12: Create for Your Audience, Not the Algorithm

Ever wonder why content that used to perform suddenly goes quiet? It's probably not a glitch, it's the algorithm reflecting what your audience actually wants right now. In this episode, I break down how the Instagram algorithm really works and answer the questions I hear most from brewery teams.

In this episode:

1. Why Instagram now has separate algorithms for feed, reels, and more, and why that matters
2. The shift from follower-based to interest-based content, and what that means for your posts
3. Why content that used to get engagement can suddenly stop showing up
4. Whether posting every day actually helps you get discovered
5. How hashtags, location tags, and hooks factor into what the algorithm shows people

Videos mentioned:

1. https://www.instagram.com/p/DNg5GjXOaSC/
2. https://www.instagram.com/p/DbJtPmgx_pK/
3. https://www.instagram.com/p/Da-zL1mDOS5/

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Tapped In, the Kraft Beer Marketing Podcast of Brewery Teams who want to turn their Instagram followers into regulars. I'm your host, Stephanie Grant, and today we're gonna talk about the algorithm. So I have a few questions here that are kind of like frequently asked questions that I wanted to share with you guys. But before I dive into the questions, I want to give you just a basic idea about how the algorithm works and what you can expect from it. So first, the head of Instagram, Adam Masari, I believe that's how you pronounce his name, he came out with a video and basically said that there are different algorithms within Instagram. So there, first of all, there's not just one algorithm, there's one for your feed, there is one for the Reels tab, and those are the ones that seem to cause the biggest pain points for people. It has changed a lot. Before the algorithm was very follower-based. If I follow you, you follow me, we see each other's content. Now it's more based on interest. And the reason why TikTok blew up is because TikTok did a really good job of knowing who their user was. If you listen to my episode last week, I talked about understanding your audience, and TikTok understands not only the TikTok audience, but individual people. And so Instagram decided to basically borrow that same idea, and they turned their algorithm into one that was more focused on your interests. What are the kinds of content that you are interested in seeing versus the content from the people you follow? Okay. I also think this is one of the reasons why sometimes it feels like you're doing the same things, but not getting the same level of attention that you did before. And that's because maybe people have lost interest in that thing. It could be they were really excited about it at first, and they had a squirrel moment, and then they got interested in something else. I mean, I know that my interest or my focus on things changes all the time. I think that's something that just happens with people. One day you might be fully obsessed with French press coffee. That's how I currently make my coffee, and then the next you might be fully into getting a full-on espresso machine. Interests change over time. What type of content they like to view can change over time. Okay. I also want to say that I want you to think more of the algorithm as your audience. Your audience is sort of voting with their attention. And if you think about the person behind the content versus this algorithm that feels like, you know, this machine that doesn't care. Think about the person on the other end of it and what it is that they want. Again, going back to last week's episode, when you think about the person behind the phone or the website, you do a better job of one understanding them, thinking about what it is that they want versus creating content for the algorithm. I don't want you creating content for the algorithm. I want you to create content for your audience, okay? I should get that on a t-shirt. Create for your audience, not the algorithm. That's what I want you to do. All right. So I want to dive into the questions. Okay, so the first one: why did my content stop showing up for people who used to engage with it? I've kind of answered that a bit. It is because they might have lost interest in your content or they might have scrolled past your content. This happens to me all of the time. I get on Instagram to post something for my account or for a client's account. Maybe I got on there to look something up. This is why a lot of times I will use the desktop version of Instagram because I can kind of circumvent some of this, especially if I'm doing research. You will have a video pop up real quick and you don't have time to watch it. And it might be from someone you love following, and you're just like kind of like flick it out the way. Like, I came here to look up Shark Week stuff. You know, if you do that enough, the algorithm will stop serving up your content to that person. And that is part of what happens. Now it might not cover every scenario, but we'll say that either they've lost interest in the content or there was some indication that they weren't interested in that content anymore. If your audience is religiously watching your content, the algorithm is gonna serve it up. I've seen it