday evenings. For an extra boost though, consider peak time for your specific audience. Are they likely to be commuting at a set time? Then schedule content for when they’re bored on the train or bus. Make sure you’re there to mop up peak engagement times, as the amount of time spent on your posts is a big factor in your ranking.

 

Another way to unlock the Instagram algorithm is by using specific content at the right time. Don’t waste a great video by posting at a time when your audience can’t watch in full. It’ll hamper how Instagram thinks about your content and diminish your ranking. Plan your schedule around algorithm-influenced times.

Well Placed Hashtags

Hashtags are misunderstood People tend to overload their posts with them or shy away from them completely. Twitter may be where hashtags first grew in popularity, but they can boost an Instagram post. Add a small group of highly relevant hashtags to your post to help improve their reach and gain engagement. Make sure they’re related to the content of your post though and avoid latching onto popular hashtags just because they’re big. Being irrelevant will hurt you. Take some time to research what the brands you want to beat in the algorithm are doing, and find your equivalent of their top hashtag choices.

Conclusion 

Mastering the Instagram algorithm can take time, especially with the amount of competition now on there. A smart strategy can help you gain a consistent top spot on a user’s feed, which in turn will lead to improved traffic, engagement, and sales across the platform and your website.