Are You Worried about the Instagram Algorithm? You’re Not Alone!

Courtesy of @tomrossmedia

So many creatives are freaking out about the algorithm on Instagram right now 😡

The best thing to do is to take action and control what you can. Here are my tips:

1️⃣ Stop relying on platforms you don’t control. You’re living on rented land. Use it as motivation to start your website or email newsletter -

2️⃣ Produce better work. I noticed my posts were getting less engagement, so instead of dwelling I put in more effort and put out better content. Soon enough, my content was doing better than ever!

3️⃣ Keep your content fresh! If you post the same thing forever, even if it’s high quality, people will get bored, and the algorithm will penalise you. You need to continually iterate and improve your content. Work to keep it fresh. Keep experimenting. Keep reinventing the wheel.

4️⃣Build community. Respond to every comment. Encourage followers to leave comments and start discussions. Build one on one relationships with them. Remember, it’s not how many followers you have, it’s how much they care.

5️⃣ Get perspective. Even if your organic reach has slipped a bit, imagine a time before social media. It’s amazing we have the opportunities we do to meet other creatives and build an audience around what we share. There’s so much abundance still on this platform — for the right people.

COMPLAINING DOESN'T HELP, ACTION DOES

I see so many creatives right now freaking out, publicly complaining that the algorithm has 'screwed them over' and their reach is suffering.

All of this may be true, but it literally doesn't help anything to panic or complain!

DON'T RELY ON RENTED LAND

You don't own Instagram, so ultimately they can do whatever they want. I'm scared for a lot of creatives who have all of their eggs in the Instagram basket. Diversify' Set up your own website, and definitely invest the time to learn how to start your own newsletter. These platforms are YOURS so not at the mercy of a third party.

PRODUCE BETTER WORK

With recent shifts, I noticed my posts weren't getting the engagement they once were. It used to be so much easier Rather than complain, I invested more time into my posts to cut through the noise and stand out. Now I'm seeing more growth and better engagement than even There's no time to coast, mix things up, try something new.

KEEP YOUR CONTENT FRESH

I've noticed that even if your quality remains consistent, both consumers and subsequently the algorithm grow tired of seeing the same old content. lt may sound exhausting, but you need to constantly be reinventing the wheel lf I post exactly what I am now in 1 year it will hurt me, so I'm forced to continually iterate, improve and try new things. lt keeps me creative, which ís a good thing!

ENGAGEMENT MATTERS

Everything I preach about vanity metrics is now proving to be true. The algorithm recognized engagement as a % of your following. It actually hurts you to 'game' the system through giveaways and the like to inflate your follower count, as Instagram sees only a small % of these people engaging with your content, presumes it's bad and limits your reach.

COMMUNITY + ACTIVITY

Asides from posting exceptional content, one of the best ways to shift the algorithm in your favor are to make your profile/posts a hub of activity and action. Build a real community amongst your followers. Take the time to build relationships with them Encourage them to comment, answer questions, etc… in your post descriptions. Respond to every single person.

POST NOTIFICATIONS

Many high profile Instagrammers caught warning signs of the algorithm shift early, so started to encourage their followers to turn on post notifications. This and other hacks are effective for side-stepping the algorithm and ensuring your followers are notified of your new content.

GAIN PERSPECTIVE

Ultimately, realize how lucky you are to have a platform like this. Even if your reach is down 30%, think how hard it was to meet other creatives and build an audience before social media. There is still a HUGE opportunity and abundance out there, and new accounts are still blowing up every day. Just tackle this issue with optimism and the right work, rather than dwelling!

Bonus — useful tools for everyday usage:

Crello - the simplest online image editor. A simple but powerful tool to create awesome designs for any social media format — posts, covers, graphics, and posters using the best software on the web. It’s easy! A lot of animated designs.

HypeAuditor - empowers users to analyze any Instagram account for insights on audience quality and authenticity of engagement.

Postmypost - scheduled posting tool for Instagram, Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Set up team work and discuss posts with colleagues and clients.

Proxy Market - qualitative proxy for IPv6 and IPv4 for social networking, parsing and any other tasks.

LetyShops - this service allows you to get a cashback of the amount spent on the purchase – up to 30%.

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