I have seen posts discussing the new instagram algorithm a few times in the blogosphere so I thought I'd take the opportunity to share with you my point of view.

For those of you who haven't come across the new Instagram Algorithm, a few months or so ago, Instagram released a new update that meant, like facebook, posts were no longer in chronological order. For smaller bloggers like myself, and bloggers in general to be fair, it's caused massive reductions in engagement and followers on both instagram and their blog.

So, the new algorithm meant that posts were mixed up which meant that a lot of posts now wouldn't be seen. It also appears to me that Instagram is more actively promoting (and therefore moving to the top of feeds) posts from accounts with more followers. This is a big set back for small bloggers like me (currently having a few followers over 300) as it means that often our posts are lower down feeds, if on them at all. Obviously, this is just what I've seen and it may not be the same to everyone, but I thought I share with you what I have personally found.

As a small blogger, the new algorithm massively affected my blog. Before the update, I was posting pretty regularly on my instagram, and I still am, however, likes and comments have now become practically inexistent, which has also resulted in a big drop in blog views - dropping from the 200's to the 50's-  due to the lack of engagement on that particular promoting platform (if you didn't already know, Instagram is my main promoting platform so this was a pretty big knock for me).

Like several other bloggers, I am really struggling with Instagram and it's really making me question how long I am going to be actively posting on there. To overcome this, I've come up with some tips for you guys who may be experiencing the same problems as me:

1. Use hastags wisely

Hashtags can make or break a post, use the right ones and likes will flood in but if you don't get it quite right, even if it's the best content you have ever posted, you will get very few likes.

2. Try and produce the best quality content

If you haven't really got anything to post, don't find a picture you took about 5 years ago on your iPhone 3 because chances are you're going to get more unfollows than if you didn't post anything at all.

3. Interact with similar bloggers/accounts

This has been key in my instagram survival so far. Finding accounts similar to yours that you actually enjoy can be pretty difficult but once you find them, you'll often get a follow back and they'll also enjoy your content. (I'll link some of my favourite accounts in each niche at the end of this post)

4. Post as regularly as you possibly can

This is quite a controversial one, I've found. When I post 1 or 2 times a day I definitely get more engagement and I feel as though my posts sit higher on instagram feeds, whereas other 'gramers feel that they get less engagement. This is totally dependant on your audience so give it a go and see how you get on.

So, I hope you enjoyed this post, and let me know any tips you have in the comments if you've been having similar problems. Thank you so much for reading, and I will see you all again soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

My favourite:

Beauty Accounts:

@lifeastillyrose
@dasiyjosephineblog
@justlucyslife

Lifestyle Accounts:

@chloeplumstead
@susiejverrill
@ellenextdoor

Fashion Accounts:

@eleanorclaudie
@rachyblogs
@stylelobster


Other:

@livv.gracee (She's an all rounder to be honest)
@hannahfgale
@devotedtopink (Another lovely all rounder)