Issue #35 - How The IG Algorithm Works...

Hey,

Writing you this email from my new home in Medellin, Colombia.

I'm finally settled, I got my workspace set up, gym membership secured, full fridge, and even made some friends.

So far, I am loving this move. I can tell the next couple of months are going to be very productive here. 

Moving on to this email's topic.

This week the CEO of Instagram - Adam Mosseri - published a very informative video on how the Instagram algorithm works. 

In this email, I will be breaking down the most important points from that video for you. 

If you care about growing your account, increasing your reach, and getting clients from social media, this email has a lot of gems for you. 

Let's dive into the most important points.

"The" Algorithm Doesn’t Exist

The first thing Adam points out is that there isn’t one single algorithm.

Each feature on Instagram (posts, reels, stories) has its own algorithm.

You should be optimizing for each.

Adam describes these algorithms as ranking systems that determine whether or not Instagram should show your post, story, or reel to someone. 

The primary goal of each of these algorithms/ranking systems is to provide Instagram users with relevant content that will keep them happy and engaged in the app.

Let’s dive into each of these algorithms and their ranking system. 

The Instagram Stories Algorithm

Algorithm's Goal: Show you the most relevant stories first.

Ranking System In Order Of Importance:

- History of interacting with stories from this creator (taps, like, reactions)

- History interaction with the creator

- How close you seem to the creator (ranked based on how much you message, like, or comment on their posts.)

The higher up the algorithm ranks your story the higher up your stories will be seen on people's feeds.

The Instagram Feed Algorithm

Algorithm’s Goal: Capture & display the very best/relevant content since a user last used the app. 

Ranking System In Order Of Importance:

- History of previous interactions with content

- Information about the post

- Information about the creator

- How often you interact with the creator

The highest-ranking posts will show up at the top of the feed and the least at the bottom.

The Instagram Reels Algorithm

Algorithm’s Goal:  Entertain & expose you to new creators.

Ranking System In Order Of Importance:

- Your history of interactions

- What other similar people to you interact with and the things they are interested in

- How likely you are to watch the reel till the end, send it to a friend, or go to the audio page

The Instagram Explore Page Algorithm

Algorithm’s Goal:  Recommend relevant content from accounts you don’t follow.

Ranking System In Order Of Importance:

- Information about that post

- Your history of interactions

- Information about the creator

- Information about your interactions with the creator

Here are my insights on what we can learn from the algorithm ranking systems:

- The more we can get people to not just watch our content but interact with it by liking, commenting, saving & sharing the higher the different algorithms will rank our content and the more it will be pushed out to new accounts.

- Reels and explore page offer the biggest opportunity for growth as they focus on pushing content from unknown accounts. Focus on these for growth. 

- The more you show Instagram who you are (by being consistent with a certain type of content) the easier time it will have showing your posts to the right people. 

Other Tips:

Toward the end of the video, Adam shared some tips on growing and getting the most out of these algorithms, Here they are: 

- Experiment with different type of content to see what works for you

- Check your insights to make data-driven decisions about what content to double down on

- Don’t make decisions based on the data from one post. Look for broader trends & signals

- Collaborate with other creators

- Check out your account status to see if you have any violations limiting your reach

- Create engaging and original content

- Get people to add you to their favorites as the algorithm will prioritize your content for that person

That wraps up this email, hope you enjoyed this one.

Best, 

Abraham Casallas

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