Social Media Trends
It takes a lot of creative thought and energy to post on Instagram. Square images for the feed, carousel posts for engagement, Reels for discovery, and Stories for behind the scenes. So, it’s understandable to be disappointed when there’s a decided lack of likes, views, and comments.
What gives?
Many people blame the algorithm, claiming it “hates them” or their content—stifling reach, not serving it to users, or even shadow banning them altogether. But Instagram says, that’s not what’s happening.
Why This Matters
Rather than having one singular algorithm that oversees what people do and don’t see on the app, they run a variety of algorithms based on behaviour for the different parts of the app (Feed, Stories, Explore, Reels, Search, etc.). These are tailored for how people use each section.
Understanding how Instagram works and what it shows to users may change how you create content for the app.
Depending on your goals, you may find more use for Reels (meant for entertainment) than the Feed (meant for friends, family, followers, and people like them), or Stories (meant for followers) than Explore (meant for new audiences).
Next Step
Take a few minutes to audit the content you’re putting on Instagram and consider the people you’re trying to connect with. Are you posting the right kind of content in the right area of the app? If not, tweak your strategy and try again. If so, do more of the same and trust the process.
To learn more about how you can influence what is seen on Instagram, check out the guidelines here.