Almost every senior photographer I know has been frustrated with the Instagram algorithm at some point. We either love it or hate it. I hope you will end up loving it by the end of this blog post.

So let’s start with what the algorithm is before we dive into how to make it work for you.

WHAT IS THE INSTAGRAM ALGORITHM ANYWAY?

So I’ve come to the conclusion that the algorithm is one of 2 things. It’s either Voodoo Magic or a bunch of little guys in a back room deciding what is cool and what’s not cool. I haven’t decided yet. Kidding!!! Now, we can really start :)

BUT REALLY, WHAT IS IT?

Simply put, the Instagram algorithm decides which content gets seen.

Every single time a person opens the app, the algorithm instantly goes through all available content since they were last there, and decides a few things:

Which posts should go to the top of the newsfeed, and in what order they should be in
Which posts should be featured on the Explore tab
In which order Stories, Live videos, Reels and IGTV videos show up

This all on an individual basis. None of us see the same thing. And that’s a good thing!

Basically, the Instagram algorithm is the set of rules that controls your content’s organic reach - who sees what and when they see it.

How the Instagram algorithm works and how to make the Instagram algorithm work for your senior photography business | What to post to Instagram to increase engagement, How to market your senior photography business on Instagram

HOW DOES THE INSTAGRAM ALGORITHM WORK?

Now that you know WHAT it is, I bet you wanna know HOW it actually works. How does the algorithm decide whether a piece of content is worth showing to a particular person at any given time? Basically, it looks at the user’s past behavior, weeds through all the available posts or pieces of content out there, and then evaluates each one to make a prediction about how interesting it might be to that particular user.

Then the algorithm puts the most interesting content (predicted for that user) to the top to increase the odds of them seeing it.

YEAH, BUT HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?

Making sense so far? Now let’s talk about how the algorithm makes those predictions - through a ranking system. Yep, our content is ranked and shown to users by meeting a few different criteria.

FIRST, IS THERE AN ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP?

The algorithm assumes that people who’ve interacted with your account in the past will be interested in your new content. I’d say that’s a pretty good assumption. So when it decides whether to show a post to one of your followers (or someone who acts similar to your followers), it evaluates the relationship you have with that person first.

Do you actually follow each other?
Have they ever searched for you by name?
Do you DM each other or leave comments on each other’s posts, stories & reels?
Do you tag each other in your posts?
Have they saved any of your posts?

What does this mean for you?

✅ ENGAGEMENT MATTERS!!! A LOT!!! BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT YOUR TIME ON INSTAGRAM & HOW YOU ENGAGE WITH YOUR FOLLOWERS.

WHEN ARE YOU POSTING?

Instagram wants to give their users the most relevant content when they open up the app so the Instagram algorithm assumes that the most recent posts are most important to people. New posts win y’all!

What does this mean for you?

✅ POST WHEN YOUR AUDIENCE IS ON THE APP!!! AND POST OFTEN SO IT’S “NEW”.

IS YOUR CONTENT INTERESTING TO YOUR AUDIENCE?

The algorithm’s job is to give the people what they want with a little mixture of a few other things they might find interesting. It works FOR us, showing us what we want to see. I have no interest in fresh, hot batches of chocolate chips cookies or cute puppy reels so I’m sure Instagram knows not to show that to me. Ok, just kidding. Give them all to me!!

What does this mean for you?

✅ YOU BETTER KNOW YOUR IDEAL CLIENT, WHO YOU ARE TALKING TO & BE POSTING FOR THEM!

HOW OFTEN ARE THEY ON THE APP?

The more someone opens up the Instagram app, the more chances of seeing your content. Seems pretty simple, right? Yep, but this one isn’t so simple at all because of that whole “show them the newest and relevant content” thing.

What does this mean for you?

✅ IF YOU AREN’T POSTING OFTEN, YOUR AUDIENCE ISN’T GOING TO SEE YOUR CONTENT BECAUSE INSTAGRAM WILL SHOW YOUR AUDIENCE THE NEWEST & MOST RELEVANT POSTS FIRST. MEANING, NOT YOURS IF YOU ONLY POST EVERY NOW & THEN.

HOW MANY ACCOUNTS ARE THEY FOLLOWING?

Ok, this is just easy math & common sense here. The people who follow more accounts will miss more posts. Have you ever noticed how teenagers usually follow less accounts than follow them? Or how they like to keep the numbers equal? Generally speaking, they don’t want to appear unpopular so they don’t follow more than follow them. They clean up their accounts & pretty often. That’s good for us - as long as we are relevant to them. Guess what? We need to follow suit!