happen. I have seen it happen on my own algorithms and for the accounts that I manage. It is amazing how quickly any content that you engage with regularly is going to show up. Even if that person didn't just post something, I've seen stuff show up back to back, like old posts on accounts that I manage. And I'm like, wow, that is amazing. I've seen how this works, okay? It is likely because of interest. It also could be because maybe something shifted in what was valued for the algorithm. You know, the algorithm changes. And I don't think these changes are as huge as people might think they are. I think the big changes to where they're weighting things differently. So there was a while ago likes weren't weighted as much as shares and saves, those things can really change the way your content shows up in someone's feed. I think it really is about audiences losing attention, or maybe there was a significant shift in the algorithm and the thing that was making your content popular then is different now because you're not encouraging people to share or save your content is not getting as much attention as it could. All right. Next question Does posting every day actually help me get discovered, or could it be hurting me? I don't think you have to post every day. I would say four to five times a week is enough. I would even say three to four times a week is enough. It is not about how much you post. The benefits of posting or creating that much content on a regular basis is that you get better at creating content, and that can help with discoverability because you're getting better at knowing what content works well, what doesn't, what gets your audience attention? You have to be dialed into your analytics when you do this. It is more about creating quality content than it is creating content every day. Again, that's working for the algorithm, and we want to work for our audiences, not for the algorithm. All right, how does Instagram know how to show my content to people in my city or people planning to visit? The algorithm knows a lot about their users, and this goes for TikTok for Instagram. I get Atlanta content on my feed because I live in Atlanta and I'm interested in things that are going on in Atlanta. I search for Atlanta on Instagram. If I were searching for a location that I was planning to visit, I would start to see that content. Again, the algorithm is about interest. So if I'm currently interested in traveling, that's the kind of content that's gonna show up in my feed. That is why it's also important and good to mention your city or your neighborhoods so that people who are also searching for that type of content, it will come up in their feeds as well. All right, the next question: how many hashtags should I use? And do they even matter anymore? You can use hashtags, but they are not necessary. The algorithm has gotten so good at reading our content, it knows what we are saying in our videos, it can read the text that's on the videos, like it knows what's in the content, and it's important that it does because it basically reads the content and then it says, Oh, this is a puppy video. We're gonna send it to Stephanie Grant because she's gonna share her puppy video with her husband, because we're always constantly sharing puppy videos, and that is how the algorithm works. They know that I'm going to engage with this content, they know that I'm either searching for it, I'm gonna engage with it, I'm gonna share it, I'm gonna save it, so it's going to serve it up to me. And in order for it to do that, it needs to know what that content is, and so this is again why hooks are important. Go back to last week's episode if you want to learn about hooks and ways to make your hooks better. But those are the things that come into consideration as a result. Everyone's algorithm is different. Your Reels tab is going to be completely different than mine. There might be some similarities. Everybody here, we like craft beer, right? So there might be some similarities. You might have seen the same beer videos I have, but it's also going to be different because I have different interests in you. My husband's algorithm is completely different than mine. He has all of these videos of construction workers and stuff, you know, like he's getting yard maintenance videos because that's something that he enjoys and he searches for. I get a bunch of food videos, he also gets food videos, but our food videos are even different. You know, this is what I'm saying. Your interests matter, and showing what your interests are as a brewery is important because this is how you connect with other people online. If you want to do some things to help you master the algorithm, again, I think it's really about your audience and the algorithm. So, with that, my first advice is the same advice I gave you last episode, which is to understand your audience. What are their interests? Not only what are their interests, but what are your interests? What are the things that are interesting about your brewery? Talk about those things. It will better connect you with new people and it might reactivate the people that are already in your audience that maybe haven't seen your content in a while. Okay. The next thing I want you to do, and then probably the first thing, is