🧠 How to Create Content the Instagram Algorithm Will Love in 2024
Key insights to get your content ranking and recommended
If you’re having trouble growing your Instagram account, you’ll want to read this.
There are only two ways to grow your Instagram account:
You can pay for followers through ads or shoutouts. (Please don’t pay for followers directly, it’s always a scam).
You can grow organically—if the Instagram algorithm lets you.
Whether you choose to invest money in Instagram growth or not, you need to grow organically for Instagram to be sustainable as a marketing channel.
The Instagram algorithm is the arbiter of organic growth. It decides how many people will see your content and who those people will be. Even among your own followers!
Today, I’ll share key insights into how the Instagram algorithm works and recommendations for optimizing your content accordingly.
Welcome back to Really Good Business Ideas! If you’ve just joined us, we’re going deep on Instagram. So far, we’ve talked about monetizing Instagram theme pages, and how an effective hashtag strategy can drive growth.
This week, we’re looking at the Instagram algorithm and how to get it to work in your favor. But first, breaking news in the Instagram world.
Last week, Meta disclosed Instagram’s revenue for the first time and it’s massive.
It's more than YouTube. And more than Twitter, Snapchat, and Pinterest…combined.
Instagram is a lucrative ecosystem governed by an algorithm. If you want to tap into it, read on to learn what works.
As usual, we’ll start with the recommendations before taking a more detailed look at how the Instagram Algorithm functions.
Table of Contents
15 Content Recommendations Based on the Instagram Algorithm Ranking Factors 🔍
Bonus: Instagram Content Optimization Checklist ☑️
What are the Different Types of Instagram Content? 📷
There are three different content formats on Instagram: feed posts, stories, and reels.
Stories: Instagram stories are short-lived posts that disappear after 24 hours, often used for sharing ephemeral moments or updates.
Feed posts: Instagram feed posts are permanent images or videos displayed on a user's profile grid, typically showcasing curated content or highlights.
Reels: Instagram reels are short, entertaining videos offering a platform for users to create and discover engaging content in a TikTok-like format. Reels can also be shared as feed posts.
15 Content Recommendations Based on the Instagram Algorithm Ranking Factors 🔍
People spend a lot of time on Instagram. That’s how it generates so much ad revenue.
Given that Instagram makes money from selling advertising impressions, it’s not hard to guess what Instagram’s number one goal is: maximize how much time users spend on the platform. The more time users spend on the platform, the more ads they see, the more money Instagram makes.
Keep this in mind as you review the recommendations. Everything adds up to keeping users on the platform longer. In fact, this is why so much attention is focused on Reels. Reels take longer to consume because they are videos and are typically more entertaining.
If you can help Instagram keep people around with your content, you will be rewarded with engagement and followers, which you can monetize, too.
1. Don’t waste time creating content for stories until you have at least 1,000 followers.
Stories are only shown to your followers and are difficult for followers to share. Posting stories is great for engaging your current follower base but it won’t help you reach new followers. Your time is better spent elsewhere until you have followers to engage with.
Once you have a few hundred followers, you can share your feed posts and reels to stories to ensure they see them, but don’t bother creating content just for stories until you reach 1,000 followers.
2. If you run a giveaway, ensure entrants are required to tag other users in the post.
Instagram giveaways are a disincentive for the algorithm to recommend your post. But they can still work if you require entrants to tag a friend on the post—in addition to following you, of course. This will expose your post to the tagged followers, creating a viral effect that can help with account growth.
3. Recreate content rather than reposting.
The algorithm disincentivizes content that is repurposed from another source without adding value. The Instagram algorithm will not recommend content that is reposted without any material change. You’ll always get better results by recreating content you want to repost instead. Take the parts you like about it and make it your own. For example, you could add additional context to your post or adapt the color scheme to appeal to your audience.
4. Avoid creating content about ineligible topics.
Some topics are never eligible to be recommended to new users including content that discusses self-harm, trivializes death and depression, depicts violence, is sexually explicit, promotes regulated products, depicts cosmetic procedures, makes unrealistic health claims, or promotes deceptive business models.
If your niche is adjacent to any of the ineligible topics, make sure to read the detailed section on how recommendations work so you can stay compliant. This doesn’t mean you can’t post about these topics, but only your followers will be eligible to see them if you do.
5. Include hashtags to help the algorithm categorize your content properly.
Instagram uses hashtags to understand your content so it can recommend it to the right people. Include at least 3-5 hashtags that are relevant to your post. You’ll also want to make sure you choose hashtags with engagement potential that are not too competitive. If you’re new to hashtag strategy, check out last week’s article.
6. Encourage comments to improve engagement.
How much and how quickly users engage with your post will affect its ranking and recommendation. Encourage commenting to drive this engagement.
You can encourage commenting directly by asking your audience a question, but you can also do it indirectly by baiting people into commenting. For example, if you’re speaking to the camera but your cat is being cute in the background, people might jump in to comment on the cat. Or if you are walking and talking but actually you are walking backward without mentioning why, people might jump in to point out the strange behavior.
7. Create reels less than 90 seconds long.
Instagram has stated that consistently posting reels is the best way to grow an account.1 But they must be the right length. Reels over 90 seconds are not recommended to Instagram users who don’t follow you. The best-performing reels are also typically more than 10 seconds long, with 30-90 seconds being the sweet spot.2
8. Add something new when you remix reels.
Reels can be “remixed” by reposting them with fresh content at the end or during the reel. Some “gurus” recommend remixing reels by adding a few seconds of blank screen at the end, but the algorithm does not recommend reposted content unless there is a significant change. Make sure you actually add something new for the best results.
