What Is Instagram’s Algorithm And How Does It Work (Update 2024)
Instagram, as one of the world’s largest social networks, has specific algorithms for displaying various types of pictorial and video content to different users. These algorithms play a significant role in making various contents go viral and trend, and thus, familiarity with their functioning and main criteria is crucial and essential for every Instagram content creator.
What Is Instagram’s Algorithm?
Instagram’s algorithm is based on artificial intelligence and machine learning, gathering various data for each user. The AI system used in Instagram is constantly analyzing and reviewing the data of millions of users worldwide. Ultimately, each user becomes immersed in posts and stories about topics of interest to them. It’s fair to say that Instagram’s algorithm has become the main factor in entertaining users and making them lose track of time. The analysis of user activities has led to annual modifications in Instagram’s algorithms to enhance ease of use and appeal.
Similarly, we can recently observe changes in Instagram’s algorithm for the year 2024. Therefore, to produce more effective content and achieve virality, you need to become fully familiar with how these algorithms operate.
Next, we will examine each of Instagram’s main algorithms one by one.
The Algorithm For Ranking Stories
When you open the Instagram App, the first thing you see at the top of the page is a row of the latest stories from accounts you follow.
To determine which story is shown first, Instagram analyzes all the stories you have followed in the past 24 hours. The main goal of Instagram’s story algorithm is to predict your decision regarding opening stories. Instagram tries to predict which stories you are likely to view, react to, or like. For these predictions, Instagram uses signals obtained from your interactions with the stories. Factors that affect the order of the stories displayed include:
Past Activities: Instagram reviews your interactions with stories. For example, if you consistently view stories from a particular creator, those stories are likely to be prioritized.
Relationship With The Story Owner: If you have a close relationship with a page owner through sending messages and other interactions, their stories will be shown at a higher priority.
Personal Predictions: The algorithms constantly strive to display stories in a prioritized order based on personalized recommendations and various signals.
Distinct Story: A distinct Instagram profile picture, different from other stories in the Instagram feed, significantly increases the chances of your story being seen.
The Algorithm For Ranking Reels
The main goal of Instagram Reels is to entertain users. Instagram primarily shows you short content from accounts you don’t follow.
Initially, Instagram looks at Reels you have interacted with in the past and Reels liked by other users with tastes similar to yours. Next, it guesses which Reels you are likely to watch to the end or share with your friends. For these guesses, Instagram uses signals such as the history of Reels you’ve watched, information about the Reels, information about the creator, and your interactions with the page owner. This combination of information is considered to create a multifaceted, entertaining, and enjoyable experience for users.
The Algorithm For Ranking The Feed
The primary goal of the Instagram feed is to engage users with the best content posted since the last time they used the app. This includes a mix of content from accounts you follow and Instagram accounts that you might be interested in based on predictions.
These predictions are based on the following signals:
These predictions are based on the following signals:
1- How likely you are to comment, like, or share the post
2- How likely you are to tap on the profile
3- Approximately how much time you spend on the post
Instagram uses your interaction history, the popularity of posts, information about the creator, and the number of times you’ve interacted with the post creator to determine the order of content displayed in your feed.
Additionally, you can curate your feed content by marking your favorite accounts. Doing this ensures that posts from those accounts appear at the top of your feed. You can also go to the “Following Feed” section to only see posts from accounts you’re interested in viewing.
The Algorithm For Posts Entering Instagram’s Explore
Just like with Reels, Instagram aims to offer the best options from accounts you don’t follow in the Explore content as well, to help you discover new content on Instagram.
Instagram usually predicts the posts you’re likely to like, save, or share. It also uses signals such as the popularity of the post, topics you’re interested in, information about the owner, and how often you’ve interacted with the content creator.
In general, posts that receive a significant amount of likes, shares, comments, and overall high engagement from users in a short period are displayed in the Explore section, increasing the Explore Stats Of Your Instagram post.
Instagram’s Video (IGTV) Algorithm
In 2024, Instagram’s algorithm selects IGTV videos from accounts with which you interact the most. It also prioritizes posts with which you typically engage more. Therefore, on the Explore page, you can view IGTV videos that are closer to your tastes.
