The Instagram algorithm is such a hot topic. “Organic reach is dead!” – such was the cry of Instagram creators as they marched towards the unchronological, algorithmic feed and the new rules of how the explore section works. But, just as quickly as the rumors of these dramatic changes ran wild, the creators, social media managers, and marketing experts are now once again calm. Why? A loud sigh of relief. Organic reach lives on! From one perspective – much more than ever. In any case: it is alive, it drives results, and it works.
Anyway, there’s still more than one misconception about the Instagram algorithmic visibility regimes. You click on a random content marketing article that was just shared by someone who hates AI, and boom, yet another info to worry about. Fortunately, this is not one of those pessimistic, subjective blog posts. Let’s dispel five extremely common (but – one more relieved smile – totally false) Instagram algorithm myths you’ve spent much too long believing. Let’s go!
The algorithm is to blame (for everything!)
To begin with: Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, explained (to be more exact: shared in this blog post!) how the platform works. Let’s cite the most critical points from the original source:
Somewhere along the way, hearsay took hold that a new Instagram algorithm change was about withholding posts from our news feeds and only displaying about 7-10% of all the content we should see there. True or false?
Let’s dive in. Instagram shows posts in feeds based on what people interact with – we tend to undervalue the abilities of AI. It knows much more about your audience’s patterns and behaviors than you think. It analyses them all the time.
If your reach and engagement are down, it’s an evident sign you need to focus on creating content that engages your audience. How? By asking strategic questions and starting involving conversations. In turn, your content will start showing up in your followers’ feeds definitely more often.
Instagram controls which of my followers can see my posts and which not
Not quite. As we mentioned before – the algorithm works based on interests and engagement. What does it exactly mean? Users see posts of those accounts first, with whom they interact most often – other creators’ content doesn’t get buried – of course, it’s still there when the users scroll further down the feed. The thing is, we seldom scroll down THAT FAR.
The truth is, we can’t accuse Instagram of any harmful intentions here. The other way round: because of the adaptation to the users’ patterns and behavior, content creators and business owners are able to reach their target audience quicker and more accurately when they know how to make the AI work in their favor.
My content is really good – I don’t have to change anything; it’s clearly the algorithm, ugh!
Content is such an essential piece of the community-building puzzle.
The biggest misconception people have when trying to build an engaged Instagram tribe is that your followers and potential followers will gather to consume your content and be thankful for it, no matter what.
If we believe in the concept that social media growth goes by via an exchange of value, the time your audience will put into consuming your posts, Instastories, and reels is one part of this barter. What benefits and what values are you looking to bring back to them?
The first thing your audience will want to know about any creator’s content is the same: why should I spend my time reading those posts and listening to those Instagram stories? Is there anything for me?
You want to think about how you can structure your content around it to encourage authentic connections. Real-life advice from our social media presence? Keep focused on the results, not only on the content itself.
While it can be disappointing or even a bit annoying to see that some posts perform much better than others, or your ER (engagement rate!) drops, you should realize that the algorithm isn’t against you, it’s by your side, and there’s nothing shady going on behind the scenes.
Use those moments of lower reach and engagement drop as a chance to learn about what your followers like and what they don’t – to make your content marketing strategy even more clever and audience-matching for the future.
I need to post more to stand any chance at my account growing.
Uh, uh. That isn’t necessarily the way—quality of content over quantity, for real.
Many people think that you need to post daily or even many times a day to make your profile and your online presence successful. That just isn’t true!
Some of the most thriving, most exciting profiles we’ve ever followed post new content every second day. Or once a day.
However, we associated the overwhelming posting frequency to success for far too long – more posts, more reels, more guides, the more often, the better = better results and more engaged community. No wonder creators think that it’s got to be a crushing grind!
Don’t let that misleading thought get in your head: “The more content I provide, the better my Instagram will be, I need to post extremely often”. The good way to provide that value without overwhelming your audience is by posting without the pressure.
If you want people to can’t wait to see your new content, you need to add value to their lives. What’s the key benefit to them? Is it to feel inspired, get the secret knowledge to improve their life? To feel entertained? To feel a deeper social connection and a sense of belonging?
“I miss the old Instagram.”
Aw, this one is sad and nostalgic, and we’re happy to debunk it!
Believe it or not, but when Instagram switched to an algorithmic feed, it was mostly because people did not see 50-70% of the posts in their news feed in the first place. So the Instagram team wanted to create an experience where you could see the content you like the most, the posts you’re most likely to adore, even if you aren’t seeing it all.
We keep hearing that the old days are never coming back – and the same questions appear over and over again: why are my posts’ stats so low if in the past they were once surprisingly satisfying?
What we do know about reach?
Engagement EXTREMELY MATTERS.
Getting quick right-after-publishing engagement (comments, saves, and likes soon after you post new content) tells the AI that what you’re sharing is intriguing and definitely worthy of reaching more users. It’s a sign to Instagram that your posts are worth spreading.
In actual fact, if you keep it in mind – you have a chance to grow your accounts much quicker than before.
Switching to an Instagram pro (business or creator type) account negatively impacts your stats.
Let’s make this very clear: this Instagram rumor is absolutely untrue!
Why do people believe this one? Maybe because personal accounts don’t get access to Instagram’s in-depth analytics, so people with personal profiles don’t really know any data standing behind them! With a professional account, you can finally track many crucial factors: like your profile’s reach and your posts’ impressions (the overall number of times your content was seen). In reality, a whole new range of opportunities and possibilities to do effective content marketing opens up for you when you have a pro account.
The bottom line is, if you are a creator and you take your community and its needs seriously, you should have a creator account to analyze the insights and have access to Creator Studio. If you run a business, you should have a business account.
Which of these Instagram algorithm misconceptions had you fooled? Do you have any other myths that need to be analyzed and debunked?
The saying “real knowledge is your superpower” is as worn as still accurate. Right now, when everyone can share posts with subjective insights, misconceptions spread at lightning speed, so it’s not so easy to see through all the theories and half-truths about content marketing. The best advice we can give you? Question everything, ask about many things, reach real experts, do your own research and obtain information from reliable sources!
