Instagram organic reach is in decline, here’s what you can do about it.

In the past, Instagram has always been positioned as a platform that doesn’t require any paid marketing. God help you if you make this statement in the presence of any Instagram handle manager today. From late 2019 onwards, brands and influencers have witnessed an alarming drop in organic reach on Instagram. If you’re active on Instagram and haven’t heard about this, you may have been living under a rock.

There’s talk of this everywhere, with the very vocal influencer community crying foul. A lot of users now believe that Instagram ads are the only way to keep up/increase reach numbers and engagement rates, and that organic content just isn’t going to perform well.

Why is your Instagram Reach Declining?

• Instagram will observe the timeline of your post, taking into consideration how recent it is.
• Encourage engagement on your posts. Try making your post interesting and interactive.
• Develop a tendency to give proper responses to the comments, DMs, and likes on your posts.
• Make use of relevant hashtags that match your content; do not go vague on it.
• Make a habit of posting consistently so your users can get fresh posts.
• Use the most trending and latest sounds so that more audiences can get attracted to your post.
• Always try to understand the basic analytics of your posts
• Rise of paid ads and the algorithm promoting more of the paid content

Is Paid Ads the only way out?

This is probably the most obvious reason for the decline of organic reach on any platform which is the rise of Paid ads. Because the algorithm pushes it more, this forces users (with a growth intent) to rely on paid ads to keep Instagram’s organic reach numbers up and to direct adequate traffic to their websites. Organic content alone just won’t cut it anymore.

In fact, there was a very similar phenomenon observed with Facebook between 2013-2014. A study conducted by Ogilvy revealed that the average organic reach of content posted by brands on Facebook pages decreased significantly, from 12.05% to 6.15%. All this in a span of just 5 months!

Here is why incorporating paid ads in your content strategy is essential:

Adapting to Algorithmic Changes for Better Reach

In the past, Instagram used to show its posts in a chronological order where the most recent posts appeared first. You can imagine reading a well-maintained logbook. Back in those days, the posts were not sorted out based on the factors of engagement rate or user relevance.

But along with time, the Instagram algorithm got smarter, providing you with content that is not only recent but also the ones based on factors such as relationships, engagement, and relevancy.

Now, this changing aspect of the Instagram algorithm has gradually resulted in making it tough for smaller accounts and lesser-known posts to be seen. This might also be a reason that some of you may feel your posts are not reaching a larger audience, even after getting more likes than it did before. 

What is Organic Reach on Instagram?

So basically, organic reach in Instagram means that your content is viewed by a large number of people without paying a single dime for your promotion.

Understanding the Diverse Viewership of Organic Reach

Now these are the people who daily explore Instagram via hashtags, recommended content, or just casually scroll their feed, coming across your content. This is where the algorithm collects data on how your content is actually pleasing its users, and if so, your feed will get a better push by the algorithm.

Nurturing Engagement within Your Organic Reach

If at all your posts can reach a large number of people, the algorithm will look into the engagements performed on your post. All the likes, comments, and shares that you get will be taken into consideration. This interaction process on your content and posts helps to review the depth of engagement.

Amplifying Brand Visibility in the Organic Reach

Your brand becomes more visible when the number of unique viewers increases. The more your brand is visible, the more recognition it will get. Thus, building credibility.

Investigating the Decline of Organic Reach on Instagram

Some of the top reasons for the decline in Instagram’s organic reach are increased ad spending from users, an increase in competition from new social media apps like TikTok (good news is that the TikTok ban in India contributes to one less social media competitor for Indians), and the introduction of new content formats.

This drop in organic reach has been constant but has varied greatly from handle to handle. A glance at any popular online forum like Reddit will more than adequately indicate the magnitude of this problem.

Rising Competition: Navigating the Social Media Landscape

The time people are spending on social media is now divided between more apps, giving less time to Instagram alone. It follows that this will translate to lower organic reach, as people are now less likely to see your posts.

• TikTok now boosts a major user base, thus dividing the audience between 2 different apps.
• YouTube shorts is also another place where short videos reign. You can upload Shorts for upto 60 seconds which is less than Instagram. It also has the option to upload videos in higher resolution and frame rate, making the viewing experience amazing.

Effective Strategies to Boost Your Organic Reach

So now you know it is not getting easier to increase your organic reach on Instagram. Here I am providing you with some amazing strategies that will help you increase organic reach.

Crafting Compelling Content for Improved Reach

Though there is a decline in the organic reach of Instagram, do not yet think that you will have to start selling out for ads. Always remember that your content posted should not only reach a larger audience but also boost positive engagement on your posts.

1. Elevating Reach with High-Quality Visual Content

Instagram is a visual platform, and hence posting high-quality, appealing photos is a must. Photos and pictures are also a means of conveying a message and telling your story to the world. Make sure you post vibrant photos that act as a visual treat for your viewers and also convey your message at the same time. This will gradually help in better engagement.