Moreover, content that generates active interactions and fosters a close connection with followers is likely to have the most significant impact on the algorithm and, consequently, is more prominently featured on the Explore page or IGTV page.
The Shadowban Algorithm
Shadowban is a term used for Instagram accounts that have been restricted. When a page is shadowbanned, few users can see its posts and stories because Instagram suggests the content of that page to fewer people, resulting in decreased page views.
A shadowban can occur for various reasons, such as being blocked or reported by users, having a low engagement rate, etc.
Sometimes, content creators believe they are shadowbanned when their content does not reach the expected number of views.
Although there are rumors that Instagram reduces account access to encourage them to pay for advertisements, it’s important to know that this is a misconception.
In fact, it’s in Instagram’s interest to connect people to the most exciting content possible to increase the time spent on the app and, ultimately, to increase advertising revenue through this means.
Why Is Instagram Engagement Important?
Engagement on Instagram refers to the collective activities that users engage in with your posts, including likes, comments, saving, sharing, etc. These types of interactions indicate the attractiveness, high quality of content, and positive connection with the mindset and expectations of the audience.
Given that it is easy to Purchase Fake Followers today, the number of followers alone is not considered a reliable criterion for the credibility and popularity of a page. For this reason, Instagram Engagement is regarded as a vital and trustworthy indicator for measuring impact and connection with the audience by Instagram.
For example, imagine two food bloggers active on Instagram. The first blogger has 200,000 followers, and the second blogger only has 70,000 followers. But if the average number of likes for the first blogger is 8,000 and for the second blogger is 12,000, it is clear that the blogger with fewer followers but higher engagement has a stronger connection with the audience and offers more attractive content.
Moreover, high engagement signals to Instagram’s Algorithm that real and serious users are actively interacting with your content. This allows the algorithm to better showcase your content to various users and generally increase your page’s credibility.
On the other hand, high engagement draws Instagram’s attention to your page and may cause your posts to be displayed on the Explore page, which we mentioned in the previous section. This leads to Increased Visibility For Your Instagram Posts, more followers, and consequently, increased income for you. For this reason, engagement on Instagram is considered a strategic tool for attracting attention and enhancing the impact of pages.
Key Criteria For Appearing On Instagram Users’ Home Page Or Feed
Next, we’ll examine several key criteria that are crucial for your posts to be displayed in the home section and Instagram feed.
Audience Interest In the Topic Of Your Posts
Instagram’s New Algorithm pays special attention to users’ interests and preferences. If a user is interested in a specific type of content and consistently interacts with it, the algorithm tries to show them more related posts. Thus, changing the topic of your posts can significantly affect their visibility in your followers’ feed.
For example, if a user is interested in the sports content of your page and you have been focusing on this topic for a while, but then you stop posting about sports and switch to different topics, the user’s engagement with your posts is likely to decrease, and the algorithm will reduce the visibility of those posts in their feed.
In other words, post overlap with users’ previous interests and preferences can lead to decreased interactions and engagement with your posts. Therefore, paying attention to the diversity while maintaining coherence with the interests and preferences of your followers can be very effective for more presence in the Instagram feed or home.
User Engagement With Your Page’s Content
As we mentioned, user interaction with content is one of the fundamental factors in determining the display of posts in Instagram’s algorithm. These interactions include actions such as likes, comments, sharing, saving, and other activities. Instagram’s algorithm considers these interactions as the primary signals of users’ connection and engagement with content:
Like: The most basic and most commonly used form of interaction that users have with a post. The number of likes indicates the number of people who have viewed the post and liked it.
Comment: Users may register their comments, questions, or feedback in the post’s comment section. The number and type of comments are also considered an important factor of engagement. Asking a challenging question in a post or conducting contests on Instagram can lead to an increase in Free Instagram Comments.
Share: If a post is sent or shared by users to others, it indicates that the content was engaging and valuable, and users decided to share it with others.
Save: If users save your post, it indicates that the content was valuable to them and they might want to view it again or share it with their friends.
These interactions play a fundamental role in increasing the visibility of posts in users’ feeds, and the Instagram algorithm tries to show content that has garnered more interactions to a wider group of users.
We also recommend reading the article on Deleting Your Instagram Account.
