Understanding the Why and How of Your Instagram Reach

In this episode, I dive into Instagram’s latest advice straight from the Creators account, breaking down what really drives your reach and engagement, and showing you how to actually put these tips to work. We’ll discuss why showing your personality and values matters just as much as your niche and we are officially busting the myth that Instagram’s algorithm changes all the time. We’ll walk through the practical do’s and don’ts for your content, including how authentic interactions, great lighting, and trending audio can make all the difference.

In this episode we’ll be covering:

• Latest Reels Lab success story of how my student gained 350 followers from a single post and how your content doesn’t have to be all business.
• Fun fact: Instagram hasn’t changed. What’s changed is what resonates with users, that includes the type of content we want to see and how we interact with it.
• Understanding the Instagram algorithm and how it works for you, so that you can actually grow your account. 
• Instagram’s official tips for how to boost your reach, focusing on authentic interactions, video quality, and trending audio.
• What hurts your reach the most when it comes to creating content.
• Additional tips to consider when you’re trying to create engaging social media content.

Featured content in this episode:

• Shannonmckinstrie: The hook formula I swear by
• Creators: What helps your reach

Recommended episodes:

• Episode 57: Repurpose Your Content for More Impact with Less Effort
• Episode 79: Posting Isn’t the Only Way to Grow: Engage More Using This Simple 10-10-10 Method
• Episode 84: Train the Instagram Algorithm to Hype Up Your Content
• Episode 93: The Instagram Algorithm is Not the Villain: Being More Intentional with Your Content
• Episode 94: You Want Your Content to Fit Your Life, Not Become Your Life
• Episode 101: Double Your Views on Instagram with the RISE Formula

