Instagram, originally launched in 2010 as a simple photo app, has grown into a global phenomenon with more than a billion active users. But how does this popular app actually work? What determines what content a user gets to see? This all revolves around the Instagram algorithm. When you understand how the algorithm works, you can use this knowledge to grow your Instagram account. In this blog, we will therefore explain the algorithm in brief.
What is the Instagram algorithm?
An algorithm is really nothing more than a set of instructions designed to achieve a specific goal. The goal of Instagram algorithm is to ensure that users spend more time on the platform. Instagram will never disclose the exact algorithm. However, it can be deduced that the algorithm is built from collected data in terms of user interaction, timeliness, Internet behavior, app usage and interest shown, among others. The Instagram algorithm consists of several algorithms that work together to present the right content to the right users at the right time. The better you understand exactly how the algorithm works, the more success you will derive from Instagram for your organization.
The algorithm for feed & stories (the ranking feed)
In the early years of Instagram, the feed was simple: photos of friends in chronological order. Now the algorithm determines what the user gets to see. In 2016, the plaform introduced the ranking feed. The ranking feed uses different types of information, with which it predicts how users will react to certain content. It then optimally ranks the content. Its goal is to show users the content they are most interested in, as Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, explains. The ranking feed uses different sets of information, including:
- Details about the post, such as number of likes, time of posting, location, and other relevant data.
- Information about the author, such as the frequency of recent interactions with that person.
- Your activity on the platform, such as how often you have liked posts and whether you interact more with photos or videos.
- Your interaction history with specific users, including whether or not you respond to each other’s posts.
The algorithm for Instagram Explore
In addition to the regular feed, there is also the Explore option, where users discover content from accounts they do not yet follow. This requires a different algorithm because much of the information mentioned earlier does not apply. The Explore algorithm analyzes the posts you like, look at for a long time or respond to. The platform then looks for other users who have had the same kinds of interactions as you, and then looks for content that your “similar users” like even more. In a nutshell, this algorithm suggests content you are likely to be interested in, based on your behavior. This includes account names, hashtags, locations and keywords.
The Algorithm for Reels
Reels are short videos aimed primarily at scattering and entertainment. In addition to reels also appearing in the regular feed and in Instagram-Explore, they also have their own tab in the app. And Reels are popular! More than half of users interact with a reel (by liking, sharing or commenting on it) at least once a week. Reels account for more than half of content re-shared in instant messages to friends. This means that successful reels can quickly get you in front of new people. The algorithm for Reels works in a similar way to the Explore page, suggesting videos based on user behavior. This means you’ll see Reels from accounts you don’t follow (yet), but that Instagram thinks you’ll like.
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