It’s the dream of every brand, every influencer to have their business profile on Instagram go viral, and be visible to millions of people. Visibility brings new followers, building a relationship with your audience. This could eventually lead to them purchasing from you. Now, the key to increase visibility lies in increasing reach on Instagram.
Engagement and visibility on Instagram prove a little more complex than it is on Facebook or Twitter. On Facebook or Twitter, comments and interactions are publicly listed. So when a user comments on a post, their friends can see the post and then comment on their feed. On Instagram, the comment won’t be visible to a friend unless the user tags them. This alone makes Instagram a difficult place for increased organic reach.
Keep your worries aside. This post will tell you about 5 ways to boost your Instagram reach.
Increase Reach On Instagram
Let’s get started.
Understanding Instagram’s Algorithm
Before you try any other trick, you need to know about Instagram’s algorithm. With its immense popularity, Instagram had to introduce an algorithm. Now posts with high engagement rates are presented first on a user’s feed. This reduces the chances of visibility (and hence engagement) for brands who are just getting started. The bad news is, this algorithm seems to be permanent. So you’ll need to know how to work around it.
Instagram ranks posts on the basis of the interest users show in a post. One way to ensure that you attract more followers and make them engage with your posts is by posting the most carefully curated content. Use captivating descriptions and strong call to actions. And be consistent with the kind of content you post from the very beginning so they spend more time on your account.
Time of Posting
If your post receives a high rate of likes and comments within the first few hours, Instagram pushes your content higher up on the feed. Hence it is critical that you know when most of your users are active. Post consistently during that time and it should do the trick.
Also, it should be easy for you to know the exact time if you use an Instagram business account. The insights provided by Instagram tell you when most users are active. If you don’t have a business account, there are many social listening tools that can provide you with a detailed analysis.
Audience Engagement is the Goal
Remember, with Instagram, audience engagement is the key. The more engagement your content has, the further you increase the reach on Instagram. Keeping this in mind, post content that encourages your followers to engage with you. Asking questions or opinions or conducting a poll are great ‘call-to-actions’. We also see influencers hosting giveaways gain massive engagement on their posts. Some posts simply put rules like “to enter the contest tag three friends and like the post.” This is one way you are not just encouraging engagement but also gaining organic visibility.
Curate User-Generated Content
This is perhaps the best way to increase your reach on Instagram. When a consumer mentions your brand, make sure you engage with them and share their content. This would not only make them feel that you care. This also encourages them to engage and share your content on their feed or story. While you are building a relationship with your users on Instagram you are also being noticed by Instagram’s algorithm which then ranks you higher.
Crowdtrap found that user-generated content is 35% more memorable and 50% more trusted than your regular promotional ads. This makes it a great organic way to increase your reach.
Instagram Hashtags
We have spoken often about the importance of Instagram hashtags on this blog before. Hashtags are all the rage on Instagram and by using the right ones you could gain immense attention. People do follow hashtags on Instagram. If your content keeps featuring constantly on the feed, chances are you will gain the niche audience you have been looking for. Say your company manufactures whey protein. A user follows #WheyProteinShake. If your post includes this hashtag, chances are the user will regularly view your content and you may gain him/her as a follower.
These are the top 5 ways we thought you can use to start the quest to increase your Instagram reach. There are other ways too. You could invest in paid promotions, collaborate with social influencers et cetera. Try these tricks out before you try the others.