How to beat the Instagram Algorithm

man holding phone showing the instagram icon
20 December 2021 | | Blog, Social Media

Instagram is one of the largest social platforms, with over 28 million users in the UK and still growing. CEO of Instagram, @mosseri, recently shared some new information about the new changes coming to the platform in 2022 and details about the top secret Instagram algorithm. 

Though there’s no easy way to hack or cheat the Instagram algorithm, in this blog post, we’re sharing how it works and how you can optimise your content to grow your Instagram in 2022.

How the algorithm works

Instagram’s algorithm (or multiple algorithms) are designed to serve users the content they are most likely to engage with and there are four key factors that influence the Instagram algorithm:

  1. Information about the post – Is it a photo or video? When was it posted? How many likes does it have?
  2. Information about the poster – How interesting are they to you? How often do people engage with their content?
  3. User’s activity – Do you watch a lot of videos? What type of content do you typically engage with?
  4. User’s interaction history – Do you typically like or comment on the poster’s posts?

Based on this information, Instagram calculates how likely someone is to interact with a post, (known as a score of interest) which ultimately determines the order in which posts are displayed in their feed.

 

Optimise content for Instagram

Be consistent

Instagram algorithm learns from users. Every post you share, hashtags you use and like you get gives the algorithm and indication of what your account is all about. 

Being consistent (from the posts you upload to the accounts you interact with) is one the best ways to continually educate the algorithm. This way, the algorithm can categorise your account and its content and your post will be more likely to appear for users who have shown a previous interest in your area of expertise.

We understand that not all dental practices have time to spend creating original content for their social media profiles, so we’ve created a great library of relevant assets on our EasySocial platform. 

 

Post when your audience is most engaged

Another way to boost your performance with the Instagram algorithm is to post when your followers are most likely to engage with your content. This increases the likelihood of getting like comments and shares. 

Engagement is a huge indicator for the Instagram algorithm. The more engagement your post receives the more likely it will be served to more users. However it can be tricky to know exactly when your audience is most engaged. Our social media team at Dental Design can help you collect this data. 

 

Add strong call to actions in the caption

One of the main ways to hack the Instagram algorithm is to encourage as much engagement as possible. According to Instrgam, the most important engagement types are: 

  • Time spend
  • Likes
  • Comments
  • Saves 
  • Taps on profile 

The best way to encourage more of these engagements is to include a strong call to action in your post caption. We also recommend using a platform such as Linktree to include multiple links in your bio. 

 

Optimise your post for Instagram SEO

The Instagram algorithm is constantly interpreting your posts so it can categorise your content and serve the right users. In the early days of Instagram, categorisation relied heavily on the hashtags you included in a post. With Instagram’s latest update that allows users to search by keyword, this indicates that the algorithm also processes visual content and caption semantics.

There are a few things you can do to optimised you post for Instagram SEO:

  • Write descriptive captions with relevant, highly-search keywords throughout. 
  • Manually write alt text for your posts.
  • Include up to 30 relevant hashtags in your post caption or first comment. 

 

Embrace new IG features

Another great way to get on the good side of the Instagram algorithm is by jumping on the latest features fast. Instagram gives extra prominence to new features to help drive adoption so getting to give with them white the competition is still low can be a huge advantage. 

A great example of this was Instagram Reels. With our own Instagram account, we saw a 5404% increase in reach once we posted our first reel. 

When hopping on new features, it’s important to ensure your content is still relevant to niche and something your audience will engage in. 

 

Regularly post stories with engagement-driving stickers 

Interactions are a huge indicator the Instagram algorithm and Instagram story stickers are one the quick and easiest way to boost your engagement. 

Poll, emoji slider, and quiz stickers are fun and have a low barrier to entry, making them a real quick win for audience interactions. Question stickers are a great way to encourage DM conversions which indicate a deeper, more personal relationship to the Instagram algorithm. 


If you’re looking to grow your dental social media platform in 2022, we can help! Get in touch with our social media team today. 

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