The Instagram algorithm – It evaluates these signals

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© unsplash.com / Souvik Banerjee

Instagram has over 21 million users in Germany alone. Countless pictures and videos are published on the social media platform every day. How many people actually see these posts depends not only on the quality of the posts and the number of followers, but also on the Instagram algorithm.

What is the Instagram Algorithm?

The Instagram algorithm is a system controlled by artificial intelligence. It examines user behavior in the app and crucially based on past interactions which posts users see in their personal feed. In this way, he controls the reach of all content on Instagram and decides the order in which the posts are displayed in the feed.

In order for users to be able to see content that is as relevant as possible, the algorithm is continuously being further developed and increasingly adapted to the behavior of the users. Exactly how this system works is of course an internal company secret. Nevertheless, the company has published extensive information on how the algorithm works.

The key factors of the Instagram algorithm

Of the Instagram algorithm takes into account many different factors that go into the selection of posts in the user's individual feed. Interest, relationship, recency, frequency, following and usage are considered key factors of the system.

interest

An important goal of the social network is to display content that is as personalized as possible in the feed. For this reason, the interest of users in a specific topic plays a particularly important role. Based on past user behavior, the algorithm evaluates whether certain content will be of interest to the person. In doing so, it analyzes the content in which the user has shown interest through interactions such as commenting or liking. In addition, the system records how much time a user has spent on certain topics. If a contribution has been viewed for a longer period of time, a particularly high level of interest in the respective topic is signaled.

relationship

In addition to the interest in the respective topic, the relationship between sender and recipient plays an important role in the algorithm of the social network. Content from accounts that a user interacts with frequently is therefore preferred and displayed higher in the feed. The algorithm evaluates the relationship between two accounts by analyzing all interactions between the two people - including likes, comments, direct messages and links.

timeliness

Until a few years ago, the Instagram feed was displayed in chronological order. Although this is no longer the case nowadays, the timeliness factor is still factored into the algorithm. Newly published content is given priority and thus displayed higher up in the feed.

frequency

Another factor that greatly influences the personal feed is frequency. The Instagram algorithm monitors how often a user uses the app. Users who open the application several times a day mostly see content in their feed that was published a few minutes to hours ago. Users who use Instagram less frequently, on the other hand, also see content that is several hours to days old.

Following

The content of the personal feed depends heavily on how many accounts a person follows. Users who only follow a few accounts are more likely to see content from all of those profiles. The feed of users who follow numerous accounts, on the other hand, has to be filtered more intensively by the algorithm. The more accounts are observed, the more are selected.

use

The final key factor in the Instagram algorithm is individual usage. Users who open the app only briefly see a small, heavily filtered selection of posts. Users who scroll through the feed for longer, on the other hand, see significantly more content from different accounts. Those who spend a lot of time on Instagram will see additional content from new accounts in their feed based on personal interests and past interactions.

The content in the Feed, Reels tab and Explore area

It is now known that Instagram works with not just one, but three algorithms. The content in the Feed, Explore area and Reels tab is evaluated in different ways.

The algorithm for the feed and stories

The factors of the algorithm for the feed and the stories are identical. Whether content is shared as a post in the feed or as a story is irrelevant to the Instagram algorithm. The topicality factor is particularly important for the content in the feed and the story. Content from accounts with which the user interacts frequently is preferred in the feed. The location of a post and the number of interactions also play a role. When it comes to videos, the length is also important – users who prefer to open shorter videos will mostly see short films in their feed.

The algorithm for the explore area

The algorithm of the explore area is similar to the algorithm of the feed. This also suggests content that best corresponds to the behavior and interests of the user. The content displayed is therefore mainly based on past interactions with other user accounts. The main difference between the sections is that the feed prioritizes content from accounts that a user follows. In the Explore area, on the other hand, mainly content from unknown accounts appears.

The algorithm for the Reels tab

Content from previously unknown accounts is also predominantly displayed in the Reels tab. The choice of reels is also influenced by the individual interests and past interactions of the user. Since reels are primarily intended to be entertaining, posts that are popular with other users are given priority. As a result, new accounts have a significantly lower chance of being displayed in other users' Reels tab. To quickly increase your reach, you can buy Instagram followers (www.follower24.de/instagram/follower/).

How to increase your reach with the Instagram algorithm

If you understand how the Instagram algorithm works, you can use the mechanism to your advantage. In this way you have the opportunity to increase your reach and thus your success.

The following tips can help you reach more users:

  • Buy Instagram followers can help increase range
  • Publish your content when your audience is online
  • Post new content regularly
  • Produce quality content that matches your audience's interests
  • Use meaningful hashtags
  • Increase the engagement of your followers with polls, opinion polls or tags
  • Write interesting captions
  • Like and comment on other profiles' posts
  • Respond to comments and direct messages from your followers

12/20/2022

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