Let’s be real, Instagram and its algorithm has been so difficult lately!

Have you noticed that your likes and story views are low… like SUPER LOW, which is making growing your business extremely difficult. Well here might be why:

Instagrams organizes our feed based on the accounts we interact with most (versus what it used to be which is chronological where the most recent posts appear at the top of your feed). This means the accounts we comment on, like posts of, watch the stories, spend the most time going through the profile etc. are shown at the top of our feed. How this than affects you is, if you are a business owner, and someone isn’t as active of a follower, then they might not see your content at all!

So how can we combat this pesky algorithm and increase engagement? Well I have done some research so you do not have to, and have found success doing these 5 things:

Step 1: Trick Instagram into thinking your followers are your BFF’s. What this looks like is, going through your followers and interacting with any account that is public. Liking and commenting on their posts, reacting to their stories etc. Not only will this cause instagram to start prioritizing your content on their feed but it might also lead these followers to visit your account and interact back. Along with that, bonus, it could also start a great conversation between you and them, which could lead to business!

Step 2: Create content that will cause followers to stay on your posts for awhile. A great way to do this is posting carousels (posting more than one photo and video that then is a swipe through) and having a strong call to action at the end of your posts enticing your viewers to interact and comment on your post. If someone is taking the time to scroll through your carousels and comment, then that signals to instagram that they are interested in your content.

Step 3: Post reels frequently! Instagram likes creators using their platform to CREATE, and will prioritize your content over others. Along with that, just like carousels, Reels cause viewers to stay on your post longer. Reels are also like TikTok’s where they reach viewers other than your following and have a hire potential of going viral than a static post.

Step 4: Engage with all your commenters and new followers. Like I explained before, this lets instagram know that you and your old/new followers are BFF’s. It also creates a personal relationship between you and your following, and of course can also lead to business.

Step 5: Have interactive stories at least 2-3 times a week! This means utilizing polls, question boxes, and slide responses. This entices and encourages people who do not usually interact with your content to do so, it also gives you a chance to see who is interacting with your account. It is also VERY important to post your new posts to your stories (just in case your followers missed it on their feed due to the algorithm)!

I know that the majority of these are tedious, but I promise they will be extremely beneficial in the long run!! If you are looking for more in-depth explanations and methods to increase engagement, I have created the perfect FREE guide for you! Click HERE to download.

And if you are looking for help implementing these strategies and increasing your engagement, send me a message on Instagram and let’s connect!