Increase Instagram Range: With These Tips, You Can Grab Visibility!

1. How do you generate reach on Instagram?
2. What does high-reach Instagram content look like?
3. 5 mistakes that cost you your reach on Instagram
4. Your reach is falling! What can you do?
5. Where do you find the reach metrics in the app and in the Meta Suite?
6. Reach or no reach, that's the question now!

"Followers bring reach on Instagram - and therefore you should have as many of them as possible" - A myth that unfortunately is very persistent. A large number of subscribers certainly can't hurt, but today you don't really need them for reach anymore. Follow, unfollow is out!

How you actually build reach on Instagram, our guest author Sebastian Hering explains in this article.

How do you generate reach on Instagram?

The algorithm on Instagram follows a simple principle: Positive user signals like likes, comments, shares, saves, views or even dwell time mark certain successful content as particularly relevant for the user group on Instagram. Instagram then rewards this by showing the content to a wider user circle - all according to the motto "What some people find great, others will surely like too!" And that makes complete sense from an Instagram perspective, because only when users find good content, they stay active on the app. In this way, a win-win-win situation is created between Instagram, its creators, and the users.

Instagram Algorithms

For a long time, reach for companies was dominated by the topic of "followers". Users therefore only saw content from accounts they have subscribed to. For a few years now - and the growing competition from TikTok has certainly contributed to this - Instagram has been playing more with making its users aware of accounts and content that they do not yet follow. Reels do this on a large scale, but also in other areas of the app these efforts become apparent. This happens, for example, through posts in the "Explore area", through active suggestions in the feed, or when you are navigating from one short video to the next within the Reel tab.

Now the task is to identify the parameters that ensure that the visibility of your posts skyrockets - and you already hear it: this has nothing to do with followers.

What does high-reach Instagram content look like?

"Content is king!" Yeah, nobody wants to hear it anymore and yet it is elementary to get your reach in the passing lane - because only good content generates user interaction, triggers the Instagram algorithm, and creates visibility. But let's get more specific: What makes good Social Media Content?

• It is rich but not overstuffed - in terms of inspiration, information or entertainment.
• The best is when it combines two of these three user needs.
• It covers topics that interest your target group.
• He conforms with the zeitgeist or follows an Instagram trend.
• It is unique in its form.
• It is consistent in design but also in topics.
• It is of high picture or video quality.
• It provokes users into action (like, comment, share, save or watch etc.).
• It is mobile-friendly, vertical and doesn't know the 16:9 format.
• It contributes to the company's goals without being promotional.
• It does not aim at sales.

As you can see, there's quite a lot to consider. How about you just try it out on Reels?!

Why can't you avoid Reels, when it comes to reach?

They are on everyone's lips: Reels! The vertical short video format modelled after TikTok has taken Instagram by storm. Numbers confirm this. Reels now make up one third of the content, but reach about 50% of the reach, as Futurebiz reports. Especially the fact that successful reels are still shown to audiences even weeks after publication, makes them particularly attractive. But why are reels so high in reach? Meta likes to look at competitors like Snapchat and TikTok to adapt popular features for its platforms. Stories and reels are probably the most prominent examples.

What does Instagram have to do now so that users start using a new format like reels intensively? The answer is quite simple: it just rewards them - with visibility. And since they are particularly popular among users, they are particularly suitable as an incentive. But don't get it wrong: Even with reels you don't get reach as a present. You should think about it a bit before, during and after production.

But with the following tips, you are already well positioned:

• Take your clips in 9:16 (vertical). Only when the entire screen is filled by the video, the contents appear particularly tangible and "close."
• Pay attention to good illumination and high quality of the recording.
• Keep the clips as short as possible (15-30 sec.) and do not try to artificially stretch them.
• Ideally, the end image should look like the start image. This makes the video seem looped and users watch it twice - the resulting positive user signal increases the distribution to other users.
• Get creative and use unusual perspectives, filters or effects to spruce up your reel.
• Make the reel start particularly attention-grabbing to "catch" the users immediately.
• Jump on current trends regarding music, filters and topics, yet try to keep your recognition value through small elements like colors and perspectives.
• Use functions like text overlays, cut options and fades that Instagram provides for you.
• Maintain consistency in fonts, colors and styles so that users can see at first glance that the reel is yours.
• Avoid TikTok watermarks, because they reduce your reach.
• Set your topics, products or services in an entertaining, humorous or informative way in scene, because nobody wants to see plain advertising.

