Have you ever dreamed of your post making it to the Instagram explore page? You’re not alone! The Instagram explore page is the dream of everyone on the platform. Unfortunately, only a few persons ever make it there.  And for these people, nothing can compare to the satisfaction that comes with it. 

I know you’re also itching to get there. Don’t worry, you will. But before we go into the discussion of how you can get there, let’s first find out what the page is really about.

What’s the Instagram explore page?

The Instagram explore page is that section of the app that displays viral posts to a user according to the type of content the Instagram algorithm perceives such a person to like. 

Formerly, this page – which was known as the Popular or Discovery page – only showed those content that has garnered the most likes at the time of a user’s visit. 

But with time, Instagram realized that this factor wasn’t enough to determine whether a post should appear on the explore or not because it doesn’t cater to individual user’s needs. 

So, what did they do? 

Evolved it into the explore page we have today.  Now, what people see on their explore pages aren’t just some of the most popular posts (stories, videos, and photos) on the platform, but posts that match the types of content they like to see the most on the platform.

Why should anyone get on the explore page?

Isn’t it obvious already? To be visible to a great fraction of the audience on Instagram, of course! If you’re a brand or business owner, it is even more important for you to find your way into the Instagram explore page because, with it, you’ll be getting a chance for targeted advertisements without paying a dime. 

So, let’s say you have a product to sell, a brand to market, or an event to create awareness for, making it to the explore page can be a great way to achieve your objective. Because once you’re there, not only will you be seen by those who have ever interacted with such content, but by people who truly fancy such content.

I know you’re wondering already: how will Instagram know these people? Well, the algorithm takes into consideration the types of profiles someone’s following, the posts they’ve interacted with in the past, and the kinds of hashtags they often search for. Using these pieces of information, the algorithm is able to tell what each individual user is likely going to like to see in their explore page.

Read More: 10 Powerful Instagram Marketing Tips 

How to get on the explore page?

Get a lot of followers

For your post to make its way into Instagram explore page, the first criterion is that it must have lots of engagements. And by engagements, we mean likes, comments, reach, impressions, etc. For a profile without too many followers, these might be hard to come by. 

This is why getting as many followers as you possibly can is so crucial to your attempt to break into the Instagram explore page.

But if you don’t yet have enough followers, you can buy Instagram likes (one of the engagements that matter) to boost your chances of being noticed by the Instagram algorithm.

Read More: 10 Instagram Hacks to Quickly Grow your Channel

Post when your followers are online

Having many followers is just half the job, you need to know when these followers are usually online so that you can post around the time when they’ll be available to see it. This is because the first step to getting on the explore page is high engagement, and there’s no way you’ll get that if your own audiences (followers) aren’t online to see what you’ve posted.

Read More: How To Find Your Target Audience On Instagram?

Observe what the posts on your own explore page are doing right

Another way to get on the explore page is by taking a page from the book of those that are already there. Look into their posts to see the actual number of engagements (likes, comments, views, impressions, and reach) they’re getting. Any number you see is the minimum you want to aim for.

In addition, you can also check out the aesthetics, themes, formats, and tone of posts that they’re posting.

Follow the analytics

Use an Instagram analytics tool to analyze your best performing posts. Once you find out what they’re, start creating more of those types of posts. The reason is that remember, to push your content to the explore page, you’ll need more of your audience tapping the hearts button and leaving comments. And what better way is there to make them do this than by publishing content that resonates with them?

Read More: Top 5 Unusual Instagram Analytics Apps You Can Afford

Research relevant hashtags

Instead of placing random hashtags on your posts, take your time to find out the most popular hashtags in your industry. Most likely, these are the kinds of hashtags the people in your industry are also searching for on Instagram. With a relevant hashtag, your post will be exposed to more and more people, thereby increasing your chances of getting those hearts, comments, reach, and impressions you need to make the explore page.

Join a pod group

Pod groups are groups that help people amass engagements on Instagram. The members of the group like and comment on each other’s posts until the posts make it into the explore page. So, find one relevant to your industry niche and join today to get the number of engagements you need to break into the explore page.