9. Always include audio in your reels.
The algorithm deprioritizes muted reels without audio. Make sure your reel has audio, even if it’s just some simple background music.
10. Use trending audio in reels to get users to visit the audio page.
The algorithm favors reels that drive visitors to visit the audio page because those visitors are more likely to make their own reels. And Instagram wants that. The more reels there are, the more time people spend watching them (and the ads in between). When audio is trending, it means a lot of people like it and want to use it. By using trending audio yourself, you can increase the likelihood that viewers of your reel will visit the audio page.
11. Use unique audio in reels to get users to visit the audio page.
If you can create a really interesting and unique audio effect for your reels, that may entice viewers to click through and use it as well. For example, maybe you’re one of the first people to start using a funny quote from a new episode of a popular TV show.
12. Make reels highly relatable to encourage sharing.
Reels that are shared are more likely to be recommended. In order to increase the likelihood that your reels are shared, make them highly relatable to a specific audience.
13. Make your reels controversial to increase watch time.
Reels watched all the way through are likelier to get engagement in the comments. While people read or write comments, your reel still plays in the background, increasing watch time.
14. Make sure your reel fills the screen.
Reels with borders are less likely to be recommended because they don’t provide a great viewing experience for users. Make sure you film vertically and fill up the entire screen to optimize for both the algorithm and engagement.
15. Make sure your reel isn’t pixelated or blurry.
Footage in reels shouldn’t be blurry or pixelated because the algorithm is less likely to recommend low-resolution reels. This doesn’t mean you need an expensive camera. Smartphones will work for most things, but make sure you’re shooting close enough, with enough light, and in the right mode to make it a pleasant viewing experience.
16. Skip watermarks and avoid heavy text on reels.
If the reel has a watermark or too much text, the Instagram algorithm will assume it does not offer a great viewing experience. Both are negative ranking factors and may reduce the likelihood of your reel getting seen.
Demystifying the Instagram Algorithm 🎱
If you want Instagram to promote your content, you need to understand how the content ranking algorithm works.
Each section or content type on Instagram has its own algorithm, which optimizes for different things based on user expectations:3
Feed: “Feed is your personalized home base within Instagram to help you catch up with friends, family, and interests.”
Feed content includes:
Content from the accounts you’ve chosen to follow
Recommended content from accounts Instagram thinks you’ll enjoy
Ads
Stories: “Stories are a way to share everyday moments and grow closer to the people and interests you care about.”
Stories content includes:
Stories you see are from people you’ve chosen to follow
Ads
Explore: “Explore was designed to help you discover new things.”
Explore content includes:
Recommendations from accounts you don’t yet follow while considering the recommendation guidelines.
Reels: “Reels are also designed to help you discover new things, with an emphasis on entertainment.”
Reels content includes:
Recommendations from accounts you don’t yet follow while considering the recommendation guidelines.
How Instagram Ranks Recommended Content
Both feed posts and reels are subject to the same recommendation guidelines. While posts from people you follow may break some of these rules (you have chosen to follow them and can choose to unfollow them), recommended content is held to a higher standard.
All content is ranked with these factors in mind:4
User activity: Instagram looks at what users have liked, shared, saved, and commented on in the past to understand what they’re interested in.
Post information: Instagram uses information about a post to inform its ranking.
Information about the content: What it is about, when it was posted, and location information (if included).
Information about the popularity: How many people have liked, shared, saved, and commented on the post and how quickly they are doing so.
Poster information: Instagram looks at an account’s recent interactions to understand how likely a user is to be interested in their content.
Account interaction history: Instagram will also specifically consider if a user has interacted with a poster in the past to determine how interested that user is in seeing more content from the same account.
Five categories of content may not be eligible5 for recommendations:
Content that impedes Instagram’s ability to foster a safe community:
Topics like self-harm, violence, sexual activity, and regulated products.
Content that trivializes death or depression.
This includes the content itself as well as accounts that fit this description.
Sensitive or low-quality content about Health or Finance:
Content that depicts cosmetic procedures, exaggerated health claims, attempts to sell products or services based on health claims (like supplements), and misleading or deceptive business models (like payday loans).
Content that users broadly dislike:
Clickbait, engagement bait, contests, and giveaways.
Content that is associated with low-quality publishing:
Unoriginal content that is largely repurposed from another source without adding any material value.
Content from websites that get most of their traffic from Instagram.
News content that doesn’t contain transparent information about authorship.
False or misleading content:
Claims found to be false by independent fact-checkers, vaccine-related misinformation, and content that promotes the use of false documents.
Reels also have some additional considerations:
Reels are prioritized when they are likely to make users:
Reshare the reel.
Watch the reel all the way through.
Like the reel.
Go to the audio page (a proxy for whether or not users might be inspired to make your own reel).
Reels de-prioritization factors:
Low-resolution
Watermarked
Muted
Contain borders
Majority text
Focus on political issues
Have already been posted to Instagram
You’re now an Instagram algorithm expert! Note that all algorithms get updated over time to account for new variables. I’ll update this article when things change.
If you’re a paid subscriber, grab the Instagram algorithm content optimization checklist below.
Next week, we’ll continue our Instagram journey and discuss Instagram growth strategies including which ones work and which ones to avoid.
To endless possibilities,
Casandra
Bonus: Instagram Algorithm Content Optimization Checklist ☑️
This checklist ensures your content is optimized for all the important ranking factors before publishing it.
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