How the Instagram Algorithm Works (Up-to-Date for 2024)

It’s an often-debated question: How do you please the Instagram algorithm so your posts get in front of people you want to target. While Instagram’s algorithm is constantly changing and we may never really know exactly how it works, there are some insights and takeaways you can get for your business’s Instagram strategy.

Let’s take a look at some of the recent updates, features, and factors that influence your Instagram reach.

What is the Instagram algorithm?

The Instagram algorithm is a set of instructions for how and when to display certain content to any individual user. The algorithm considers hundreds of factors such as user history, location, profile, device, trends, relevance, popularity, etc.

From SEO to social media, algorithms are often what determine who actually sees the content you publish and who doesn’t.

As these algorithms change, yesterday’s marketing tactics might become less effective tomorrow. That’s why your strategy on each platform needs to constantly evolve too.

On Instagram in particular, simply posting on a regular basis with the right hashtags won’t necessarily guarantee that your new content always reaches its intended audience.

Instead, you’ll need to consider how you can work with the new Instagram algorithm updates to shake up your approach to Instagram marketing.

How does the Instagram algorithm work in 2023?

The Instagram algorithm dictates the order of the posts users see when they’re scrolling through their feed.

Based on specific signals, it prioritizes the best posts, pushing the most relevant ones toward the top and giving them the most visibility, while other content ends up being placed further down.

While it’s important to note the algorithm is always subject to change, these three main ranking factors can still help inform your Instagram strategy:

1. Relationship with the user. If a certain user has interacted with a lot of your past Instagram content, they’ll be more likely to see your future content. This makes continual, repeat engagement on your posts important for building a loyal audience.
2. Interest the user has conveyed. This signal is based on whether the user interacts with similar posts and accounts when they explore Instagram. Users who also engage with similar content are more likely to see your own posts.
3. Relevancy of the post. When you publish a post on Instagram, the algorithm gives it a relevancy score, which impacts who it shows in the feed.

There are also other, more general considerations to make note of:

• If users follow a lot of accounts, you’ve got more competition for the top spot in their feed.
• If users either don’t spend a long time on Instagram or don’t open the app that often, you decrease the odds of having your content seen if you aren’t in one of the very top slots.
• On Instagram, business accounts and creator accounts are not immediately at a disadvantage in terms of organic reach compared to personal accounts.
• If users’ content doesn’t comply with Instagram’s community guidelines, Instagram will take that post down. If it happens repeatedly, Instagram will suspend that user’s account. 
• If users post something that is labeled as misinformation, Instagram will put a label on the post and lower it in feed and Stories. If a user posts misinformation multiple times, Instagram may make that user’s content much harder to find. 

Instagram feed and Stories

Most of what you see on your feed and in Stories are the recent posts of the people you follow. Then Instagram’s algorithm further customizes the order you see these feed posts and Stories. The most important signals it takes into consideration are:

• Basic information about the post or story. This means things such as how many likes it’s gotten, what time it was posted, and even whether there are location tags on it. 
• Data on the account that made the post. Things like how many people have interacted with this account in the past few weeks (i.e., How popular is this account?). The algorithm uses this information to gauge the probability that you’ll be interested in this account’s post.
• Your activity. It keeps track of how many posts you’ve liked, shared, and saved, then uses that information to gauge what posts you’ll be interested in. 
• Your interaction history with this specific account. That means measuring how often you’ve lingered on their posts, commented on them, liked them, saved them, or gone to the account’s profile page. 

Instagram takes all this data and then makes educated guesses as to what type of content should be presented on each user’s feed.

In March 2022, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, announced the introduction of two new features that allow you to view your feed the way you want:

• Following, which puts posts from accounts you’ve followed in chronological order in your feed. 
• Favorites, which puts the posts from accounts you interact with the most at the top of your main feed. You can also see these in chronological order.

Instagram’s algorithm will still personalize your main feed using the signals explained above.

Instagram Explore

Instagram’s Explore page algorithm is designed to help users discover new things. It uses the same signals as the feed and Stories, but uses them to curate and rank engaging content for individual users. The user actions that the Explore algorithm pays the most attention to are likes, saves, and shares.

