Overcoming IG Algorithms

Social media platforms are notoriously known for constantly switching up layouts and styles and Instagram is no stranger to that.

If you’ve been on the Instagram platform a while you might remember a time where your posts were receiving more likes than they currently are. And if you are IG obsessed (guilty on occasions!), then this might bug you.

Earlier last year, Instagram took to Twitter to address some concerns the public expressed. While the major assumption was that you were only able to see 7% of those you follow, IG clarified:

While an honest answer, this was as of 2019, it is 2020 and Instagram has since then, made updates, making it seemingly impossible for smaller influencers to get to a macro or celebrity influencer status, or for non-influencers to connect with the people close and in their circle.

Luckily there are ways to overcome the overcomplicated algorithm.

Be Present. Search Engine Watch suggests that one of the best ways to make sure your intended content gets seen is to remain present on the platform. Consistency is key when it comes to both your posting frequency and how often you’re engaging on your timeline.

Show Your Story. Literally. According to Sprout Social, posting Instagram stories can help enaggment tremendously. While they do not directly bump your post up on individual’s feed. they help keep you relevant in the mind’s of your followers and typically have a larger reach thansimply posting on a story.

Timing is everything. While Instagram spends months researching and experimenting with different algorithms before bringing it to the public, they don’t necessarily know your followers as intimate as you do. YOU know what time they are online based on patterns you may have watched meaning that you know when the best time to post is based on your followers. Aligning your posting time with the time that most are online will prove to help your numbers greatly.

While Instagram along with other platform’s algorithms may be frustrating, they are here to stay and likely change more. As opposed to succumbing to this frustrations, it is best learn and adapt accordingly, especially influencers mini and macro alike.

References:

4, D. R. on J., 2, D. R. on D., 7, D. R. on D., 2, D. R. on J., 4, D. R. on F., *, N., & Rodriguez, D. (2020, September 11). How I Beat The 2020 Instagram Algorithm & Gained 100K+ Followers. https://dani-the-explorer.com/2019-instagram-algorithm/.

Barnhart, B. (2020, October 5). How to survive (and outsmart) the Instagram algorithm in 2020. Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-algorithm/.

Miashkova, J. (2020, August 19). How to optimize for the Instagram algorithm in 2020. Search Engine Watch. https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2020/08/19/how-to-optimize-for-the-instagram-algorithm-in-2020/.