Social Media Marketing: March 2024

LinkedIn is the world’s premier business network, with 875 million users. For brands that want to reach a professional network, strengthen employee advocacy, and position themselves as industry leaders in front of this massive audience, leveraging LinkedIn for Business is essential.

But once you’ve created your Company Page, how do you effectively market your business on LinkedIn?

We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about how to use LinkedIn to market your company — freshly updated for 2024.

Bonus: Download a free step-by-step guide to combining organic and paid social tactics into a winning LinkedIn strategy.

How to create and optimize your LinkedIn business page

Follow the steps below to set up, grow, and promote a LinkedIn business page and reach strategic goals on the platform.

Prefer to watch a video tutorial? Watch our step-by-step guide to creating a LinkedIn company page from scratch:

Step 1. Create a LinkedIn Company Page

To access LinkedIn’s business features, you’ll need an individual account. This account will also be the administrator of your Company Page (although you can add additional Page managers later). I’d recommend signing up using your work email address.

After you’ve logged in to your account, click on the For Business icon at the top right of your browser. Scroll to the bottom of the menu that pops up and pick Create a Company Page.

Choose the right type of Page from the three available options:

Company
Showcase page
Educational institution

They’re all self-explanatory…except for the “Showcase page.” These are for companies that want separate business divisions to have their own sub-pages that link back to the main corporate Page

Showcase Pages appear on the main Company Page, as you can see here, with Hootsuite’s COVID-19 Resources page listed under “Affiliated pages.”

After you select the Page type, start filling in your details, like your business name, company website, industry, and logo.

Your logo and tagline will be the first impression most LinkedIn users will have of you, so spend the time necessary to write a good tagline.

For example, Hootsuite’s LinkedIn tagline is: “Too many brands suck at social. Yours doesn’t have to.”

When you’re done, click Create page.

Step 2. Optimize your Page

Creating your Page is just the first step. If you want to make the most out of LinkedIn for your business, you’ll need to start optimizing.

That means writing descriptive headlines, choosing Page topics and hashtags, and following relevant Pages so your Page gets noticed and you can build your following.

After you create your Business Page, LinkedIn will prompt you to set up the rest of the important sections for your Page.

Fill out all the fields in this additional information area. This will tell visitors what you do and help with your LinkedIn SEO, a.k.a. make sure your Page appears in relevant search results. It’s worth it: Companies with complete profiles get 30% more views per week.

There are a few more ways to make sure your LinkedIn Business Page is optimized so people can find it.

Use translations

Serve a global audience? You can add translations here, so you don’t need to create a separate Company Page for each region. You can translate your name, tagline, and description fields, and up to 20 languages are available. Me gusta.

Add keywords in your description

Your LinkedIn Business Page is indexed by Google, so work in natural-sounding keywords where you can in the first paragraph of your company description. Keep it to 3-4 paragraphs about your vision, values, products and services.

Add hashtags

Nope, not in your Page copy. You can add up to 3 hashtags to follow.

You can see all posts using these hashtags by going to your Page and clicking Hashtags under the post editor. This allows you to easily comment, like, and share relevant posts, right from your Page.

Add a branded cover image

Take advantage of this space to bring attention to your latest product launch or other big news. Keep it on-brand and simple.

Hootsuite’s cover image promotes our 2024 Social Media Consumer Report: a free mega-deep dive to help you understand why people follow, engage, buy, and break up with brands on social.

The current dimensions for this space are 1128px x 191px.

And finally: add a custom button

This is the button located next to the Follow one that LinkedIn users will see on your Page.

You can change your CTA button to any of these actions:

Contact us
Learn more
Register
Sign up
Visit website
Visit portfolio
Visit store

You can change it anytime, so if you have a webinar or event running, change it to “Register” or “Sign up” to focus on that, then back to your website after. Your URL can include a UTM you can use to track where leads are coming from.

Step 3. Start building your network

No one’s going to know your Page exists unless you tell them.

