Valentine’s Day is all about sharing the love, and Instagram’s Ranking System isn’t much different!
Every time you tap the heart to like a post, a tiny piece of data is sent to the algorithm. Instagram has over 500 million daily active users, and when you consider the amount of posts those followers like on average, that becomes a lot of data.
In this blog post, we’ll cover how post likes affect the ranking system for the content your business creates.
Instagram’s Content Ranking System Loves Engagement
Instagram has multiple ranking algorithms working together to curate a personalized user experience. Its ranking algorithms examine and analyze multiple engagement metrics to deliver relevant, valuable content to users’ feeds. While sends, shares, and saves matter, post likes carry the most value. The more love your posts get, the wider your reach. High-engagement posts have a better chance at landing in Explore feeds, Reels recommendations, and followers’ suggested home feeds.
Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, recently posted a reel confirming likes are still a major factor for Instagram’s ranking system. The ranking system evaluates engagement as a whole, but post likes provide the platform with the most data. The sheer volume of likes gives Instagram a broader understanding of content popularity.
Create Valuable Content to Attract More Likes
Let the likes come to you by speaking the love language of your audience!
Instead of chasing engagement, focus on producing valuable, relatable, and visually appealing posts. Valuable content encourages your audience to naturally engage, share, and tap the like button. Use compelling captions, eye-catching visuals, and on-brand messaging to build a strong and loyal community. Authentic engagement beats forced tactics every time.
Make genuine Heart-to-Heart Connections
Don’t just post and ghost; share some love!
Regular engagement with other accounts tells Instagram that your profile is active and relevant. Liking, commenting, and interacting with other brands and followers encourages them to do the same for you. The more you interact, the better your content performs and the more your brand grows. Plus, engagement helps build genuine relationships and get your brand noticed in all the right places.
Grow Your Following Organically
By actively participating in the Instagram community and showing appreciation for others’ content, you can increase post visibility and attract new followers.
At Vervocity, our social media managers create strategic engagement plans to attract a bigger audience organically. Work with us to fill your Instagram feed with posts you and your audience love!
