It is really important for your brand to be in the eyes of people. When it comes to Instagram, the explore page is such a place where you can be in the eyes of many people who can be your potential audience. This will help you get 2x the engagement and reach on your posts and also gain a few more followers.
Now the question that arises is what exactly is Instagram Explore Page? And where can I find it?
So, Instagram keeps a note of the pages that you have visited, the posts that you have liked, and the accounts/ brands you follow. This helps the Instagram algorithm to identify what kind of content you like based on your recent activity. Hence, the explore page has all types of content that you have interacted with. It includes memes, videos, reels, and even guides. The Explore page is specially customized for every user.
You have to just click on the magnifying glass on your Instagram interface to reach the explore page. Here, if the user has searched for baking recipes, he or she will later find everything related to baking on their explore page. You have to first search for a topic by clicking on the search bar. You can even filter your searches, this will help your Instagram to understand exactly what you want so that you get the best results on your page. If you are a social media marketer, you can hunt for topics related to the new trends in social media. Instagram will help you to get all the content related to the same.
Now if you’re wondering what the Instagram Algorithm is and how it works, here are a few pointers:
The Instagram algorithm depends on various factors like engagement, reach, the relatability of your content, the quality of your content, and much more.
They use a feed ranking system that helps to create a customized explore page for every user out there.
There are two types:
a) Connected and
b) Unconnected recommendations.
a) Connected recommendations:
Here, Instagram first finds the content from the brands that you already follow or engage with, then filters out the posts based on engagement and relevance, and finally gives you the best posts to see.
b) Unconnected recommendations:
Here, Instagram tracks your recent activity which includes the content or brands you engaged with, then again filters out the posts based on engagement and relevance, and finally gives you the best posts to see.
In short, Instagram customizes your explore page based on these criteria:
1) Accounts that you already follow and engage with
2) The content that is engaged by the people that you follow
3) Content that is trendy and gets a lot of traction
4) The content that you consistently engage with (eg. guides, memes, tutorials, live videos, etc)
An example here is makeup videos. If you’re into makeup, it is a high possibility that you will follow and engage with makeup content and follow makeup gurus. You might also search for similar pages. Instagram will find relevant pages and content for you which you’ll find on the explore page.
Here, the feed ranking system identifies your taste and recently engaged content. If you are a content creator or an influencer, it’ll be very easy for you to be trending if you are relevant to your audience and meet the criteria.
Here are some of the tips that will help your brand to get on the Instagram Explore page:
1. Start finding the right time to post: When it comes to getting more traction on your page, you have to be sure about finding the right time to post. You can experiment with the time of posting to be sure when your audience is the most active. When your content gets fast engagement right within 10 minutes of posting, it is a high possibility that your content will be shown on the explore page because it is trending.
2. Start with running ads on your page: Sometimes, it may get difficult to get engagement and reach organically. Here, paid ads will be your go-to solution as they’ll help you reach the specific audience that you might have missed reaching organically. You can direct your ads on the explore page. This will help you to advertise on the explore page. So, whenever a prospect is scrolling through the explore page, your ad will be displayed to them.
3. Always stay up-to-date with the new trends: You have to follow accounts that help you understand the ongoing trends and new technology. Just like how reels have become so popular that Instagram has specifically devoted a separate tab for them.
Instagram’s algorithm pushes reels to get more engagement because it is a new feature and they’re using it to win against competitor brands (TikTok). If you start posting reels that the audience can relate to, there is a high chance for your brand content to blow up and end up on the explore page of many people.
4. Share content that is engaging: The Instagram algorithm makes sure that if your content is engaging, it’ll reach more people to gain more traction. You have to first understand and learn what type of content your audience really wants. If it is engaging posts, carousels, reels, stories, etc you have to start doing whatever your audience demands.
5. See what other brands in your niche are currently doing: When you don’t know what kind of content would work or what your audience might love, you can always refer to what your competitors are currently doing. This will help you identify the areas of improvement and hence, will help you generate content that gets viral. If the competitor’s audience loves reels, start posting more reels, if they like carousel posts then start with posting carousel cards. This will help you get a lot of engagement on your posts and will help you land on the explore page.
Also read: All About The Instagram Link Feature
