Instagram and Twitter have revealed how to hack your account growth – here is the summary

As social media managers or experts (or however you want to label us), we always say that just as we think we know how to get the most out of Instagram or TikTok, they go and change the algorithms again. But is that really the case?

Is Adam Mosseri from Instagram really changing the apps priorities on a weekly basis, or are we just not always hitting the nail on the head?

Are you taking risks and jumping on trends or are you having to wait days for approval from your client and their three levels of management, and are therefore missing out on the momentum of it all?

We thought we would take a look at the recent announcements by key people at Instagram and also the accidental reveals by current Twitter insiders on what can make your accounts work even better.

A modern social affair

While we question everything, we know that the social landscape is much like Weston-Super-Mare’s Grand Pier: you have to pay to play. From engagement to followers, every platform has a way to monetise growth, and encourages it.

It isn’t just advertising that has been at the forefront of these platforms for brands but verification also. Elon Musk kicked things off by creating Twitter Blue with the promise of longer videos and better reach for those who signed up. They then dangled the carrot of a Twitter Blue for your page that only shared the tweets and media of those who paid.

Meta have since joined the paid-for verification train, trialling it in Australia and later in America. The scheme is only available to creators and the legacy verification is soon to be removed in the hopes it can encourage the reems of celebrities and influencers to pay for the privilege of that tick, among other perks similar to that of Twitter.

How to tweet

The paid-for verification trend hasn’t been all too popular with everyone, which to be honest is to be expected. But what is becoming popular is the increased transparency into how the algorithms actually work. Twitter recently released the weighting that dictates if your tweets will be seen or if they will just disappear into the timeline never to be seen again.

Comments over everything

Don’t get us wrong, we love a retweet - but having a conversation in the replies is what will really benefit you. Create content that gets an actual reaction out of your audience; ask them for their opinion or just get them to reply with an emoji to share how they feel on that particular day.

Does it need a link?

No, really. We know that brands love to get traffic to their websites or campaign landing pages, but unless you are Aldi or John Lewis you are just going to be marked as spam, and not the kind you can eat.

Video soon to be king?

We know that short form video is king on social media, with the rapid rise of TikTok forcing all platforms to make the move to easy-to-consume video content that educates and entertains. But Twitter is the one platform that does ‘alright’ when it comes to videos. With the promise of being able to post longer videos with that paid-for tick, it could be the time to start repurposing video content from other platforms for the blue bird.

Don’t follow everyone and their mother

It’s all about balance. Twitter has confirmed that if you follow more people than follow you back, the algorithm will rank you lower. So have a look through who your brand or clients follow and if they aren’t beneficial to you or are completely unrelated to your niche then there is nothing wrong with bidding them adieu.

As the bloggers used to say…

Stick to your niche! The blue bird groups accounts in circles based on the topics they post about. So, if you tweet about food don’t stray into the world of politics, and if football is your thing then be sure to leave the Kardashians’ latest antics to the pop culture fans. Tweeting outside of your niche will risk your tweets losing the reach you have worked so hard to achieve!

Does Instagram really hate you?

It isn’t just Twitter opening the doors to transparency in a bid to win our hearts. Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, recently set the record straight where those rumours from a mystery Instagram account manager are concerned.

Get rid of those logos

When asked if using the likes of capcut will see your reels be penalised, he said ‘no’, but if they are watermarked or stamped with any logo then your reach will most likely be impacted negatively. That means no branding lurking in the corner (it is what your profile picture is for anyway) and if you can, be sure to remove any idents that feature branding at the start or end of your videos.

To hashtag, or not to hashtag?

That is the question. Mosseri confessed they aren’t all that important, especially when you are using 101 in your caption or first comment. If you do like to use hashtags, make them niche, specific and only use a handful.

So, what is the rule?

You mean how many times should you post to achieve world domination? Again, there are no rules, you know your brand, your audience and what works for them both. Mosseri did however mention that he tends to post a couple of times a week and will appear on stories a couple of times a day, but that isn’t an algorithmic rule and if an ‘expert’ tells you it is so, you know where to tell them to go.

But what if I post twice in one day?

I feel like a broken record, but there really are no rules. What Mosseri did say is that you may see less reach on your second post because your audience just isn’t interested enough, but that is nothing to do with Instagram and you won’t be penalised for posting multiple times in one day.

Be original!

This one is a tip from us. Every platform is unique and works in different ways so treat them so. Don’t just press copy and paste and repost the same TikTok video on Instagram. Look at what your audience is engaging in and try to replicate that in a way that feels authentic to your brand or clients.

Feeling any the wiser?

Social media is ever evolving, but the platforms are opening up and trying to work with brands and creators alike; from TikTok sharing their top tips and tricks in videos and lives to the new kid on the block, Lemon8, sharing exactly how they want the platform to be used and offering caption templates.

Gone are the days of fighting the algorithm and hoping for the best. It’s time to really learn the inner workings of the places you are posting and how to get the most out of them both organically and through paid media support, while also incorporating what the platforms really want into your social media strategy and planning.