stop thinking about it as an algorithm and start thinking about it as your audience. Think about your audience and what it is that they want, what it is that they need. How can you serve them online, not just in your tap room? So think about that. Think about what are their interests, what are your interests. I think that's a great place to start. All right, let's dive into some examples. The first one is actually an old video. I was looking for a good brewery recap video. So I've typed in brewery recap anniversary. I came across this video from Pitt Street Brewing where they basically have a bunch of clips from their anniversary and people enjoying themselves, people just in the brewery having a good time. I thought it was just such a cool way to honor the people who came by to make your anniversary great, but also these are probably the same people who visit you throughout the year. Finding ways to make guests feel special is great. I've been working on a piece of content about the seven shots you should get at a brewery event. And what I also love about this is like there are a lot of shots in this recap that can be used for content throughout the year. So, one, don't be afraid to reuse your content. And two, get clips of people enjoying your space, of having a good time, because I think that they go a long way in really telling people who are interested in what you do and who you are. It does a really great job of giving people what the vibe is of your space. I talk about vibe a lot, and I think that this video really makes this brewery. I mean, I don't know anything about this brewery, but the people seem to be enjoying themselves. It seems like a place where I would also enjoy myself, and that's what this type of content does. All right, the next piece of content is from Twin Lights Brewing. It's apparently a part two, which I gotta go look up part one. They're basically opening up a valve, all this beer comes rushing through it. And then this guy talks about we're gathered here to mourn the lost, and he's talking about the fact that they had to dump this beer. He's basically like, you'll be John Cena, the lost beer. And I just I thought it was such a good way to talk about something that happens, and it's probably happened in every brewery across the country. You brew a batch of beer, and if something happens, then you can't use it anymore. You have to dump it. And this is a fun way to take people behind the scenes of the things that commonly happen in breweries and make it fun. I thought they did a really good job. It was a great visual hook. It definitely hooked my attention when I saw it. And then I think following it up there with We Are Gathered Here Today to Mourn the Loss of a Young and Beautiful Beer. Like, okay, what's going on? Now I'm interested. Now I'm curious, right? Really enjoyed that video. The next one is actually not from a brewery, it's from Hog Island Oyster Co. Oh gosh, I can't wait till oyster season again. This one says UV9, perfect coast day, raw oysters on repeat. Oh, that sounds delicious. More wine on the way home by 9 p.m. And what I love about this video, it's showing you all the scenic stuff. It has the oysters, the wine, the coast, the food that's on the table, more oysters, the beautiful scenery that's around this place. The caption is simple. Our dream day. Like, yeah, that sounds like a beautiful day. You know, it sounds like a perfect day. And so I think just taking one clip of what a perfect day at your brewery looks like, and then naming that, just putting that on the screen because it sounds great. Perfect coast day. Like, this is what I'm identifying with. Perfect coast day, raw oysters on repeat. Home by 9 p.m. Yes, it sounds great. Then in the comments, this is it. Home by 9 is an important part of this. Yes, agreed. These are my people. Someone says, You had me with Steely Dan and then kept me with Hog Island Oysters. And so this piece of content probably showing to someone who might already follow Hog Island Oysters, they might know about the place. You know, give me a peek at how the algorithm works. Steely Dan, we didn't talk about in last week's episode how a song can be a hook, how a trending audio could be a hook. It doesn't even have to be trending audio. Then another person comments, home by nine. Okay. Okay, fine, I'll book a trip. Like this is the kind of content that gets people excited, that gets people commenting, that gets them sharing it with others. So I really wanted to include this because I think it's such an easy piece of content to put together. Has 10,000 likes. Okay, and just for reference, I will say Hog Island Oyster Co has 95,000 followers, but still, but still, actually, I'm following them now too. Really, again, go outside of your own network and look for inspiration elsewhere. That is what I would love for you to do. I think it will make your content better and really start to connect with people in a real way. All right, that is all for me. Again, my DMs are always open for you. I love to hear from you guys. Drop me a note, even if you're just like, hey, I'm one of the people who are listening to the podcast and I'm enjoying it. Or hey, I would love for you to talk about this next on the podcast. I'm here, and I will see y'all in the next one.