Wondering why your Instagram isn’t performing as good as it once was? You’re not alone. In fact many people are experiencing a decrease in their engagement rate and wondered what the hell is going on.
I’m here to set things straight, to help you understand Instagram’s intentions so you can stay on their good side and continue climbing in followers, likes and shares.
Short answer:
Instagram’s latest algorithm only shows your content to 10% of your audience. So if you have 10,000 followers, only 1,000 will see your content.
Long answer:
Instagram is a business, and to make money as a business, they need to keep people on their app for as long as possible. The best way to do this is to show the most relevant content. So if your content doesn’t perform as well as it should be, your content will be shown to less and less people.
However, it’s not all downhill from here.
There are some things we can do to get the reach back up and skyrocket engagement. But more on that shortly.
Why Is My Instagram Engagement Rate Dropping?
As mentioned above, Instagram has gone through a number of changes throughout the years.
All of these is to keep people on the app longer.
Especially with apps like TikTok coming onto the scene. The only way for the social media giant to compete is to adapt and stay relevant.
That’s why they created reels, IGTV, pushed irrelevant content down the ranks, relevant posts to the top, and suggested highly engaged accounts to other people.
This has made it harder for new content creators to gain any traction (as most newbies post low quality stuff and can’t compete with those that have been in the game for longer).
At the end of the day, why would people stay on Instagram if they’re constantly been shown irrelevant, low quality posts?
The old algorithm showed posts in chronological order as you scrolled down.
However, that’s not the case anymore unless you manually choose that option every time you log in.
So now that you know why you’re getting less likes and comments than before, it’s time to discuss how you can get that reach and engagement back up.
How Do We Get Engagement Rate Back Up?
By posting high quality, relevant content.
There is no bombshell here. Content is king and always will be.
You need to be posting quality content that makes your audience like your posts, comments, and shares.
Keep in mind that saves and shares has more impact for your engagement rate than likes and comments.
Be sure to encourage your audience to save and share your posts!
Use All Available Features
The Instagram algorithm absolutely loves people using all of their features.
You want to be posting a mixture of:
- Reels
- Pictures
- Videos
- Stories
- IGTV
- Live
- Sharing guides
Reels are the easiest way to get new followers, so you want to take full advantage of this newish feature.
Pro tip: The best way to get good at reels is practice. I’ve only been making reels for the last couple of months and can confidently say I’m always happy with how they perform.
Encourage Engagement in Stories
Stories is hands down one of the best ways to gain direct contact with your audience.
Honestly, where else can you get thousands of views on demand?
This is seriously powerful stuff that you need to take advantage of.
How often should you post stories?
As many as you want so long as it’s quality and engaging content that keeps people wanting to know what happens next.
However, posting stories isn’t enough if you’re looking to increase your reach and gain new followers.
You need to be utilizing polls, surveys, questions, quizzes, and more.
Again, quality content matters the most. Gaining shares through stories is one of the best ways to show the algorithm people really like your stuff!
Reply to DMs and Comments
Obviously less valuable than saves and shares, but comments is definitely one of the best way to increase engagement.
Also replying to comments shows that you care and trying to create a community.
This is what Instagram loves and something you should be doing as a newbie Instagram user to stand out from the rest.
Of course when you start growing and getting hundreds of comments, you can’t reply to all of them
But reading and learning what your audience likes is going to help you learn what type of posts they enjoy.
Pro tip: Reply to comments within 60 minutes for an extra boost in the algorithm.
How Often Should You Post?
I get this question all the time and honestly, as a newbie you should be posting at least once per day.
It’s okay if you can’t post a picture everyday, but at least be utilizing stories to keep you at the top of their feed.
You don’t want to be sacrificing quality just to get something up.
But consistent quality is the way to the top if you can keep up with a frequent schedule.
In a Nutshell
As I wrap up this post I would like to reiterate that Instagram is still one of the most engaging social media apps out there.
If you’re not using it to gain some type of influencer status, you WILL be left behind.
Being on social media is a necessity when it comes to business, dating, your brand, or just staying connected with people.
The good old days are gone and the digital age is here.
I can tell you right now that I do not like social media and it took me so long to make an IG account, but I’m happy I did.
It has helped me immensely with dating and business/making money.
Definitely a necessity in 2022 and beyond.
Brandon
My name is Brandon and this is my website. I'm just a normal guy that had dreams, dreams that would keep me up at night because I wanted them so badly. Now I'm living my dreams of being an influencer and making a good living doing so. Broke Influencers is another of my creations where I teach people how to get rich being an online influencer, or die trying. There is no in between.