The Complete Guide to the New Instagram Algorithm and How to Hack It for Maximum Engagement

The Instagram Algorithm

Instagram’s recent change of algorithm has caused many issues and controversies, especially in regards to the “Insta-spam” epidemic. The new algorithm change, which reduces the exposure of posts that are not a great fit for a user’s interests, has led to users complaining about their feeds being filled with less-interesting content and complicated stories. In response to these complaints, Instagram has made some changes with the algorithm that have resulted in less posts being seen by users.

What is Engagement and Why Does Instagram Care?

Instagram is a social media platform that is all about sharing photos and videos with friends. The more people engage with your content, the more likely you are to show up in their feed.

So what does Instagram care about? They care about your engagement rate. This means that if you post a photo or video and the number of likes or comments you get is high, then you are more likely to show up in someone’s feed. It’s also important to note that this doesn’t mean that if you post a photo and it doesn’t get many likes, then it won’t show up in someone’s feed.

The more time people spend on Instagram, the more ads they are exposed to. This creates a cycle where people are exposed to more ads and then spend more time on the app. The engagement rate is what Instagram cares about because it is one of the most important metrics for the company.

Instagram has been experimenting with different algorithms in order to increase user engagement and make it harder for people to use third party apps to make their posts look bigger. Engagement is important for Instagram because it’s a key metric that determines the ranking of posts on the platform. In order to keep users engaged and coming back to the app, Instagram has been testing a number of different features to see what works best.

The company has been testing features like asking users to turn off push notifications, changing the algorithm and showing more posts from friends and family.

How Can I Improve My Content Strategy For The End of 2022 and Beyond?

The content strategy for 2022 is about quality and engagement. Content marketers need to focus on creating outstanding content that will increase their followers, likes, shares and comments. This goes hand in hand with keeping users engaged. Engaged users tend to be consumers. Consumers are the gold nuggets that Instagram targets with very specific, precise ads. And that’s what it’s all about. Ad revenue.

Ad revenue is generated every time someone boosts a post, buys stars, creates an ad, runs a shop, or any other way money flows from the consumer into Facebooks pockets. If you want to grow, you have to feed the beast. Content that makes people engage shows the algorithm what people like. This is the value that you are providing them, and they repay you with more viewers, more potential consumers to target.

Another new way that Instagram is rewarding your posts is by turning your Reels into Reels Templates for others to use. When this happens, you will see a Use Template sticker at the bottom left of the Reel. The only example that I have witnessed is from my wife’s account, @Sacred7Senses. This post was her first viral post at 33k and was the first of over 30, and counting, Template Reels. View the Reel HERE. 

If you study the techniques she uses, you’ll notice that she takes short, quick shots and then matches them to trending audio. Try her templates, then practice making your own!

By making sure that the content is engaging enough to keep the consumers(Your followers) engaged, it provides the algorithm with a valuable data points as to the consumers interests. This helps ads go to the most likely people to click.

The content strategies for 2023 will be different than what we have been accustomed to in the past few years because of the rapid change in technology and social media algorithms. The use of the Reels video format is going to be massive and so is the use of chatbots. The content that will be delivered will not just be from one source, but from all sources.

Video content on social media has become a massive trend. In the past few years alone, Facebook and Instagram alone are generating billions in views per day. This means that content that stops people from scrolling, gets them to click, interact, or in any way engage, will continue to be rewarded.

Updates to Content strategy 2023

As I was writing this, I got notified that you can now post 60 second stories. This makes your stories like an additional feed. It will be interesting to play around with the interactive possibilities of 60 second stories. This may not be available in all areas, but it looks like one of the newest added features.

Your focus should be on understanding and using the newest Instagram features as they will push those features to more of your audience and beyond. Stay current by following the 2 Official Instagram Accounts, listed below.

Quality and Engagement – Today, social media platforms are beginning to expect/reward quality posts. This is in contrast to how social media began, as a show-all, tell-all experience. In the near future, AI tools will help us get the best shots, angles, beats, and cuts. 

There are some amazing A.I. tools coming out that I have been experimenting with. I will show you some of the Amazing creations I had A.I. create though thought in a near future blog.

What Does This Mean For You as an Influencer or Brand Owner that Wants To Grow Their Following On IG in 2023?

If your idea is to build a brand on Instagram in 2023, it’s important to consider that brands and influencers need to plan for growth. One way is through building a community of people who share the same values. This can be done by interacting with the community, joining affiliate programs, email lists, and engagement groups.

How to Hack Your Way to Higher Engagement with These 15 Hacks in 2023

The more followers you have, the more engaged people you can reach. And the higher your engagement rates are, the better your chances of getting those coveted organic followers.

Engagement is the key to success on social media. It’s what drives the growth of your followers and your reach. But it’s not always easy to get. Never pay for followers or to promote posts. They decrease your engagement because they don’t interact with your content. 

But how do you get more followers without paying for them? There are many ways to “hack” your way to higher engagement on social media. Here are 15 hacks that you can use in 2022 to increase your engagement and reach.