What does this mean for you?

✅ CLEAN UP THE ACCOUNTS YOU FOLLOW. GET RID OF THE DEAD WEIGHT SO THAT YOU CAN SEE WHAT YOUR IDEAL CLIENT IS POSTING. FOLLOWING ACCOUNTS THAT DON’T SERVE YOU (WON’T HIRE YOU) MEANS YOU WILL MISS THE POSTS OF THE ONES WHO JUST MIGHT ;)

HOW MUCH TIME DO THEY SPEND LOOKING AT YOUR CONTENT?

Instagram wants to keep us on their platform. Why? Because the longer we are on there, the more ads they can show us. The more ads they can show us, the more money they can charge the businesses running the ads. There. I said it. But that’s what it comes down to. So, we are rewarded when we keep users on the platform. The more time a person spends on your specific account, the more likely they are to see more of your content.

What does this mean for you?

✅ KEEP THEM ON YOUR PROFILE LONGER. HOW? RIGHT NOW, THAT IS WITH CAROUSELS, REELS, STORIES, FEED VIDEOS & IGTV.

HOW TO MAKE THE ALGORITHM WORK FOR YOUR SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS:

Follow your ideal clients and establish those connections so Instagram picks up on that.
Be intentionally engaging with your audience. Set a timer & get to work leaving genuine comments!
Post often & consistently.
Post when they are most likely going to be on their phones scrolling through Instagram.
When posting, keep your ideal client in mind. Only post what they would find interesting. In fact, ask yourself these 4 things before you post to Instagram.
Clean up your account - followers & following. Get rid of accounts that aren’t helpful to your business.
Carousels, reels, stories keep your audience on your account longer. USE THEM! Here’s some fresh ideas for your Instagram reels if you need them :)

Ok y’all. I hope that helps sum it up and I hope I’ve convinced you that the Instagram algorithm really is there to help you!

Instagram wants to show your content to the right people! Let’s help them do that! 💗

OK, you up for a challenge? I sure hope so! Cause I'm ready to give you one. Or maybe I should say 10? (keep reading if you have no idea what I'm talking about)

10 DAY INSTAGRAM CHALLENGE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

If you're like a lot of the senior photographers I talk to you might struggle with what to actually post on Instagram. Maybe you don't want to sound "salesy" or you don't feel cool enough to relate to high schoolers anymore.

Hey, I've been there. It takes a while to find your rhythm on Instagram, but when you finally have it, it can be pure gold for your photography business!

In this 10 Day Instagram Challenge I want to help you with a few things that might be stressing you out. Here's a few things we are going to cover:

How to set up your profile to attract the right clients
How to set up your content categories
How to research and come up with ideas
How to avoid the most common mistakes on reels
How to plan for and schedule out your content
How to script out and batch record your reels
And a few more things too! I can't give it all away 😉

If you missed you've missed the buzz, this is like a mini prep course for Insta Secrets, my full year Instagram course and content planning system full of ideas for your posts, stories AND reels for AN ENTIRE YEAR just for senior photographers.

By the end of this 10 day challenge you will have 2 full weeks of content planned out and on your calendar, ready to post!! And you'll be inside a private FB community to bounce ideas around with! It's going to be so much fun!

To join the 10 Day Challenge and all the fun inside our community you can register here for $27.

I can't wait to get started with you!!

Instagram challenge for senior photographers. Learn how to plan, script & batch Instagram posts, stories & reels for 2 FULL WEEKS for your senior photography business!

I’m sure this sounds great & all, but I bet you’ve thought more than once . . .

Yeah, but how in the world do you have time for creating all of this Instagram content to market your senior photography business?

If you’ve been around me for a little while you will know that I am a firm believer in systems. Getting solid systems in place is the fastest way to a successful photography business. That’s why I created my Instagram content planning system called Insta Secrets for senior photographers. It’s what I use in my own senior photography business, and because I know it works I decided to share it with you guys too.

If you are ready for some serious Instagram strategy for your photography business you aren’t going to want to miss out on Insta Secrets!

This Instagram Program is a complete content planning system with proven Instagram growth strategies and over 300 story, reels, and post outlines just for senior photographers! I can’t wait to share it with you guys!

If you are a senior photographer who needs a strategic social media marketing plan in place to book sessions then Insta Secrets will be absolutely perfect for you! Be sure to join the wait list to save $100 on this amazing Instagram marketing tool for senior photographers! Join the waitlist here!