Hey there, friend! 👋 So, you’ve been pouring your heart and soul into your Instagram content, but your Instagram reach just isn’t where you want it to be. Trust me, I’ve been there. Back when I was juggling my full-time job at Google and building my content creation side hustle, there were days when it felt like my posts were just disappearing into the void. But don’t worry—I’ve got your back with some actionable instagram tips for reach!

In this two-part series, we’re going to dive deep into why your Instagram reach might be stalling and, more importantly, what you can do about it (aka actionalbe instagram tips for reach). We’ll cover actionable steps, benchmarks to gauge your performance, and insider tips straight from Meta’s recommendations.

Grab your favorite drink ☕, and let’s get your Instagram thriving again!

First Things First: Is Your Instagram Reach Really That Low?

Before we jump into solutions, let’s figure out if your reach is actually underperforming. It’s helpful to know how your account stacks up against industry averages. Below are some general benchmarks. But before that, as a refresher for the definition of reach – reach is the total number of unique accounts that have seen your post.

Instagram Reach Benchmarks

It’s important to note that reach rates, in general, are highly affected by total follower count. In 2024, the average organic reach rate on Instagram was 12.5% (average for all Instagram features).

Now, it’s really hard to benchmark yourself against that number when follower count plays a big role in determining your reach. So, for more detailed data, let’s use the following ranges.

• Feed Posts (by follower count):
  • <10k: 25 – 40%
  • 10k-50k: 10 – 20%
  • 51k-100k: 10 – 15%
  • 501k+: 6- 10%
• Stories (by follower count):
  • <10k: 6 – 10%
  • 10k+: 0.5 – 3% for multiple stories. But for a single story, it can go up to 10%

Note: These figures are general guidelines. It’s essential to compare your stats against your past performance and similar accounts. These figures are also for organic reach (not for people running ads through their IG accounts).

When Will I Get Most of the Instagram Reach?

Another common question I receive is when will I get most of the reach on my posts. This is my general guidance regarding reach from your followers:

• First 2 Days: You’ll get most of your reach in the first couple of days after posting.
• Keep Tracking Over 1-2 Weeks: However, don’t forget that Instagram’s recommendation system continues to show content beyond the initial days. Much of what people consume on Instagram comes from recommendations, and a lot of that content is older than 2 days.

Now, for Reels, I recommend waiting up to 4 weeks to assess performance because they are more likely to be featured in the Explore tab. 

So, keep an eye on your posts for at least a week or two, and at least 4 weeks for Reels, and maximize your engagement with the posts, especially during the first couple of days to maximize reach.

Reasons Your Instagram Reach Might Be Low

Now, if you confirm that your reach is indeed low, let’s move to the next step – the why. 

Understanding why your reach is low is the first step to fixing it. Here are 6 common culprits:

1. Inconsistent Posting Schedule

If you’re posting sporadically, your audience might not know when to expect new content from you, and Instagram’s algorithm might not prioritize your posts. Consistency helps keep your followers engaged and signals to Instagram that you’re an active and reliable content creator, increasing your Instagram reach over time.

2. Lack of Engagement with Your Audience

Not interacting with your followers can make your account feel impersonal. Engagement is a two-way street—when you respond to comments and messages, you build relationships that encourage your audience to interact more, boosting your reach in the process. Regularly engaging with your audience, especially in the first couple of days after posting is an effective tool to improve Instagram reach.

3. Content Isn’t Resonating

If your content isn’t hitting the mark with your audience, they might scroll past without engaging. This lack of interaction tells Instagram that your content isn’t valuable, which can decrease your reach over time. It’s crucial to create content that speaks directly to your followers’ interests and needs, and doesn’t feel generic or like a personal diary.

Also, keep in mind that often, the problem is only part of the entire content. Ensure the first few seconds (hook) of your content is strong and engaging. You only have a few seconds to grab the audience’s attention, so make that count!

From my experience when auditing my student accounts that complain about reach, this is the number one factor. It’s easier to blame other factors like the algorithm than to take responsibility. But if you want to grow on Instagram or any social media, you must take a very critical look at your content, constantly try to get better at content creation, and be open to feedback.

4. Misuse of Hashtags

Using too many irrelevant or overly popular hashtags can make your posts appear spammy or get lost in a sea of content (lowering your Instagram Reach). On the flip side, not using any hashtags limits your discoverability. Finding the right balance with targeted, relevant hashtags helps new people find your content. There’s no magic number of hashtags here – so aim for as many as you can think of that are HIGHLY relevant and specific to your content. 