Until you start posting content, you’ll see this frankly adorable illustration of a marketer wearing sweatpants in deep discussion with their dog about this quarter’s—wait a minute, that’s me…

Here are three ways to get your new Business Page some love:

Link to your LinkedIn Page from your website

Add the LinkedIn icon to the rest of your social media icons in your footer, and anywhere else you link out to social media.

Ask your employees to update their profiles

This is key for the long-term growth of your Business Page. When your employees first listed their job titles on their profiles, you didn’t have a Page. So those titles don’t link anywhere.

Now that your Page exists, ask your employees to edit their job descriptions on their LinkedIn profiles to link them to your new Business Page.

All they have to do is edit that section on their profile, delete the company name, and begin retyping it in the same field. LinkedIn will search for matching page names. Once they click yours and save the changes, their profile will now link back to your Page.

This allows their contacts to find and follow you, but it also adds that user as an employee at your company. Displaying the number of employees you have can help your company establish credibility on the platform.

Send invitations to follow your Page

LinkedIn makes it easy to invite your connections to follow your Page. LinkedIn limits how many invites you can send out to ensure people don’t spam.

This isn’t the most effective method since many people ignore their LinkedIn notifications (guilty), but it only takes a minute, so why not?

Step 4. Execute your LinkedIn marketing strategy

You have a LinkedIn marketing strategy, right?

Creating a Page is easy. Keeping it going with content your audience wants is a little harder — unless you have a plan.

Your LinkedIn social media strategy should include answers to:

What is the goal of your LinkedIn Page? (This may be different from your overall social media goals.)
What will you use your Page for? Recruiting? Lead generation? Sharing the super nerdy industry stuff that doesn’t perform as well on Instagram or Facebook?
Are you going to advertise? What is your LinkedIn ads budget?
What are your competitors doing on LinkedIn, and how can you create better content?

Once you’ve got your strategy nailed down, make a content plan. It should cover:

How often you will post
Which topics you’ll cover
How you can repurpose existing content to use on LinkedIn
If you’re going to curate content from others

Once you know what you’re going to post about and how often, it’s easy to stay on track with Hootsuite’s Planner.

You can upload your content, schedule it to auto-publish, and quickly see everything in either a weekly or monthly view.

At a glance, ensure your posts are evenly balanced across all the goals and topics you want to cover. Plus, you can easily add new content or rearrange upcoming posts as needed.

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5 ways to use LinkedIn for business

Looking for new ways to use LinkedIn for business? We asked Trish Riswick, Hootsuite’s Social Marketing Team Lead, how she’s found success with the platform.

1. Thought leadership

LinkedIn allows you to post long-form content, which many business leaders have used to build influential thought leadership reputations. Long-form content, when used properly, can also satisfy LinkedIn’s algorithm. Posts that share knowledge, advice, or insights are more likely to be seen by users and people in your network.

“[Thought leadership] is the number one way people succeed on the platform,” says Riswick.

To post an article, click Start a post or Write article from the LinkedIn homepage.

You can post from your personal account or Company Page. Since our goal is to grow your business following, choose your new Company Page.

If an executive on your team is already posting great thought leadership content (like Hootsuite CEO Irina Novoselsky does), you can even repost that content to your Company Page.

Source: Irina Novoselsky on LinkedIn

LinkedIn’s article publishing platform is almost like having your own blog software. It allows you to format your post easily, including adding images and video, and you can even save drafts.

Just remember: if thought leadership is your goal, you need to stick with it long enough to build momentum and interest in your work. Why bother?

B2B decision-makers love thought leadership content. These valuable prospects say they’re willing to pay more to work with companies that publish thought leadership content.

A few tips to succeed:

Be consistent. This is the most important thing to keep your current readers and earn new ones. Decide on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly posting schedule and then — I can’t stress this enough — do it.
Be original. Don’t regurgitate existing articles from the internet. Take a stand, form an opinion and provide a strong argument for your point. Not everyone has to agree with you. If they do, it’s probably not true thought leadership.
Write once, promote forever. Don’t forget to share and promote your older posts. Content production on LinkedIn grew 60% in 2020, so you’ve got competition. There’s still a place for your content — just make sure to share it more than once.