Reels Specifications

One thing is clear: With Reels you can really let off steam and if the users love them, you can enjoy fast reach growth. But with all the enthusiasm, you should look at the user experience as a whole - and that also includes other Instagram formats.

How can you use Instagram stories to build reach?

"Stories? Oh, right, there are them too" - and just like Reels, they're still extremely popular. But what does their reach format look like? In contrast to Reels, they rather reach followers than new users. However, used cleverly, they can increase the reach potential of other content formats. Several factors play a role here.

Stories are true entertainment centers within the app, which in contrast to Reels offer many more opportunities for storytelling and interaction. Your creativity knows no bounds. Image and video stories can be purposefully combined with each other to build a real red narrative thread. Even better: They can then be enriched with varied interactive elements like quizzes, polls, emoji reactions, sliders, filters, stickers, GIFs etc. and musically underscoring.

You see, there's a lot going on here – a lot that triggers engagement and thus positive user signals. These in turn provide visibility - for future stories, but also for Reels, images and carousels. These are then again particularly suitable for attracting new user groups.

Following the motto "Hello, look! Here's new content!" stories also allow the feed formats to be directly and callable displayed in a story frame. Users can therefore jump directly to the depicted feed content and interact with it - and "push" it.

If you want to do it really cleverly, you build them into an informative and interactive story sequence and thus create a rich, coherent user experience. That would then be the icing on the cake!

What role do influencer cooperations play in building visibility?

"One complete reach, please!" Especially if you are new with your brand or your company account on Instagram is not yet well-known, cooperations with influencers are a real and obvious recommendation. In particular, nano and micro-influencers could be interesting to make both your account and your products and services better known. They bring along both, what you need for successful influencer marketing: decent reach AND a good connection to their followers - and that at relatively cheap prices.

Another advantage: Creator profiles reach more organic reach on Instagram as well as on other platforms like LinkedIn than company profiles. No wonder, because that follows the very natural instinct of people - and they are more excited about other people than about companies. Therefore, definitely include influencers in your Social Media Strategy.

5 mistakes that cost you your reach on Instagram

2.88 billion active users are active on the different platforms daily according to Meta. That's a whole lot of potential that you can capture. So you can do that, you should avoid certain pitfalls, myths and negligences. Then it will work out with the hotly desired reach on Instagram.

1. Reels alone are enough for maximum reach

Reels are currently considered the ultimate saviors when it comes to reach. But other formats like images, carousels or stories should not be neglected. Depending on how users move after the entrance in the app, they also decide which content they primarily perceive (want to) with this visit. If they look at stories, they will hop from one story to the next for a while and leave the feed alone. If they dive into the Reel tap, feed and stories might not play a role.

Attention and intention during app usage also have an impact on which posts are consumed. On the couch, they will surely like to watch your reels, but on the way home after a tiring day of work, a few nice pictures may just be enough for them.

Mix it, baby! A variety of formats ensures that you create multiple touchpoints between you and the users - regardless of how they move through the app and how they currently feel.

2. Posting now and then is enough to be successful on Instagram

Social media successes only become visible in the long term. It is not enough to publish content regularly for three months and then suddenly take a break, just because you have already achieved your first goals. Users are used to companies and creators regularly publishing content that enlightens, entertains or inspires them.

And if you do that, you create reliability and user loyalty. This then reflects itself over the longer term in interaction and increased reach - that's the goal! However, the quality should never suffer under the pressure to post regularly. If you manage three posts per week, that's great, but two in the long term are also good!

3. It's about content, not community!

Why should you bother with a community when followers are not that important anymore? Valid question, as most social media managers do not actually enjoy responding to comments, tricky direct messages or dealing with shitstorms - whether with the help of Social Media Suites or not. The answer lies in the interaction of engagement and reach. A strong and loyal following will always give your content sufficient "initial help" to transport this via the Instagram algorithm to new users - guaranteed reach.

In addition to the technical aspect, an active community management speaks for another aspect. Through comments and messages you get concrete inspiration for new and potentially high-reach content. And you surely don't want to leave this potential on the street.

4. Big reach on Instagram: Hashtags will fix it!

More hashtags = more reach? If only! Some successful posts, for example, come out completely without them. On the other hand, users also follow certain hashtags. So if your photo, carousel or reel is tagged with it, there is a chance that these users will see your post. This can be the case, but it doesn't have to be, as other posts can always be more relevant.