5. Violating Community Guidelines

If you’ve unknowingly violated Instagram’s community guidelines, your content might be suppressed, making it harder for people to find you. This can happen if you’re posting content that goes against the platform’s rules. Always double-check to ensure you’re in the clear. If you are unsure about a violation, you can always check the Instagram community guidelines here.

6. Not Utilizing All of Instagram’s Features

Sticking to just one type of post can limit your reach, as different followers consume different types of content. To reach more of your followers, make sure to use most of Instagram’s features—like Reels, Carousels, Lives, and Stories —by boosting their visibility. Diversifying your content keeps things fresh and helps you tap into different segments of your audience. Note that stories do not help boost your reach directly, but they help create stronger relationships with your audience, which increases the engagement in your posts and, in turn, helps increase your reach.

Actionable Tips to Boost Your Instagram Reach

Alright, now that you know the WHY, let’s get to the good stuff! Here’s what you can do to turn things around. I will cover 10 instagram tips for reach in total. 4 in this first part of the article and 6 in the second part, which is linked below. 

I’ve organized the recommendations following a standard structure, so it’s easy for you to understand. This is the structure:

1. I will always start with Instagram’s reach best practices that back up my recommendations.
2. Then I move into the “What to do.” This is really the core of my recommendation. No fluff, only tangible and concrete steps you can take to improve your reach.

That’s it. So, let’s get started:

1. Audit Your Content

Meta Best Practice/Insight: “Create content that’s authentic and resonates with your audience.”

What to Do:

• Review Your Top-Performing Posts: Go to Insights > Content You’ve Shared and sort by reach.
• Identify Patterns: What type of content gets the most Instagram reach? Is it Reels or carousels? What topic? Then, go at least one level deeper to try to understand patterns of content approach and type that have reached more people. Lean on them for future content planning.
• Replicate Success: Plan future content that aligns with what has worked well before.
• Quality over quantity: It’s better to post less frequently but with higher-quality content that provides value.

2. Optimize Your Posting Schedule

Meta Best Practice/Insight: “Post when your audience is most active.”

What to Do:

• Check Audience Insights: Find out when your followers are most active (Insights > Your Audience > Most Active Times).
• Experiment with Posting Times: Try different times to see when you get the most engagement.
• Consistency is Key: Stick to a regular posting schedule so your audience knows when to expect new content.

3. Leverage Instagram Reels and Carousels

Meta Best Practice/Insight: “Use Reels and Carousels to get discovered by a larger, entertainment-seeking audience.”

Continue Creating Reels

Reels are more likely to be featured on the Explore page and shown to non-followers, increasing your chances of higher reach and growing your account. Reels is really one of my favorite instagram tips for reach.

What to Do:

• Follow Trends: Use popular music, effects, or challenges, but add your unique twist to them. While trends and trending sounds aren’t necessary in every piece of content, they do help.
• Make it as long as needed (but not more!): make sure every second counts and has a purpose to maintain viewer attention. Also, don’t fall for recommendations saying that your Reels should be short (15-30 secs) to increase reach. Most of my viral videos are longer than that.
• Hook: make sure that your first few seconds are strong – this is the HOOK of your video. Try adding text to set expectations of what the user will get out of your Reel, pique their interest, or open a knowledge gap that they can’t help but watch until the end.
• Read my blog post: this blog post covers 5 Reasons Your Reels Aren’t Going Viral and How to Fix Them

Experiment with Carousels

Carousels often get more reach than single photo posts for two main reasons:

• Increased Interaction Opportunity: More content in a single post increases the chance of audience interaction, which boosts reach.
• Second Chance Visibility: If someone doesn’t swipe through your carousel, Instagram may show it to them again later, automatically displaying a different image.

What to Do:

1. Engaging Content: Include a mix of images and videos to keep your audience engaged.
2. Use Music on Carousels: Adding music to carousels and photos now makes them eligible to be shown in the Reels tab, which can further enhance reach.

4. Design Posts to Drive Shares

Meta Best Practice/Insight: “One of the key signals Meta uses for ranking is the ratio of Sends divided by Reach. The more your content is shared, the higher it ranks. Sends are more important for ranking than Saves!”

What to Do:

• Create Shareable Content: Think about what your audience would want to send to their friends—maybe it’s a helpful tip, a relatable post, or an inspiring story.
• Add Value: Provide content that solves a problem, entertains, or offers unique insights.
• Encourage Sharing: Include a call-to-action in your caption to encourage shares, “share this with a friend who needs to hear this!”

That was a lot, but I hope you found that useful! If you did, check out Part 2, where we cover 6 more instagram tips for reach, including the right timing to engage with your community, ensuring you’re following community guidelines, and leveraging all of Instagram’s features to maximize your reach!

Sources: 1. Bazaarvoice, 2. SocialInsiders, 3. Minter