2. Increase leads or demos

The majority of people on LinkedIn make business decisions for their companies. Plus, 40% of B2B marketers agree that LinkedIn is the most effective channel for driving high-quality leads.

This makes the platform a great way to get in front of customers, generate leads, and drive people into your sales funnel.

“LinkedIn can be an amazing way to find qualified and motivated leads,” says Riswick. “Especially for freelancers or people in sales.”

3. Recruitment

Job listings are already a popular destination for LinkedIn users. 52 million people look for a new job on LinkedIn every week. You can post listings for free, and they also show up on your Company Page.

Paying to advertise your job listings can be worth it, too. Paid single job ads receive 25% more applications than non-promoted job ads.

LinkedIn has a dedicated Recruiter account that’s been the standard for recruiters around the world for years. They also have a Lite version intended for small businesses.

4. Employee advocacy

LinkedIn’s My Company Tab also makes it easy to share employee-only information.

The My Company Tab allows you to share curated content and organic company posts, interact with team members’ content, and measure employee advocacy.

Essentially, this channel makes it easier for employees to engage with the company and each other’s content, which creates more organic reach for your brand. By creating a My Company Tab, employees are 60% more likely to engage with posts from coworkers and 14 times more likely to share their organization’s Page content.

5. Experiment with different ad formats

“LinkedIn provides a variety of ways to share your message,” says Riswick, “so tailor your ads strategy to them.”

There are many LinkedIn ad formats to choose from, including:

Sponsored text ads
Sponsored posts (like “boosting” an existing Page post)
Sponsored messaging (to a user’s LinkedIn inbox)
Dynamic ads that can include a user’s details, such as name, profile photo and employer in the ad
Sponsored job ad listings
Photo carousel ads

Four out of five LinkedIn users have the power to influence business purchase decisions, so ads can be highly successful.

One LinkedIn ad format that Riswick says has been effective is the new Thought Leader ads.

“This year, our team has been playing around with LinkedIn’s Thought Leader ads as a way to expand our reach and boost the thought leaders we have on the Hootsuite [team],” says Riswick.

Explore different ad formats to see what sticks. Keep track of your ad performance with a tool like Hootsuite Social Advertising, which allows you to create, manage, and analyze the performance of all your social ad campaigns across LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook in one dashboard.

Hootsuite’s combined analytics can show you both paid and organic campaign performance across all three platforms. You always have the information you need at your fingertips and the ability to tweak campaigns for maximum results.

5 top LinkedIn marketing tips for 2024

How you market your business on LinkedIn will depend on your goals. Generally speaking, these are the five things everyone should do to market on LinkedIn like a pro.

1. Optimize your posts

Relevancy is more important than recency on LinkedIn. Their algorithm, like all platforms, aims to show users more of what they want to see and less of what they don’t.

For example, the only LinkedIn poll I ever voted in was about how much I hated polls, so I had to laugh when LinkedIn served me this at the top of my feed today:

Here are the key ways to optimize your content:

Always include an image or other asset. Posts with visuals receive 98% more comments than text-only posts. For example, include a photo, infographic, SlideShare presentation, or video. (Videos receive five times the engagement of other assets.)
Brush up on your writing skills. For sharing long-form content, create a catchy hook, provide a visual or video, then link to the full article. Lead with a question to prompt responses, and if you’re posting an article, make sure to use a strong headline.
Make it easy for people to engage. Always include a clear call to action, tag people and pages mentioned, and try creating LinkedIn polls to boost feedback and engagement. Respond to comments quickly to encourage more engagement.

Riswick emphasizes the last point: “The first hour after you post on LinkedIn is very important,” she suggests. “LinkedIn looks at the engagements and traffic a post is receiving. If it’s doing well, you’ll expand your reach quickly. If it’s not, you won’t do much better than what you currently have.”

