How to Increase Impressions on Instagram
April 25, 2021
How to Increase Impressions on Instagram
Are you having trouble getting your content seen on
Instagram? If so, you aren't alone in this. In fact, a lot of businesses and
influencers are experiencing this same issue right now. With Instagram
reevaluating their algorithm and changing which insights are most valuable, it
can be hard to stay on top of the app and at the newsfeeds as a result.
At Hyperchat Social, we're keeping a close eye on this
platform to make sure our clients continue to Turn Social Into Sales. We have
experimented with a few new practices that are making a huge difference in our
social performance that we are excited to share. Keep reading to learn what
small steps you can take to increase your impressions and digital footprint!
Do Instagram Likes Matter Anymore?
If you find yourself constantly asking, "Why am I not
getting likes on Instagram?", you should read THIS
blog post, where we address the many reasons likes aren't the sole determiner
of success on social media. Nowadays, Instagram offers many more insights than
just post likes and comments. Are people visiting your profile? Are they saving
your post for later? Are they following you directly after seeing one of your
posts? In the long run, these actions are much more valuable than a simple
double-tap on your post. Additionally, a lot of Instagram users are in the
platform's beta test of no like count on posts. If someone doesn't have likes
displayed on their newsfeed, they are less likely to like your post because
they forget that it is an option.
Moving forward, Instagram is going to offer 3 different
in-app options for likes. All users will have the option to:
·
Hide like counts on other people's posts
·
Switch off like counts on your own posts
·
Keep full like counts in the app
What Is 'Shadowbanning' and How Do I Know If I'm
Shadowbanned?
You can be doing all the right things on Instagram and still
have trouble getting eyes on your posts. It can be frustrating to feel like hashtags
and timing aren't working in your favor, but it may be because your account is
shadowbanned. When you're shadowbanned, Instagram is suppressing your content
because you have broken their terms, which is why your posts are receiving
fewer likes and comments than normal. Essentially, Instagram is blocking these
accounts so that they prioritize genuine content for their users. Some of the
reasons they shadowban are for using automated bots for growth, abusing broken
hashtags, having your account reported, and engaging too quickly.
To check if you are shadowbanned, create a post and use a
niche hashtag (like #swimminginthebahamas instead of #selfie so that your post
is easier to find). Then, go to the hashtag directly to see if your post is
displayed. If not, your content is most likely being suppressed.
Instagram hasn't directly said that they are shadowbanning
accounts, but they have come out and addressed why content isn't being
displayed when a hashtag is used. Below is what they had to say.
Our Experiment
Knowing what we know about Instagram's new algorithm, we
understand that saves, direct messages sent, and engagement are more important
than likes when you want to increase your impressions. That being said, the
higher your impressions, the higher the chance that you will get more likes is.
For our social media profile and for our clients, our team
has begun saving posts on Instagram with their personal account to boost
performance. You can do this by hitting the bookmark icon on a post. This tells
the app that you liked this content so much that you wanted to save it to
reference later.
After about a month of doing this, we have seen some amazing
results! Check it out below:
Example #1
Below is a direct screenshot of one of our client's
Instagram performance over the past month. As you can see, activity has
increased significantly and the number of users reached has increased by 172%.
Similarly, content interactions have increased by 400%, meaning the increase in
people has caused an increase in actions.
Check out this screenshot of 2 different posts where 1 post
was saved 6 times and 1 post was not saved. Not only was the second post liked
by 10 individuals, but it was also sent in 10 different direct messages. While
10 likes may not seem like a lot, 10 likes are much greater than 2 likes.
Additionally, 10 direct conversations surrounding the post is much more
valuable than a quick double-tap and scroll.

Example #2:
Similar to the above, bookmarking this account's posts has
played a huge role in the number of impressions their posts have received. Just
take a look at that graph! Results have had a steady increase over the past
month just by bookmarking posts. This account had an increase in content
interactions, which is important because it means that posts aren't just being
seen, but are sparking interactions. With the posts being seen by more people,
they are also seeing a 12% increase in followers.

In the below example, you can see that just 2 saves made a large difference
when compared to 0 saves. The second post received 29 likes, 3 comments and 2
direct messages! For posts to receive this type of engagement, they need to be
seen. For posts to be seen, there needs to be some sort of initial interaction
to get the impressions going.

So, What Does This All Mean?
Likes are not everything on Instagram. There are more
valuable insights available to business profiles that you should consider when
measuring success on social media. Instagram favors genuine posts and when a
post is being saved repeatedly, it typically means that the content was so
helpful that someone wants to revisit it later. If you, your team, or friend
and family can begin saving your posts, your posts will be displayed to more
people. Make sure to let those close to you know that they should be saving
your posts to help you out. If you are one of our clients, our team will make
sure to go in and save your posts for you so that we can maximize results.
Additionally, let your followers know that the easiest thing they can do to
support you is to bookmark your posts for later! This is a quick and easy way
for followers to support small businesses.
Do you need help posting to Instagram? Afraid you may
be shadowbanned? No worries! We are here to make sure your profile is posting
smoothly and effectively. Click HERE
to book a consultation with one of our Instagram experts and begin turning
social into sales!
Prev
What is influencer marketing?