11 Tips For Reaching Instagram’s Explorer Page

How to get on the Instagram Explorer Page?

We get this question all the time so we thought we would put together a cheat-sheet of tips for increasing your chances of having your posts reach Instagram’s Explorer Page.

1. Know what your audience is engaging with/Do your research

You absolutely must know what your audience wants to see to make it onto Instagram’s Explore page. Otherwise, you are wasting your marketing efforts. The platform personalizes Explore pages for individual users. To do so, head to your feed, tap the insights on a selected post and swipe up to gain the metrics around its performance. Then, go to the Discovery section of the insights to see a breakdown of your post’s impressions. Check out your From Explore metric (if you have already landed on it) and make detailed notes about what is gaining traction. 

2. Post when your prospective audience is ready to engage

Post when your prospective audience is open and available for new content. They are more likely to like, comment and engage during certain times. These types of interactions signal to Instagram that your content is valuable and others may want to discover and engage with it as well. The optimal time to post depends on your industry and niche. In general, post between 9-11 a.m. EST.

3. Stick to tried and true themes

Settle on an aesthetic as early as possible. You must honor your look by being consistent with it on Instagram Stories and posts. A theme/palette will set your followers’ expectations for your brand, instilling trust. People prefer what is familiar over what is experimental. This does not mean you have to do away with creativity; you can play around with animated posts. Think less static and more dynamic images and texts. Use GIFS and visual effects, or storyboard a video series. 

4. Transform photo content into videos for your feed or Stories

Surprisingly, a platform built on selfies and stills of food has made video king/a rock star. Videos simply get more attention because they are interactive. They autoplay in Explore and have a higher chance of getting attention. Transform the images you already have by creating stop-motion graphics. Layer still images in Adobe Photoshop or apps like Life Lapse to craft a GIF-like video. These layered images are ideal for product shots in slideshow videos. Choose a background element like clouds to focus on when brainstorming how to make images move. Animated elements such as a twinkle, GIF sticker or a looping video background level up still images. Boomerangs are also a great way to add animation via a simple GIF loop. The resulting videos help your business stand out in a feed of static images and captivate your prospective audience. 

5. Make your product/service the star of short and sweet feed videos

Highlight your product or service with easy-to-digest video content. A makeup company could do a mini tutorial. A real estate developer could show a 3D rendering of floors being stacked up or a short time-lapse of a 3D rendering being designed. Showcase products being used in real life, such as walking a rescue dog with a promoted designer leash. Make sure the focus is on how your product/service supports your prospective audience’s lifestyles.

6. Appear on the Shopping Channel by tagging products

Only the posts and stories that have product tags land on the Shopping page. No one outside your existing audience will know/view your products exist unless you draw attention to them with a tag. Keep in mind that Instagram wants its users to have an easy on-platform experience that yields the results they came to the platform for. Product tags provide a seamless shopping experience by allowing users to browse and shop without leaving the app.

7. Build relationships to relevant brands with tags in your post

Like link building for SEO, Instagram wants to see brands that are considered valuable by other brands. Links signal that there is a relationship between two accounts. Tag and/or mention relevant brands in post captions, on or in the image itself and in your Stories. It is best if the brand you have linked with also returns the favor. By doing so, there is a good chance of making it on the Explore page so your brand can be discovered by their followers and vice versa because of the close alignment of your audiences. Seek out collaborations, repost user-generated content and tag the creators in your posts and captions.

8. Set aside time to create IGTV videos

Feed videos must be less than a minute. In contrast, IGTV videos must be over a minute to be uploaded to the channel. If it goes over, viewers seeing it in the IGTV channel can tap on the video to continue watching. Think of this as a teaser of sorts. Popular videos are easily broadcasted on the Explore page.

9. Don’t forget hashtags

Hashtags are good for business; branded ones are even better. Visibility occurs when users interact with the same hashtags. They highlight your company to others on the platform once you post a topic. Hashtags help discoverability for various interests. More reach equals further engagement, making Instagram an easy place to share valued content. Be mindful of the hashtags you use. Seek out the high fliers of your niche and industry specific to your audience. Use branded hashtags in your Stories to increase exposure and reach.

10. Reconsider quote posts

It is easy to roll your eyes at quote posts, especially when the same ones appear in your feed. Use these type of posts in your business’ content strategy for more engagement and followers. Quotes are popular because they are effective and generate more engagement. Take time to design them for specific audiences. To make the classic/standard quotes stand out, use animation. Add sparkles or GIF stickers to the quote, or make it come alive with a line by line cartoon. 

11. Use a social media marketing agency to get/arrive/premier on the Explore page

Your business can gain and keep traction with consistent posts and engagement. A social media marketing agency can craft stellar video content and moving images. They can help you create a bank of videos to have handy, preventing your feed from looking random. A social media agency will also know the trends and how to incorporate them to boost engagement. A social media agency has the capacity to run a full audit on your market, identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, making trial and error as minimal as possible. They can also keep track of metrics and adjust your customized strategy accordingly with curated, optimized content for increased engagement. Top the Explore page with the right social media marketing agency. Allow MWS Digital to create/enhance your brand’s voice and make your profile a destination for high-quality Instagram content.