Instagram’s algorithm is a lot like any other social media algorithm- it’s designed to show you content that will keep you engaged on the platform. That means that if you’re someone who regularly scrolls through your feed and likes, comments, or shares posts, the algorithm will prioritize similar posts in your feed.
However, if you’re someone who only scrolls through your feed occasionally or doesn’t engage with many posts, the algorithm will prioritize posts from people who you’re closer to in your network. In other words, the algorithm is designed to show you content that is most relevant to you, and that includes content from people who you have a strong relationship with.
It’s important to keep this in mind when posting on Instagram because the more engagement your post gets, the more likely it is to be seen by others. So if you’re trying to build relationships with other users, make sure to like and comment on their posts regularly. This will not only help you get more visibility on their posts, but it will also let the algorithm know that you’re interested in seeing similar content in your feed.
In this Insta Algo 101 guide, we’ll explore how relationships can affect what users see on Instagram and how your business can take advantage of this to better connect with your target audience.
How do Relationships Affect the Insta Algo?
To better understand the concept of relationships and how they relate to the Instagram algorithm, let’s take a look at an example.
Say you follow 100 people on Instagram, but only regularly interact with 10 of them. Of those 10 people, four are close friends, three are acquaintances, and three are brands or businesses that you’re interested in. Let’s dive deeper into how the algorithm views each relationship:
Close Friends
The algorithm is going to prioritize content from the four people who are close friends because it knows that you have a strong relationship with them. If you are closely connected to someone personally, naturally, Instagram believes you will share common interests.
Acquaintances
The algorithm is going to prioritize content from the three people who are acquaintances because it knows that you have a somewhat strong relationship with them. If you interact with someone regularly, but don’t necessarily share common interests, Instagram will believe that you’re interested in seeing what they have to say.
Brands or Businesses
The algorithm is going to prioritize content from the three brands or businesses that you’re interested in because it knows that you have a positive relationship with them. If you follow a brand or business, it’s likely because you’re interested in their product or service. Therefore, Instagram will believe that you want to see more content from them in your feed.
Related: Revealed: The Best Time To Post On Instagram in 2023
How the Algorithm Determines Relationships
There are several ways the algorithm can determine the type, strength, and quality of relationships:
- Frequency of Interaction: The more you interact with someone (i.e. like, comment, share, tag), the stronger the relationship is.
- The recency of Interaction: The more recent your interactions are, the stronger the relationship is.
- Type of Interaction: The more personal your interactions are (i.e. direct messages, comments on photos/videos), the stronger the relationship is.
- Number of Followers: The more followers you have in common with someone, the stronger the relationship is.
- Location and Timezone: If you’re in the same location or have similar timezones, the algorithm will prioritize content from those users because it knows you’re more likely to be interested in it.
- Natural Language Processing (NLP): The algorithm uses NLP to analyze the content of your interactions to determine the strength of relationships. For example, if you frequently comment on someone’s photos with positive words, the algorithm will know that you have a positive relationship with that person.
Now that we’ve gone over how relationships affect the algorithm, let’s take a look at how your business can use this information to better connect with your target audience.
How to Develop Close Relationships With Your Target Audience
The best way to connect with your target audience is to build strong relationships with them and follow community guidelines according to the Instagram Help Center. In some ways, you can think of it as training the algorithm to believe you are a very close acquaintance (or even a friend) with your target audience. The more you interact with them, the more likely the algorithm is to show your content to them.
Here are a few tips on how your business can do that:
Regularly interact with users who are interested in your brand: The more you interact with someone, the stronger the relationship is. So, if you want to build a strong relationship with a user, make sure to like, comment, and share their content regularly.
Nurture your relationships: Just like any other relationship, you need to put in the effort to nurture your relationships with users. If you want a user to become a loyal customers, you need to show them that you care about them. You can do this by responding to their comments and direct messages, liking their photos/videos, and sharing their content.
Personalize your interactions: The more personal your interactions are, the stronger the relationship is. So, when you’re interacting with users, make sure to use personal pronouns (i.e. “you” and “yours”) and avoid using generic terms (i.e. “users” and “customers”).
The app’s algorithm is designed to show users the content that is most relevant to them, and one of the main factors in determining relevancy is how recent the post is. The Instagram analytics engagement rate provide valuable insights into the performance and impact of your content on the platform. The fresher the better!
How Skweezer Can Help You Build Algo-Based Relationships
The algorithm is constantly changing and evolving, so the relationships it takes into account may also change over time. However, by understanding how relationships work, you can better take advantage of the algorithm to ensure that your content is being seen by those who are most likely to engage with it.
When you use an Instagram growth tool like Skweezer, we can help you get more interactions with your target audience by helping you build trust through social proof. For example:
You have several dozen posts, but the likes, comments, and views on them are low. You begin engaging with your target audience, hoping they’ll engage back. But because your account lacks social proof, it’s difficult to get them to engage back with you.
Skweezer can help you by providing cheap Instagram likes, comments, and views from real users. This will help you build social proof and make it easier to get your target audience to interact with you by building immediate trust.
The Bottom Line
As Instagram’s algorithm and user behavior evolve, your business needs to stay on top of the latest changes to ensure that your content is being seen by those who are most likely to engage with it.
By understanding how relationships work on Instagram, you can better take advantage of the algorithm and connect with your target audience. And, by using a tool like Skweezer, you can get the social proof you need to build trust and relationships with your target audience. Choose a package now to get started.