7 ways to increase your Instagram reach
The Instagram algorithm is what determines how many people your content reaches. So the algorithm is the thing you need to keep happy. There are a lot of different factors that come into play – here are 7 ways to increase your Instagram reach and improve the Instagram algorithm, from posting at the optimal time to collaborating with other brands.
1. Post at the right time
The speed of engagement on posts is an important ranking signal, so timing of posts is key. To discover the best time to post, think about who your audience is, and not just their basic demographics. If your target audience is teachers or childcare workers, it’s likely they will be busy during the day and not have access to their phone unless it’s lunch time or after work. However corporate workers will have access to their phone throughout the day.
When you have an understanding of your target audience, it’s time to test, analyse and optimise. This means experimenting with different days of the week and different times of day to publish your posts. Spread your test over a few weeks and see which works best for you.
2. Make Reels your focus
Short form video content is doing very well on social media, with platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram aiming to compete with TikTok. Making Reels a core pillar of your Instagram strategy is an excellent way to reach new audiences rather than only your followers. Instagram prioritises Reels in their algorithm, promoting them to the top of users’ feeds and the Discover page, where users can explore new content.
They don’t need to be complex with lots of video editing. Even a short action shot with some text overall could be a great Reel video. Below are some examples of simple Reels I have created for clients that have generated lots of reach. It’s key to use trending music and filters.
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3. Optimise hashtags
Content tagged with hashtags reaches more people than those without. Simple. You can put up to 30 hashtags in each post – I recommend splitting them into 2 groups of 15: 1 group using the same generic hashtags that relate to your business and area, and then 15 more hashtags that are relevant to each post.
There are also lots of free tools out there you can use to explore hashtags, and visit competitor profiles to see what they’re using.
4. Collaborations
Collaborating with other brands and influencers can help to boost your reach and engagement on Instagram. They expose you to new audiences by tapping into other people’s followers. Plus working with other brands or influencers can inspire new ideas and help you create content that is more relevant and appealing to your target audience.
Ways you can collaborate with others is by working with micro-influencers within your industry, podcasts, and giveaways – see example below.
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5. Amplify your reach with boosted posts
Post boosting on Instagram is a type of paid advertising. It’s a good idea at least once per month to choose a piece of content that has received the most engagement and give it a little boost. Boosting can be done with much smaller budgets than Instagram advertising and it’s a great way to compliment your organic strategy – just £5 – £10 on a post can make it reach over 1000 people. If you use Facebook Business Manager you can be much more targeted with your Instagram ad’s audience.
6. User generated content
This is content that other people capture and create that you can use across your social media. They do amazing things for your following and Instagram reach. Firstly, if other people are sharing posts on your business, it’s going to expose you to their followers and boost your credibility. But you can also share the content they’ve created onto your own feeds which will create trust with your existing followers.
Publishing user-generated content will encourage followers to contribute to your page, effectively increasing your brand’s content without you even posting or creating anything new!
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7. Stories
Stories appear at the top of the newsfeed and are a great way to keep your audience engaged with your brand. Stories disappear after 24 hours, but they can be saved and pinned to your profile. A great example of this is NatGeo, who use their pinned stories as mini-episodes. These provide users with a great example of story content.
A huge part of increasing your Instagram reach is nurturing your existing audience, stories are an amazing way of doing this! If you’d like to post more Instagram stories but are lacking in ideas, check out 14 Instagram Story ideas for businesses.