9 Reasons Instagram doesn't like you in 2018
Updated June 2018
If you're reading this blogpost, you probably know that in 2018 Instagram had two big algorithm changes. In January, some things that used to be common practice were frowned upon. Before that, the order of feeds were changed making some people disgruntled with the platform. Now the newest Algorithm has arrived putting a more chronological feed back into play, shedding some light on "shadow-banning" rumors (Instagram says shadow-banning isn't a thing anymore) and implementing "machine learning" to customize more of what appears on user feeds. With all of the new changes, how does one stay in Instagram's good graces in June 2018? Disclaimer: I don't work for Instagram, so I don't know anything to be absolutely true about the new Algorithm, but I've read articles from thought leaders and continually test these tips myself. Below are 9 reasons that you're probably not getting the Insta return that you'd like to get updated for the latest 2018 Algorithm change. I've also included a few new Instagram features to checkout.
1. You're not genuinely engaging with your followers
In 2018, Instagram doesn't have time for inauthenticity. Those two-word comments that hold no substance do not hold favor with the new algorithm. Instagram is assuming, as am I, that those "nice pic" or "this is great" comments are bots. If you really want to get on Instagram's good side in 2018, be authentic!!! Don't engage with your followers for the sake of more likes or followers. Get involved with what other people are posting. If a post makes you feel some type of way, let the poster know! Odds are, if you like and engage with their posts... genuinely, they are going to return the favor. Word on the Insta street is that comments with fewer than four words are getting marked as spammy, so when you comment make it count. Also, it's good practice to reply to comments on your posts within 60 minutes. The Algorithm will notice.
2. You're using the same hashtags every time you post
This used to be common practice. The smart marketers would save their hashtags in their notes app, then copy and paste every single time they posted a pic. This isn't flying with Instagram's new Algorithm in 2018. Today, if you use the same tags, you could easily get marked as "spammy." Spam and bots are a huge thing the new Algorithm is trying to cut down on. You'll see that trying your best not to seem like spam is a common theme in 2018. So now that you have to come up with new hashtags every time you post, how do you know the right ones to use? That leads me to reason Instagram hates you in 2018 number 3.
Update June 2018: No one has clear answers yet on how this one relates to shadow-banning. Instagram says shadow-banning is nonexistent, yet some thought leaders are still noticing posts get less reach with "spammy" tactics (like the same tags every time, posting in the comments section, etc). My opinion is that spam is still a problem on the platform, so it's likely your posts won't get equal/significant reach if you seem like a bot. This is not 100% proven; I am not Instagram. If you have an opinion/theory on this, please comment below!
3. Your hashtags are too popular
In the past, we aimed to choose hashtags that had a ton of hits. Evidence (and common sense) now says that may be a bad practice. Instagram has become so saturated that users are getting buried when using popular hashtags. If a tag has 8 million posts, you're literally one in 8 million. The best practice here is to use a combination of popular hashtags and niche hashtags. You get 30 hashtags, so choose wisely. Not to say you should always use all 30 tags. I usually stay somewhere around 9-15 hashtags in my posts. The amount you decide to use depends on your content. How many tags do you need to convey your point to your audience without getting spammy?
4. Your hashtags aren't relevant to your posts
Another way to get marked as a spammer is to use hashtags that have nothing to do with your content. BUT IT'S ABOUT MORE THAN THAT WITH THIS POINT... read further. This is bad for a couple reasons. A: the more popular and generic hashtags may get you more followers, but those followers are usually spammers, which means they aren't quality because they actually don't care what you're posting- and they probably won't buy your products/services anyway. They just want numbers. B: Instagram now allows users to follow hashtags, which is great! That means your posts can show up in a user's feed if they follow a hashtag you used, even if they don't follow you. If your hashtags don't match your content, users can choose to hide your posts on the hashtags they follow. This allows Instagram to know what kind of content users enjoy. Having too many of your posts hidden from hashtag followers could mean bad news for all of your content.
Update June 2018: Users can also choose to "mute" you completely now.
5. You're putting hashtags in your comments
A lot of users do this to hide their hashtags so as not to clutter their captions. There are better ways to do this. Check out a really simple way to cut down on caption clutter in the screenshot to the right. Instagram's new algorithm marks hashtag commenters as... you guessed it... spam. I don't know this to be a 100% fact, because I didn't engineer the new Algorithm, but a lot of Instagrammers are of the same opinion about hashtags in comments. On this one, it's better safe than invisible.
6. You're not utilizing your Instagram Story
This is a feature that I was not a strong advocate for initially. I had Snapchat for my "stories," however a ton of people disagreed with me, and now so many people love the feature. If you don't post on your story, you're leaving a lot of potential impressions on the table. For me, my Story has helped me be more authentic on Instagram. It's easy to let your brand and pretty pictures take over your feed to the point that you seem fake. My Story lets my followers have a glimpse into what I'm actually doing. Also, the Story allows you to use hashtags, which gives users another way to get discovered. I just read an attention-grabbing statistic that stated 90% of Instagram users prefer Stories over scrolling their Newsfeeds. (this stat was from a poll done by an Influencer I follow- so it's slightly skewed, but still something to take into account). Stories are slated to become even more popular in the coming months. Don't forget to Highlight your most important Stories to feature on your profile. This is a great brand awareness opportunity, and it's one of my favorite features on Instagram right now.
