My ranges are down! Until recently, I had 10 times more likes than today! Such threads appear on average every few weeks on forums and groups related to Facebook and Instagram … for several years. Many users are still trying to fight the algorithm, trying to get the same results as in the past months or years. Is it still possible despite the constantly growing number of users?
Is there a new algorithm for truncating ranges?
The last time Instagram confirmed the implementation of the new algorithm in March 2018. Since then, no “new” algorithm has been officially released, but it is constantly updated by the developers. The biggest change for many years was introduced on the platform on June 4, 2019 , when the algorithm update not only reduced the limits for individual functions 6 times (for example, for the following function from 30,000 observations possible per month to 6,000 per month), but also decreased the organic reach of users.
Does the organic reach (i.e. the free one) still exist?
Of course it is – it will always exist. However, nowadays – as in the case of Facebook – it is already marginal, much smaller than in previous years. This is the effect of the constantly growing number of users on the platforms, and hence – the increasing competition on it.
A few years ago, the community on your Instagram profile could be built in a much simpler way, for example by regularly adding entries with appropriate hashtags and geolocation. Currently, the same actions bring much weaker results, although they are still the basic weapon in the fight against the algorithm that is responsible for displaying the published content to other users.
Certainly, many of you know that after publishing an entry on a Facebook fanpage , it is almost invisible to users until the reach of the entry is paid (Facebook Ads). It is worth remembering that Facebook Inc. is the owner of Instagram. The community of the second platform therefore expected the moment when the same situation would extend to Instagram. And that’s exactly what has happened over the past several dozen months. More and more often you can hear that without paying Facebook / Instagram for ranges – there are no ranges. This is obviously some malice, as the organic ranges still exist, even though they are not significant.
Interestingly – developers meet the wallets of their users, getting ready to introduce their own internet currency “Diem “, which in the next few years will be easy to pay for your reach under posts (both Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads).
A recipe for success, that is, take care of organic and inorganic ranges
In recent years, the basic form of gaining significant coverage in social media has become its payment – it is the simplest and least time-consuming method. However, there are many supportive methods of increasing your reach that you should implement when running your profile. The use of both paid promotions and other methods supporting organic reach is the basis for success on Instagram.
The absolute foundation is regularity in the publication of entries and reports on your profile. Neglecting this factor may cause Instagram to consider such a profile as not active or “dead”, which will not have a positive effect on its visibility. It is worth using all the new functionalities implemented by Instagram (for example, live releases, publications in the form of reels or new features in Instastories). Instagram wants all its features to be used and in effect rewards the user for it. More on this in the article: www.rainylune.com/blogs/blog/why-your-Instagram-engagement-kinda-sucks-right-now. In post descriptions, it’s a good idea to encourage users to get involved in the post- for example by asking them questions. As a result, the published post will get more likes and comments, which will increase its reach.
The engagement rate on your profile can be calculated manually (get likes, comment and buy Instagram followers Pakistan) or automatically at phlanx.com/engagement-calculator, where it will be compared with the top celebrity accounts on global Instagram, such as @kimkardashian, @kyliejenner, @selenagomez, @justinbieber and others. The engagement rate of the most popular profiles is on average 2%.
Published posts should be tagged with geolocation and 15-30 hashtags. It is worth remembering that too large hashtags mean almost zero reach for a small profile. In published entries, it is worth creating a three-level hashtag pyramid, which increases the probability of placing the entry in the Explore section and in the section of the most popular entries with a given hashtag. The entries should contain 10-15 small hashtags with a range of 5-50 thousand, 5-10 medium hashtags with a range of 50-100 thousand and 1-5 large hashtags with a range of 100-500 thousand. Hashtags from the first level allow you to easily get the TOP9 section of the best posts with small hashtags, thanks to which the post will become more visible and get additional likes from users browsing the posts under small hashtags. This increases the probability of being promoted to the TOP9 section of the best posts with average hashtags, which will multiply the reach and number of likes. If the entry gains a sufficiently high level of engagement at the second level – it may also be promoted to the highest level, i.e. be included in the highlighted entries of the largest hashtags. As a result, the organic range will be multiplied.
Another factor taken into account when determining the reach by the algorithm is how many users interact with our profile and our posts. If a given user regularly gives likes and comments and saves or shares our entries – he has a high probability that Instagram will continue to display them to him. It is worth remembering that the more users engage in the post (leave a like, comment or share the post) – the greater the final reach will be. That is why it is important to regularly interact with your community – exchanging likes, comments and thus increasing the reach of your profiles. Each comment should be answered as soon as possible after receiving it. Leaving comments unanswered will reduce the visibility of the post.
The last method of increasing the reach is cooperation with other profiles on similar topics (joint Instastories recording, i.e. crosses) and mutual markings in entries. Crosses are currently one of the most popular methods of increasing mutual coverage. How to search for profiles with similar topics for cooperation? For this purpose, you can use, for example, the KokoHash influencer search engine.
Summary
Regular “cuts” of reach, viewership or engagement index under the entry are no longer a novelty. Commercial space takes up more and more space on the feed (Instagram must somehow earn, and it can only do it by selling reach), hence sponsored posts are an increasing part of the board – at the expense of unpaid posts that are not displayed so often.
It is worth remembering that the number of Instagram users continues to grow rapidly. This means that it is not worth counting on the return of the ranges from previous years. It’s worth remembering that both Facebook and Instagram only make money from promoting content. Marginalization of free coverage on both platforms is therefore a natural phenomenon.
The key to achieving optimal results on Facebook and Instagram is to use both free methods of increasing your reach and paid promotion of your content. Promoting posts through the ad manager or apps will increase their engagement rate, thanks to iamfavorite.me which they will be better positioned on your followers feed. Systematic and thoughtful publications as well as creating regular activity with your community will make your profile gain additional organic reach. Use everything Instagram has to offer and you will be rewarded.
