Over a decade ago, the tech ecosystem witnessed a revolutionary innovation, which took an active part in how the current social media landscape operates – Instagram. If you are here, you probably use Instagram. As such, reiterating the purpose and exciting features embedded within it is an unnecessary redundancy. We all know about the story, IGTV, Reels, and more. Considering these features, what determines how successful the content is shared is the Instagram algorithm. “What’s the Instagram algorithm?” you may ask. Below is a concise overview of what it is and how it works.
What is Instagram Algorithm ?
The Instagram algorithm is a program developed by Instagram developers to monitor and study the behavior of a user of the Instagram application. It uses the previous activities of the user on the application to determine what content the user can see on his or her feed, the kind of page to explore, and what content other users of the application see from the one’s account. In summary, the Instagram algorithm controls your organic reach.
Your organic reach signifies the users within the target of your account who, through one way or the other, come across your content then like and follow your account. Organic reach is straightforward to generate as multiple platforms, such as Path Social can help you build organically generated followers by just following some simple steps on their website.
How does the Instagram algorithm work?
The Instagram algorithm determines what pops up on each individual’s Instagram feed with the use of machine learning. The algorithm puts into consideration the accounts a user has visited or interacted with previously and then it suggests contents you might enjoy based on the interactions you’ve made.
Much more, the Instagram algorithm considers six factors to determine what shows up on a user’s feed.
- Interest; the algorithm collects your past activities to determines your likely interest. In other words, the more frequently you engage content, the likely you see such content highly ranked on your feed. The algorithm takes such content as more important to you.
- Timeliness; The Instagram algorithm arranges posts in your timeline based on how recent they were posted. In other words, it shows you recent and more relevant posts.
- Relationship; The algorithm ranks posts from an account you regularly interact with.
- Following; The Instagram algorithms generate content for the user’s timeline from accounts followed. However, if a user has numerous accounts s/he is following, a lesser number of posts from an individual will be seen. Users who follow a select few accounts will see more content from their most preferred accounts.
- Usage; The Instagram algorithm shows the most relevant post on a user’s feed when such a user spends a short time on the Instagram application while for users who spend more time on Instagram, the algorithm shows more catalog fresh posts to go through.
Frequency; The Instagram algorithm tries to show the best post for the users since their last visit. A user who visits daily will see posts deemed relevant for the day by the algorithm. As for a user who visits hourly, the algorithm shows contents not yet seen before.
Also Read: How to Use Instagram to Grow Your Business?