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Transcript

Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:05]:
I am your host, Shannon McKinstrie. Welcome to Good Content, the podcast where I remove the never ending content creation guesswork and overwhelm so that you can actually enjoy being on social media again and growing your business with what has always worked, good content. All right guys, so this is going to be a fun episode, short and sweet, Because Creators, which is the Instagram, you know, it's like the account, what they say in their bio is the Creator's Guide to Instagram by Instagram. So this is straight from Instagram itself, right? I've collabed with them before. It's a great account to follow. You know, they'll let you in on some things about the algorithm and stuff like that. So I thought what I would do today, they just had a post that went up last week that says FYI, understanding reach on Instagram. So I thought I'd go through it with you and explain like they're explaining the why, et cetera.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:54]:
I'll explain the how. So what to do with the tips and advice and information they gave us on this post and how you can use it to increase your reach on Instagram. And just this morning I got a DM from one of my Reels Lab students. So let me tell you, she goes, this post is poppin' so far, 350 followers from it, which is double from last night when I went to bed. It's gaining traction and I'm thrilled because hello, my people, but also new followers have been stagnant for a few weeks for me. So she has a post going crazy and all it is is introducing herself and it says, hi, I'm, she says her name. I haven't asked her for permission yet, but here's why you should follow or unfollow me. She talks about more than just her business.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:32]:
She is a food blogger, but she doesn't just say, hi, I help you make yummy desserts that people will think you spent all day baking, right? She goes beyond that. She shares music she likes, shows she likes. Her core values about what's going on in our country right now in the US, fun tattoo she has about losing her father, messages about equality and human rights, right? So as you go through, you're not just learning what content she shares, she shares her values as well. This goes back to every single podcast we've had of good content. I'm always telling you guys, business is personal, right? You're allowed to post beyond your niche, you're allowed to post who you are, not just what you sell. And that's why people love following others. So let's go back to the creators. Now I've said that.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:18]:
Now I will tell you before we dive in, I hate change. I'm one of those people, I don't like change, probably from like things in my childhood, who knows, right? But I do not like change. And actually my life, I'm going through a lot of changes right now. Social Squad Society, a business I've had with my business partner Emily for, gosh. 7 years, 8 years. So Squad Society as we know it, it was a membership and then we switched it to a mastermind. And this is a, this is the last hurrah and I'm mourning that, right? And it's nothing, not, it's just things in business change and, you know, Emily's got a ton going on. We've both love each other dearly and are always gonna be family, but that part of our business we no longer have capacity for, right? And it's, as much as we're both mourning it, we know what's to come for both of us is really exciting, but I hate change, right? So there's that.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:12]:
There's me, I'm having to change things in my business as far as saying no to more things because again, I'm at capacity. I don't like that. I don't like change. With that said, because I don't like change, do you think I would be doing or being in the field I'm in if Instagram changed as much as people say it does? No, my head would explode. Every time you see a post saying the algorithm's changed, Instagram's changed. Instagram as a whole has never changed. It is a storytelling app. It is where people connect.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:39]:
It is where people want to feel seen, heard. It's where they, it's where we build communities around our brand. That has never changed. So when people say Instagram has changed, what they probably mean, what they typically mean, there's been a tweak in the algorithm. But what I need you to know is the algorithm is like, one way I love to say it is if like you walked into a store and every single thing that's on your grocery lists and things that you need for what's coming up in your life are in one aisle. Like, how cool would that be, right? It's like if a store knew what exactly what you needed, what you needed to hear, see, buy, etc. The algorithm feeds you content based on signals you send it. So if you're liking pic, videos about dogs or you're liking, like, literally, I always joke, like, if I go on TikTok and, like, like, I like this video of this donkey named Henry and I'm, like, obsessed with him, all of a sudden my whole, every other video is, like, someone's farm with donkeys on it.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:28]:
It's feeding you content to keep you on the app, period. That will not ch, as far as I can tell you, that will not change because that's how they make money is keeping us on the app. So it's going to feed us content. So if you're liking a lot of political content, your feed will be full of that. If you're liking content about spring outfits, that's what you're going to see. If you're right, of course my algorithm, and actually, if I go to my explore page right now, I can tell you exactly what Instagram thinks about me. All right, we've got Olympic content because I've been very into the Winter Olympics. It's got so much food.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:58]:
I'm talking recipes on recipes on recipes. Um, I see pasta, I see brownies, I see soup. It knows I like to eat. Okay. I'm also seeing hairstyles. I'm seeing, oh, I've got some golf content because I send my husband golf content. And honestly, that's about it. And we've got some travel.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:17]:
Okay. So again, just so you guys know, it does not change as much as people say it is. As it changes. Of course, Instagram might come out and say, we're, we're prioritizing watch time now. Now we're prioritizing this. That's fine. But nothing is really going to ever shift in a way that means you have to change your entire strategy. As, and if it does, you already know I will record a podcast immediately.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:36]:
Okay. And let you know on Instagram. So with that said, the creator's account is letting us in on how to boost our reach. So let's see what they said. First slide. What helps your reach? Focus on authentic interactions. Now I love this because I think a lot of people have forgotten this part. We are humans behind these screens.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:53]:
I comment on all sorts of stuff. I comment on food, obviously. I comment on travel. I comment on husband wife humor. I comment on posts that are funny about kids because I have two girls and one is, you know, the youngest is the typical second child. So any second child hilarious stuff, obviously I'm commenting. It loves to see that. And no, if I comment on stuff outside of my niche, it does not affect who sees my content.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:17]:
Trust me, I rarely engage with content within like Instagram tips, et cetera. So focus on authentic interactions. One of the most important ways to increase your reach is through engagement from your audience. So while I'm an, also an outward engager, I engage on other people's posts. I also make sure I reply to comments. And right now I have a reel going crazy and I spent like 30 minutes replying to comments yesterday morning, 30 minutes last night. I try to make sure I get to every single one. So there you go.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:40]:
Consider video quality, make sure your reel is well lit. Yes, very important. And right now my lighting is awful. We're still trying to figure out where the lighting is best for this podcast. I do have a light, but I usually record in my sunroom or in my kitchen because the lighting is good. And I just know parts of my house where the lighting is best. Another thing I do when I drive in the car and I do a reel in the car, I will literally circle a parking lot until I find the best lighting. So yes, lighting is great.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:04]:
It also says has a minimum resolution of 7 okay, I would ignore that. See, there's certain things in this that I'm like, yeah, good. But I've found that I shoot in 4K, uh, 60 frames per second. I have a video about it. It will be in the show notes. Okay. And it used to be that, you know, they were like TikTok and Instagram. They're like, oh, they compress and it ruins it.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:23]:
That's true. But wouldn't you rather upload at the highest quality? Right. And that's what I do. Okay. Um, explore trending audio. We consider the popularity of trends on Reels, including music sounds to determine how to rank and recommend content to new audiences. I love that they added this. You guys, just so you know, anytime I put a post up on Instagram, if it's within that last week, the audio is likely still trending.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:43]:
I will never not use a trending audio. So there you go. And again, yes, I always add audio to my carousels and people always ask me, they're like, what kind of, how do I choose? I like to just say, what's the vibe? And if it's a carousel, I try to use music that doesn't have a lot of words because they're going to be reading a lot of words. So I don't want it to be overstimulating. And obviously if it's an upbeat, fun reel, I keep the music upbeat. If it's more of a heard type of like, emotional type of story, I use that type of music. So there you go. Like or reply to comments on your Reels.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:13]:
We, we've gone over that, right? Within the first couple days to generate more engagement. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. And that is why I say, and this is why I'm glad we're going through this and I'm giving you the how behind it, what that also means to me, this is why when people are like, what time do I post? I'm like, it literally does not matter. Um, the only time I think it would matter is if you're hyperlocal in your coffee shop. If you're putting your coffee up at like 8 o'clock at night, unless you're saying Go to bed dreaming about our coffee. We'll see you tomorrow morning. That's cute. But you know, typically if you're hyperlocal, you might wanna think about that.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:39]:
But with that said, that's why I always say the best time to post is the time that you can be active to reply to comments as much as possible. No, you don't have to reply to everyone, but at least add the first few come in. Really important. Study your insights. We talk about that a lot here on the podcast and on Instagram. Just, and every time I can't think of something to post or I'm busy, um, I'm having a bad day, but I still wanna be there for you guys. I'll find, I'll go to my insights, look at content I've shared. I'll get something that got— did really well a few months ago and I'll just share it again or remix it a bit.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:07]:
And there we go. Okay. What hurts your reels? Sharing non-recommendable content. So be sure your content doesn't go against recommendation guidelines. Include engagement bait. Now I tell every, every single one of my reels is there's some sort of engagement bait technically, right? I'm saying, hey, follow, like, comment, et cetera. That's not what they mean. They mean like if you're, if literally the, the, the content itself like has no value and you're like begging, right? So it's okay to say, follow this.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:33]:
Like, I just wouldn't do one, more than like one or two. I try to keep it like, save this, share with a friend, follow for more. I try not to get like too crazy. All right. Posting reels with watermarks. So if you're on TikTok, I mean, TikTok automatically saves your video, so you shouldn't have to worry about watermarks, but there are apps out there and websites where you can put the URL of a video and it will take the watermark off. So just search that, like TikTok watermark remover, things like that. Or, you know, you don't need your logo on your video, nothing like that.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:01]:
Taking credit for content that isn't yours. Ahem, ahem, ahem. People in my industry, if you know, you know, there was someone who was doing that and actually teaching that in my industry, but I digress. Okay. Yeah. So never do that. Just don't do that. Let's not do that.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:14]:
Um, creating reels that are too long. Reels over 3 minutes won't be recommended to new audiences. Now, this is another one where I think actually over 3 minutes, yes, but I have seen 3-minute reels that are going completely viral and I mean millions of views. So. Again, when you're creating your content, remember those first 2 to 3 seconds are most important. You need that hook, you need to grab 'em, but then you gotta make sure the next 3 seconds and the next 3 seconds, right? All right, next slide. Tips for creating engaging content. More relatable equals more shareable, and we know this, right? We want content that's relatable to us, that resonates, that's relevant.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:43]:
So if people see your content and think, that's literally me, they're more likely to pass it along. We talk about this all the time on good content, all the time. Last week's con, oh my gosh, please, please, I beg you, listen to last week's episode about my RISE hook formula. The first R is relatable. So that'll fix any issue you have. I promise you that episode might be, it's a little more technical. It's, you're going to want to get your notepad out, but there you go. Okay.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:11:09]:
Create content that starts a conversation. 1000%. And honestly, guys, even in the comments, like right now, let's say you're doing a funny reel about I don't know, spring coming to your town, like, or even if it's something like, oh my gosh, I can't wait for New England to feel like this in 3 months. And it's like, right, you could say in the comments, like, what, what beach are you most excited for? Or what place are you most excited to get iced coffee in the morning? Great, start a conversation. Um, right now, what do people want to talk about? Probably Olympics. They want to talk about spring coming, right? What do they want to talk about? Make every second count. It's important to hook your audience. We already discussed this, right, with the first 3 seconds.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:11:42]:
Then find creative ways to keep their attention until the end, right? We wanna close that loop. Our brain wants to close that loop. Uh, what I often like to do if I'm giving 5 ways to XYZ, what I'll do then is say, you know, the third one is the one that most people miss. And so I give the third tip at the end. You don't wanna give away the whole enchilada, right? Think, you know, the appetizer is the hook. You wanna keep 'em until dessert, right? Ensure your message is easily understood even with the sound off. So what does that mean? Add captions, I beg, right? There's people who are hard of hearing. There's people who are like me that are watching reels in bed or in line somewhere, and I don't want my volume all the way up.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:18]:
So there you go. That is how you take what Instagram literally said direct from them. That is how to take that, take what they are sharing with you, but also execute it. You have got this. And let me tell you something, all that works for LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, YouTube. Okay. I think the most important thing there is to remember we're humans behind these screens. It's a storytelling app.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:40]:
The algorithm does not change all the time like people want you to think so that they can get you all worked up and, uh, right, buying their courses. Content that is resonating is changing all the time. Instagram itself is not changing all the time, but that's why you listen to this podcast. That's why you got me in your back pocket holding your hand through it all, because yes, What we as users, what's working for us is constantly changing. And that's what I study. And I got you. Alright, love you, friend. I'll talk to you next week.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:13:08]:
I hope this helps you dominate your week. Mwah!