Hashtags therefore do not guarantee more reach. My recommendation: Use four to six hashtags that are relevant to your post. Do not limit yourself exclusively to thematic hashtags like #sports, but combine these with hashtags that express an attitude or a lifestyle. This could be #healthylifestyle or #gymrat for example. So use hashtags rather to additionally enrich your content than to try in vain to trick the algorithm.

5. Reach without great effort? Sweepstakes are the solution!

"If content doesn't work out to inspire users for my channel, I'll try it with sweepstakes!" Please don't!

Of course, you can organize a sweepstake with an attractive prize and call on others to tag and follow your channel. Reach is certainly brought in for the moment, but in the long term it goes just as fast as it came. Why? Big surprise: The users were actually not interested in your topic, but in the win. They will unfollow the channel after the drawing or the algorithm will comfortably filter out your content for them.

My tip: Use sweepstakes as an interactive measure to reward your following for their loyalty - without agenda, without tagging compulsion, because then your channel is fun and reaches the interest of new users in a completely natural way.

Your reach is falling! What can you do?

First of all, stay calm! That the reach once crashes happens and can have several reasons. Maybe your topics simply didn't resonate well. Lack of engagement means low reach in the end. Adjust crown, keep an eye on metrics and watch the development long term. In addition, there can also be seasonal or punctual fluctuations - for example at Christmas, when everyone sits together with their loved ones under the Christmas tree. Instagram can certainly be a side issue then. Then there's the scenario where instead of your posts, those ones go through the roof that cover the current world happening. Sorry, but there comes the algorithm with the relevance cudgel again.

Yes, and then Meta regularly conducts tests and changes small parameters to see which changes bring an improvement in user experience. These tests can also affect the reach of your posts - positively as well as negatively.

You see, a lot is actually not in your hand. But what if your reach says goodbye in a long term and your key figures have been in a downward spiral for a somewhat longer time - say a month?

• Check out the Instagram Blog or the profile of Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri and check if the algorithm has been changed!
• Visit other company and creator accounts and see if a comparable drop in reach can be detected. This works particularly well with reels, because the views are all public.
• Analyze the performance of your content and look for similarities between your good posts and the bad ones. Professional tools that can help you in this regard are for example:

Zoho Social

Sprinklr

Falcon.io

Hootsuite

SocialHub

Where do you find the reach metrics in the app and in the Meta Suite?

Many ways lead to Rome - or in this case to reach metrics on Instagram, depending on whether you want to see the reach of an individual post or the total reach of your account.

Reach via Instagram Insights

You can easily find the reach of an individual post by selecting one of your posts in your profile area. Once you have done that, tap the button "View Insights" directly under the image or video. There you will also find other performance metrics, such as engagements.

Reach via Instagram Insights

If you want to see the engagements for your entire account, there are two ways. Both start again in your profile area.

Underneath your picture and the account information you will find the so-called Performance Dashboard. Tap on it and jump right into it. Top right under the gear wheel, select "All" in the account insights section and you are already in the overview. There you have the overall metrics of the "accounts reached", "accounts that have interacted" and the "total number of followers" at a glance. The arrows on the right take you to the respective submenus. In the lower area of the overview page, you'll see an overview of the different content formats under "Content you've shared" - next to it the quantity indication. The arrows on the right take you to further insights, for example your Reels. Of course, no matter what level of insights you are on, you can see everything for certain periods of time. You can always set these up.

There is also another way to get to these insights, by tapping the burger menu at the top in the profile area and then selecting Insights. No matter how you go about it, the insights are always only a few clicks away.

Reach via Meta-Business-Suite

The reach metrics of your Instagram account via Meta-Business-Suite are very easy to find. When you open the tool, the total reach of your Instagram account is immediately visible. You can adjust the period at the top right. But you can also go to overall reach via the "Results" tab. If you're interested in the engagements of individual posts or stories, then you can find them in detail and clearly arranged in the "Content!" tab. The Meta Business Suite makes it really easy for you here.

Meta Business Suite

No matter which way you choose to get to your performance metrics: Regular analyses help you to identify and further develop high-reach content.

Reach or no reach, that's the question now!

Finally arrived at the end - and with some tips in the bag. The power of Reels, the increasing affection of the Instagram algorithm for new accounts and the networking of the various formats - these were just some possibilities, how you can hopefully inspire a large number of users for your content. Think big, be creative and just try it out!