For example, if an Instagram user is a huge fan of Avengers movies, Instagram may find other popular Marvel content to send to that user’s Explore page, or maybe even superhero content from other franchises, like DC or Image. 

To get featured in a user’s Explore page, use strategic hashtags and jump on recent trends. Take advantage of hot topics or news stories to get your posts ranked higher on users’ Explore pages. 

Instagram Reels

Like Explore, users usually see Reels from accounts they don’t follow. Instagram uses the same signals as it does for Explore, but focuses on what will entertain that user. One of the main things Instagram focuses on is predicting whether a user will watch a piece of video content all the way through. 

To increase visibility for your Reels, share them to your feed first and include hashtags and a location tag. Also, try to interact with Reels that will appeal to your target audience. Reels are designed for users to discover you, so you’ll want to jump on a strategy for maximizing your Reel content as soon as possible.

Read more: How to Use Instagram Reels to Market Your Shopify Store

You might be wondering how all of these facets of Instagram’s algorithm will influence your own Instagram marketing strategy. So let’s take a look at some of the different ways you can adapt your approach to reach more of your customers.

Tips for working with the Instagram algorithm in 2023

Keep the following tips in mind when trying to take advantage of the Instagram algorithm for your business.

Focus on relationships, not just reach

Audience loyalty and continual engagement from your followers is now more important than ever, especially since it can earn you one of the top spots in their feeds.

Some ways to create these relationships with your content include:

Post user-generated content on your Stories. User-generated content is content about your brand that your followers have posted. Posting it not only inspires more UGC, but users whose content you share may tag you in their Stories and further expand your digital footprint on Instagram.

Share Reels. Instagram Reels are short, entertaining videos your business can post on Instagram. You can record clips with audio, effects, and different creative tools to amuse viewers and grow your Instagram following. Reels are shared on your feed and can appear on the Explore page to reach more people.

The Instagram algorithm tends to broadly share content from its newer features, and Reels is one of them, especially now that all video feed posts are automatically uploaded as Reels. It’s also important to think outside of your own content if you hope to find your customers on Instagram. This is a social network, after all.

Comment on posts from relevant users and brands 

You can also engage with users on their posts to build relationships outside of your own content by leaving interesting and involved comments on content from potential customers, relevant influencers, and related businesses.

Posting first on larger accounts that have a big following can help get your comment more visibility and get more Instagram followers for your profile. Think about accounts that your target audience is likely to follow, follow them, and join the conversation.

When doing this, be genuine and add value. Don’t try to just look for opportunities to get in a public sales pitch or leave generic responses. For example, if they tell you to check out the link in their bio about their new product, actually click the link in their Instagram bio, check out their product, and leave a thoughtful comment. Show your brand’s personality and engage in a meaningful way.

Gymshark, for example, can regularly be found in the comments on posts by UFC heavyweight champion of the world Francis Ngannou, among other athlete influencers, where it gets a fair bit of exposure and the chance to build relationships with its target audience. 

You can even opt to get notified of new posts for specific accounts so you can comment early, increasing the likelihood your comment will be seen, thanks to the Instagram feed’s focus on recent posts.

To do this, you need to be following the account first. Then, click on the three dots located in the top right-hand corner of the app and tap “Turn on post notifications” to start receiving push notifications whenever they publish a new post.

In addition to connecting with similar-minded creators, try following certain hashtags with relevancy to your brand and engaging with posts that use those tags. This is another great way to optimize for higher engagement rates.

Respond to comments while they’re fresh

Have you noticed a lot of other business profiles responding to as many comments as possible on Instagram?

This creates social proof for your content, increasing your comment count while also encouraging further replies. But it also boosts your chances of earning more engagement while your post’s potential reach is at its peak.

Responding to a comment can also encourage follow-up comments from the original poster, even if it’s just a thank you for answering a question. In some cases, though, this can jumpstart a conversation, giving you significant engagement that will help the reach of this post and future posts, too.

