6 ways to grow on Instagram in 2024 (according to Instagram)

In April 2024, an influencer who had a direct call with Instagram posted a Reel sharing some of the tips they gave her about profile growth and engagement.

While we can certainly keep a fairly tight grasp on how the algorithms dictating who sees our content work, it’s a rare treat to hear directly from the leaders of a major social platform.

So let’s dive in to the six main things we’ve learned, and how creators and agencies can put them into practice.

1. Use Threads more

Surprise, surprise — a social network rewarding you for using their shiny new toy!

Threads isn’t even a year old as I write this, and though its growth plateaued to a crawl a week after its initial launch, it’s found a foothold with a relatively small but quite active user base.

And with Twitter (also known as ‘X’) continuing to crumble, Threads will no doubt pick up some of the pieces.

As a starting point, create a Threads post introducing you or your brand, and then aim to post at least five times per week. And remember that engagement is a two-way street! Connect with others by following them, liking/reposting their content, and having conversations. Put the ‘social’ back in ‘social network’.

Also: share your Threads content to Instagram, and vice versa.

2. Reels, Reels, Reels

Instagram still recommend that you regularly post Reels. Five per week is the ideal number. Any more is actually too much, according to Instagram.

Make sure you tick all the boxes of a captivating, accessible Reel: tight editing, eye-catching cover photo, and caption overlays (many people watch videos with the sound off).

And when it comes to hashtagging your Reels, go with 5–8 that are more niche and specific, so instead of something like #RestaurantUK, try #ItalianRestaurantShoreditch. Not 100% sure why Instagram suggested this, especially given natural language informs search results just as much as hashtags nowadays, but if that’s what they recommend, it’s worth trying out.

3. Use trending audio

As with TikTok, using trending sounds in Reels and static posts is still key for exposure and growth. There’s a sweet spot: audio with under 1,000 uses isn’t necessarily better, but audio with a couple-million uses is probably too generic and played out. Go for something in the low hundreds-of-thousands.

4. Aim for shares over likes and comments

Getting likes and comments on your posts is cool, but getting shares is cooler. Content that people share to their Stories, for example, gets a nice algorithmic visibility boost. So aim to format your content in a way that doesn’t impede shareability.

If you need inspiration, shareable content is often either informative or humorous. A music festival, for example, will always share their main posters, because it’s the lowest-friction way for attendees to share that they’re going.

A restaurant, meanwhile, might want to think about new ways to introduce a funny edge to their content. Colourful photos of delicious food might appeal to regulars, but the novelty of brands engaging with memes will almost always be more shareable.

And, of course, you can always use ‘Share to Story’ prompts as a mechanic for giveaways.

5. Don’t overdo it with Stories...

Instagram recommends having no more than six Stories posted at once. One of the most regular exit points for users is when they’re scrolling through Stories, and Instagram want to keep people on their app for as long as possible, of course, so avoiding content habits which might scare people off will keep you in the algorithm’s good books.

6. ...but DO encourage people to see your Stories

Instagram say their algorithm favours accounts with a healthy amount of Story views, so, don’t just share your posts to your Stories — do the reverse as well. Encourage your followers to view your Stories, perhaps by regularly posting exclusive content there. And use your Stories as an extension of your posts and Reels. Put links and additional information about things in there. And keep your pinned Stories up to date.

The good news is, many of us are doing most of these things already, but it’s great to get direct confirmation, especially regarding the specific number of times we should be posting in the app’s various spaces.

Go and give all of these tips a go, and send us a message on our own Instagram page if you find they work for you... or if they don’t!