How to Get on the Instagram Explore Page in 2023

Social media discovery is mostly about ad dollars, but the Instagram Explore page remains one of the last frontiers of organic reach.

Behind the Explore feed, Instagram’s carefully tuned algorithm has become very good at recommending content that people might be interested in.

For brands, the benefits of appearing on the Explore tab include potential spikes in reach, impressions, and sales. This is an opportunity to expand your audience and build a community. Learn about the latest algorithm updates and how to get to the Overview page the right way.

Read the full article or watch the video below for top tips.

What is an Instagram Explore Page?

The Instagram Explore page is a collection of public content including photos, videos, videos, and stories tailored to each individual Instagram user.

Like FYP TikTok, there is no single research page – the Instagram algorithm creates a separate research page for each user.

According to the company, the posts that are displayed are selected based on things like the people you follow, the photos and videos you like, and who you connect with on Instagram.

You don’t follow people you see on the Explore page, which means it can be a great way to find new posts, accounts, hashtags, or products you might like.

The presentation is also constantly changing. The Instagram Explore page algorithm uses machine learning to adapt and improve content recommendations.

How to use the Instagram Explore Page

To open the Instagram Explore page, tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the app.

At the top of the Browse feed, users can search for accounts, keywords, hashtags, and places.

Source: @VishalShahIs Twitter

The Browse page itself displays various categories ranging from a dedicated Reels channel to topics like music, sports, travel, beauty, and food. When you search for something, the category options are customized according to your interests.

Clicking a photo in the Browse feed opens a continuous scrolling feed of content associated with that photo. So in a sense, the Explore page is a huge number of portals leading to more channels, each more detailed and focused than the last.

How does the Instagram Explore page algorithm work?

As we mentioned, no two Instagram Explore pages are the same. This is because the content someone sees when they open the Explore tab is personalized by Instagram’s Explore feed ranking system.

Known as the Instagram algorithm, the system uses machine learning to adjust what is displayed based on various data sources and ranking signals.

Unlike the home feed, where people see posts from the accounts they follow, Instagram engineers classify the Explore page as a “disconnected system.”

In this system, posts are selected “based on user activity on Instagram and then ranked based on similar factors,” explains Amog Mahapatra, one of the company’s machine learning researchers, on his Instagram blog.

Source: Instagram

In other words, each Instagram user’s choice of content on the Explore page is based on:

• Accounts you already follow
• Content that the people you follow likes
• Types of posts you interact with frequently
• High Engagement Posts

Some steps have also been taken to remove algorithmic bias, such as the introduction of machine learning model maps.

Does having a business account on Instagram affect newsfeed rankings?

Instagram’s ranking prioritizes the accounts people interact with the most, whether they’re Business, Creator, or personal accounts.

“Our goal is to enable businesses to develop more meaningful connections with their audiences and be discovered by people who want to deepen their interests by moving away from the accounts they already follow,” business website Instagram says.

Why you want to appear on the Instagram Explore page

Instagram users are expected to grow to 1.44 billion monthly active users by 2025. Even if each research page is unique, this is a large potential audience for your content.

Benefits of appearing on the Overview page may include:

• Increasing engagement. When your content reaches the Explore page, it is available to a wider audience than your followers. There is usually a surge in engagement with that content.
• More followers. If your post is compelling enough, some of your new audience will check your profile and decide to follow you. (Make sure they’re impressed with your awesome bio, flashy covers, etc.) These new followers will also mean more engagement in the future.
• More conversions. Make sure you have the right call to action ready for all those new eyeballs. You may even see a boost in sales thanks to Instagram’s product tags and shopping tools.

Convinced? Let’s see how to do it.

How to get on the Instagram Explore page: 10 tips

Follow these tips to start showing up on the Explore page of people in no time!

1. Know your target market

Your audience is already following you. So, in order to land on the Instagram Explore page, take one more “know your audience” step. Check out your demographics on Instagram, identify the target audience you want to reach in the Explore section, and find out what content these users interact with the most.

Your business account’s News Feed is a good place to start. Dig into posts, categories, and niche feeds and note tactics you could use.

Some questions you might want to ask during this exercise include:

• What tone seems to resonate most with the audience?
• Is there a visual style that works best?
• What type of content (rolls, carousels, static posts) gets the most attention?
• Which type of signature generates the most responses?

2. Share interesting content

With a clearer idea of ​​what content appeals to your target audience, boost your own engagement on Instagram. Apply audience research to your brand’s social media content strategy.

Videos take precedence over static visuals in the Engagement section because they automatically play in the Explore tab and often get more space in the feed.

But visuals with product tags, carousel formats, or simply stunning images can be compelling too. Don’t lose sight of the power of persuasive signatures.

Follow the guidelines for each format. Share high-quality visuals, engage viewers early, and offer something of value, from great storytelling to loyalty rewards.

Remember that interaction goes beyond likes and comments. So aim to create content that people will want to share and/or keep.

3. Experiment with new formats

Look, it’s no secret that Instagram wants Reels to succeed. There is a reason why the reels appear both in the Research feed and in a separate tab. The tab is so important to the user interface of the Instagram app that the entire homepage has been completely rebuilt to accommodate it.

