How to Get on the Instagram Explore Page in 2020: 8 simple Steps
Instagram Explore page is one of the more recent updates the app came up with that has changed the game considerably.
Through this change, the app has moved away from the chronological feed to a more seemingly random arrangement of posts.
At present, the Instagram Explore page features posts that they think you would be interested in, based on:
- The content
- Your relationship with the person posting
- Timeliness of the post
Even though Instagram has faced user backlash because of this change, the team has stood behind this change and that means this change is here to stay.
Having said that, let’s try to understand how the Instagram Explore page algorithm works so that you can use it to your advantage.
Instagram Explore Page: What is it anyway?
Instagram Explore page, is simply a collection of posts Instagram thinks you’d be interested in, based on the posts you’ve previously viewed and shown interest in.
Instagram uses artificial intelligence to develop a custom feed that suits each user’s preference based on historical trends. In other words, if you see your feed filled with kitten videos and posts, you know who to blame now, don’t you?
Now, that’s simple, you might think. Well, it’s not as simple as it sounds as the Instagram Explore page algorithm uses various data analytics methods to learn about your favorite content.
Based on this data, they arrange your Explore page so that you get to see the content you’d enjoy and most likely spend time viewing.
The Instagram team also includes content that your friends and people you follow view, like and engage on. This way, a spider web network of information that you’d want to view and recommend is formed.
Why Would You Want to Get on the Instagram Explore Page?
If you’ve reached the zen state of mind and don’t believe in going viral, good for you. But for the lesser mortals like us, getting featured on the Instagram Explore page is a big leap when it comes to getting greater exposure for our content.
Your post once featured, helps you gain more followers and open up new business opportunities for you.
If you’re a small business owner, this means more word of mouth publicity, more potential customers and better success rates.
How to Get on Instagram Explore Page
Well, now that you’ve probably admitted that you wouldn’t mind getting featured on the Explore page, let’s discuss the different techniques you can use to get your post moving in the right direction.
How to Get on Instagram Explore Page Tip #1. Find The Best Time to Post
Time matters especially with the efforts put in by the Instagram Explore Page algorithm to measure the timeliness of your posts, the time your followers spent on viewing the post and the time you took to engage with the people who view your posts.
How to Get on Instagram Explore Page Tip #2. Tell Your Story
The Instagram story seems to be a feature that outdid itself. With over 300 million daily active users, this feature has and can be effectively used to speak about your post and market your products/services effectively.
You also earn extra brownie points when you connect and interact with your replica watches followers through Instagram stories.
And if you use polling features, swiping options or Q&A sessions with your followers through Instagram stories, consider yourself a jackpot winner.
Instagram rewards high engagement users with better chances of being featured on Instagram Explore page.
How to Get on Instagram Explore Page Tip #3. Put More Effort Into Writing Your Captions
A well-written caption always tips your viewer’s attention in your favor. Put in that extra effort to come up with a nice and catchy caption because that extra second the viewer spends on reading that caption will further improve your post’s visibility. Throw in a question and you know you have your readers’ attention.
How to Get on Instagram Explore Page Tip #4. Engage with Your Followers
Instagram Explore page algorithm measures how quickly and frequently you engage with your followers through comments.
Keep a tab on all the incoming comments you get and try to respond within the first hour of posting.
This is important as any delays in engaging with the viewers might impact your post’s visibility and might push your post further down the feed.
How to Get on Instagram Explore Page Tip #5. Encourage Your Viewers to Send You DMs
Encourage your viewers to DM you if they find your post interesting. Engaging your viewers through DM conversations has a positive effect on your Instagram Explore page algorithm and will help your posts gain more attention.
How to Get on Instagram Explore Page Tip #6. Use Lots of Relevant Hashtags
As an Instagram user myself, I depend on hashtags to get my message out and bring the right viewers to my page.
When you pick hashtags, make sure you use all thirty hashtags available and use a good mix of niche related and post specific hashtags.
Using related hashtags is also a good way to get niche-specific traffic to your page as they are featured on top of the Instagram Explore page and allows users to explore through various niches.
How to Get on Instagram Explore Page Tip #7. Use Videos to Keep Your Viewers’ Attention
With cameras and smartphones, I mean! Videos are a good way to hold your viewers’ attention for longer than a post. This will also help you add seconds to your Instagram Explore page algorithm results. The longer the viewers spend time viewing, the better your chances are of getting featured on the Explore page.
How to Get on Instagram Explore Page Tip #8. Use Carousels
Or the slideshows, or albums, or galleries, or whatever else you choose to call the stack of images you can go through within the same post on Instagram. Similar to videos, carousel images help increase the time your viewer spends on your page and in turn helps to improve your page’s popularity.
Now that I’m Here, How Do I Stay on Instagram Explore Page?
If you want your posts to be featured on the Instagram Explore page and stay there, you need to constantly experiment with various user engagement methods and identify which option works best for you and your content. Instagram picks content from the accounts the users interact with the most.
This means that the more you interact with your followers and viewers, the sooner they will see your posts and in turn create further engagement opportunities. And by now, you must know how that’s going to help your Instagram explore page algorithm.
Should I be worried about shadowban now that I’m featured?
Well, you should be if your idea of user engagement begins and ends with Ctrl C + Ctrl V (Copy and Paste).
Instagram shadowban was introduced in an attempt to weed out inauthentic users from the feed and feature only original content.
Invest your time in identifying relevant hashtags and avoid copying and pasting blocks of hashtags so that your account doesn’t go through shadow-ban.
Instagram allows users to follow hashtags which means that your post would be featured in users’ feeds, provided you use the right and relevant hashtag for your content.
How Do You Know What Works Best for Instagram Explore Page?
Since we do not have a genie in a bottle, and psychic abilities are difficult to come by, the only way you’re going to find that out is by engaging with your viewers.
Use your Instagram DM inbox, comments section, and Instagram stories to speak with your viewers and gain an understanding of what content they’d like to see featured on your page.
Viewer engagement and content suggestions, that’s double points for you right there.
You can also repost viral content that belongs to your niche that will help get more viewers over to your page.
Of course, always make sure that you credit the original creators because it’s fame we are after, not notoriety and a possible ban from Instagram.
If you show your Instagram page a little love, the Instagram Explore page algorithm will ensure that you’re loved back.
So spend some time planning out your next Instagram post and using the tips mentioned above. Who knows, yours might be the next viral post of 2020!