How to Get your Instagram Post on the top of the Feed?

Are you trying to get your Instagram post on top of the feed to be seen by many Instagram users? People used to, and some people still use to post a lot on Instagram to be on top of the feed, but actually it doesn’t work anymore because of Instagram’s new algorithm.

The Instagram algorithm decides what users should see whenever they are scrolling through the Instagram feed. The algorithm organizes the order of posts and pushes some of the posts on top of the feed and makes them visible to many Instagram users.

So, before knowing about how to get the Instagram post on top of the Instagram feed, you should know about the latest Instagram algorithm.

How does Instagram algorithm work?

Knowing how Instagram works has always been a question for majority of Instagram users and sometimes has made confusion and left a big question in user’s mind every new year that how does the Instagram algorithm would work in new year to increase the engagement.

Instagram algorithm used to work chronologically, but not anymore. If you want to get the post on top of the feed, keep reading to beat Instagram’s algorithm and get what you are willing to. Once Instagram users find out how the Instagram algorithm works, they can work on the Instagram strategy and find the best way to grow their account and their post on top of the feed.

Instagram feed is arranged according to Instagram’s algorithm, so before taking any action and trying different ways for making the Instagram posts on top of your follower’s feed, it is necessary to know about the latest Instagram algorithm.

Are you ready to beat Instagram’s algorithm?

Let’s go through the factors that order the Instagram post in the feed:

• User’s interest
  In January 2019, Instagram announced that what you see on Instagram’s feed, is primarily based on your own activity.

• The time of publishing a post
  Instagram posts are not shown chronologically anymore; so the later a post is shared, there is higher chance of being seen.

• The frequency of user’s logging into Instagram
  It really matters to Instagram that how often you log in Instagram or check the posts, so clearly users who check their account several times a day would see the most recent posts and users who don’t check their account often, would just see the top posts.

• User’s interactions with the post owner
  The frequency of liking, leaving comments, checking profiles, sending a direct message, etc. tells Instagram that the user might be your favorite, so you’ll see more of their posts in your feed.

• The number of accounts that a user follows on Instagram
  The number of accounts that a user follow on Instagram, plays an important role in appearing post in the feed. The more followers a user have, there is the lower chance of seeing all the top posts at once.

• The Instagram algorithm calculates the app usage
  Users who spend more time on Instagram will see more in their Instagram feed; Instagram goes deep to show them more and more posts and videos. But users who spend just a few minutes on Instagram will only see the day’s top posts based on Instagram’s algorithm.

Strategies and tactics to beat Instagram algorithm to have Instagram post on top of the feed:

1. Don’t underestimate Instagram Stories

It might seem simple, but don’t neglect it. Surprisingly, Instagram algorithm doesn’t have anything to do with Instagram stories; why not try both Instagram posts and stories?

Users may get disappointed by getting low engagement on their posts and start looking for a stable way to be seen by many Instagram users and then gradually get their posts on top of the feed. Instagram story is a speedy way for engaging the audience and making them visit your Instagram profile. Stories stay on top of the feed and grab user’s attention and people use to check stories more than posts.

By posting Instagram Stories more often, you’ll always be on top of the followers’ feed and have the chance to be seen and shared with others. Try to interact and engage the followers with the Stories, such as running a poll.

2. Go live

Same as Instagram stories, there is no specific Instagram algorithm for live videos; however, users get notification whenever their followers go live. Also, the live logo makes the followers curious to check the video which might make them check your Instagram account and increase the engagement rate.

3. Hashtags are effective

Consider using hashtags as one of the effective strategies for getting your Instagram post on top of the feed. Use related hashtags and make sure that the hashtags are searched by many people. According to the researches, nine hashtags in a post give the high engagement rate for posts. Using a lot of hashtags may look you as a spammer and may harm the engagement rate.

4. Post at the best time

By posting at the peak hours, there is a higher chance of being seen and pushes the posts higher in the followers’ feed. If you have a business Instagram account, you can easily check its insights to know the time when most of the followers are active. If you have a personal account, use the picture below that tells when is the best time to post on Instagram to get high engagement rate and get the post on top of Instagram feed. Also, you can schedule Instagram posts if you are busy at peak hours or you forget about the posting time.

5. Post videos

According to the studies, posting photos and videos on Instagram may seem to have the same result in the first glance, but they don’t; both get likes and comments, while photos get more likes and videos get more comments. So, give it a try to see whether the posts get more engagement or not. Also, videos grab more attention by being auto-played in follower’s feed.

Moreover, Instagram has announced that

don’t end up in IGTV itself, and videos will appear in Instagram user’s feed. So, we can conclude that Instagram pays attention to videos too. Just don’t worry about sharing video and take it easy, feel free to share short time-lapse videos and boomerang videos.

6. Run a challenge or contest

Running an Instagram challenge or contest is the smart way to get many Instagram likes and comments, which directly affects getting the post on top of the feed. Instagram promotes popular contents so fast; it promotes content that gets high engagement rate in short time, the contents that take several days to get high engagement, are not likely to be on top of the feed.

But be careful,

Don’t buy a bunch of likes to like the posts in a short time; it will not only keep the post from getting on top of the feed but also, may make you seem like a spam.

7. Post consistently

Posting frequently may not get the posts high engagement rate, but it is effective! But how?

Posting consistently on Instagram seems like sending a signal and telling Instagram that “I am an active user” and you might get the chance of getting the Instagram post on top of the feed.

Now how often should an Instagram user post?

Well, it varies from a user to another; it mostly depends on your goal and your free time to post on Instagram. So, it is important to consider the schedule for posting on Instagram by knowing the best time to post on Instagram.

Moreover, in order to share posts consistently at the best time and on the best day, you may prefer to use Instagram automation tools that schedule the Instagram posts such as Instazood; it schedules the photos, hashtags, and captions without using the Instagram app itself.

Using an Instagram scheduler is a big help in saving time and lets you enjoy more time of yourself and focus on more important things.

8. Check when the audience are more active

Obviously, posts can get way more engagement rate when most of the followers are active on Instagram and posts are more likely to be on top of the feed. So, don’t neglect Instagram insight and check it at least once a month to get more information about the audience.

Generally, according to researches about when most Instagram users are active, it concluded that most Instagram users are active on Wednesdays.

Note: Only business Instagram accounts have access to Instagram’s insight. If you have a personal Instagram account, it should be switched to the business account.

9. Write engaging captions

After winning in grabbing users’ attention, it is time to keep them in your feed or optimistically make them check your other posts and Like or leave comment on them. Seems interesting, doesn’t it?

All you need to do is writing engaging captions, something related, attention-grabbing, informative, etc. Moreover, asking a question in the caption gives you the opportunity to get high engagement rate by having a lot of comments on the post.

10. Post interesting contents

If you take a short look at the top posts on the feed, you’ll see that most of them are visually perfect and interesting; the posts that are on top of the feed, contain bold colors, extra features, specific filters, or anything that makes the post glow among all other posts.

Is switching from personal account to business account helpful for getting the post on top of the feed?

The quick answer is No! It is not important for Instagram whether the account is the business or personal one and both of them are treated the same.

Should I post many Instagram Stories or go on live video to get my post on top of the feed?

To be realistic, it doesn’t affect Instagram posts if you are willing to get posts on top of the feed, but it doesn’t mean that stories and live videos are not useful; whenever users go Live on Instagram, their followers get notifications, and they might be curious about what is happening on live, and if they find it interesting, the chance of checking your Instagram profile and following your account is high.

Final thought

Follow the mentioned tips and break down the Instagram feed! Go through the factors and let us know how it worked for you; we are all ears.