How to reach more people on Instagram
I don't know about you, but it brings me to mind how to reach more people on Instagram.
On my social networks I have already been leaving brushstrokes of the Instagram algorithm change at the end of 2018. In a brief summary, these are the most significant changes that we have suffered in recent months:
- Comments we receive must be 4 or more words long.
- The hashtags must appear in the caption of the photo and must not be more than 5.
- If we edit a photo within 24 hours of its publication, Instagram will penalize its visibility.
- We will also be penalized if we are not regular with our publications.
- If our publication gets interactions in the first moments from the publication, it will be shown to more followers.
As they have in Publisuites, Instagram does not show the publications in chronological order, but in order of interaction. We will always see (and be seen) the posts of the people with whom we regularly interact.
When we make a publication, it is shown to approximately 10% of our followers. If that 10% interacts with our publication, it will be shown to more people.
HOW DOES INSTAGRAM CALCULATE THE “ ENGAGEMENT ” OF OUR PUBLICATIONS?
Although there are different ways to calculate it (you can even create your own), this is the formula:
ENGAGEMENT = (INTERACTIONS / IMPRESSIONS) * 100
Without forgetting that when we talk about interactions we refer to the "likes", "comments", times it has been saved, etc.
If there are a lot of people who see your posts, but don't interact with them, you should check what you are doing with your brand. More than anything because, even if your brand content is good, by obtaining such low results, Instagram will not teach it to more people than it does.
WHAT IF I GO TO ADVERTISING?
I must confess: I have never advertised on Instagram. But I do observe who does it and, in a very informal way, I observe that the advertising is only valid while you are doing it. Then the figures return to their being.
Obviously, when we advertise we get to reach more people on Instagram. But are they here to stay?
The other day I got a post from a person I follow. He had a lot of "likes" and it caught my attention. Looking at it, I saw that it was a promoted post.
When I went back to his profile after a few days I realized that the figures of his publications had returned to the same as always. Possibly, with this advertising action you will have gained a follower, but nothing so bulky as to show the difference with the previous days.
THEN, IS ADVERTISING GOING FOR NOTHING?
It would never occur to me to say something like that.
What does happen is that social networks encourage us to advertise a publication to reach more people. They put a candy in front of our lips as if it were so easy to make a good advertising campaign. And as if the fact of doing a campaign allows our brand to grow for the future.
An advertising campaign on social networks is much more serious and requires thinking much more than paying € 5 because our photo reaches 5,000 people. No matter how little money it means, don't advertise just like that.
ARE THERE (FREE) WAYS TO REACH MORE PEOPLE?
Yes, of course it is possible to reach more people on Instagram.
These are some of my tips for reaching more people on Instagram. They are arranged according to my taste, but it is not an absolute truth:
- Check what you are posting and how you are getting from your posts. Maybe it's just a matter of posting at another time of day or posting a certain type of photos, or making more stories ... take your time and study your statistics in depth. Remember that at Conecta & Avanza we love studying numbers and we can do it for you
- Today for you tomorrow for me. Find several people you trust who are interested in seeing their engagement grow on Instagram. Commit to “like” and comment on everyone's posts as soon as they are made. The Instagram algorithm will detect that your posts are having more engagement and will start showing them to other people. If you are an observer you can see how many accounts (usually famous people or influencers ) work like this. It is not by chance, there is a strategy behind it.
- Change the way you communicate. This option goes last because it is the one I like the least. There are great communicators on social media who get a lot of interaction with mediocre posts. Try to learn from them. It's not that I don't like this strategy, it's that I find it very impossive. I am who I am, I am incapable of pretending and expressing myself in another way. But if you are capable, go ahead! Sometimes we may not be communicating well and we do not reach people's hearts. Perhaps by writing in another way we will get better results.