2. Compelling captions

A good caption can prompt your audience to engage with your post, increasing your reach. Try to make entertaining captions. Captions that you create act like a little chat with your audience, thus creating engagement. You can also ask questions, share anecdotes, which will allow people to respond to your post.

3. Use relevant hashtags

Hashtags can help in increasing the visibility of your post because they act as a search label. Try to use popular hashtags related to your niche. Hashtags that are relevant to your content will help your posts reach a larger audience, so always understand the purpose of your post before you use hashtags. Our free Instagram hashtag generator tool, which is equipped with premium APIs and strong features, will be of great help here

4. Leveraging Stories and Reels for Expanded Reach

Instagram has provided us with an amazing concept of reels and stories, so why not make proper use of it, which will help us boost reach?

5. Exploring the Potential of Reels for Content Reach

We’ve spoken a lot about the importance of Instagram Reels on this blog before, but it really (Reely?) cannot be emphasized enough. The popularity of the short video format has grown exponentially since TikTok’s launch (remember when it was called Musical.ly?). Part of this is because of our shortening attention spans; long videos now will only do well on YouTube. Instagram knows this, which is why the button to access Reels is smugly located at the bottom-center of your screen, which is where your thumb will naturally hover.

Undoubtedly, the best thing about Reels for marketers is that your videos will be visible even to users not follow you. As long as you use the right hashtags and your videos are engaging and unique, you can reach a much bigger portion of your target audience than with conventional posts.

6. Instagram stories

The fact that it is right at the top of your page makes you visible in front of more people. Everything that you add to your story will only reach your friends and followers and offers a candid look into your content.

The Importance of Consistency in Content Posting

Remember that being punctual with your post will help you go a long way. 

Regular posting

Posting regularly can help you maintain your visibility in your audience’s feed. The content posted has a tendency to become obsolete quickly, and this is where your regular posting will help you overcome this obstacle. The posts you make regularly will always result in providing fresh content for your audience.

Optimal posting time

Other than posting regularly, try to identify when your audience is actively using Instagram and schedule your posts accordingly. Try to post a minimum of 3-5 times per week. The optimal posting time varies for every user. Always post content that is interesting and engaging; your audience might turn away if your content lacks interest.

The Influence of Videos on Organic Reach

Videos get you more engagement period.

If you’re posting a video, and a person sees it, they’ll probably watch it for at least a few seconds before deciding whether they like it. Other than reels, Instagram has live videos and stories as well. So now you can go live with your audience, showcase little flashes of your daily activities on stories, as well as make mesmerizing content through your reels. Coming back to live videos…. It can actually work wonders with your followers.

This is a part of the reason why the viewership of IG Live has increased so much during the pandemic. Going live is also a way of showing your audience what happens behind the scenes in your workplace/home, etc., to reveal a more human side of your brand, while simultaneously increasing your Instagram engagement.

Collaborating with Influencers to Broaden Your Reach

One of the most popular ways to fast-track Instagram growth is by collaborating with other influential Instagram personalities. Make Stories, posts, and Reels together so their audiences are exposed to you and your content as well.

In the early stages of growing an Instagram account, it is hard to make a convincing case for yourself when you’re reaching out to big influencers for collaborations. It’s a good idea to first collaborate with smaller influencers; they are more likely to return a positive response and usually have a more engaged audience.

As your account grows, you can start reaching out to bigger influencers, and they’ll be more likely to want to work with you!

Invite your followers to engage with your content

This is a huge aspect of social media marketing in general. There are many ways of doing this without sounding tacky or desperate for followers.

• You can use fun polls and MCQs on different aspects of your brand in your Instagram Stories (Pro tip: push your Stories and posts when your audience is most active on Instagram. This is called the optimal posting time).
• You can also invite followers to tag their friends and peers so that the post may be relevant. This is another way of reaching an audience that isn’t in your follower base.
• Contests effectively engage your audience by providing incentives. Ensure your contest offers something people care about, such as a chance to win an iPhone.

There’s really nothing that can cause a buzz like a well-developed contest.

Conclusion

So reach on Instagram is dying; surprise, surprise. While this isn’t great news for social media marketers and influencers, it’s definitely not the end of the world. If you used these tips in your content strategy, we’d love to know how they worked for you. For possible reasons why your hashtags aren’t working, read this detailed guide. If you have tips that worked wonders for your own handle, let us know! Follow us on Instagram for more social media marketing tips and updates.

Let us know of any great Instagram bio ideas you may have. We’d love to hear from you! Share your opinions in the comments below or refer to the tips in the article. Also, don’t forget to check out this article on evaluating the content that works best for your handle!

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