Did you know that there's no one single Instagram algorithm? Whaaat.
That's right. And as a full-time Instagram marketer,
it's my unpopular opinion that you don't need to know the inner workings of all
the Instagram algorithms. You just need to know how to make it work for you.
Welcome back to my channel.
I'm Elise Darma and today I'm covering the Instagram algorithms and how you can
use them to get your content seen in front of even more people and stay tuned
until the end where I'm going to share it.
The number one thing you can do to continue to grow your Instagram account and
never worry about the dang algorithm again.
So going back to my first point,
we now know that there are multiple Instagram algorithms,
depending on the feature we're talking about.
This is news that came from Adam Mosseri head of Instagram in the summer of
2021. The three algorithms are, drumroll please...feed
and stories, reels, and then the explore algorithm.
Now these algorithms are similar because all algorithms are kind of the same by
nature, but they differ depending on how you, the user,
use the app. So these algorithms are assessing things like your content,
the type of posts that you typically interact with,
and the type of followers that you typically get.
So let's dive into the first algorithm,
the one that's all about your feed posts and your stories.
So when it comes to your newsfeed, not your profile feed, but your news feed,
and stories that you're seeing, this is all content that comes from accounts.
You already follow. So because you chose to follow these accounts.
Instagram's algorithm is going to prioritize posts from these accounts because
you're interested in their content.
So when it comes to you as the content creator, putting out posts and stories,
your follower is more likely to see your content.
When they spend more time on your posts, like your posts,
comment on your posts, save your posts or tap on your profile. By the way,
this is the order of activities that Adam Mosseri himself gave us.
So the very first factor the algorithm looks at is how much time your follower
is spending on your post. So for you as the content creator,
let's think how can we get our followers to spend more time on our posts?
First thing you want to do is create content that keeps people on your posts
longer. I'm talking about videos and carousel posts,
engaging videos can keep people on your posts for as long as your video keeps
their attention and carousel posts can be packed with information so
that a follower is reading all your tips all on your 10 slides.
Another way to get your follower to spend more time on your posts is,
as a creator, I want you to engage first.
I want you to create a caption that encourages them to comment.
I want you to reply to the comments as fast as you can.
I want you to start the comment thread as the first comment on your post.
As much as you can invite people to hang out on your posts and engage and stick
around the algorithm is going to show your content to even more people.
Next let's cover the second algorithm, all about reels.
When you're scrolling the reels newsfeed,
the content you're seeing there is mostly from accounts that you're not
following. So if you're familiar with the explore page,
which is recommended content, the real speed is similar.
The number one goal of the reels newsfeed is to help people find entertaining
content, keyword entertaining.
This is coming from Adam Mosseri himself. Roll the clip.
The number one reason people say that they use Instagram in research is to be
entertained. So people are looking to us for that.
And so people are looking to Instagram to be entertained.
There's stiff competition, and there's more to do then we have to embrace that.
And that means change.
So what you're going to see over the next couple of months really is us start to
experiment more in the space of what we call recommendations.
So showing you things in feed that you may not be following yet.
As a business owner, I know what you're thinking. Like I don't want to be funny.
I don't have jokes to tell. I don't want to be dancing or pointing up there.
How am I going to make reels that are going to get in front of new followers?
Since we now know that the reels algorithm is designed to recommend your content
only if it thinks that that person's going to find your content funny.
This is when I really like to dig into what I call infotainment.
I like to combine information with entertainment and by entertainment,
I just mean talking loud, making a few funny faces,
editing my clips quickly, things like that.
I've got a ton of other videos when it comes to how to make reels for your
business in a way that doesn't involve you having to dance or point check out
some of these recommended videos below.
So how do you get your reels to show up in the reels newsfeed in front of fresh
eyeballs? Well,
the number one factor that we've been told by Instagram is the algorithm is
looking at how much time that viewer is spending on your reel,
similar to the last algorithm. So is that viewer watching your reel to the end?
Or even better, are they watching your reel on repeat?
This is good. This is what we want. Next.
The algorithm will look at whether that person is liking your reel.
And then they'll look at whether they're commenting on your reel as well.
Lastly,
the algorithm is also going to look at whether that person goes to the audio
page of your reel.
This is important because maybe you're reel inspired them to make their own
based off of your audio.
