Cracking the Instagram Algorithm in 2022

This year marks Instagram’s 12th birthday, and not only has it evolved drastically over the years, it has skyrocketed to great heights. Based on total web traffic, it is one of the top 10 most-visited websites in the world as well as top 10 most Googled globally according to SEMrush. With over one billion monthly active users, it’s safe to say it’s not going anywhere. 

Like any platform, we can either embrace it or ignore it. But to keep up to date and get the most ROI on time spent there, you might as well know what to focus on. Here is a quick overview on the latest updates, changes, and trends to help you master the all-powerful algorithm. 

Reach New Audiences

One of the main goals of Instagram (wider reach) has gotten easier with the new Instagram Collabs option. This feature lets you to join forces with a brand, company, or influencer by co-authoring a post or Reel.

This in turn allows you to tap into their audience as it will be shared with their followers in addition to yours, appearing on both of your profiles. Both names are clickable and shown at the top of the post, with shared views, likes, and comments giving you the chance to leverage and engage a bigger community. 

Other easy ways to boost reach include carousel posts, keywords, and giveaways. Carousel posts are a fantastic way to share educational or insightful content and a chance to tell either a literal or visual story in a super shareable format. To up your likelihood of being shown on the Instagram Explore Page, add a frequently searched term or keyword to your name field. And finally, the tried and true giveaway is an excellent method for gaining followers especially when entry requirements include tagging or sharing posts on stories. 

Lean Into Reels

Designed to compete with TikTok, Reels are short-form videos with a front-and-center spot in the app’s bottom navigation bar. Due to an aggressive algorithmic push, these videos are right in line with the broader social trend towards bite-sized content blips and have become a cornerstone of the modern Instagram experience. 

There’s no time like the present to give this feature a whirl, with the added bonus of a likely boost in both exposure and engagement for your efforts. To maximize your reach and grab the spotlight in the Reels tab, be sure to consistently share Reels that align with your niche and include 3-5 relevant hashtags in the caption to help the algorithm categorize your content. You’ll also want to share a preview of the Reel as a post in your regular Instagram feed. 

Story Links for Everyone!

For as long as they’ve been around, adding a link in a story was something only those accounts with 10k followers and up could do — until now. Last fall, Instagram granted everyone no matter the follower account the ability to add links to stories. This is huge as brands can now link and send traffic to their websites, and any off app content. 

Go ahead and share your newsletter, website, sale, new listing, latest blog post, etc in your stories which invites more engagement with your content. All you have to do is tap the “add sticker” icon from the top navigation bar in stories, then tap the “link” sticker. You can even customize the text so it says something more exciting than a plain url, like “Read Me” or “Hot Real Estate Tips” to entice people to click. 

Go Live
It may or may not shock you to learn that 80% of audiences prefer watching a live video to reading a blog according to Livestream (part of the Vimeo family). Thanks to the pandemic, Instagram Live became a constant go-to and remains in prime position to connect with followers on a more personal level. 

Live video is a chance for you to pull back the curtain and be a little more “real” so don’t fret too much about having the perfect script of carefully edited scene. People connect with reality more than overly doctored images and formal phrasing. Let down your hair, and take a spin around that new listing, explain that sale or new tax benefit and just be yourself — it will be worth it.

Bonus: You can now schedule Instagram Lives! 

Build a Community

It’s one thing to post all the time, it’s another beast altogether to ENGAGE. Taking the time to reply to comments and interact with followers is crucial not only for the algorithm, but fostering a community of loyal clients. Include a call to action in your post captions, and utilize the pinned comments to help direct the dialogue. 

Stories present another opportunity for interaction and a more conversational tone. Interactive stickers (polls, sliders, question boxes, etc) help your audience remember your content, and getting in front of the camera puts a face to your brand. 

Still relatively underused, Instagram Guides can be a valuable resource and service to your community. Become the “go-to” source for your area of expertise and compile information into an easy to consume guide, list, selection, or how to. The more people that find your content useful, the more likely they are to save it, share it, and keep coming back. 

Watch Out for the Return of the Chronological Feed!

If you’ve been around since the beginning, you probably remember when photos appeared in the order they were posted. This could be great news for those feeling outplayed by the almighty algorithm, as Instagram announced that it is working on big changes for the feed that gives users three different options. 

“Favorites” and “Following” will sort content chronologically, allowing people to stay up to date with a smaller group of close friends and family, as well as posts from everyone else in the latter category. The third version of the feed (“Home”) will be the same algorithmically sorted feed that we currently have. 

These options are planned to roll out sometime in the first half of 2022, and were first introduced via (you guessed it) a video shared by Instagram head Adam Mosseri. 

Before you dive into any of this, make sure you’ve mastered the basics first. Choose a clear and professional profile photo, tweak your bio, and focus on your content niche. Keep several stories highlights at the top of your profile to give visitors and potential followers a quick preview of what you’re all about, and curate your grid with an eye pleasing overall aesthetic.

No matter how you approach your Instagram strategy this year, be sure to stay informed, stay flexible, and stay relevant. 

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DasFort Media is a full service media company offering you the best in professional services from social media management, campaign strategy, and ghost writing, to newsletters and Google ranking improvement. Don’t have time to keep up with the current trends? We’ve got you covered! Reach out today.