The Timing Of Posts
The timing of posts is usually considered an important factor by Instagram’s algorithm. Instagram uses the time of post publication, user interactions with the content, and other information to determine content display. Therefore, as an active user, it’s important to choose an appropriate time to publish your posts.
Techniques For Getting Your Posts Into Instagram’s Explore Page According To Algorithm Changes In 2024
To make it into Instagram’s Explore page, be sure to pay attention to the following criteria and methods.
Creating Content That Aligns With Followers’ Interests
To attract the attention of Instagram’s algorithm and reach the maximum number of followers and new users, ensure your posts’ content matches the interests and preferences of your audience. Producing content that resonates with users’ preferences increases the likelihood of more interactions and being featured on Instagram’s Explore page.
Creating Content With Higher Potential For Increasing User Engagement
When your post encounters a high volume of views, likes, shares, and comments within the first hour of posting, it’s likely considered by Instagram as deserving a spot on the Explore page. However, engagement (or engagement) is not limited to the number of likes and comments under the posts! Direct messages, responses to stories, etc., also count as your engagements and will increase your credibility in Instagram’s algorithm.
The first step to increase engagement is to publish attractive content and then invite your audience to engage. So, invite your audience to interact.
Using polls, conducting contests, and creating Q&A sessions in stories are other methods to increase interaction with users.
Proper Use Of Hashtags
Hashtags are created to show posts more relevantly to users, not just to increase page views! Instagram prefers that the content be related to the hashtags used so that useful and relevant content is displayed to users.
The most appropriate number of hashtags for a post is usually between 5 to 9. Using more hashtags may be recognized by Instagram as spam or promotional behavior. Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post. To be seen better on Instagram, only use hashtags relevant to your post’s content. For this, you can study guides on proper hashtag usage.
Copying hashtags is considered spam behavior. Therefore, try to customize the hashtags for each post according to its content. Popular posts from your page can top the search results for hashtags, which can increase views and potentially the number of followers on your page.
Instagram also allows users to follow hashtags. Users can follow a specific hashtag, and then all posts associated with that hashtag will be displayed in their feed by Instagram.
Therefore, Your Posts Must Truly Be Relevant To The Hashtags Used; because posting irrelevant content could lead to annoyance and irritation among followers of that hashtag, and as a result, Instagram’s algorithm may consider this as a negative signal for your page.
Adding Location Tags To Posts
The website Buffer has mentioned in one of its articles:
Having specific and popular location tags can help increase the visibility of your post and its chances of appearing on Instagram’s Explore page.
For example, if you post a picture of Milad Tower in Tehran along with its location tag, it increases your chances of topping the feed and Explore page. However, Instagram has the capability to recognize incorrect and fake locations. Therefore, it is advised not to misuse this feature in any way.
Buffer
By utilizing this technique, you can further expose your relevant posts by adding location tags of popular places like Milad Tower and more.
Increasing Activity On Instagram
Engagement is not limited to user behavior on your Instagram page. For Instagram’s algorithm, it’s important that you also have appropriate activity on this social network and interact with others.
So, visit the posts of those you follow, like them, leave comments, and even send them direct messages to strengthen this two-way connection. You can tag and mention friends and others (especially influencers) in your relevant posts and stories.
Also, as much as possible, avoid sending simple and short comments like “Great”, “Good job”, etc. According to user experiences, comments with less than 4 words are considered worthless by Instagram.
Make Good Use Of Live And Story Features
Live and stories are among the best options for increasing engagement and user interaction. Use live to establish a more intimate and extensive connection with your followers. Also, by using stories in the early minutes after posting, remind your page followers to view the post and increase their level of interaction.
In addition to these two features, using Instagram’s new capabilities can also be effective. These features include:
- Polls
- Q&A
- Question Box
- IGTV
- And more…
Requesting Your Followers To Activate Notifications For Your Page
When your followers enjoy the content on your page, they can activate notifications related to your page so that Instagram can inform them about new content through notifications. By convincing your followers to activate notifications, you can increase your credibility and ultimately get your posts into the Instagram Explore page.
Once these notifications are activated, followers are immediately informed about new posts and engage with them. This action also signals to the Instagram algorithm that your page is popular and highly interactive.
Closing Remarks
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