Please note that this post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on a link and purchase an item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.
Instagram has been pushing out major changes at a record pace in recent months. Because we manage a large volume of accounts, we’re in a unique position to be able to learn about Instagram’s unannounced algorithm changes. Hopefully, this post is helpful as you continue on your Instagram journey!
Part of our ethos as a company is to be extremely transparent with our clients and this is good evidence of that. If you want to read more about us, you can click here.
If you’d like to chat more with us, feel free to click the chat button in the bottom right of your screen.
1. Instagram limited the organic reach/likes/comments of posts from business accounts (Early June)
They did this in an effort to force its users to pay for ads to increase engagement. If you’ve seen a decrease in engagement (likes/comments), this is why. It’s the same change that Facebook made in ~2014 when it throttled the reach of Facebook pages and forced companies to pay to reach their own audience.
It’s the unfortunate reality of working with a profit-focused, public company. If you haven’t already switched to a business profile, we strongly recommend staying private forever.
We offer a growth strategy specifically focused on engagement that has proven to be effective to counteract all of these changes. Should be noted that this update has barely really been covered in the press outside of speculation this post.
2. Instagram implemented more restrictions around following and liking (June)
They did this in an effort to pressure users to use ads to increase followers and engagement. This change has slowed down our service (and all similar growth services) a bit but the vast majority of our clients are operating normally and we’re still a fraction of the cost of buying Instagram ads.
If you use our service, you can expect 200-1,000 followers per month.
3. Instagram has been suing and shutting down boosted like providers and penalizing Instagram users for this (Early May-Present)
Some of them shut down immediately after Instagram threatened legal action but many of them resisted.
Instagram then implemented much stricter liking restrictions and flagging measures to try to prevent these companies from operating – most of them have since stopped operating.
We strongly advise clients not to participate in artificial liking schemes.
4. Instagram is testing hiding like counts in Brazil, Australia, and many other countries (May-Present)
Instagram had been testing this only in Canada but rolling this out to other major markets (Brazil, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland) shows that there is a very high likelihood this will be rolled out worldwide.
This means that comments may end up being the only measure of popularity and influence!
Bonus: Key Engagement Tips
- Reply to all comments on your photos! This will help with your overall engagement.
- Focus on consistency and quality, not on posting frequency
- Stay active on your Instagram story to keep your profile alive and relevant!
- For hashtag best practices we recommend using https://displaypurposes.com
If you’re interested in learning more about how FanBump can improve your engagement, grow your following, and help you on Instagram, here are some links!
How FanBump Works – Frequently Asked Questions – Sign Up
More questions? Feel free to click the chat button in the bottom right corner of your screen.