Instagram Ranking Explained

Welcome back to The Solution!

OpenAI's recent Dev Day brought forth some truly exciting developments for the developer community, and one particular revelation has captured my attention and imagination, the introduction of GPTs. OpenAI is rolling out a remarkable opportunity that allows virtually anyone to craft their own GPT, with no coding skills required.

Sounds too good to be True?

Let’s find out 👇

The Instagram Ranking Puzzle

So, the BIG Question! How does Instagram decide what content appears on your feed, stories, explore page and more?

Well, it's not a single algorithm, but a complex system of algorithms, classifiers and processes. Each part of the app, like the Feed, Stories, Explore, Reels or even Search, uses its own unique algorithm tailored to how users engage with it. This means that you should actively be cleaning your feed when you are logged on, there is a little button called “Not Interested”.

Use It!

Feed Ranking Demystified

The Feed, your personalized home base on Instagram, your headquarters and your castle. Your feed is a mix of posts from accounts you follow, recommended content and even the annoying ads. The ranking algorithm behind it goes through several steps:

• Defining the Content - It considers recent posts from your followed accounts and posts from accounts you don't follow but might be interested in. Read that again slowly!
  

• Collecting Signals - Information is gathered about the posts, the people who made them, and your preferences. These signals include your activity, post information, information about the person who posted and even your interaction history with them.
  

• Making Predictions - Instagram makes educated guesses about how likely you are to interact with a post in various ways, such as spending time on it, commenting, liking, sharing, or tapping on the profile photo. The higher the likelihood, the higher the post appears in your Feed.
  

• Fine-Tuning - Instagram also add’s, removes and adjust signals and predictions to improve the content that is shown you.

  
  
  Take notes or save this newsletter, we are going even deeper!👇

The Story Behind Stories Ranking

Now, let's talk about Stories. These are meant for sharing everyday moments with your followers. The Stories you see are from accounts you follow. Here's how Instagram ranks them:

• Defining Stories - They gather all potential stories shared by accounts you follow and filter out those that violate our Community Guidelines.

• Analyzing Signals - Instagram consider your viewing and engagement history with accounts, as well as your overall closeness to the account holder

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  You wanted to become an expert so here it is👇🏽

The Exploration Journey

Explore is all about helping you discover new things. A curated grid of recommendations from accounts you don't follow will tend to pop up. Here's the process:

1. Defining Content - They select posts based on your past activity, like posts you've liked, saved, shared or commented on.

2. Ordering Posts - Instagram arranges them based on how likely you are to engage with each post, including likes, saves and even shares.

3. Signal Importance - It also consider’s the post popularity, your interaction history and the person who posted it.

Reeling in the Content

This is my favorite and most important part that I would like to cover, as we all know Reels are the single most effective way of growing you brand or account. It only takes 2 viral videos and you might just have an extra 20,000+ followers.

Reels are designed for entertainment and discovery, much like Explore. They primarily feature content from accounts you don't follow. Here's how Reels are ranked by Instagram:

• Finding Reels - Instagram sources Reels they think you might like and order them based on your potential interest.

• Predicting Engagement - They predict how likely you are to reshare a reel, watch it completely, like it or explore its audio page. Always stay on top of trending sounds, they can single handedly make your Reel go Viral if your content holds enough Value of-course.

• Considering Signals - It analyzes your activity, interaction history, reel content and the person who posted it.

Make sure you memorize and think about it next time you are making your own Reel!

Your Influence on What You See

Your actions on Instagram directly impact the content you see. Here are some ways you can influence your feed:

• Personalize Your Feed and Stories - Use Favorites, snooze suggested posts, pick Close Friends and mute or unfollow accounts based on your preferences. It’s healthy to get rid of inactive or fake accounts.

• Improve Your Recommendations - Adjust the Sensitive Content Control, indicate "Not Interested" or "Interested" on recommended posts, hide suggested posts with unwanted content and report violations.

• Transparency - If you ever wonder why you're seeing specific content, tap the three dots and select "Why you're seeing this post/ad" to get insights into the signals used for showing that content.

Addressing "Shadow-banning"

I've looked into the concerns about "shadow-banning," and I want to share my findings. While the term itself doesn't have a single definition, it often implies that an account or content is restricted without clear explanation.

I must admit, I initially believed Shadow-banning was real because I experienced consistent growth in my views, reaching up to 3.4 million on one occasion, only to drop back down to 5,000 views and sometimes even as low as 1,300.

After discussing "shadow-banning" concerns with one of Instagram's Business Managers that I have direct contact with, here's what I found.

Instagram aims to enhance transparency and ensure content creators can connect with their audiences effectively, debunking the notion that content is limited to promote ad purchases. They've introduced features like “Account Status” for insights and appeals, and they're dedicated to further improving transparency within the community, including account eligibility for searches and suggestions. I was assured that it is only a myth and to keep following the guidelines that they provide.

Time will tell…but if you want to hear how the Instagram Algorithm Works directly from Adam Mosseri hit this Reel!

Hope you guys got some serious insight and value from what we covered today and most of all I hope it really helps you with your future Instagram Strategy!

If you have any questions DM me on Linked In!