The game has changed since Instagram launched its all-new algorithm-based news feed in 2016. Instead of simply showing the latest posts in chronological order, now a lot of factors come into play.
From Chronological to New Algorithm
People felt so strongly against the new Instagram algorithm that a Change.org petition dubbed “Keep Instagram chronological” was created to stop it. Support grew by 70,000 signatures overnight.
To shed light on the confusing topic, the Facebook-owned social media giant held a press conference at its headquarters in June. According to Instagram, despite the backlash from the online community, its new system effectively helps users first see posts from their friends and the kind of content that they love the most.
How Does It Work?
TechCrunch noted that the feed now puts more value to these three factors:
- Interest – Your feed content is determined based on your past behavior, i.e. accounts you follow and posts you liked.
- Freshness – The latest posts are ranked higher than those posted days or weeks ago.
- Relationship – The system classifies this by how much you’ve interacted with the account through number of likes, comments, or posts where you were tagged together.
While it may seem plain and simple at first glance, it’s important to consider that feeds will now appear differently to different users and will depend on a lot of other factors. These factors include: how frequently you check your account, how many accounts you’re following, and how much time you spend on your phone scrolling through your IG feed.
The Truth That Instagram Is Not Telling You
If you’re an e-commerce business relying on social media platforms as a tenet for content marketing, this Instagram issue may seem familiar. Remember, our Facebook algorithm dilemma back in 2015, where personal accounts were given higher priority over business accounts, so the latter is left without a choice but to pay for ads.
On the contrary, Instagram debunked this theory along with other rumors that the new algorithm grants more exposure to verified accounts, people who post more on stories than feed, or users who click every tool in the app.
“We treat everyone the same,” assured Christina d’Avignon, a product designer for Instagram feed. The only way to get your content higher ranked is to produce great content,” she added.
Despite these reassurances, tech and social media experts believe otherwise. It’s inevitably the natural course for a growing and top-grossing online community.
How to Step Up Your Instagram Game
- Content is king – As cliché as it may sound, this frequently used phrase will never get old. Invest in striking photos and engaging captions. Algorithm or no algorithm, people will always gravitate toward content that they find personally beautiful or helpful.
- Post on Instagram stories regularly – Take advantage of this additional feature to get in touch with your followers. You can see how many people view your stories within 24 hours. It’s also a great tool to see what type of content they like or what times they’re online.
- Focus on engagement – Your work doesn’t stop at posting content. Make extra effort to respond to comments or commenting on posts related to your niche. It help you get discovered by other users visiting another’s profile but this is especially important now that the new Instagram algorithm measures how many times users like, comment, or follow.
- Master insights and analytics – To get the most exposure for each content post, actively post during peak hours only. The Instagram insight tool will efficiently help you with this.
- Invest on Instagram ads – If you have the budget or time-sensitive content, such as a special promo, contest, or limited time offer that need to get out, boosting your post is super effective.
There is so much more you can do to improve your standing on Instagram. We can help you with that. Connect with us today.
By: Arrianne del Rosario, Independent Writer for AppLite, LLC.