Use hashtags to reach active users

Instagram hashtags can increase your reach by helping you show up in relevant searches.

For this tactic to be effective, however, you need to choose the hashtags that your target audience actually searches through to discover content and other users.

Community hashtags are especially active. These niche hashtags may not have as many posts as the more popular hashtags, but they are already being circulated and searched through by groups on Instagram looking to connect with others who are interested in that topic, movement, or community.

This is where you’ll actually get views that can lead to clicks through to your profile, engagement, and, potentially, new followers.

While these valuable hashtags will differ by industry, you can generally spot them because they adequately describe your ideal customer and are continually populated with new posts under the same theme:

• A merchant selling custom luggage could use the community hashtag #welltraveled.
• Online stores selling beard oil could opt for #beardlife.
• Store owners that sell health food items might choose #livingfit.

Don’t just add these hashtags to the Instagram captions of your own posts, however. Click through and engage with the posts you see that are using them. A simple like on someone’s post, at the very least, might translate into a profile view or even a follow.

Again, even if your posts aren’t reaching these users, you yourself can.

Repost old content to Stories

If you’re struggling to figure out what to post on Instagram to get traction on the platform, or you want to make sure that specific content gets seen as much as possible, repurposing past posts is a good way to go, especially as your following grows.

This brings your best content back to the top, showing it to more people who may have missed it the first time around.

While some will simply delete a post and upload again as they did before, repurposing your content is the ideal approach here.

Repurposing content can be a huge time-saver, but remember to do it sparingly, switch things up, and prune your own feed to remove repeat content. Users can still scroll through your gallery, and you don’t want them to see the same photo come up over and over again.

Encourage engagement on your Stories

Instagram Stories get a lot of attention because they aren’t subjected to the same algorithm as posts in your feed. They’re also a great way to speak to your followers and build loyalty, resulting in more engagement on your static Instagram posts and, thus, more reach.

There are several ways you can use them:

• Add hashtag stickers with your branded hashtag. When users tap through on your branded hashtag sticker, they’ll be taken to a feed of static posts using that hashtag, whether they’re your own, customer submissions, or both. Add a location tag as well to help your content show up in local searches. 
• Share Stories from other users. Instagram allows you to not only be notified when someone shares a Story that mentions you, but also to then share their Story directly to your own. You can even encourage or incentivize your followers to share one of your posts to their Story.
• Inspire engagement with interactive stickers. This includes poll stickers, the emoji slider, and question stickers. The latter lets you ask users questions and then post their replies to additional Stories later on. This gives you even more content that your followers might interact with.

Did you know you can also share your own Instagram posts to your Stories?

Simply tap the direct message button on one of your own posts and you’ll see the option to “Add Post to Story,” where you can resize it and apply text and other edits.

This is a great way to maximize your social media marketing strategy by ensuring your most important posts (like a new product announcement) will have a better chance of reaching your followers. 

Pay for reach with Instagram ads and influencers

The fastest way to solve limited organic reach on any platform is to pay for it instead. Done correctly, this can give you a burst of momentum that can help you drive better organic results later on. You have two main options here: Instagram advertising and influencer marketing.

Instagram ads do cost money, and the ad spend can add up quickly if you’re not careful, but it’s a good investment if you’re having trouble gaining traction on the platform.

Be sure to set a lifetime budget, especially if you’re new to Instagram, so you remain in control of your spend.

Monitor how your efforts translate into results

You can track your progress with these strategies by checking your Instagram Insights for telling metrics. While most people focus on follower count, you’ll learn more about what your Instagram marketing is doing for your business by looking at accounts reached, accounts engaged, and total followers.

The Instagram algorithm may change, but building relationships doesn’t

If you want to get the most out of Instagram, it’s not enough to fixate only on publishing content regularly. Instead, it’s essential that you also focus on overall relationship building and high-quality content while engaging with Instagram users outside of your posts and on them.

Instagram algorithm changes will always happen. But if marketers are willing to change with them, you’ll find surprising new ways to reach your intended audience.

Instagram algorithm FAQ

What is the current Instagram algorithm?

How do I fix my Instagram algorithm?