Can you really beat The Algorithm?

What exactly is The Algorithm? It’s this looming, everchanging beast that likes to shift and morph into something new just when you think you’ve managed to understand it. Quite simply put, The Algorithm is the coding responsible for what goes viral, what gets pushed out to new people, and what determines how successful your posts are.

There are many conspiracy theories on how to use The Algorithm in your favour; posting reels that are a specific length down to the second, having a word limit on visuals because the ‘algorithm doesn’t like wordy posts’, even that you must post multiple times a day in order to grow.

Trying (emphasise on trying) to understand The Algorithm is also the key to being successful with it, so here are some tips to make The Algorithm work for you:

Post at the right time

That means posting at the right time for you. The best way to determine this is by checking your insights to see when your followers are most active. Common ones include when people finish work, or when they are commuting, as these are times when people are more likely to be on their phones and therefore engaging online.

Use the right hashtags

It can be very tempting to use as many hashtags as possible to maximise reach, but using too many can be detrimental, so it’s best to use just a handful that relate to your content the most. Using micro hashtags mean that your posts will go to a more niche, targeted audience who are more likely to appreciate your content. You can still use more general hashtags, but they are usually less effective as they will likely get lost amongst all the competitor content.

Prioritise your current followers

This might seem silly when you want to gain new followers, but what really helps show the algorithm that your content is worth pushing is showing that you are consistently interacting with your current audience. This includes replying to comments, DMs, sharing tagged posts, and interacting with other creators.

Switch up your content

People don’t want to see the same content all the time, so switching it up can be a way to retain your follower’s attention. Looking at your analytics to see which posts are most successful is a good indicator of what type of content your followers enjoy, as well as what they don’t.

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