Organic reach plays a major role in Social Media Advertising and the same can be said for Organic Reach on Instagram too. Earlier, building an Instagram Marketing Strategy was simple. The posts on Instagram were displayed chronologically, so you just had to find the right time to post and stick to it.
But the scenario changed as Instagram started to experiment with its algorithm. As a result, it became difficult to boost your organic Instagram reach and deliver your content to the target audience.
However, all the changes that Instagram does are designed to make users happy. So, instead of fighting with the algorithm, try creating valuable content that your audience may be interested in. And that ultimately will expand your reach organically.
In this article, we will talk about certain tips for Organic Instagram growth. But before that, let us understand the algorithm of Instagram.
The Instagram Algorithm
Because of the rapid growth of content creators, Instagram had to introduce an algorithm. This algorithm decides which photos and videos will rank high in the user’s feed. The higher is the ranking, the bigger is the reach.
But how does the algorithm work?
The introduction of the new algorithm declined the organic reach of many users. As a result, the conversion rates decreased to a huge extent.
Recently, Instagram shed some light on the working of the algorithm and busted some myths as well. Have a look:
- The algorithm is based on machine learning and keeps on constantly updating. All the updates are based on the user’s engagement.
- Photos are not preferred over videos or the other way around. The type of content you engage with is what you will see more.
- Instagram account types have no influence on the reach of your profile.
- Buying Instagram likes won’t help instead will create issues for you.
- First 30 minutes of engagement has no extra effect on the overall performance of the post.
Now that you know about the algorithm of Instagram, you can use them to boost your Organic Instagram reach.
Besides the algorithm, you should also know the timing of the posts, interest of the audience, and meaningful interactions too play a major role in deciding reach.
What does reach mean?
Reach is the number of unique interactions you get on your content. There are two types of reach- Organic & Paid.
Organic reach is where you create unique engaging content, hashtags, and others to rank your post in your audience’s feeds.
Paid reach allows you to buy Instagram ads to sponsor your content.
Though organic reach is difficult to achieve but is more beneficial.
Read Also: 10 Ways to Improve the User Experience on Your E-commerce Website
5 tips for Organic Instagram growth
Have a look at the below-mentioned tips to increase your organic reach on Instagram.
- Post at the best time:
You have to identify the best time for engagement. There are tons of data on when to post, so you can easily find out if you are on track. The first thing to consider is what time zones most of your users are in. So posting at optimal timing based on the time zones is a good start.
The second thing is to find when the engagement on Instagram is highest. The ideal time is between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Also, the engagement falls between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., so refrain from posting then.
- Focus on user-generated content:
User-generated content is a great option to engage with your audience and to post content that’s correct in the Instagram environment
Creating a brand hashtag is an easy way to do this. Include the hashtag and add a call-to-action button in your posts.
In this way, you can get a lot of authentic content and your user can easily interact with your business. This also helps in building the credibility of your brand and your product.
- Make use of stories:
People like brands that can give them a personal feel. Instagram stories are a great way to do so. Instagram stories stay for 24 hours, so they can be used to show a more casual side of your business. What you can do:
- Share behind the scenes stories about how products are made or how life is in the office.
- Feature your team.
Try to make your Instagram stories creative for more engagement.
- Create unique content:
Try to create and share different posts on different Social Media. People might not like the same posts everywhere and this will hurt your organic reach. Keep your content fresh on Instagram.
If you are reusing the content across all Social Media, always write a separate caption. This way there is something new for people to check even if they have already seen the video or picture.
- Interact with your audience:
Create posts that encourage your audience to engage. But also focus on interacting with your audience. Responding to Instagram comments or giving shout-outs for using your hashtag brings you more engagement and gives you more user-generated content, thus increasing your reach organically.
Also, talking to your audience may increase their chance of being your customer.
Bottom line
Expanding your organic reach on Instagram comes with participating in the community. And if not that, paid Instagram ads can also be used.