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1. Use Reels (See our blog on using reels)

2. Improve the quality of your content – This can be accomplished by using a program like InVideo. InVideo contains hundreds of premade video templates for you to use. It’s easy, affordable, and will give you professional results. 
Sign up for InVideo Here:
https://invideo.sjv.io/QO9Oyx

3. Listen to experts – Influencers in social media often offer their knowledge for free. One of my favorite accounts for knowledge is Derek Videll  of Social Bamboo. He has a robust Instagram page and YouTube Channel. One of the greatest assets is his willingness to help, no matter where you are in your journey. Derek has been our inspiration and source of knowledge since the beginning of  our journey. He has helped us to grow into this amazing group.

3. Use relevant hashtags – Search for other accounts in your industry and look at what hashtags they use. Always use relevant hashtags to your industry, niche, or specialty. Search the hashtags you use in the Instagram search button to see every post that has used that hashtag. Keeping track of the post count in the hashtags you use will enable you to use hashtags that fit with your post and have a good mix of big, medium, and smaller hashtags. If you are in a small niche, you may not find a large hashtag cloud, but if you broaden your interest a little, like #DIY, #Craft, if you are in that sub-niche.

4. Engage with other influencers by liking, commenting, and sharing their content – This will make you show higher in their feed and gives you a greater chance at being noticed. You can join our new project CreativeResinMarketplace to connect with Resin Artists across the world.

5. Create contests and giveaways with prizes that align with your brand’s values. Give away freebies to incentivize followers to engage with you and share content: We’re having a HUGE giveaway! Ends 10/9/22.

6. Post at different times – Test the timing of your posts/stories to figure out when the best time to post is. A spreadsheet can be highly valuable for tracking your posts progress. The insights tool in Instagram will give you amazing data about who your followers are, what times they are on, age range, etc. If you do not have access to the insights tool, you may need to switch to a business account.

7. Create a call to action in your bio – Creating a call to action, like asking them to go to your website, LinkTr.ee, or shop, will increase traffic to your sales channels.

8. Use location tags for local events and businesses (especially during the holidays) – Adding your hometown and/or state will get your post shown to more local accounts.

9. Use an engaging headline – Sometimes all it takes to get attention is a catchy headline that resonates with the person. Posting daily will allow you to see which of your videos are performing well. After you do this for 6 months, you will see a pretty clear picture of the elements that your audience wants to see. For instance, your audience might want close-up shots vs zoomed out shots. They may want long Reels, or short Reels. You have to keep posting, even when you don’t want to. Push through and post daily. You will be amazed at the milestones that zip by in a month, 3 months, 6, a year. Figure out what your audience wants to see and capitalize on that information.

10. Post once a day and make sure that every post is adding value to their feed – People don’t want to see your kids if they follow you for your art. Keep your personal and professional accounts separate so the algorithm can figure out what you are doing and who to show your content to. 

11. Ask questions in posts, or ask for opinions or advice from followers – This lets them know that you value their opinion, and gets them to interact with your post.

12. Provide your followers with a way to subscribe to your blog, email, newsletter, or other channels. This can be achieved with a LinkTr.ee or landing page.

13. Join an engagement group. An engagement group likes, comments, shares, and saves each others posts. This is organized though Instagram chats and works well when all members participate. You can contact us if you are interested in the engagement group.

14. Connect with manufacturers of products you use – Manufacturers usually provide a card with an email to contact them. One way to approach a manufacturer is to find errors in their listings and offer to fix them for them. Amazing things can come from interactions such as these. Take the concept one step further and you could create a side-business just fixing Amazon listings. There are many companies that can use help with their grammar,. Make contact and ask if they want help. What do you have to lose?

15. Only follow people who you want to interact with in your feed. Otherwise you will waste time scrolling through posts that you don’t really care about. That hurts their engagement and reach because Instagram thinks it’s not interesting. Once a few people do that, the algorithm stops pushing it to the top of peoples feeds. You are not helping someone by giving them a follow and not interacting with their posts, you’re hurting their account. A healthy account should get at least 10% of their follower count on every post. If you have 1000 followers, you should get 100 views. If you have 777, you should get at least 77 views on each. 

What can you do if your account is not performing?

First, look at the followers you have. Are they in your niche? Same thing with who you are following. Are you helping their account with engagement? If not, help them out by letting go. Sometimes you have to pull the weeds from your account. Just like a garden. Weeds can strangle your plants. Bad accounts can strangle yours. And paying for followers is the worst thing you can do.

Once you feel good about your account, look at your content. Compare your content to the reels page. If you think you can’t do reels like that, look for reels that have a sticker that says “Use Template”. Play around with trending audio and effects. 

Have you ever wondered if there was a place to see all of the available effects? You can! Instagram has an official account that lists all of the available effects. The link to Instagram’s official account is:
https://www.instagram.com/instagram

There is also an official Instagram account for businesses:
https://www.instagram.com/instagramforbusiness/

Both of these accounts are packed with amazing information directly from the source. Use the knowledge that they give you to make your posts soar!

And if all else fails, but you refuse to quit, message us for help. We’re always here to help!