Ever since Instagram moved away from a chronological feed, many people were left wondering how the algorithm now works. In order to receive the best possible results for exposure, it is important to understand the algorithm behind the social media platform. The algorithm often evolves, so it is smart to do some research to learn when to tailor content strategies to work alongside it. There are many different ways to hack the Instagram algorithm to ultimately receive more engagement for your brand or business. Users should pay attention to the six key factors that influence the Instagram algorithm for feed posts:

Be mindful that the algorithm now looks at your account as a whole, including what features you are using. Your account’s visibility and engagement ratings will be higher if you are consistently using all the platform’s available features. Reels are currently the top engagement metric, so posting multiple reels a week will result in the algorithm favoring your content over those who are not.

Strategically planning your posts, during both the creation and posting phase, will ensure that your content reaches its highest potential. When creating content, it is essential to consider what will resonate with your intended audience demographic. Before posting, make sure to do research to determine what time of day your audience is most active. This ensures that you are posting at a time when your content will be highly viewed by users. Also, be aware that you need to switch to a business account to take full advantage of the free analytics Instagram offers. This strategy will help provide insight into your followers’ location and age range. Instagram insights can also determine when your followers are most active, which posts receive the highest reach, and information regarding engagement metrics. By monitoring analytics, you will have a better understanding of what content is most effective when marketing your business and, more importantly, what changes are ideal to make in the future.

Creating pleasing visuals that are aligned with your brand’s vision and aesthetic is essential to spread brand awareness. It also helps ensure your content is something people are eager to view. Any user should be able to instantly recognize your brand with every post. Working with a graphic designer can help you create original content that makes people want to follow you. In addition to posting aesthetically pleasing graphics, make sure your brand is also including photos of people. Real life photos of people help humanize your business and make your brand more relatable. A studyhas shown that visual content is 40 times more likely to be shared on Instagram. This is especially beneficial in 2021 because shares and saves are now weighted more heavily than likes or comments. Because of this change, it is more important than ever for your brand to create worthy content in hopes of being saved and shared with friends.

Partnering with influencers is a major opportunity for your business to become successful through Instagram Marketing. Influencers have a large following which spreads brand awareness to reach a significant amount of people who might be interested in your product. When an influencer shares their thoughts about your product, their audience has now been exposed to your brand, which could lead to potential customers. This also helps boost brand reliability since followers are more likely to trust their favorite influencers’ recommendations. To encourage people to make a purchase, try providing the influencer with a small discount or promo code to give out to people who buy within a specific time frame.