How to Improve Your Instagram Reach: 5 Proven Strategies That Actually Work
Struggling to get your Instagram posts seen? Here’s a secret…
It’s not about when you post (despite what all the gurus or newbies say–It’s about how you post.
Honestly, the algorithm doesn’t really care about your timing. I know it feels like a logical thing to post at the most ideal time (and I’m not saying don’t), but it cares more about some other things than it doesn’t about timing.
With time zones all over the world, saying “post first thing in the morning” doesn’t really make sense. Think about it… If you’re in Pacific Time and you post at 8am… that’s 11am Eastern Time and 4pm in London. So, it’s only first thing in the morning for people in your time zone. Therefore, there has to be a more effective strategy.
And there is!
The algorithm cares more about engagement, watch time, and relevance. Are you engaging and are people engaging with your post? How long are people stick around on your post (eg. how many seconds are they watching of your reel)? Is your post relevant to your audience?
We’ll break down 5 powerful ways to boost your Instagram reach and make sure more people see your content.
Use more Carousel Posts
Yes, all we hear about now is reels, and while reels are important for Instagram, we cannot forget about carousel posts. They’re just as important for your reach. Here’s the thing about carousels. Because they have multiple slides, they actually show up on your followers feeds multiple times. So, they have the potential to see them more than once getting multiple views.
They also get multiple views when people swipe through. Swiping also keeps people on the post longer. More swipes = more engagement (and more engagement potential) = better reach.
You can also include longer copy and storytelling in carousels. Not only in the captions, but you can use your slides to go longer into detail. This makes them great for both storytelling and education. When you create educational pieces of content they typically get save and shared more, and can potentially act as evergreen.
How to make your carousels work:
Hook your audience with a bold first slide–Make the hook on the slide catchy, clear, and enticing. Create curiosity on the slide so your reader will want to swipe to learn more.
Keep the design clean and the text easy to read–If your slides are super overwhelming and distracting, and your text is hard to read, they’ll scroll past and not think twice. Make it easy for them to learn and read your slides. If they learn something they’ll save or engage in other ways.
End with a CTA that encourages saves and shares–Instagram is valuing saves and shares now. The rule of thumb is… If you want your audience to do something… Ask them to do it. And it’s easy to encourage saving on carousels because they typically teach something that the reader will want to remember for later.
Keep using carousels! Sure, they might take some extra time to create, but the engagement they’ll generate will help improve the reach of the rest of your content.
2. Repurpose your best-performing content
If you create content with the future in mind, it’s easy to have your content keep performing and become evergreen. But another way to make your content work for you is by giving high-performing pieces new life.
Instagram gives you some pretty good analytics. It’s pretty easy to figure out what people are most interested in. Look at all of the analytics–Likes, comments, shares, and saves, but also views, watch time, followers vs non-followers views, profile activity, where people are watching, etc. All of this is great data for you, and it’s easy to compare it to other pieces of content.
Go through your posts and find the ones that got the most views, saves, shares or comments and repurpose them:
Turn reels into carousels and carousels into reels
Turn IG posts into blog posts
Create a part 2 of a topic that did well
Figure out another way to say the same message
Create a story series with the same information
If it worked once, it can work again–simply in a new format!
3. Master Instagram SEO & Keywords
Instagram is basically a search engine now (which is actually a good thing!)—so your captions and content need to use keywords (the right ones) to be discovered. But if you’re already an SEO expert, learning Instagram SEO will be a breeze.
And if not, check out this post to start learning.
Finding the best keywords will be important for when you’re crafting your posts. Including them in your reel text, your carousels, your captions, and your alt text will massively help your reach.
How to find the best keywords on Instagram:
1. Use Instagram’s search bar to find what people are actually searching for
Start by typing in a general keyword that is related to your niche (eg. Clean skincare, digital marketing, etc.). Instagram will then provide you with some suggested searches (this is what people are actually searching for). Then, go and click on some of the top-performing posts and see what they’re doing and not doing. This is super helpful because you can see both what your audience is actually searching for and what types of posts catch their eye.
You can design your posts based on the keywords you found and take some inspiration from the posts that are performing the best. Don’t copy of them, of course, because sameness does not stand out online, but figure out what features of the post are most attractive to people and use some of those elements (eg. How long is the reel? How long is the hook? What catches your eye immediately upon looking at it?)
2. Use hashtags for related terms and trending keywords
The internet might be telling you hashtags are out, but rest assured… They’re still in. Don’t overdo it with your hashtags, but still use them strategically. Be picky when selecting them. You can follow the same process as you did when you were searching for keywords; even some of the posts you looked at above might be helpful when you’re looking for hashtags.