In addition to replying to comments as soon as you receive them, she also recommends taking engagement one step further by using that first hour after you post to comment on other people’s posts.

2. Work with LinkedIn influencers

Influencer marketing isn’t limited to Instagram and TikTok. LinkedIn is also home to many influencers who can help you promote a campaign, a new product, or a service.

Riswick credits LinkedIn influencers for helping drive engagement for Hootsuite’s inaugural Social Media Career Report.

“We were incredibly successful at driving more downloads of our report through the help of LinkedIn thought leaders,” shares Riswick. “It was our most successful influencer campaign to date.”

Source: Annie-Mai Hodge on LinkedIn

If you want to incorporate influencer marketing into your LinkedIn strategy, connect with thought leaders in your industry. Just make sure your message and content aligns with the influencer’s content, which will help ensure the campaign feels more organic.

3. Take advantage of PDF documents

One of the content format options worth experimenting with is the PDF documents.

“With LinkedIn sunsetting carousels, PDFs are a great way to tell a longer story, get great engagements, and set yourself up as a thought leader,” says Riswick.

Source: Hootsuite on LinkedIn

Riswick suggests taking time to think about how you want to share the content of your PDFs and getting creative with the graphics.

“[PDF carousels] operate differently than an Instagram carousel,” she says, “so don’t just fill it with photos. Make sure there is a balance between images and words.”

Psstt: You can even schedule your PDF carousels using Hootsuite. Handy!

4. Learn from LinkedIn analytics

If you’re not trackin’, you’re only hackin’. (Pretty sure that’s an expression, anyway.)

In all seriousness, measuring your marketing goals is only possible with accurate and timely analytics. LinkedIn has built-in analytics to tell you the basics. Still, you can save time and learn even more by using Hootsuite Analytics

We’ve got a complete guide to everything you need to know about Hootsuite Analytics, but basically, you can use it to:

Track your most engaging content
Find out how people come across your Page
Get traffic insights for each section of your Page (and Showcase Pages, if you have any)
Easily gauge the demographics of your audience

Hootsuite Analytics includes custom insights so you can tweak your LinkedIn strategy as needed to meet your goals.

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5. Post at the best time

What’s the best time to post on LinkedIn?

…There isn’t one best time. It all depends on when your target audience is on LinkedIn. That depends on a ton of factors, from their time zone to their work schedules.

As with everything in social media marketing, success comes from knowing your audience. Hootsuite helps out with this big time.

Not only can you schedule all your posts in advance so you never forget to post, but you can also choose to auto-post them at the best time for your company. Hootsuite analyzes your past performance to find when your audience engages the most.

Easily manage your LinkedIn Page and all your other social channels using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard, you can schedule and share content (including video), reply to comments and engage your network. Try it free today.

Start your free 30-day trial. You can cancel anytime.

Do it better with Hootsuite, the all-in-one social media tool. Stay on top of things, grow, and beat the competition.

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The post How to Use LinkedIn for Business [2024 Guide] appeared first on Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard.

* This article was originally published here

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[SOLVED] Instagram Algorithm Tips for 2024

Keeping up with the Instagram algorithm is a bit like trying to hit a moving target. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, they go and change it again.

On any given day, you’re probably wondering: what’s the best time to post to maximize engagement? Or, how do I get my Instagram Reels in front of more people?

Luckily, we’ve got you covered. In this guide, we’ll break down the basics of the Instagram algorithm and offer some practical tips to make it work for you.

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What is the Instagram algorithm?

The Instagram algorithm is a set of rules that rank content on the platform. It decides what content shows up, and in what order, on all Instagram users’ feeds, as well as the Explore Page, the Reels feed, Stories, and so on.

How does the Instagram algorithm work?

In simple terms, the Instagram algorithm looks at information about content (Reels, feed posts, and Stories) and users (interests and behavior on the platform) to serve the right content to the right people.

