How To Increase Reach On Instagram
Lori Caralis
🌟 Simplifying social media so business owners can get more results while spending less time creating content.
One of the biggest things I get asked about? How to increase reach on Instagram. While many blame the algorithm, there are simple things you can do to help increase your reach on Instagram. You don’t need to be an Instagram expert to follow these tips either.
Being a little more intentional with your content, keeping it consistent, and spending some time on the platform will help you increase your reach on Instagram and even get more engagement. I’m going to share the 5 things I tell my clients when they ask how to increase reach on Instagram. It’s simple and straightforward, all you have to do is be consistent.
How to increase reach on Instagram in 5 easy steps:
If your answer was no to any of these then read on. I’ll explain what each one means and how to increase reach on Instagram with my simple steps.
Content – Know your audience
The first thing to remember, even before you start making content, is to figure out who your ideal audience is. AKA, who you want to attract with your content. Knowing this is the first step in how to increase reach on Instagram. If you don’t know who you are making content for, then it won’t attract the right people and maybe no one at all! You don’t want all that hard work to amount to crickets when you post. To target your ideal client, create a customer persona – learn how in my blog and get the free template!
How To Increase Instagram Reach With Copy
Ever notice you only see about ¾ of the first line in the copy when scrolling? If you want to read the whole thing you have to click “more”. That is the most important part of your copy and making sure it hooks your audience in is how to increase reach on Instagram. The more your audience clicks “more” and reads your copy, the more likely they are to engage on that post. The more engagement you get on the post the more the algorithm will show it. See how this works? So pay attention to that first part of the sentence. Is it enticing? Will your ideal audience want to know more? If not, try different hooks and reword it. Experiment with this and over time you will see what your audience reacts better to.
Photo/Video Quality
We’ve all cringed when we say that blurry photo or that video that is so far away you don’t even know what the person is doing. This is NOT how to increase reach on Instagram!
Instagram is a very visual platform so you need to play that game. A real authentic photo/video is fine, you don’t need a professional photographer to follow you around, but make sure it is clear, crisp, and of high quality. If you use graphics, make sure the text isn’t falling off the edges and that it is readable on a phone. A picture truly is worth a thousand words so make sure what you post represents you and is something that will stop your ideal audience from scrolling.
How To Increase Instagram Reach With Hashtags
Some may say hashtags are dead but they are still working for me! If you find hashtags aren’t working then it may be time to adjust your hashtag strategy. Here are some of my best tips on how to find the right hashtags:
1. If you’re under 10K followers you should be keeping most of your hashtags under 500k uses with a few in each range: 10k-100k | 101k-250k | 251k-500k. Use only 2-4 bigger than 500k but not more than 2M.
2. Even if your business is national or international, local hashtags are powerful. They are usually smaller, which is great for accounts under 10k, but they also give you an immediate connection on that hashtag. Knowing you have a city or place in common starts that know/like/trust process immediately and gives you a way to connect.
3. I’ve tested 1st comment vs caption so many times. My answer… I’ve never found a case where it mattered! That being said, if Instagram posts are going to become searchable on Google someday then there may be a benefit to putting it in the caption in the future. My advice is to put it there though so you’ll be ready when it happens but if you don’t like that look then keep doing the comment.
4. How many hashtags should I use? It’s time to test because this can be different for different accounts. Do a week with 10-15 hashtags and a week with 20-30, which week had better engagement from hashtags? There’s your answer.
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5. How do I know if the hashtag is right for my content? Click on it! Yes, click on the hashtag and look at the top content. Is it content like yours? If yes, then you’re in the right place. If no, then move on.
Engage, Engage, Engage
Social media is meant to be social and Instagram is the most social of them all! Spend at least 20 minutes a day/ 5 days a week engaging on accounts you follow, accounts like yours,
accounts that would be your ideal audience, and posts that use your ideal hashtags. On days you post content, and engage right after you post to help boost it. Being active on Instagram and engaging with others is how to increase reach on Instagram in 2023!
Now you know how to increase Instagram Reach! Follow these tips and you’ll start to see your reach increase. Which one is your favorite? Which ones were new to you? Visit me over on Instagram and let me know.
Some other social media tips you might like:
Looking to uplevel your social media in 2023? Social Media Tips For Businesses – 2023 Edition will get you started!
Do you blog, podcast, or do videos? Learn how to Turn 1 Piece Of Content Into 26+!
Learn how to use my Social Media Content Calendar to plan out your monthly strategy.
If you need more social media and marketing tips – here are a few ways I can help:
Grab my free Content Creation Map …. It’s FIRE!
You can also download the entire Social Media Holidays 2023 Calendar.
Want to learn to simplify social media and attract your ideal clients? Join my free group: Instagram Success Community
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