#29 – How to hack the Instagram algorithm
Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of people blame the algorithm for their lack of engagement on Instagram.
They say things like:
“The algorithm makes it difficult for me to grow my brand online”
“I’ve already tried different things on social media, but every time there’s an update I lose engagement”.
“The algorithm sucks! Only people with a huge following can actually get engagement”
They blame everything on the platform and the algorithm without even having the audacity to look at themselves.
What I believe in:
Your reality is a reflection of your inner wisdom.
Your mind is the master power that creates your reality. And your brain is the one that tries to keep you safe from danger, from doing the uncomfortable, from actually taking the leap and make a change in your life…
Basically, it’s a constant battle between your brain and your mind.
And that’s why it’s super important to always have a positive attitude about everything in life and to always see the silver lining in everything.
This is why meditation and connecting with source energy is so important to guide your thoughts and love yourself more every day.
The moment you realize that your mind is the most powerful tool we’ve got. This can truly change your life.
Because you can control your mind, therefore, you can create awesomeness in your life. Or incredibly awful things.
But the key here is that we control our realities.
What you say is true, that’s exactly what’s true.
I like this quote from Wallace Wattles:
“To think what you want to think is to think the truth, regardless of appearances.”
Isn’t this like THE BEST thing ever? We can literally create our own realities.
It really doesn’t matter what your reality looks like right now, because where you desire to be is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and if you fixate your mind on this truth, believe that it is real and already here, and take decisive action, it will manifest itself.
That’s exactly what the law of manifestation is…
- You know what you want.
- You trick your mind into believing you already have it, and you act accordingly.
- And your energy will attract what you want into your life.
You might still argue: “Steven, seriously, I’ve tried in the past and it didn’t work. The algorithm’s update is really here to stop me from growing my business online. Only people with a large following can actually leverage social media marketing. But not me, I’m a one-man/woman show.”
And to that, I really have to take a step back and think for a minute.
Because really, what you’re saying is that knowing what you know about manifesting your reality, you still give external factors the power to dictate your reality.
Have you ever noticed that some people go through the same online course and some people really get amazing results and others just sit there in their misery?
Everyone got the same content, tools, and guides to actually do the things the course taught them, but only the people with the right mindset were the ones that actually got amazing results.
Friend, your thoughts and beliefs dictate your reality, so if you want to change your reality, you have to change your belief.
You have to change your thinking first, and then the evidence appears. Our big mistake is that we do it the other way around. We demand evidence first before we believe it to be true.
Let’s dive deeper into the Instagram algorithm. Let’s talk about what’s the algorithm’s work and why it is so important to understand the algorithm.
Why is it important to understand the algorithm?
Once you understand how the algorithm behaves and the factors that influence the algorithm, then you can start showing up on social media more strategically. It’s way easier for you to show up every single day and know exactly what to do that delivers real and tangible results.
I know how busy you are and I don’t want social media to feel like yet another thing to do on your long list of to-dos. If you only have 1 hour a day to show up for your business on social media, I want you to understand the most important things about the algorithm so that you can show up more effectively and use your time wisely.
I want you to stop saying that it’s the algorithm’s fault that you’re not growing online.
Today, you get to tell yourself a different story.
What’s the algorithm’s work?
The algorithm’s work is to show the right content to the right people.
Should I repeat that? The algorithm’s work is to show the right content to the right people.
Instagram’s only objective is to keep the user on the platform. And the way they do it is by using the algorithm to get to know the user better.
When you like, comment, share or save a post on Instagram, when you react to a poll on Instagram Story, or when you click the heart icon button on someone’s Instagram Live broadcast, that action indicates to the algorithm that you find that content valuable, or at least interesting.
Now let’s reverse it…
When your audience like, comment, share or save your post on Instagram, or when they react to your poll on Story, or when they click the heart icon when you’re live, those actions indicate to the algorithm that your content is valuable for your audience.
Next time those people that have reacted to your post logs back into Instagram, the algorithm will show them your content first because they’ve indicated in the past that they think your content is valuable.
Knowing this, as business owners, it is our responsibility to make sure that…
- Our content is engagement-worthy.
- Our content gives our audience an opportunity to engage with our account.
I’m going to share with you 3 things you can do on Instagram to make sure your audience is engaging with your account.
3 Instagram Story Ideas to Leverage Engagement
Ask your audience for their opinion
One of the ways that you can leverage engagement on Instagram Story is by asking your audience for their input. I like to do this when I’m creating new content because it gives me the opportunity to see what my audience is thinking about and how I can serve them better.
The way I do it is that I think about some topics that I can create content around and ask my audience which topic they’d like to hear first. Their input gives me a better understanding of which content will perform best online.
Another way that I’ve done this in the past is when I used to work for ThePerfectWedding.nl. As the marketing strategist, one of my tasks was to take care of their social media platform. They have over 19K people following their account, so it was my job to make sure those people kept engaging with their account.
I was working on a project with an international wedding dress brand and I had to create content for them on social media. The way I did it is by taking their wedding dress trends for the upcoming year, and I created like this-or-that types of stories, that highlight different dresses.
For example, mermaid dress, or princess dress, open back, long/short sleeve, etc. I took different photos of their dresses, used the Instagram poll feature, and let the audience indicate which were their favorite dresses.
Host a Live Q&A and ask your audience to send their questions in
One of my favorite ways to connect with my audience on a more personal level is to host weekly live Instagram session. The way this works is that I talk about one specific topic for the first minutes and then finish the session with some Q&A.
If you’re thinking about doing something similar here are my best tips for you:
- Think about the topic that you’d like to talk about during your live session.
- Write down some questions that your audience might have.
- 24 hours prior to your live session, post a story, and let your audience know that you’re going live and use the question box feature as an invitation for them to leave their question there.
BONUS: Add the countdown feature in your story so that your audience can turn the reminder on when you go live!
- Go live and talk about your topic, answer your questions and your audience’s questions.
That’s it!
Use the quiz feature to engage your audience
Another fun and easy way to keep your audience engaged is by creating a quiz. A quiz could be simply 5 questions you didn’t know about me and use the quiz feature to make it more fun (and foster engagement!).
This could be as simple as 5 Questions to Get to Know Your Photographer
- When did I discover my passion for photography?
- How many weddings have I shot in the past?
- Where am I from?
- What is my second name?
- What’s my favorite beverage?
- Pina colada
- A Cold beer
- Tequila shots
It really doesn’t matter what you post. I want to encourage you to take action.
If you want to learn how to leverage Instagram stories for your business. I’d like to invite you to download the Instagram Story Guide for Creative Entrepreneurs.
Discover how to leverage engagement on Instagram Story so you finally increase your visibility and turn your followers into paying customers. In this guide, you’ll learn the most important factor when creating stories for your business, how to make sure your content is engagement-worthy, and how to encourage your audience to finally start engaging with your account.
Download your free guide “The Instagram Story Guide for Creative Entrepreneurs” at stevendecuba.com/igstory
