Decoding the Instagram Algorithm – Part One – Ranking of Feed and Stories

In a blog update on 8th June 2021, Instagram shed light on how things work. It covered topics such as explore tab, feed and why some posts get more likes than others.

About the algorithm

Firstly Instagram clarified that there is nothing called “The Algorithm” which most people believe it is. However there are a set of rules and processes and a variety of algorithms which govern what happens after you open the app.

Today Instagram has Feed, Story, Reels and Explore sections. These are now clearly differentiated from each other and each having separate algorithms. 

The most critical aspect of Instagram is Feed. When you open the Instagram app what you see the first post followed by a number of posts is the Feed.

On the top right next to your profile picture are the stories. In this article we shall explore the concept behind Feed and Stories.

Feeds and Stories are the places where you want to see updates from your closest friends and family. Here you will see the recent posts from people you follow. 

Why do we get updates only from specific people? These decisions are taken from information collected by Instagram which is called Signals. Big and small signals run in thousands, but the main ones are explained below.

POST

• How popular a post is
• How many other people have liked it
• Content 
• Location marking

This is the first time Instagram talks clearly about location marking. This is what a few of us miss while posting. 

Implication – If you have a business location, you need to mark it on Google Maps and also on Facebook Page. Each time you post, make sure you have the location marked. 

If the number of people who have liked a post is a point of consideration means that you have to keep your follower circle small and tight. The best case scenario would be if you have 10 followers and you get 10 likes on a post. The moment your follower count goes to 11, the 11th person will be shown all your ten posts or at least two to three of them.

WHO POSTED

• How interesting is the person who posted to you
• How many times people have interacted with that person in past few weeks

If a person is active and popular, you will get to see his posts on your feed. However the time limit is a few weeks. After that it might get replaced by another person.

Implication – While maintaining a small and tight circle, be consistent but do not overload your followers with content. That will drive them away after losing interest. Overdose of anything, you lose interest.

YOUR ACTIVITY

• Whom have you liked and followed
• Which posts you have liked

Let us understand this in the case of a home baker. Recommended list of followers in terms of priority is first fellow home bakers accounts, followed by baking brands and bakeries. Next comes distributors and equipment related to baking. Last on the list will be your customers. 

Implication – Some people have this urge or have been requested by others to like their posts. Such artificial activity is picked up by Instagram and disregarded by the algorithm. This is usually seen in cases where a new account is shared to all via WhatsApp or Instagram messenger. First few posts will get a large number of likes which will dip eventually. Any activity other than regular is picked up by the algorithm. This can also affect the future growth of the brand. 

YOUR HISTORY

• Whether you comment on each others posts

Have you ever wondered why there are so many giveaways and activities which involve tagging, commenting and stories. They are all targeted towards the Instagram signal of comments. As anticipated, such giveaways garner a lot of response. This boosts the visibility of the account. Commenting is a major signal on Instagram. But a word of caution here. Like all algorithms, this one too will get and start ranking the giveaway posts lower than regular ones.

Conclusion

Using the above information, Instagram makes predictions which it calls, educated guesses. In Feed, it is the first five posts and how much time you spend on it, if you like it, save it or comment it. Even clicking on the profile picture is taken into consideration. All these pointers and signals add on the possibility of you seeing more of the persons posts.

The last admission from Instagram is the lower ranking of stories shared from a feed. There is a growing trend that as soon as we see anything interesting in our feed, we immediately share it on our story. Any content ranging from information to update to just a meme, people like to share it in their stories. So Instagram no longer down ranks such stories.