How to Create Content That Instagram Will Notice

In last week’s blog post (which you should definitely check out here), we shared what “the Algorithm” you always hear about on Instagram is. 

As we shared with you, Instagram basically takes into account who you interact with the most (liking, commenting, saving, clicking on the profile) and then targets you with content that they believe you would be interested in. This explains why when you spend a few hours looking at foodie accounts, you will mostly see foodie accounts in your feed from then on. 

Now that we understand how it works, let’s talk about how to use it to your advantage!

Be original

We have mentioned this statistic before and we will say it again. There are over 1 billion Instagram users! While this may seem daunting, remember that there is room for everyone. By finding your voice, your angle, your niche, you will earn and keep trust from your followers, who will support you and always come back for more.

This can be achieved by putting your own unique twist on every piece of content that you share, whether it be original or curated content. Share it with a personal experience or anecdote that represents you and your brand. Your followers want to feel a connection to what you share, so this is of the utmost importance!

Post consistently

Consistency is always key. However, consistency does not mean you have to post multiple times a day to capture your audience’s attention.

The head of Instagram himself, Adam Mosseri, stated in an interview on the Creators Instagram page that sharing 2 feed posts and 2 stories per week would be sufficient for growth. This is a great jumping off point, especially for new or small businesses, and you can work toward posting more than this once you have a posting schedule mastered.

Use Instagram’s features

Over the years Instagram has released multiple new features on the app – stories, Reels, carousels, and highlights, to name a few.

Sure, it’s a quick solution to take a photo and post it onto your feed right then and there, but the algorithm will likely favour you more if you take advantage of the tools Instagram has to offer you. For instance, Hootsuite has found that carousels make up 17% of feed posts and have much higher engagement rates than regular photos.

Engage authentically

This tip involves putting time and energy into your profile. It’s imperative that you not only post content that your audience will enjoy, you have to follow this with interacting with them organically.

Most everyday Instagram users have seen “bots” commenting on your posts or finding their way into your DMs. While this may seem like an easy way out, your followers will spot that this isn’t you, and so will Instagram. Take the time to reply to comments, comment on your followers’ posts, send and reply to direct messages, and save posts that you like.

Use hashtags

It may be news to you that Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags to accompany a post, however they’ve recommended to use only actually 3-5 - that’s about 10% of what the allowance is. The reason behind this is fewer hashtags allows Instagram to categorize your content better and therefore recommend it to other users more precisely. It’s also widely known that posts with hashtags perform far better than those without.                                

After some deeper digging, it turns out that other social media management platforms found that feed posts with more hashtags (ie, 20 and up) had a significantly higher reach than those with 3-5. Out takeaway from this would be to use as many hashtags as you see fit but keep them targeted and strategic. Only use hashtags that are relevant to your brand and to the audience you are trying to reach!

Post at high-traffic times

This tip is pretty flexible depending on the type of industry you are in. For instance, if you are trying to build an audience for your coffee shop, you may want to post early in the morning to be seen by potential customers before they head out for work. If you are an online business that can be visited 24/7, consider posting mid-day when people are scrolling their Feed on their lunch break, or in the evening once people are home from work.

We are confident that if you follow these tips & tricks your content will be chosen by Instagram’s Feed & Stories algorithm and get your content noticed!

Written by Katie Burcea