Instagram is among the very biggest social media platforms in the world. In fact, more than one billion people use Instagram every single month. Depending on the audience you are dealing with, Instagram can be the number one platform for reaching them.
Of course, one of the reasons for Instagram’s success is the Instagram story algorithm. It is an incredibly complex calculation that decides who sees what content. If you want your content to be shown to a lot of people, then you’ll have to convince the algorithm that your content deserves it.
But how does the algorithm decide what content gets shown to people and what content does not? With a few tips, you can increase the reach of your content and grow your audience much more quickly. Read on to learn all about the most powerful ways to make the most of the Instagram story algorithm!
Understand Every Instagram Story Feature
We said before that the algorithm Instagram uses is designed to decide what content gets the most exposure. That is true, but there is more to the story than that. The algorithm is also designed to help people enjoy using Instagram more.
Every so often, Instagram rolls out some new features that you can include in your stories. Some people think that these features are not important and they can simply ignore them. However, if you want to maximize your success on Instagram, you have to learn to make the most of all the new features.
Among other things, Instagram’s algorithm will notice which users are producing content that makes use of their new features. They want lots of people to see the new features being used. So, they provide bonus exposure to content that uses those features.
The Instagram Algorithm Likes Certain Kinds Of Images
Instagram has a certain brand that it wants to maintain. When people think of branding, they often think of very clear things like specific logos or color schemes. However, when it comes to Instagram, part of the brand is the kind of image that people see on it.
Instagram does not want everybody’s feed to be full of a hodgepodge of different kinds of images. Therefore, they want to promote a single type of image as much as possible. This creates a consistent user experience.
If you want your content to get more exposure, then you should definitely tailor it to fit the preferences of the Instagram algorithm.
The first thing to keep in mind is the size of your Instagram story image. In general, you want a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Instagram favors that resolution because of how well it works with most smartphone screens.
If you do not use images with this kind of resolution, then Instagram will stretch and distort your image. Not only will this make your image less appealing to people, but the algorithm will also bump it down in preference.
Use The Right Colors In Your Instagram Stories
Instagram rewards people for creating unique content. When you first make a story, Instagram will give you a certain set of colors by default. However, Instagram would actually prefer it if you would apply a certain amount of taste and judgment in picking your own unique color scheme.
If you pick a certain color scheme and stick to it, it will start to function like your own personal branding color scheme. Instagram will notice that and increase the exposure of your content.
On top of that, it will improve your own branding. There is a reason that the biggest companies in the world use consistent color schemes for their branding. Imitating these best practices will make your brand more appealing to your audience.
Keep Up-To-Date On Your Highlights
Your best stories will not stay on people’s feed for very long. However, that does not mean that you have made the most of them. You should include your top stories in your highlights and organize and label them.
This is a powerful way for you to speak directly to new visitors to your page. You can show them the best of your content and increase the chance that they will stick around.
Instagram knows that this process works, so they give extra exposure to pages that follow these kinds of savvy practices.
Make Sure To Post New Content At The Right Times
Instagram wants its users to have a good time on their platform. They don’t want people to be frustrated. Therefore, they don’t want people to get excited by a new content creator only to be disappointed when that creator only posts new content sporadically.
That is why the Instagram algorithm puts so much emphasis on creators who post consistently. You should post at least one time every single day.
On top of that, it can help to post your content at times of day when the feed is not full of other people’s new content. Instagram is competitive enough without you posting at the same time everybody else is.
Understand How To Make The Most Of The Instagram Story Algorithm
We hope that some of the ideas in this article about how you can succeed with the Instagram story algorithm have been useful for you. The world of social media is constantly changing, and so are the algorithms that the top platforms use. It can take a lot of study to keep on top of the latest developments in the Instagram game.
However, all of that study is an investment. It will more than pay off in results down the line. To learn more about how to succeed on Instagram and other social media platforms, feel free to reach out and get in touch with us here at any time!
