The Instagram Algorithm in 2022
Just an FYI, but there are multiple algorithms at play across the app – with each one tailored to deliver content that it believes will be of high-interest to users.
Keeping this in mind, once you understand how the algorithms actually work, you can tailor your content strategy to work alongside it.
Regardless of whether you have a personal, creator, or business account, it won’t make any difference to how the Instagram algorithm ranks your content.
That said, switching to an Instagram business account does come with its own set of perks — including the ability to Auto Publish your posts with Later. You can add a story or schedule it on Later.
PRO TIP: If you want to improve your ranking with the Instagram algorithm, the best thing you can do is drive as many interactions (likes, comments, saves, and clicks) as possible.
*And by building momentum with your existing community, you’ll soon find your content surfaced to new audiences.*
Here are six ways to improve your algorithmic ranking and reach new audiences:
#1: Consistently Share Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels may be over 12 months old now, but they're still being heavily promoted by Instagram across the entire app experience.
Plus, Reels get twice as much real-estate in the Instagram Explore page – making them a major tactic for discovery and growth.
#2: Encourage More Interactions with Instagram Stories Stickers
Instagram Stories stickers are a great way to encourage audience engagement — and the more engagement your posts get, the higher they’ll be boosted by the Instagram algorithm.
There are lots of Instagram stickers, but the best ones for driving engagement are the poll, emoji slider, and question stickers.
Poll and emoji slider stickers are a quick and easy engagement win, and can work for almost any business or brand.
Question stickers may not be as quick to take part in, but they can be just as good at driving genuine engagement with your audience, which is highly valuable for the Instagram algorithm.
TIP: Include a sticker on your first story for an added boost!
#3: Drive Conversations with Engaging Captions and Comments
Instagram has confirmed comments and likes are important when it comes to feed ranking — so it’s a great idea to encourage as many as possible for your posts.
One of the best ways to do this? Write good captions that drive engagement.
As entrepreneur Elise Darma mentions in our free How to Write Engaging Instagram Captions workshop, including a call-to-action in your Instagram caption can help drive more interactions.
This could be as simple as asking your followers to share their thoughts, double-tap if they agree, tag a friend in the comments, or click the link in your bio.
Want to write more conversational captions? Check out The Ultimate Guide to Writing Good Instagram Captions.
#4: Optimize Your Hashtag Strategy
Adding hashtags to your posts is an effective way to reach more people on Instagram, which means more “views” for the Instagram algorithm to take into account.
And with a good hashtag strategy, you won’t just reach more people — you’ll reach people who are relevant to your business, and most likely to engage with your content.
In a recent Later study, we discovered that feed posts with 30 hashtags get the highest level of engagement on average.
30 hashtags may feel like a lot, but one way to discover new hashtags for your brand is by using Later’s Hashtag Suggestions feature.
Hashtag Suggestions works by automatically finding relevant hashtags for your posts based on other hashtags you use.
All you have to do is know one relevant hashtag, put it into Hashtag Suggestions, hit “Suggest,” and the feature will immediately generate 30 other hashtags, sorted by relevance.
More about Instagram on my next blog for business users.
Feel free to contact me at snefzgerpr@gmail.com for more info.