Update June 2018: This still stands. Instagram has said that people who use multiple parts of the app, i.e. Stories and Highlights, get no more preference within the platform than people who only utilize their feeds. However, you'll see that my advocacy for using your Story and Highlights are for different reasons. It reminds me of the "do social media platforms help your search engine optimization/Google ranking" debate. The short answer is yes, it does. It doesn't bring your actual website up in the search results, but it does give you another marketing avenue, which gives you another way for your Target Audience to find you via another search listing that is separate from your actual website. Same thing with the Stories and Highlights features on Instagram. It doesn't give your profile more "juice" or ranking, but it does give your Target Audience another way to find you and another way to engage with you, which is a pretty powerful tool.
7. You're posting too much for the amount of followers you have
If you have under 1,000-ish followers, you should try not to post more than once per day. If you have over 1,000 followers, you can post 1-2 times per day. Posting too much with too few followers is another quick way to get marked as a spammer.* Slow and steady wins the race is very true on Instagram.
Update June 2018: Instagram now claims that you can post as many times as you want. "Rapid-fire" posts may get other content swapped between posts, but it's not supposed to hurt you via the latest Algorithm. However, from a branding standpoint, I'd still stay away from rapid-firing posts. The more annoying you are, the more likely your followers will be to unfollow you or MUTE you (Muting is a thing now... scroll down to read more).
8. Your account isn't a business profile
This is completely MY opinion, but I attribute business profiles getting more reach to the fact that Facebook (Facebook owns Instagram) has cut down on organic business page reach to "better the user experience" AKA get more ad dollars. ;) Update June 2018: However, Instagram has denied that this is true saying that personal and business profiles have no difference when it comes to ranking. Still, my suggestion (and many, many social media marketers agree with me) is that if you're a business owner, entrepreneur, blogger, etc make sure your Instagram account is a business account. A big positive when you have a business account is that you can see your profile insights. This includes the reach your posts have, where your likes/engagement come from (your feed, hashtags, etc), the cities your followers are in, the times of day your engagement increases and much more. This really lets you know what's working and what's not.
9. Your images are just not good
This one is simple. If your images aren't eye-catching, they won't get noticed. There's so much on Instagram today that you have to stand out to get engagement. A good way to stand out is to make sure your images and profile are brand-consistent. Also, know who you're speaking to. Make sure you're posting what your target audience wants to see. Just asking yourself, "is this something my clients/customers would like?" before you post will make all the difference in your Instagram development.
Update June 2018: Instagram says it doesn't care if you're posting videos or photos more. Both posts will get you the same reach; as long as you make a quality post, no matter the format, you're good. Based on this latest Algorithm, I suggest knowing your which format your Target Audience is most likely to interact with. If a user interacts more with videos, Instagram will try to show her more videos-- if she skips the videos, she won't see as many within her Instagram-customized feed. Look at your business insights to determine which format you should be posting more.
In addition to these updated tips, here are a few new Algorithm facts to know about...
How the Algorithm decides what you see
Instagram is using "machine learning," which means they pay attention to how you use the app, so you have a customized user experience. There are three factors that influence your specific user experience when you open the app:
Interest- Instagram predicts what posts you'll care most about seeing based on content you've interacted with before
Timeliness- How recent the post was shared with priority of latest posts over week-old posts, which is what many users complained about with previous algorithm updates
Relationship- If you've interacted with a specific person a lot, you'll likely see his/her posts more often
In addition to these three factors, Instagram considers how frequently you use the app, how many people you follow and how long you spend on the app to determine what you see when your scrolling.
You can now "mute" accounts
Instagram has no made it possible to mute accounts, which means if you don't like seeing a specific account's posts you don't have to completely unfollow them. You can simply mute the account so that you no longer see the posts on your feed. This is something to watch out for if you're a business account. Posting too many times and posting things that are off-putting to your Target Audience could get you muted by the people you want most to see your posts.
There are new call-to-action buttons to utilize
Instagram is making it easier to promote services and products on the platform via new CTA buttons you can attach to your profile. This new feature allows users to book reservations and appointments straight from the app. To add a CTA to your profile, go to "edit profile," then scroll to "contact options." There are a number of platforms that work with this setting, including Acuity, Fandango, Eventbrite, Grubhub and more.
You can now use hashtags and connect to other accounts in your bio
You don't have to use your link space to link to additional Instagram accounts anymore. You can also promote your branded hashtags better, because hashtags are now clickable within your bio.
CONCLUSION
Basically, Instagram is doing the same thing we're doing as marketers. They're putting their Target Audience (users) first. The sure-fire way to stay safe and relevant is to think what Instagram users want to see, especially your specific Target Audience within that group. If you do this, you'll likely be fine regardless of "shadow-banning" or anything else.
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