We all love to hate the Instagram algorithm, but it turns out that since it was introduced, each post on average is seen by 50% more users. If you’re struggling to get your post seen in your followers feed, read on to find out what the algorithm is looking for in 2020. There are a few myths about what the algorithm favors and what it ignores and we’re here to get the facts straight. The Instagram creators account (@creators) did a Q & A addressing all questions about the direction of the algorithm for 2020 and here’s what we found out.
Algorithm Myths
High engagement within the first 30 minutes of posting will boost your rank
Instagram ignores comments unless they are more than 3 words
Does Instagram Favor a Business Account Over Personal
No, Instagram does not determine the rank of each post by whether it comes from a business, creator or personal account. For those of you with business accounts for your business, this does not mean that having a business account doesn’t benefit you, as it gives you the insights you need to determine your audience and reach. What impacts your content rank is the number of interactions you have on your post. The more your audience or followers interact with your content the more likely you are to appear at the top of their feed.
Favoring Photos Over Videos
The Instagram algorithm does not specifically favor one type of content over the other. However, if you tend to watch more videos over liking still photos or vice versa, the algorithm will pick up on each individual’s pattern and modify their feed for that user’s personal experience.
Engagement Pods
If you’re unfamiliar with engagement pods on Instagram, they are a group of users that work together to perform high engagement within their group. They will comment on their “pods” photos and videos in hopes to boost their rank among the feed. Instagram creators stated that engagement pods can create short term benefits, but this type of inauthentic activity will be picked up by the algorithm and those benefits will plateau.
What The Algorithm is Looking For
Interest
The algorithm was put in place to create a better Instagram experience for the users. You, as the user are more likely to see posts that relate to your interests higher on your feed. For example if you are interested in fashion, travel, health tips, etc your feed will put the posts that fall in that category higher in priority on your feed.
Timeliness
Instagram understands that you are more likely to be interested in a post from the last hour than a post from last week. Instagram wants to show what they believe is recent and relevant to you. A post within an hour will appear higher on your feed rather than a post from last week, even if that post had a ton of likes and engagement on it, timing is still relevant though it is different from the old reverse chronological order that Instagram’s feed used to reflect.
Relationship
Content from accounts you engage with more frequently will be higher on your feed. Instagram doesn’t want you missing out on anything from friends, family, or the celebrities you love to keep up with. Another key factor that will boost an account on your feed is if you search for an account frequently. This shows the algorithm that you’re interested in the content that that account posts, so you’ll start to see more of them, and see their Story closer to the front of the line.
Frequency
How often someone opens Instagram will determine the type of feed they have. The algorithm tries to show the best post since the last time you opened the platform, the most relevant for that day or the most relevant content you have not yet seen if you’re someone who opens Instagram hourly.
Following
The number of accounts a user follows will determine how the algorithm shows posts. The more accounts you are following, the more sorting the algorithm will have to do and the more accounts you might not see as much from.
Usage
Similar to frequency, the algorithm bases your feed off of how much or little you use the platform. Usage focuses more on the duration of time you spend after you first open the app. If you are a user that tends to come on Instagram in shorter visits, Instagram focuses on showing the most relevant post first. On the other side, if you spend longer amounts of time scrolling through Instagram the algorithm will produce a deeper catalog of fresh content to browse.
If you’re struggling to find the content that performs the best for your business or organization we are happy to help! Email us at info@theburnetteagency.com or give us a call at 404.850.2081.
