1. Poor Audience Quality
rates is the lack of quality followers. Having a large number of followers is usually a good thing. Unless your followers are inactive or fake users. Whether it was intentional or not, having fake followers will decrease your engagement rates.
This is how the Instagram algorithm evaluates engagement :
- At first, your new post will be shown to a small percentage of your followers.
- It measures the number of likes and comments and then compares them to the engagement on your older posts.
- If the new post is getting higher engagement than old ones, it will be shown to your remaining audience as well.
- On the other hand, less engagement indicates you may have fake followers. And you may lose the chance to have your post shown to rest of your audience.
2. Shadow Bans and Restricted Hashtags
With the recent change in Instagram’s algorithm, numerous users have taken to using comment pods to cheat it. Comment pods are an inauthentic way to improve engagement. And Instagram doles out shadow bans on users they feel are part of a comment pod.
Restricted hashtags are another reason why users are seeing decreased engagement. The platform classifies them as either NSFW or spammy (like #beautyblogger or #follow4follow) and reduces post visibility. Once your account has been flagged, they check for suspicious activity on it and possibly shadowban you.
3. Automation and Bots
Instagram has been cracking down on numerous automation websites like Instagress and MassPlanner. Apps like these create bots to help users gain followers and engagement. They’re like small robot clones of a user with the same style and interests.
They aren’t fake accounts mind you. They just automatically like and comment on posts made by other people to artificially drive up engagement for those accounts. Even if you’re someone who uses automation tools, if you’re followers had been using them, you will be affected. Seeing as they don’t have a means to like everyone’s posts in their feed, your engagement can see a dip.
4. Hashtag Suppression for Business Accounts
This one comes down to the new algorithm acting differently for different user accounts. To see posts related to a particular hashtag, unless it’s a top post, users must follow the particular page to see them.
This rule is particularly applicable to business and business-like accounts. Basically, any account that acts within the confines of specific algorithmic rules could face a harder time getting featured for some hashtags.
So, what’s the solution to all of this then?
Strategic Use of Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to gain popularity among targeted audiences if used correctly. They help other users to find, follow and interact with your Instagram account. But using and abusing random popular hashtags on the platform won’t get you anywhere.
The way to get featured in feeds is to use popular hashtags that are relevant to your target audience. Check out the hashtags that your audience is using and leverage those. Also feel free to create unique and creative hashtags to use with your posts. Make them your own. The narrower their scope, the more engaging users find them.
Optimal Posting Times
Another easy way to improve your engagement rates is to post during peak hours. The idea is to post when the bulk of your target audience and followers are online. By doing so, you’ll maximize the audience for your posts.
Of course, depending on the kind of target audience and time zones, the peak times will vary. If you have a business account, you can use Instagram Insights to discover when your followers frequent the app. You can always experiment, as well, by posting at different times to figure out the best times to post.
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