Ever since the Instagram algorithm stopped showing a chronological feed, it’s a bit of a trial and error journey to get your posts to show in people’s feeds, right?! We’ve studied the Instagram algorithm, we’ve experimented on our own to see what works and what doesn’t, and we’ve figured out our 5 top tips for what to do when the Instagram algorithm isn’t showing your posts.

But first, a little background on how the Instagram algorithm works in 2021.

How The Instagram Algorithm Works In 2021

There are six key factors that Instagram looks at to determine whether or not they’re going to push the post into people’s feeds. These six factors are interest, relationship, timeliness, frequency, following, and usage. 

Interest is about how much your audience is already interacting with your posts, stories, IGTV videos, and reels. In order to boost your followers’ interest in you, you have to show up daily and engage with them so that they see your posts.

Relationships are important to understand because Instagram wants to prioritize posts from your friends, family, and accounts you care about. Instagram factors in whose posts you like the most, who you search for, and who you message frequently. 

Timeliness means that Instagram wants to show you the most relevant, recent, and interesting posts. One thing that hasn’t changed is how important it is to post at a time that your audience is already on Instagram.

Frequency is based off of how often you’re on the app. If you get on Instagram regularly throughout the day, then your feed will look more chronological than someone’s feed who only gets on every few days or even once a day.

Following simply means that if you follow more people, Instagram has more options to choose from, so you’re less likely to see a variety of accounts while you scroll. 

Usage is about how much time you spend on Instagram. If you spend the majority of your day on the app, you may actually see all of the most recent posts from everyone you follow. But if you only spend a little time on Instagram each day, then you’ll just see what Instagram thinks are the highlights from who you follow.

Now we’ll take this algorithm and flip it from the perspective of a brand or influencer, rather than a user. Shifting gears to make sure your posts get seen by your followers, here are 5 tips to make sure the Instagram algorithm shows your posts!

1. Show Up Every Single Day

It goes without saying that consistency is the most important part of ensuring your posts get seen. Do your best to show up with a new post every single day. This also includes showing up on your stories daily, and being as frequent as you can with IGTV and reels. We know it sounds like a lot of work, but we promise you will see improved results with this kind of consistency. 

Our best advice? Set aside a day to do some bulk caption planning so that you have a great log of content to pull from each day.

2. Engage With Your Followers

You probably have heard how important it is to engage with new accounts who would like your content. But it’s also important to engage with the followers you already do have. In order to increase engagement on your feed, engage with your followers so that they respond back to you and comment on your posts. By doing so, they’ll start to see your posts again if they weren’t already.

3. Wake Up Your Inactive Followers

Every once in a while, go into your list of followers and find a handful of people who haven’t liked your posts in awhile. Comment on their pages to remind them of yourself and your brand so that you’ll return to their feeds.

4. Keep Your Followers On Instagram Longer

The reason we love IGTV, reels, and stories is because they keep your audience engaged for a little bit longer than simply looking at a photo or reading a caption. Work these types of content into your Instagram strategy as you plan out content for the month ahead. Instagram Live is another great way to engage with your audience for longer periods of time.

5. Use Your Call To Action Voice Effectively

In order for those who engage with your feed to really be effective in terms of boosting your engagement, you want to encourage your audience to comment with at least four words. While you can’t exactly say this, you can ask questions in your posts that spark deeper conversations. It also shows Instagram that someone really likes your posts when they save a post of yours. Always create valuable, “save-worthy” content and encourage your audience to save your posts. This call to action sounds a bit more natural! 

If you continue to implement these 5 tips for your brand or business, you’ll see an increase in engagement, and the sometimes stubborn Instagram algorithm will work in your favor!