How to Master Instagram's Algorithm For Your Success

Now Playing "Don't Panic" by French Montana... The new Instagram algorithm has everyone's panties in a bunch, but it's actually going to be a great thing over time. Right now everyone in America is the "they" DJ Khaled is referring to in his quotes. Yep, I went there. 

They don't want you to grow Instagram. They want you to stay the same and will leave you after some new app comes out that's adapted new technology and does all the things you're trying to do.

Instagram clearly listened to Khaled. They heard all the feedback and "did it anyway." Henry Ford said it best...

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.

Now that I've beat the "you need to embrace change" argument like a dead horse, let's get into what you need to do to level up on the 'gram. Let everyone around you post  #RIPInstagram or #turnmeon and sign petitions while your efforts center around marketing smarter. Let's be honest; you're still going to use Instagram and no one likes alerts coming to their phone every five minutes. I love all of the accounts I follow but I don't want a play by play of what someone is eating for lunch, their daughter getting on the school bus, or them sweating in the gym. The same thing you're asking people to activate now will be the same thing that annoys them later. 

Here's how to work with the algorithm:

Push Engagement. The more active the accounts, the better the viewership. What is it about your IG that makes people interested to follow? Play up on that! Do they love your advice or catchy captions? Ask more questions. Ask them what they think or for them to interpret something you stated. Talk. When people leave a comment, respond to them.

Have a call to action. Tell people to "double tap" if they agree with what you posted. Ask them to tag a friend or someone that could benefit. Request that they repost with your IG handle and the applicable hashtag/s.

Make sure what you're posting is visually appealing. Long gone are the days of crappy phone pics. Upgrade or download some editing software to truly present the best pics and videos.

If you've already used Instagram to grow your business, you already know when your audience is online and what types of posts they respond to positively. Schedule your posts to go out on those days and times and increase your visibility of fresh content.

Use hashtags to improve engagement. There's a science to which perform best based on industries. Also, monitor tending hashtags so that you're able post relevant content and ride the popularity waves when certain topics are in high use.

This new Instagram algorithm is nothing more than everyone's opportunity to level up. Instagram has to grow, and as business owners and brands, we should encourage anything that's going to make us step up our game. Watch this amazing video from Gary Vaynerchuk for some more inspiration on how to master and embrace the new algorithm.