The main purpose of the Instagram algorithm is to make each user’s experience with the platform as pleasant as possible. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri refers to the algorithm as “ranking” (maybe because that term sounds less robotic) and stresses the importance of favoring some posts more than others.

“I know a lot of you are skeptical of ranking,” said Mosseri in an Instagram reel shared in 2022, “but it really does help us make sure that Instagram is more valuable to each and every person who uses the platform.”

Mosseri also claims that “Instagram doesn’t have a singular algorithm that oversees what people do and don’t see on the app.”

A list of each of Instagram's "parts"/features: feed, stories, reels, explore, and search. The image explains that each of these has a different algorithm or list of ranking factors

Source: Instagram

Instead, he says they use a variety of algorithms, classifiers, and processes tailored specifically to each part of the app—Feed, Stories, Explore, Reels, Search, and more.

Here’s how those break down:

The 2024 Instagram Feed algorithm

A list of the top four factors that impact Instagram's feed algorithm: Interest, post popularity, poster information, and interaction history

Interest. The Instagram algorithm takes into account how much Instagram predicts you’ll care about a post (based on your past behavior and engagement with similar content).
Post popularity. The algorithm then considers how popular the post is based on how quickly it gains likes, comments, shares, and saves, along with when and where it was posted.
Poster information. Next, it uses information about the poster to determine how interesting they might be to you. This includes factors like past interactions, post frequency, and more.
Interaction history. It also takes into account your history of interacting with a particular person to determine how interested you are in seeing their posts.

The 2024 Instagram Stories algorithm

The top three factors that influence the Stories Instagram algorithm: user engagement, viewing history, and closeness

User engagement. The Instagram algorithm looks at how much you engage with a particular account’s stories, such as sending likes or DMs.
Viewing history. Next, it considers how often you view an account’s stories to prioritize those from accounts that it thinks you don’t want to miss.
Closeness. From there, it considers your overall relationship with the author and how likely you are to be connected as friends or family.

The 2024 Instagram Reels algorithm

User activity. First, the algorithm on Instagram looks at your past behavior, such as which reels you’ve liked, saved, re-shared, commented on, and engaged with recently.
Author interaction. If you’ve interacted with the person who posted the Reel before, that signals to the algorithm your level of interest in their content.
Reel information. The algorithm then accounts for factors like audio track, video length, and caption text to determine how interesting the reel might be to you.
Poster information. Similar to feed and Stories, the algorithm considers your relationship with the poster to determine how relevant their content is to you.

The 2024 Instagram Explore page algorithm

The top 4 factors that influence the Explore Page Instagram algorithm: Post information, your activity in Explore, Interaction history, and information about the poster

Post information. The Instagram algorithm looks at the general popularity of a post, including how many people have interacted with it in a short amount of time. Notably, Instagram says, “These signals matter much more in Explore than they do in Feed or in Stories.”
Your activity in Explore. The algorithm then takes into account your past actions on similar content to determine what to show you.
Interaction history. Just like in other parts of Instagram, the algorithm considers your relationship with the person who posted and how much you’ve interacted with them in the past few weeks. On Explore, you’re likely less familiar with the poster, so your past interactions with similar content are key here.
Information about the poster. The algorithm looks at how popular the poster has been recently, including how many people have interacted with them or their content. This helps to surface a variety of content from different creators on your Explore page.

Top Instagram algorithm ranking factors overall

If you wanted to break down the Instagram algorithm ranking factors overall, here’s what that would look like.

A list of the top 3 most important ranking factors of the instagram algorithm: relationship between creator and view, interest, and relevancy

The 3 most important ranking factors of the Instagram algorithm are:

Relationship between the creator and the viewer. Do you follow each other? Do you message each other or leave comments? If you have repeatedly interacted with a specific user in the past, you are more likely to see the new content they post. (This is very important for businesses: Active community management, including responding to DMs and comments, can improve a brand’s visibility on Instagram.)
Interest. Does a user typically interact with this type of content? When the Instagram algorithm recognizes that a user enjoys a specific content type or format, it shows them more of the same.
Relevancy. Instagram decides how “relevant” every piece of content is. This includes an analysis of where it fits with trending topics as well as the timeliness factor (recent posts are considered more relevant than older posts).

