In addition to all the best practices for Instagram, it’s important to note that Instagram considers several factors: relevance, relationships, and recency. These are sizeable factors in which posts are considered to rank higher in feeds and the explore page.
Engagement algorithms are a part of this, too. Items such as comments, likes, and shares are just several high-impact aspects to boost the visibility of your posts.
By focusing on the timing, engagement, and doing the cycles consistently, creators can have a favorable outcome for every single post they produce. This article explains the best practices for Instagram to rank your posts higher and also generate a larger audience over time.
Creating Scroll-Stopping Content
It is necessary to strike a healthy balance of aesthetics and authenticity to grow an Instagram profile. When creating content, it is necessary to strike a healthy balance of aesthetics and authenticity to grow an Instagram profile. Creating content that feels polished but authentic and relatable is the sweet spot you need. Pairing high-quality content with relatable moments can create deeper emotional connections with your audience online.
Here are a few more important details to keep in mind, all aligning with the best practices for Instagram:
- Leverage composition, lighting, and brand color consistency
- A consistent color identity makes it easy to spot your content
- Your post captions should follow the hook, story, and CTA caption structure to guide your audience through the funnel
- Think of unique ways to prompt saves, shares, and comments with clear CTAs and other fun prompts
It’s not effective to wait for engagement to find you; it’s about encouraging viewers to take some sort of action. There will always be different levels to this topic, but it is not too challenging to find some tools to leverage.
If it helps, you can use a tool like an Instagram Viewer to explore the competition. Even better, you won’t leave a digital evidence trail, and you can download the public content right to your device. Watch how the tool works in the short video below and see how you can use it for yourself.
Utilizing Hashtags and Keywords Effectively
Instagram SEO is more important than you may think. Hashtags and keywords are significant players in indexing your content and showcasing it to new users. Many are willing to give you previews of how they do it with an IG viewer, but that doesn’t mean they have some sort of secret sauce.
It’s primarily about linking users to relevant content outside of the follower network. Social media has progressed a lot, but hashtags are still part of a valid strategy and among the best practices for Instagram.
When writing a post, include niche-specific hashtags at the end of your caption. You don’t want to overdo hashtags each time, so think about trying to append fewer than 10 keywords with each caption. When it comes to target keywords, it is best to have those within the first few lines of your caption naturally. Likewise, utilizing alt text somewhere in your profile bio under your Instagram username falls within this. You want to ensure your strategy aligns keywords and hashtags with your niche and content focus.
Engagement Signals that Communicate Value
Come 2025, Instagram will be much more focused on “meaningful” interactions such as profile visits, comments, saves, and shares. Another aspect of this skyrocket is “dwell time”, and it carries more weight than “likes”, “views”, etc.
This is partially why you’ve seen a surge of shared content through an Insta viewer. Many of the shared posts are by creators looking to get traction for their own posts, so they’re using more than just followers’ feeds and explore pages to be seen.
If you’re trying to increase dwell time and content viewing on Instagram, a proven way to do this is through carousel posts, associations, and short video content. And don’t forget about the variety of interactive functions that can be enabled for your Instagram account. Polls, quizzes, and questions can all trick engagement on your content in a passive manner, all of which align with the best practices for Instagram.
While the endless effort towards driving numbers via Instagram can feel exhausting, it is the community these creators need to prioritize. This is a key entry about driving numbers in long form.
Prioritizing Community Rather Than Numbers
Your priority should be converting followers to community advocates and building an online presence. Of course, you want the follower numbers to increase, but you also want to create a healthy engagement loop. At the end of the day, it is these meaningful and well-nurtured connections that generate consistent engagement, content sharing, and organic word-of-mouth referrals.
Here is what a typical engagement might look like for your account:
- Replying to comments
- Resharing user content
- Direct Messaging
- Making two-way communication indicators
- Showing your community that their involvement is important
This is a great example, and there are even other successful examples of doing this when another account is able to do it anonymously on Instagram. Best of all, you can view accounts without their information even being part of their numbers at all. You can simply do your research without the competition knowing or being aware of it. However, all of these best practices for Instagram will improve with the appropriate use of the account’s analytics.
Analytics Are Your Guiding Light
Observing the analytics on your Instagram is one of the primary methods to navigate and instruct your account’s strategy. That is what will show you what your audience values in your account.
For a little bit more detail: reach measures how many unique users have viewed your content; impressions demonstrate how many total views your content received; and engagement rate measures how often your audience interacts with your content. It will seem confusing at first, but understanding your metrics highlights is how you improve in the areas you want to work on.
No matter the size of your account, you’ll want to identify the popular posts and repurpose that format, with unique content for your account, moving forward. If you are ever struggling to come up with content ideas that go over well, the people you follow should be your first reference. Use an anonymous profile viewer and learn from their great idea, turning their successful idea into your profile’s unique idea.
The Algorithm is Adapting.
By now, you all probably have accepted that the Instagram algorithm is always changing, often on a call-to-call basis. Simply getting a few views on your reels, carousels, or stories will not help you achieve your goals; so, to get ahead of the game, you must comprehend the dynamic ranking factors and adopt the new trends and features.
Don’t shy away from trying something new; even by using the same features like stickers or trending audio, you can attract new audiences to your account. And constantly analyzing your results and modifying your approach will give you the biggest bang for your buck if you are looking to have a superior experience on Instagram. This is also one of the best practices for Instagram creators looking to stay ahead.
Common Mistakes to Avoid on Instagram
Even the finest creators succumb to behaviors that can stifle their reach and growth. If you are able to identify mistakes early on, it can save you time, energy, or even aggravation.
1. Overusing hashtags or irrelevant hashtags
Hashtags are a great way for your content to get discovered, but using too many hashtags, or those that are not relevant, can make your posts look a bit spammy. Rather, use fewer hashtags that are specific to the niche of your content and audience.
2. Ignoring Your Analytics
If you never look at your data, you are flying blind. Your analytics show you what resonates with your audience, what works, and what doesn’t. Analytics tell you the best times people are watching your content. You need to regularly use your analytics to fine-tune your posting strategy.
3. Not posting consistently
The algorithm chooses consistency. Posting once and disappearing for weeks and then posting sporadically shows no sign of activity. Create a simple posting rhythm that you can follow.
4. Putting Numbers Over Connections
Usually, in the pursuit of followers, likes, and shares, engagement metrics yield a quicker payoff and longer burnout. Instead, focus on community engagement. Take time to carefully respond to comments, participate in conversations, and develop value that brings people back.
5. Underestimating Content Quality
Quantity is not a substitute for content quality. For instance, blurry images, poor lighting, captions that are unplanned, can impact your credibility. Spend time preparing polished content that is grounded in reality and an authentic representation of your brand.
The Final Word
Whether you’re dipping into an Instagram viewer, assimilating some best practices for Instagram, or A/B testing marketing operations, you must stay consistent. Prioritizing relevance, relationships, and recency as the algorithm does will always provide some help in growing your account.
As you build authentic ties with your followers, you can leverage productive engagement loops over time. Embrace adaptability and continuous learning, and you’ll find yourself on the higher end of growing your account, no matter how the social media landscape changes.
