The Instagram Algorithm. Some know about it, some are confused about it, a few have no clue but most want to know more. From gathered research and testing, our team at SS has concluded key items one must know about the ever changing formula.
- ENGAGEMENT. Meaning comments, likes, shares, views = interaction. Always remember engagement is interaction - how people engage with your account online. This matters and contributes hugely to the algorithm.
- TIME SPENT. The time your audience spends on your account. When your audience is zooming in, clicking “more” under the caption, etc. - this all counts and instagram is tracking it. This behavior leads to your posts appearing more frequently on your curious audience's feeds moving forward.
- POSTING TIME. Each account has different “prime times” to post but an account’s audience typically sees the most recent post depending on how often they browse the app. If someone only opens the app every other day, it is likely they have to catch up on the last 24 hours and your post recent post may take time to appear for them.
- CONTENT CATEGORY. If your audience browses a certain category (travel, fashion, etc) - it is likely they are seeing more of these accounts on their feed. Instagram is tracking behavior in every manner, especially in this way.
- SEARCH. Have you ever noticed when you often search an account that it starts popping up on your Explore page? Yeah, that's how smart Instagram is.
