The Instagram algorithm: working in your brand's favour

2019 got off to a bumpy start on Instagram. The sudden disappearance of followers from thousands of profiles led users to suspect that changes were being made to the network.

But those in charge of the platform were quick to admit it was a bug and that the algorithm was not being changed. Even so, many still suspected changes to the sequence that determines how content appears in the feed.

In this article we look at the most important settings of the Instagram algorithm and show you how to use them in your brand's favour:

Initially the Instagram algorithm worked chronologically. In 2016, with the new algorithm, it started prioritising the user experience. From then on, the platform began showing the posts that were most relevant to each user.

Relevance is calculated on the basis of three principles:

1. Recency. Although the order isn't dictated solely by when content was published, there is still a time-based logic behind how the feed is organised.
2. Interaction. Instagram is the network that records the most interaction. If a given post has lots of likes and comments, it is more likely to be shown first. That likelihood increases further when interaction is combined with recency. In other words, if a post was published a few minutes ago and has already achieved a high interaction rate, it will be shown to even more followers at the top of the feed.
3. Relationship. The first posts to appear in followers' feeds are from the friends and brands they interact with most. Here it isn't just direct interaction, through likes or comments, that counts. For this formula, Instagram also looks at the profiles followers exchange Instagram Direct messages with (private messages), searches within the app and content sharing.

How do you use these characteristics in your brand's favour?

First, you need to know your followers. It's essential if you're going to deliver relevant content to them. That knowledge is crucial to improving the user experience. And how can you get to know your audience better? Through careful analysis of the metrics available in Instagram Insights.

Then: create good content for your followers. The image is king on Instagram. But it isn't everything. You need to invest in the content as a whole: writing good copy, telling stories that make an impact. Ideally, this content should be so interesting, and your followers should identify with it so strongly, that they want to share it. It's easy to see what kind of content does or doesn't have sharing potential, by looking at comments tagging other users or the number of times followers sent the content to other users via Instagram Direct.

Use every tool on the platform

Did you know Insta Stories has its own algorithm? Just as in the feed, the greater the interaction, the more your Stories will appear to your followers.

What should you share in Stories?

• Exclusive content: such as behind the scenes of a new brand campaign.
• Technical questions: going into detail on products or services;
• Resharing content: from the brand's followers or influencers.
• Prompts that encourage interaction: running short polls or asking followers questions;

There's also the option of creating a highlight and pinning Stories to the profile. Here, Stories aren't limited to 24 hours and can be very interesting for anyone visiting the profile.

Instagram Stories live broadcasts are also content that can give your brand a lift and get the algorithm to feature it. Whenever a live video starts, the brand's followers are notified. And that can lead them to watch the content, visit the profile or interact with your posts.

We can't fail to mention hashtags! They're what connect people to content on the platform. For brands, hashtags are particularly interesting because as well as driving more interaction (reaching people searching for a particular hashtag), they have the potential to make “topics” go viral. But there's no point overdoing the number of hashtags. Instagram limits you to 30 per comment, but the ideal is to stick to 5 that make sense and are relevant to the content you're sharing. These actions across the various tools tell the Instagram algorithm that your brand is interested in exploring all the platform's features in order to deliver value to its followers.