What to do when instagram's algorithm's got you down

February 21, 2018 Chanel French

Everytime instagram makes a new change to their platform it seems like engagement just goes doooown. It feels like a game of chess trying to figure out how best to get your posts seen. You gotta pull out the old school TI-83 calculator to graph your plan of action for instagram posting. The situation can drive you crazy, if you let it.

When it comes to dealing with the changes that are forced on us, some people choose to go the route of complaining, tagging instagram & letting them know they want the chronological order back, while continuing the same methods they've been using.

However, I'd rather save myself some sanity and adapt. If that's the route you'd prefer to take as well, here are 4 ways you can handle instagram's algorithm changes.

1. Assess your audience

Thinking about who your audience is and what their day is like can help you decide on the best time to post to catch their attention. Do they work full time? What time will they be getting off work? When are they most likely to be scrolling? These are the types of questions to ask yourself.

If your audience is mostly full-time career workers, you'd probably be best catching them around 6pm when they're getting home and unwinding for the day. If your audience is mostly stay-at-home moms, it might better to catch them when their kids are most likely to be down for nap time.

Try to roughly map out their day and plan your posts accordingly.

2. Spread your seeds by posting elsewhere

Don't just rely solely on Instagram to share your content. There's SO many platforms existing that you should be utilizing.

Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat (even though I've heard that's gone to hell), Tumblr, 500PX - all of these are options you should take advantage of. Maximize all of your alternatives where your audience might be to get as many eyeballs on what you have to offer as possible.

3. Utilize your stories

Every time Instagram makes a change to the algorithm, it seems like our posts are reaching less people organically. You can post something and only a small percentage of your followers will actually see it.

This is where you stories come into play. Use your stories to bring attention to the new post on your feed or to drive traffic off of Instagram completely and onto your blog (or wherever else you've posted your content).

Make sure to keep your stories interesting so that your followers will want to watch and engage with them. If your stories are boring, then trying to use them to bring attention to your posts won't work effectively.

4. Experiment

While's it's important to do the work beforehand, you'll never truly know what's going to work until you try. So experiment and find what works best.

If you think your audience would respond best to posts at 11am and 6pm for instance, give both a try. You might find that 11am doesn't work well, but 6pm tends to catch a bunch of eyeballs. So stick to posting at 6pm until it no longer works. If it stops working then you re-assess and experiment until you find what works again.

4 Ways to Handle Instagram's Algorithm

1. Do some assessments
2. Branch out beyond Insta
3. Put those stories to work
4. Try something new!

At the end of the day, you can't keep trying the same thing approaches but expecting different outcomes. That's the definition of insanity. You gotta be willing to switch it up and put in the work. AND keep in mind: instagram is not the end of the world. Having more followers and engagement doesn't guarantee money in your pockets or that your business will succeed. Stay focused and keep your sanity intact. There was life before instagram, and there will be life after it's gone.

Did you find these tips helpful?

Letting me know how YOU plan to handle insta's algorithm

Chanel G. Photography