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Top Instagram algorithm changes for 2024

As Instagram continues to evolve, it’s important to keep up with changes in the algorithm. Here are some of the top Instagram algorithm changes for 2024.

Some content will be more restricted for teens

As of 2024, Instagram automatically places teens into the most restrictive content control setting. This means that teens may have a harder time coming across potentially sensitive content or accounts in places like Search and Explore. This change is being made to help promote a safer online environment for young users.

Restricted content will include:

Violent content
Content about self-harm or suicide
Content about eating disorders
Nudity or sexually explicit content
Content that includes restricted goods

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)

Instagram’s new algorithm is less focused on reels

After a heavy focus on reels in previous years, Adam Mosseri said on an IG Live that the Instagram algorithm is shifting to give more weight to other types of content, such as Stories and regular posts.

This change comes after feedback from users who felt that their feeds were becoming too saturated with reels.

Replayed reels now count toward your view count

While previously only first-time views were counted towards a reel’s view count, now, every time you watch a reel, it will be added to the total views. This means that creators may see an increase in their view counts as they create and share more reels.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)

Users can now pay for a blue checkmark

In 2023, Meta rolled out Meta Verified, a way for users to pay for a blue checkmark on their accounts. Verified accounts benefit from higher visibility in the algorithm and additional features like access to a real person for common account issues. However, this change has sparked controversy as some feel that verification should be earned rather than bought.

So far, the feature is still being tested and is currently available in the U.S., U.K., Canada, India, and Brazil. The global rollout is expected soon.

Reels with word marks are ranked lower

This has long been speculated and now confirmed by Mosseri in an Instagram story. Reels with word marks, regardless of the word mark, will be ranked lower. This includes wordmarks like the TikTok logo, as well as watermarks from video editing platforms.

Mosseri did say that videos created outside of the Instagram app that don’t have a word mark are not affected.

European users can now see chronological feeds

In response to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), Instagram has announced that users in Europe will now have the option to view Stories and Reels only from people they follow, ranked in chronological order from newest to oldest.

This change also applies to Search results, which will no longer be personalized based on a user’s previous activity and interests.

Instagram algorithm tips for every format

Instagram algorithm tips for feed posts

With all these changes and factors to consider, how can businesses and creators improve their visibility on Instagram? Here are a few tips for feed posts.

1. Respect the community guidelines

This is more of an all-encompassing tip. Whether you’re posting on the Feed, in Reels, or to Stories, Instagram’s algorithms limit the visibility of content that goes against the app’s Community Guidelines.

If you’re sharing misinformation, potentially upsetting or sensitive content, or even just low-resolution media, you may find your content less widely distributed.

Hot tip: if you think you’ve been shadowbanned, this is probably why!

2. Encourage engagement

Engagement rules all on Instagram (in fact, it’s one of the most important ranking factors on all the top social media platforms).

Views are great, but likes, comments, shares, and saves matter more. Increase your engagement by encouraging your audience to engage with your content by asking questions, hosting giveaways, or creating ultra-shareable posts.

3. Schedule your posts at the right time for maximum reach

Audience interaction is an important signal across the board on Instagram, so posting your content on the right day and time is going to make a huge difference to your organic reach.

Luckily, Hootsuite’s dashboard helps crunch the numbers and offers suggested best times to post based on your audience’s unique behavior.

heatmap showing instagram user activity in hootsuite

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Still posting manually? Bring your brand into the future with our guide to how to schedule Instagram posts, and another on how to schedule Instagram Stories.

4. Use relevant hashtags

Hashtags help Instagram know what your post is about, and using them puts your content in front of the right audience.