So how do you get your reels to rank higher in the algorithm so that new people
see your reel?
My first tip is to use trending audio and to adapt it to your business niche,
of course, as much as you can. But the reason is,
is because we know the Instagram algorithm rewards accounts that drive
people to use that audio clip.
So if your reel inspires someone to make their own with that audio,
more people are going to see it.
My second tip is to actually be on top of trends.
If you really want to go viral with your reel.
Now I've done a whole video on how to go viral with your Instagram reels.
Check it out right here.
My third tip is to create a reel that capture someone's attention immediately.
This is why you need a really good opening hook to capture someone's attention.
I'm talking less than a second because that's how fast people scroll.
Have you ever sat on a bus or in the subway and seen someone in front of you
scrolling Instagram? It's like that.
I love watching people's behavior when they're scrolling Instagram,
because it's so fast. And as an Instagram marketer,
it just confirms to me that your content has got to be good.
It's got to hook people in right away. So same thing goes with your reel.
Be sure to capture attention as fast as you can immediately. Now,
since we're here talking about reels, I've got something for you.
I've put together six free reel ideas that will grow your business
guaranteed. You don't have to dance. You don't have to point.
I've put this resource together for you over at elisedarma.co/reels.
Head to the link. And of course, I'll leave the link right below this video.
All right, two algorithms down one to go. Let's do this.
The third algorithm is the explore algorithm.
Now we've had this page and this algorithm for many years.
So you're probably familiar with it.
The explore page is where you discover content from accounts that you're not
following. So based on your user behavior within the app,
Instagram is going to curate other content that it thinks you're going to be
interested in. For example, for the last few years,
my explore page was filled with engagement rings and weddings.
Then I got engaged.
Now my explore page is filled with babies and babies.
Instagram knows my age and it knows my behavior.
So how does the explore algorithm rank your posts so that it gets seen by new
people? Well, it looks at three things.
The likes that your posts get the saves and the shares.
Now there are rumors that you'll see on Instagram that certain actions like
saving or sharing are more valuable than liking or commenting.
This is still a rumor. It has not been verified by Instagram itself.
So if the Instagram algorithm is looking at the likes, the saves and the shares,
how do we get your content to rank on the explore page?
My first tip here for you is to create saveable and shareable content.
Think about two of my favorite things means, and gifts now means,
and gifts have exploded in popularity even for businesses,
especially over the last two years.
So if you're ready to try out means and gifts to get on that explore page,
check out my video on this topic right here.
My second tip is to focus on appealing to your audience, not the masses.
It doesn't really help your account.
If you go viral and a bunch of people are seeing your content who aren't really
your target customers focus your content so that it resonates with your people,
not the entire world.
My third tip to getting on the explore page is to use hashtags and key words in
your captions. Hashtags have been around for years,
and we know that they help categorize your post. But keywords in your caption,
it's kind of a new thing.
And we're starting to get a little bit more information from Instagram.
So Instagram, isn't an amazing search engine or anything like that,
but who knows how that feature is going to evolve.
So be sure to include your important keywords in your captions.
You just never know.
And now what is the number one most important thing you can do to grow your
account without ever having to worry about the dang algorithms?
Here's the thing. If you get too obsessed and focused on pleasing the algorithm,
you may lose sight of what Instagram is actually all about
relationships. And the fact that your followers are not just a number,
but there are real people on the other side of those profiles, just like you,
you're a real person running your profile.
So you need to bring a little humanity into whatever you're putting out there.
Show up as a real person, tell real stories, listen to people,
engage back with them. Answer your DMS,
treat Instagram as a two way relationship because it is.
And that's exactly what makes it the most powerful tool we have for business
today. Also it's free. Then when it comes to your content,
I don't want you to be obsessed with trying to please the algorithm.
I want you to be thinking about what would improve your followers life,
what would add value to their life. So think in terms of information,
entertainment, or inspiration,
those are all forms of free value that you can give someone. We did it.
We got through that crusty old algorithm chat, which can be a little dry,
but I'm hoping you found this video informative and Hey,
maybe a little entertaining. If you enjoyed today's video,
go ahead and check out this video right here,
where I share my top performing posts from 2020.
And I share with you how you can create content similar for your account.
To ease and revenue. I'll see you in the next video.
Thanks for joining me for today's video on how to use the Instagram algorithms.
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