6 Hacks to Beat the Instagram Algorithm

If you’re a blogger, influencer or just a Social media guru, you’re probably familiar with the Instagram Algorithm that’s been in place the past few years. Accounts that used to get thousands of likes on a regular basis are now receiving much lower numbers and the photos we’re seeing in our feeds are totally irrelevant timewise, from 1-3 days ago.

There’s been talk amongst Instagram users on what can be done to keep likes high and followers growing in face of the algorithmic ways. Here are a few things that we’ve found useful here at HSC to keep our viewers engaged and our numbers increasing!

Follow, follow, follow! Be sure to be constantly following new accounts and engaging with them and their posts. Engagement is of utmost importance when trying to build and grow a following. The more engagement, the likelier your posts will show up in someone’s feed.

Take advantage of Instagram stories. As we’ve seen the power of Instagram stories rise in the past few years, it’s clear that they were built for engagement. Engagement keeps viewers interested and feeling a part of something. The more stories you post, the more regularly they are seen. Stories will lead to profile visits and the rest is history!

Invest in a nice camera (or camera phone). The point of Instagram is pictures. High quality will always win attention. Your content needs to be story-worthy and eye catching. If you don’t have portrait mode, it’s time to upgrade.

Run contests or giveaways! Everyone loves free stuff and it creates goodwill to you following. By requiring rules for the contest, for example: “To Win, like this post, follow @xyz and tag a friend in the comments who you’ll bring with,” the idea is to increase engagement, brand awareness and your following. If you run a giveaway via static post, you can then promote it on your story. This will lead viewers back to your profile.

Provide useful information. Whether it be a fun fact, recipe or tips on best places to eat while in NYC, people are curious for information. They want to get something out of your post too. You give them info, they give you engagement in return. It’s a win-win!

Create your own personal brand and stick with it. Personal branding is everything! Stick to similar filters, types of imagery, fonts and voice. Viewers will eventually be able to identify your photos and begin to associate your brand with certain characteristics.

As Instagrammers, we don’t have much choice when it comes to the algorithm, we can only find ways to work around it.