Plus, unlike Instagram ads (the other way to expand reach past your existing audience), hashtags are free

5. Tag your location

Just like hashtags, location tags are a free way to give Instagram vital information about your post. The algorithm will share your content with other people in your area, assuming that the photo or video is relevant to them.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GoPro (@gopro)

Plus, users who are searching for content published in a specific area will see posts tagged with that location.

6. Post consistently

This is key whether you’re looking for help with reach, engagement or follower growth. (Because, of course, those three things are related.)

On average, businesses should post 3-5 times per week on Instagram. If that sounds like way too much for your small biz, rest assured that just showing up consistently (every weekday, for instance), is enough to keep the ball rolling.

Pro tip: Consistency requires planning. This is where having a social media content calendar becomes crucial, as well *ahem* as scheduling your posts in advance with Hootsuite.

Look at how nicely planned out your Instagram posts could look in Hootsuite’s planner—for weeks or months in advance!

many social media posts scheduled in hootsuite planner

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Instagram algorithm tips for Reels

7. Make original content

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri says that the platform values original content over reposted or re-shared content—so be as creative as possible when you’re brainstorming new posts.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)

Try using your original audio for reels, coming up with captions that are distinct and informative, and embracing unusual ideas.

8. Use trending sounds

Instagram Reels have become a very important (and lucrative) feature of the platform. Unlike the regular feed, most Reels that a user views will be from creators that they don’t follow, so Reels are a great opportunity to expand your audience beyond your followers.

But to do that, the algorithm has to put your content in front of new audiences. One of the simplest ways to signal to Instagram that your Reel is worth ranking highly is to use a trending song.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dskull (@dskulflex)

When a song is trending on Reels, the Instagram algorithm will show users lots of videos with that same song (you know how you sometimes get Reel songs stuck in your head? That’s why).

9. Post vertical videos

Instagram has confirmed that when it comes to ranking Reels, format matters.

Videos that are created in the vertical format (the way you hold your phone) have a better chance of ranking highly. This makes sense, considering Reels are designed to be watched on your phone.

Check out our Reels sizes cheat sheet to make sure your content measures up.

10. Remove word marks on reels

You heard it from Mosseri first. Reels with word marks, such as the TikTok watermarks, look like reposts, and the Instagram algorithm will penalize you if you post them to your Reels. Make sure to remove all word marks before cross-posting a Reel.

Learn how to remove TikTok watermarks here.

Instagram algorithm tips for Stories

11. Encourage engagement with Story features

Just like regular Instagram posts, engagement is the key to greater reach on Stories.

Here are a few ways to encourage your followers to tap, reply and share:

Ask questions. Use the question sticker or just ask for people to reply directly.
Polls. Using polls makes it easy for people to participate without having to type out a response
Stickers for sharing. Use the location sticker or the mention sticker to encourage people to share your Stories with their friends.
Hashtag stickers. Again, this helps Instagram know what your story is about so it can be shared with more people.

12. Post consistently

Just like with regular posts, consistency is key for Stories. Make sure to post regularly to keep the algorithm happy and your content in front of your followers.

Additionally, if you post consistently, your profile will be labeled as “active,” which can also help increase visibility.

13. Tag users in your Stories

Tagging other users in your Stories can be a great way to boost engagement and reach. When you tag someone, they will likely share the Story with their own followers, increasing your visibility to a new audience.

Just make sure to only tag relevant users and not spam people with tags.

Instagram algorithm tips for the Explore Page

14. Create high-quality content

The Explore page is where users can find new content that they might be interested in based on their previous activity and interests. To have your posts featured on the Explore page, it’s important to create high-quality content that resonates with your target audience.

Use high-resolution images or videos, engaging captions, and relevant hashtags to increase your chances of being featured on the Explore page.

15. Engage with other content

We know one of the main ranking factors for the Explore page is your activity on similar content. So, it’s important to engage with other content on Instagram, especially from accounts or hashtags in your niche.

This will show the algorithm that you are interested and active in that specific type of content, increasing the likelihood of your posts showing up on the Explore page.

