Breaking Down the 2021 Instagram Algorithm Update

Instagram loves to update its algorithm, on a seemingly inconsistent basis and in unpredictable ways. For marketers to continue to reach their target audience, they’ll need to utilize the Instagram algorithm to make sure followers (and potential followers) see their content. Here’s what we know about the most recent Instagram algorithm update.

Your Instagram Content Must Interest Your Followers

It’s no secret that you should be creating compelling content to reach more people, but did you know that Instagram is way more likely to show content they believe a user will enjoy. The app makes conclusions based on a user’s likes, comments, and shares to determine what their interests are. So tailoring your content creation process to your niche followers’ is key to reaching more people and increasing engagement.

Personal Relationships Are Prioritized

One good thing about the algorithm is that it prioritizes friends, family, and accounts that a user cares about. This means that based on a user’s interactions, Instagram decides who is most important in a user’s life and makes sure to show that content at the top of the user’s feed. This can be a good thing because it allows users to see anything important that they might care about, but it also makes it difficult to see content from other accounts they follow that they may not interact with as much.

How Often You Post on Instagram Matters

Instagram always wants to show users the newest, most relevant content on their feed. This means that finding the best time to post has never been more important. If you post at a time when your followers are most active, they are more likely to see your posts. It is also recommended that you post at least once a day, luckily there are scheduling apps like Hootsuite and Later that can make posting this frequently a bit easier for you!

Instagram Reels Are Your New Best Friend

Reels are Instagram’s newest feature. As a competitor to TikTok, reels are 15-second videos that show up on a user’s feed and can be added to your Instagram grid as well. Here’s one of our favorite examples from Louis Vuitton for reference. In the name of competition, Instagram is heavily encouraging its users to post reels, which means they are an extremely opportunistic format for growing your business. We recommend adding enticing cover images to your reels, adding subtitles, and utilizing hashtags to reach as many viewers as possible.

We understand that it can be difficult to keep up with all the Instagram algorithm changes, but the key takeaways are to:

• share content that interests your followers
• post daily and at specific times that are best for your business
• create reels at least on a weekly basis.

For more customized help with your social media marketing, schedule a free consultation with us.

‍