Getting to the explore page is the ultimate dream of any Instagram creator. Who does not want to get discovered by more people and get organic views that will hopefully transform into likes and followers? That is the beauty of getting your post into the Explore page. However, most creators, especially new ones, still get puzzled about how the algorithm works when curating content for the Explore page.

Well, you are in luck because, in this article, we will tell you how exactly to get to the Instagram explore page by understanding how the algorithm works, according to the platform itself. We will also talk about strategies for maximizing the chances of letting the algorithm work on your side.

Information about the post- Instagram looks at how popular a post is by looking at signals like how many and how fast a post gets likes, comments, shares, and saves.

In the Candidate Generation Stage, the algorithm starts by identifying “seed” accounts. These are accounts that people have interacted with in the past. Analyzing seed accounts allows Instagram to discover related profiles/creators that a user might be interested in. For example, if you viewed fashion videos before, Instagram will find other fashion creators/ influencers and recommend their videos to you.

After the algorithm chooses a variety of seed and similar-seed accounts, it will then analyze the photos and videos that these accounts have posted or engaged with. Instagram does not pick up multiple posts from the same account. Hence, you will not see consecutive posts from the same creator on the explore page.

After the Candidate Generation Stage, the Instagram algorithm will compile thousands of suitable content or candidates to recommend on a user’s Explore page. Out of that thousand candidates, Instagram chooses 500 to proceed to the Ranking Stage.

Now that we already understand how Instagram ranks its Explore page, time to talk about strategies to make the algorithm choose us.

Here are the strategies.

The first signal that Instagram looks at when ranking the Explore page is the information about the post. To help the algorithm understand what your content is all about, use some keywords that best describe it. It also helps to add relevant hashtags so Instagram can categorize your post. Using a location might also let Instagram connect you to users who prefer local content.

The next signal you have to ace is the user’s activity on the platform. It is challenging because the way people use Instagram is totally out of your control. However, you can start working around this by thinking about your target audience and the type of accounts they are likely to engage.

Then, try to think about the contents that these accounts might be posting. What do you think you can do to be similar to these accounts? Having a clear target audience in mind and knowing the other players in the niche will help you position your Instagram account better.

The third signal that Instagram is looking at is the History of Interaction. It is also challenging because you cannot always force people to engage with your content. Hence, you might need to start the interaction on your end and hope that they will respond.

You can comment on your target audience’s posts, reply to comment threads or even share others’ content on your stories. If they engage with you back, that counts as an interaction. Hence, you now increase your likelihood of appearing in the Explore pages of these people.

One of the crucial things that help your post rank higher on the explore page is how quickly it gathers engagements such as likes, comments, and shares. Take time to study your Instagram Insights to see when your followers are most active. Once you find out, post during these hours to make sure you get as much engagement as you can.