Instagram can be an extremely effective platform for connecting with your audience, inspiring new customers, and sharing your brand’s story. And I know, you probably hate the Instagram algorithm. But the fact is that if you want to get ahead as a business on Instagram, you need to work with the algorithm, not against it.

Here are 5 tips to beat the Instagram algorithm.

1. Engagement

Instagram not only prioritizes posts with high engagement (likes, comments, and shares), but it also prioritizes posts that can receive high engagement quickly. You want to try and get people to engage with your content within the first 10 minutes of it being posted.

If you have a business profile on Instagram, use the business analytics to find out what days and times your audience is online. Share your content when your fans will see it so you can increase the chances of getting engagement quicker.

2. Viewing Time

Instagram favors posts that have longer viewing times. A few examples of this would be posts with long captions, boomerangs, carousels and video content. Create high-quality content that captures your audience’s attention in the newsfeed and keeps them engaged longer.

3. Use Hashtags

Hashtags are a great way to increase your brand’s awareness and exposure on Instagram with new, relevant audiences. You can use up to 30 hashtags in your posts so we recommend taking advantage of branded and non-branded hashtags. Look up what hashtags are trending, what hashtags your customers are using, and what holidays or important event related hashtags you can incorporate into your posts. Some examples of non-branded hashtags are: #motivationmonday, #sundayfunday, #throwbackthursday, #weekendvibes, or #flashbackfriday. Some examples of branded hashtags are: #tiuteam, #optoutside (REI), or #findyourstrong (Saucony).

4. Add a CTA in Your Captions

Since likes and comments are an important factor in beating the algorithm, we recommend adding a call to action in your Instagram captions asking fans to like, comment, or tag someone in the comments. This encourages fans to take action and engage in a conversation. Social media is about being social and having conversations after all.

5. Create or Join an Instagram Pod

Instagram pods, when used correctly, can be a great way to get likes and comments quickly from similar brands, influencers, or bloggers. Typically, a group of influencers or bloggers will create a pod in a direct message with 5-10 people in similar industries (fashion bloggers, food bloggers, fitness influencers, etc.). Then when one person posts a new photo on Instagram, they’ll share the update in the direct message. All other pod members are supposed to go like and comment that post as quickly as possible. Pods can also be used with ambassador teams, loyal fans, or even team members.