The Nature of the Algorithm, Part 2: Instagram

In part one of this series, we had covered Facebook and how the algorithm works. Essentially, each portion of the social media platform is covered by it’s own algorithm process, and everything ultimately comes down to engagement. In a plot twist everyone saw coming, Instagram is much the same way in that each section of the platform is it’s own specific information classifier. (It probably comes as a shock to you to find out that they’re owned by the same parent company and therefore presumably share assets across the board.) Does this mean that they are interchangeable and can be treated as the same platform? If only it were so easy! While they share a lot of similarities, they aren’t 100% the same as far as the back end info goes, so allow me to show you a little bit behind this curtain.

Instagram operates a lot through what they refer to as “signals” and these signals are what determine how the various content gets distributed. Basically, what you do while scrolling determines what you’re seeing. For example, if you spend a significant amount of time with one post or one account you follow, they will assume you found that particular piece of content interesting and will continue to push that account or type of content in the future. It is highly tailored to you every step of the way, and that goes for consumption as well as posting. If your followers are engaging with your content regularly, your content will be pushed to your followers and non-followers on a more consistent basis. (As someone who was pushed an abnormally high amount of potluck posts for an alarming amount of time, I can tell you with certainty that even stopping to read a caption for a killer mac and cheese recipe can heavily influence your reels and explore tabs.) As a baseline, let’s look at how those signals work from a very shallow perspective.

• Popularity of a post has a lot to do with engagement. If people are interacting with a specific post, this will alert the algorithm and it will get pushed to more feeds. The number of likes and comments influence this push directly, which means more people getting their hands on your content, engaging with it.
• Your activity directly influences what you see, and your actions are logged for future scroll periods. Like a reel, comment on a post, continuously interact with accounts, that is what Instagram will continue pushing towards you. The algorithms are separate for each portion of the platform but each section recognizes what makes you stop and will tailor your feed to those pauses.
• The main goal for any social media platform is to keep you on the platform, however that looks. For Instagram, it’s entertainment first and foremost. This doesn’t detract from businesses using social media, but rather should encourage businesses to explore how to better capture and retain their intended audience.

Instagram from the outs is designed to keep eyes on the feed, whether it be the home feed, reels, explore, etc., the design is a simple concept wrapped in an intricate package. This can be a double edged sword in some ways, as posts get engagement and can encourage people to come into your physical location. Post too much that doesn’t allow for unique interaction or have posts that don’t get engagement due to lack of originality, that can really hurt how you perform on the platform. Hospitality matters on social media and in person; it just looks a little different in the online stratosphere.

In essence, inactivity is detrimental to growth and this is applicable to the consumer as well as the poster. On the flip side, consumers want consistency and they want what you have to offer. It all comes down to the content and how it snatches their attention. A regular posting schedule and fresh, unique content can really make you stand out as a business on social media. If you need some assistance with anything regarding social media, Helios Cinematography is here to help. We have experience in social media content creation, video/photo concepts and editing, as well as marketing analytics. Send us a message and let us know how we can help you grow!

All information regarding the Instagram algorithm taken from Later.com and instagram.com.