The Instagram Explore page is a collection of public photographs, videos, Reels, and Stories that have been curated to assist individual Instagram users in locating posts, profiles, hashtags, or goods they may find interesting.

Machine learning is used by the algorithm that powers Instagram’s Explore tab to continually adapt and enhance its content recommendations.

You may access the Instagram Explore page by pressing the magnifying glass icon in the lower menu just before the tabs specifically designated for Reels and Shop. In addition, people can search for accounts, hashtags, and places right at the top of the screen. The capability to search by keyword was added to Instagram in November last year, expanding the previous search options of usernames and hashtags.

instagram explore page icon

Why does the Instagram Explore page matter to your brand?

Because it increases the likelihood that more people will view your material, your company should care about becoming featured on the Instagram Explore tab. This increasing visibility will have various benefits associated with it, given that Instagram will have over 2 billion monthly active users by 2024 (according to Statista):

Increased followers: This can be attributed to everyday traffic to the Instagram Explore page exceeding 200 million accounts. That constitutes fifty per cent of the platform’s total user population. And among them, Instagram will display your material in front of those most likely to be interested in your account. This indicates a significant likelihood that some of them will become new adherents of your cause.

Increased engagement: If users find the information they are viewing interesting, they are more likely to interact by “liking” it, leaving comments, or even sharing it with their friends. Therefore, if consumers find your material when browsing the Explore page, it may increase the amount of engagement your company receives.

Sales growth: When more people find your material through the Explore page, it helps bring your items in front of the appropriate individuals, increasing sales. Additionally, shoppable Instagram photos you create can also be shown in the Explore area of the app. A rise in the number of individuals becoming aware of your items can increase sales.

instagram explore page on phone

How does the Explore page algorithm work?

The system employs machine learning to adjust what to show on Instagram based on various data sources and ranking signals. It does this using an “unconnected recommendation system,” which picks posts for each user based on their Instagram activity.

The Instagram algorithm assigns a ranking to each post based on several criteria. A few examples of these variables are engagement, freshness, the quality of the information, and relevancy.

10 Tips to Get Featured on the Instagram Explore Page

Let’s get down to the business as we’re done with the basics. Here are some tips on how to get on Instagram explore page:

Learn as much as you can about your ideal customers

You already have a following among those people. Therefore, to appear on the Instagram Explore tab, you must take the “know your audience” instruction one step further. 

Acquaint yourself with the demographics of your Instagram followers, choose the target groups you’d like to reach through Explore, and find out what kind of content these individuals interact with most.

man behind a computer illustration

Spread around exciting content

Now that you better understand the kind of content that people in your target market find interesting, you can generate engagement on Instagram. 

Videos have an advantage over static graphics in terms of engagement since they play automatically on the Explore tab and are frequently given more space in the feed than other types of content. However, graphics that contain product identifiers, styles like carousels, or even just gorgeous artwork may be engaging in their own right.

Try well-known formats, such as Reels

If you are discovered in the Reels tab, there is a possibility that you will also get on the Explore tab.

It should come as no surprise that Instagram is rooting for the success of Reels. And they can appear in the Explore feed, too, besides the Reels feed. So why not hit two birds with one stone?

Develop a vibrant and engaged community

The Explore page on Instagram is designed to, among other things, introduce users to many communities on the network.

When your brand’s community is more engaged on Instagram, the platform will more likely promote your account to “lookalike audiences” on the Explore tab.

Share your content when your followers are online

Timeliness, also known as recency, is given a higher priority by Instagram’s algorithm, which means that if your post is very recent, it will be displayed to a more significant number of your followers. That’s why knowing your audience and the best times to post on Instagram is crucial.

Use appropriate tags

Within the Explore ecosystem, geotags, account tags, and hashtags are additional options to increase the reach of your work to a broader audience.

Remember that consumers often use the Instagram Explore feature to search for content based on geography and hashtags. So if someone finds that a particular hashtag piques their interest, they can now follow that hashtag as well.

instagram explore page hashtag

It is essential to pay attention to analytics

Examine your statistics to see whether or not the Explore page has featured any of your most popular content.

Analyse the aspects of your work that are already striking a chord with the people who follow you. For example, it’s possible that they prefer your boomerangs to your carousels or that they laugh more at your jokes than they enjoy your motivational phrases.

Look at the advertisements in Explore

Consider placing an Instagram ad in the Explore stream if you are willing to invest some money in paid advertising in addition to your organic efforts.

Note: your Explore ads won’t be shown directly in the Explore feed. Instead, they place you in the position they consider the second best: the scrollable feed of photographs and videos on Instagram that shows when a user clicks on a post in the Explore feed.

instagram explore page

Don’t bother with the algorithm hacks

Making Instagram pods or purchasing followers may be profitable in the short term, but in most cases, these strategies are not beneficial in the long run.

Discover new ideas by reading posts made by other people on the Explore page

If unsure how to generate exciting material, looking at the content typically included on the Explore page might motivate you to develop the type of content that attracts your target audience’s attention.

It may show you what techniques are working for other accounts in your industry, allowing you to gain ideas for your content strategy and inspire you.

Conclusion

The encouraging news is that landing on the Instagram Explore page does not require advanced knowledge or skill. You can go ahead of the competition using high-quality content, strategic scheduling, and novel content forms. However, to refine your strategy, you need to have a deeper grasp of what your audience anticipates seeing from you.

If you need professional help with getting featured on the Instagram Explore Page, you can contact us to discuss how we can help you.