3. Analyze competitor captions to see what words they use repeatedly
Put your analytical hat on and start doing a little bit of research. Go take a look at captions and profiles of successful accounts in your niche. What words and phrases do they repeat often, in one post or many posts? Pay close attention to phrases at the start of their captions or the hook of their reel/posts. These will be great indicators of how successful the post will be.
Try mixing in the keywords from these accounts. Again, don’t create identical posts, but instead, use the same keywords and create your own posts. You still want to be original and authentic.
4. Try SEO tools such as Google Keyword Planner and Ubersuggest for ideas.
As I mentioned, general SEO is also helpful for Instagram SEO. They can still give you insights into what people are searching for. Take this data and test it out on Instagram to see what works. This is also a great way to connect your social media profiles back to your website and your offers. Keywords can help your message stay consistent across platforms, so you don’t end up having people love your Instagram just to go to your website and have trouble relating it to what they say on Instagram.
5. Pay attention to Instagram’s alt text & auto captions
Yes, Instagram reads them. Every bit of text you add to your posts matters. Make sure everything is consistent and aligned. If your intention, topic, and audience are clear, Instagram will have an easier time showing it to the people you want it to be shown to. AutoCaptions can give you a hint about what words Instagram considers important.
How to use keywords in your content:
Naturally include your keywords in the first two lines of your caption.
Use hashtags strategically—a mix of broad and niche ones (but don’t overdo it).
Add your keywords to alt text when posting images or carousels.
Say them out loud in Reels if you’re talking in your reels—Instagram detects spoken words!
4. Boost Reel Engagement For Maximum Reach
The algorithm doesn’t push your content based on when you post (I know we were told that for a long time, but that’s far less important than a myriad of other things). Instagram pushes your content based on how people interact with it. It wants to show content that people want to see. When you first publish, it will show it to a select number of people. If those initial people interact and like it, it will push it out further and so on.
Your number one job when crafting your posts is to ensure you create the most engaging posts possible. Include directions that you want people to follow that encourage engagement. Make it simple and clear.
Here’s how to make your Reels more engaging:
1. Grab attention FAST
The first 3 seconds of your reel are everything… literally, everything. If you don’t catch them in the first 3 seconds, it’s not happening. Use a bold statement, a surprising fact or a quick movement to stop the scroll. If someone is scrolling through the reels section on Instagram, make sure you have something that catches their attention amongst all of the other reels they’re aimlessly scrolling past.
2. Use Instagram text & captions
On-screen text = more views. Make it flashy and engaging (and add your keywords to the screen). Instagram loves when you use their features. Try to limit how much you pre-make your reels off the platform (even if it’s tempting to get the aesthetic you want). If you use Instagram’s text and design it on the platform, Instagram will reward you with bigger reach.
3. Spark real conversations
It all comes down to the heart of things… Social media is meant to be social. If you’re creating authentic conversations across the platform, that shows you as an active participant. So, how do you spark real conversations? Make sure your calls to action are specific. Specific = more engagement. Instead of “What do you think?” ask: “What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made doing this?” It can feel like you need to be general to get more people to post because they have more freedom, but statistically speaking, closed choices typically produce better results.
4. Looping reels
Make your reel loop seamlessly. A smooth transition keeps people watching again without realizing it. They might even watch a few times and get you a handful of views. More watch time = more reach. If you keep your reels short and looping with a longer caption, you might even have people stay and have it play a number of times while they’re reading.
5. Focus on Strategy, Not Just Frequency
Posting more isn’t the answer (you really have to stop listening to people who tell you to post 3x a day…. That’s not quality content). The answer is posting smarter.
Instead of stressing about how often you post, switch your focus to creating high-quality, engaging content that keeps people watching, swiping and interacting. If you post 3x a day, not all of that content is going to be worth sharing or interacting with. If you’re not getting engagement and you overwhelm your audience, it could actually decrease your reach.
No one likes things to feel scammy. So, take a breath and find a strategy instead.
Instead of frequency, try:
Creating content that sparks conversation
Making your posts easy to consume (short, clear and engaging)
Using every feature Instagram offers—Reels, carousels, polls, and captions.
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I created a free content strategy made by introverts for introverts. It’s all about capitalizing on your natural communication style and your inherent strengths, without you needing to change your personality.
Growing your Instagram reach isn’t luck—it’s strategy. Those who are succeeding have figured out a strategy that works for them and honed it to mastery. You can do the same.
Remember:
Use carousels to drive more engagement.
Repurpose your best content instead of constantly creating new posts.
Optimize for Instagram SEO so your posts get discovered.
Make your Reels unskippable by grabbing attention fast and encouraging interaction.
Focus on strategy, not just frequency—the algorithm rewards engaging content, not just more content.