Being discovered in the Reels tab may mean that you are also being discovered in the Explore tab. Just think twice before reposting this TikTok. Apparently, the Instagram algorithm reduces the priority of TikTok watermarked videos.

lesson here? When Instagram wants users to explore a new feature, they will reward early adopters with increased reach. Make sure you take advantage of this promotion.

Try different formats, like videos or carousels, to see which verticals provide more reach.

Just don’t relax: the platform constantly adjusts format priorities. (If you want to stay up to date, we recommend bookmarking our Instagram feed.)

4. Develop an active community

One of the main purposes of the Research page on Instagram is to connect people to the communities on the platform. Building a community is central to Instagram’s success, so it should be a key element of your marketing plan.

The more active your brand’s community on Instagram, the more likely it is that Instagram will recommend it to “Lookalike Audiences”on the Explore page.

Give your audience ample opportunity to interact with your account. Start and participate in brand discussions in the comments section, private messages, and other active brand channels. Encourage your community to turn on notifications for your posts so they can participate sooner.

5. Post When Your Followers Are Online

The Instagram algorithm prioritizes timeliness (also known as newness), which means that if your post is brand new, it will be shown to more of your followers. Getting a high level of engagement with your own followers is the first step to earning a spot on the Overview page.

Check out our analysis of the best times to post on Instagram for your industry, view your own analytics, or use the Hootsuite post builder to figure out when your audience is online. Or head over to Hootsuite Labs on YouTube for a nutshell on all of the above:

Pro Tip: If your audience is online and you’re not, Instagram’s scheduler is your best bet.

6. Use relevant tags

Geotags, account tags, and hashtags are additional ways to expand your content’s reach within the Explore ecosystem.

Remember that people also use the Instagram Explore page to search by hashtag and location. If a certain hashtag generates interest for someone, they can follow it as well. Choose strategic Instagram hashtags and geotags to ensure your content appears where people are looking for it.

Account tags provide another way to introduce your posts to new audiences. Be sure to tag relevant accounts in your posts, whether they’re the CEO of a company, brand partners (including influencers), a photographer, or an illustrator.

Share your audience’s posts to build a community and increase reach and engagement at the same time.

7. Pay attention to analytics

Take a look at what you are doing that is already resonating with your audience. You may find that they like your videos more than your carousels, or your jokes more than your inspirational quotes.

If you can get your audience to consistently click hearts and leave comments, their engagement will get you to the Explore page.

Check your analytics to see if your biggest posts made it to the Overview page. Tap the blue View Stats button below your precious post and swipe up to check where all your impressions came from.

Pro tip: The Hootsuite Post Performance tool can help you identify the most effective posts and adjust your strategy accordingly.

8. Consider Paid Placement on Explore

If you’re willing to support your organic efforts with a small amount of advertising dollars, consider advertising in the Explore feed.

These ads will not take you directly to the Explore feed grid. Instead, they put you in the next best position: a scrollable feed of photos and videos that appears when someone clicks on a post in the grid.

Source: Instagram

Lest you think this is an easy way out, it is not. To impress, your Research page ad needs to be as compelling as the posts that surround it. Difficult task, right?

For a complete rundown of how to advertise on Instagram, we have a guide.

9. Skip Labels

Building Instagram pods or buying followers can bring short-term gains, but these tricks usually don’t pay off in the long run.

“Instagram feed rankings are based on machine learning, which constantly adapts to new patterns in the data. This way it can recognize inaccurate activity and make adjustments,” explains the @creators Instagram account. Instagram can suspend or even delete your account if they suspect any bot-like scams.

Focus on creating compelling content and building a genuine brand community.

10. Follow the rules

This may seem obvious, but it’s worth noting: Instagram won’t promote your content to new audiences if you break their community rules or guidelines.

You are probably already familiar with community principles. They cover the basics, such as posting only content you have the right to share, being respectful of the Instagram community, and being legal.

Instagram’s guidelines are a bit stricter. Some content may be acceptable in accordance with the community guidelines, but this does not mean that it can be recommended to a new audience.

There are five categories of content that violate these guidelines:

• Content that interferes with Instagram’s ability to build a secure community. Think of anything that promotes self-harm, violence or sexual content.
• Sensitive or low-quality health or financial content. No miracle cures or “risk-free”investment opportunities.
• Content that users think they don’t like. This one is a bit more vague, but it covers things like clickbait, solicitation, and spamming.
• Content associated with a low-quality publication. Non-original content or news content that misrepresents its source.
• False or misleading content. Anything that contains claims debunked by expert organizations, misinformation about vaccines, or false documents.

If your account has violated these rules, your content is much less likely to end up on the Explore page.

How to reset the Instagram Explore page if you don’t like what you see

Don’t like what you see on your Instagram Explore page? There are several ways to reset a feed.

Here’s a quick fix: pull down and refresh the feed. Gently place your thumb on the screen and swipe down until you see a spinning circle under the categories.

For a longer term fix, here’s how to teach the algorithm what you don’t want to see:

1. Click on the post you don’t like.

2. Click on the three dots above the post.

3. Select Not interested.

The platform will avoid such recommendations in the future.

Source: Instagram