Instagram Algorithm

Instagram is a mobile application that allows you to take, edit, and share photos or videos. You can follow your family members, friends, celebrities, etc. on Instagram. It allows you to customize your account as per the need. To make your posts visible to everyone, you have to make your account public. If you want to show your posts and stories to selected people, make your account private. Instagram is available on Android, Apple IOS, and Windows.

Instagram Algorithm

Most social media algorithms are based on machine learning concepts, and Instagram is also based on the machine learning algorithm. These algorithms are changing all the time, and it is not the same for two people. The longer you use Instagram, the more algorithms you will know about what you like, your interest, etc. This is because the Instagram algorithm tracks all the actions you performed inside the app, such as the videos you watch, people you messaged, the stories you reply to, the posts you saved, etc. Based on all these actions, the Instagram algorithm chooses the posts for your Instagram feed. This is the reason every Instagram user has a different page to explore.

There are three essential points on which the Instagram algorithm prioritizes the posts on the feed. These are given below:

Relationships - The Instagram algorithm tracks past interactions with people such as people you message, the people you searched for, and whose posts you regularly like, etc. Based on that, it prioritizes the post on your feed.

Interest - The Instagram algorithm now uses photo recognition technology, which helps the algorithm categorize the posts and videos on the explore page according to your interest. The posts you see on the explore page is because of your past Instagram behavior.

Timeliness - The Instagram arranges the posts on your feed based on the recent or latest visit on a page or post. Sometimes, you visit a single page a lot of times, but that page's content will not rank higher in the feed. This is because the algorithm thinks it is less engaging, and the algorithm is not recognizing it as valuable content.

The shift from the Chronological way to the algorithmic way

Instagram changed a lot since it switched from chronological to algorithmic way. The posts are not displayed in chronological order anymore. The newest posts on the feed are arranged according to the different priority levels, which the algorithm decides based on the actions you performed inside it.

When Instagram chronologically displays posts, you can easily find out when your audience is more active. At that time, if you post on Instagram, you get more and more likes, and the posts are prioritized on the basis of likes. But now the factors are changed in an algorithmic way, the positions are arranged in the feed according to the user's interest and preference.

How does Instagram algorithm work for Instagram stories?

The Instagram stories are displayed at the top row of the home feed. These stories are related to the accounts you interacted with the most, either due to their stories or posts. The Instagram stories algorithm keeps track of all the activities, and it mainly focuses on the last visit and the latest visit on any post or page. On the basis of these factors, the Instagram algorithm arranges the stories on your home feed page from your favorite accounts.

If you want your Instagram stories to appear on the top of your followers, feed page, then keep posting Instagram stories. The more you post stories, the more your followers' engagement time will increase with your accounts. This will give the message to the algorithm that you are posting content in which people are more interested, due to which Instagram algorithm will rank your stories higher in the feed page of your followers.

How does Instagram algorithm work on IGTV?

The IGTV stands for Instagram TV that allows us to post videos that are longer than one minute because, in an Instagram post, you can upload videos that are not longer than a minute. You can watch trending videos of popular channels on IGTV and share it directly with your friends as you share any post or story.

The Instagram algorithm works the same for IGTV as it does for Instagram posts. It arranges IGTV videos on your explore page based on your interest and who you follow.

The IGTV videos are categorized into three parts:

• For you
• Following
• Popular

For you - The collection of IGTV videos which are categorized by the Instagram algorithm "for you" on the basis of your likes or uploaded by the people you follow.

Following - The collection of videos IGTV that are categorized by the Instagram algorithm, which is uploaded by the people you follow and people you interacted most.

Popular - The Instagram algorithm features the videos on your explore page on the basis of their popularity.

So, to make your IGTV videos popular among people and make their rank higher or to get more views on the videos, post videos regularly on IGTV with good captions. This engages people more.

To make your IGTV videos more accessible, Instagram allows you to upload a one-minute preview on your Instagram feed. This will increase the interaction of people and make the algorithm thinks that people liked it more. The algorithm then categorizes your videos on the priority list of the people who follow you or visit your video.

How does the Instagram algorithm work on the explore page?

The Instagram explore page has its algorithm, which is designed to make explore pages more personalized for every Instagram user. The algorithm for the feed and explore page are similar because the working of both the pages is also similar. The Instagram algorithm tracks all the actions like which type of posts, videos you like, to whom you follow, which interest posts you visited the most, etc. because this algorithm is designed to provide you the posts or videos that like or are interested in.

Instagram also categorized the explore page on the basis of interest like shop, travel, style, beauty, etc., so that you can spend more time on it.

How to beat the Instagram Algorithm with Content

Videos - Instagram has confirmed that the algorithm does not prefer videos over photos. Both are equal to it. But somehow, videos are more engaging than pictures. They catch people's attention more quickly. So if someone watches your video for 3 seconds and more, it will count as a new view. One more important thing to keep in mind is that videos take the four times the space on the explore page.

IGTV - The second type of content to post in 2020 is IGTV, which allows the people to share a video of one minute and more directly into your profile. The best thing about IGTV is the clickable links that are present in the description. Instagram also allows for adding advertisements in the IGTV videos.

Hashtags - Instagram suggests that use relevant hashtags instead of phrases. If you post something on Instagram, then try to add more and more hashtags related to the post. The post will be visible to more people. Instagram allows you to create your own hashtags.

Use carousel posts - Instagram allows us to upload upto ten photos or videos in a single post. Because of this, the user has to spend more time on your post. This will help to beat the Instagram algorithm.