16. Keep an eye on trends

The Explore page is also known for showcasing trending content. Keep an eye out for popular hashtags and challenges on the platform and try to incorporate them into your posts.

This will increase the chances of your content being discovered by a wider audience through the Explore page.

Instagram algorithm tips for Business, Creator, and Personal Accounts

17. Switch to a business or creator account

If you’re using Instagram for your brand or business, it’s important to switch to a business or creator account.

This will give you access to valuable insights and analytics about your posts and audience, allowing you to better understand what content is performing well and make informed decisions for future posts.

18. Engage with your audience

Engagement is a crucial factor in the Instagram algorithm, so make sure to respond to comments and messages from your followers. This shows that you are actively participating in the community and can lead to higher visibility for your posts.

As well, being responsive in your comment section and your DMs builds trust with your followers and helps remind them that there are real people on the other side of their screens.

Hootsuite Inbox lets you respond to messages across your social media ecosystem from a single platform.

replying to instagram comments in hootsuite inbox

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19. Track (and understand) your analytics

No matter how busy you are, getting automatic analytics reports will help you with almost all of the above tips.

Taking the time once a month, for instance, to look at the numbers and see what’s working in terms of content, posting time, and hashtags will save you a lot of wasted effort.

Use an Instagram analytics tool to find out:

when your audience is online (so you can schedule your posts during that window)
which hashtags are performing well
what posts are earning real engagement

Meanwhile, a truly great tool (like Hootsuite) will give your brand the lowdown on everything from audience sentiment analysis to campaign click-throughs to customer service response times.

Hootsuite Analytics shows you the most important Instagram metrics to track alongside performance stats from your other social networks for easy comparison.

hootsuite analytics dashboard showing engagement across facebook, instagram, linkedin, and twitter

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Bonus: Notice any big dips or spikes in your stats recently? Analytics is often the first place a social media manager can tell if something has changed in the Instagram algorithm — and start adjusting their strategy accordingly.

How to “beat” the Instagram algorithm and get your content seen

Everyone wants to know how to “beat” the Instagram algorithm, but the truth is, there’s no silver bullet.

Beating the Instagram algorithm is simply a matter of understanding how it works and using that knowledge to your advantage.

By creating high-quality, engaging content, staying consistent in your posting schedule, and actively engaging with your audience and the community, you can increase your chances of having your posts seen by a wider audience. Don’t forget to keep an eye on trends and utilize features like hashtags, tagging, and Reels to boost your visibility and reach even further.

For businesses, making use of a business or creator account and tracking analytics can provide valuable insights into what’s working for your brand on the platform. Ultimately, it’s about building a strong presence on Instagram and connecting with your audience in an authentic way.

Instagram algorithm FAQs

What is Instagram’s algorithm?

The Instagram algorithm is a set of rules that ranks content on the platform. It decides what content shows up and in what order, all across the app (users’ feeds, the Explore Page, the Reels feed, hashtag pages, etc.).

What triggers the Instagram algorithm?

You can trigger the Instagram algorithm by creating high-quality, relevant content that resonates with your target audience, staying consistent in posting and engagement, and trying out new content forms and features as soon as they come out.

How do I fix my Instagram algorithm?

If you think the Instagram algorithm isn’t picking up your content, start by checking your Instagram account status. You can do this by tapping on your profile picture, then going to Settings and privacy > More info and support > Account status.

From there, make sure your account is not in violation of any community guidelines or policies. If everything checks out, focus on creating high-quality content that resonates with your audience and engaging with the community. Additionally, consider utilizing features like hashtags, tagging, Reels, and Stories to boost your visibility and reach on the platform.

Start building your Instagram presence using Hootsuite. Schedule and publish posts directly to Instagram, engage your audience, measure performance, and run all your other social media profiles — all from one simple dashboard. Try it free today.

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With files from Alyssa Hirose.

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The post [SOLVED] Instagram Algorithm Tips for 2024 appeared first on Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard.

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