The Instagram platform knows exactly what you are doing with your account. They know if you are rigging the game, they know who you’re talking to, and they know your browsing patterns on Instagram. Believe me, they know everything.

And so, this Instagram algorithm favors accounts who can make people stay on the platform the longest. The longer a user stays on the platform, the better it is for Instagram in general, as they can show them more ads. So, if your content makes people stay 2 to 3 times longer than any other account, the algorithm will know about it too.

So, how do you make sure that you always remain in the good graces of Instagram? Since Instagram is free, and anyone can create two to three accounts at any time, you have to prove to Instagram that you are human. Instagram hates bots. They ban and perish bot accounts, so if you are ever tempted to sign up for Instagram services that promise followers and engagement, just turn around and say no. It is not humanely possible to like 100 posts within an hour, considering that you have to read the captions of each post. It is impossible to follow more than 100 users an hour, if you are legitimately browsing their feed. So, act like a human on Instagram. Browse accounts that catch your eye, comment on posts that interest you, and like posts that you agree with.

When it comes to commenting, never copy and paste the same comment over and over again. That is just lazy and it will hurt your account. Remember when we mentioned earlier that Instagram knows EVERYTHING that you’re doing in their platform, so, copy-pasting comments is seen as spammy and you might even be mistaken as a bot, even if you’re the one doing the copy-pasting yourself.

Also, never do follow unfollow. Follow unfollow is a popular Instagram strategy and a lot of people are actually doing it with their accounts. Follow unfollow is where you follow users, perhaps 20 a day, and after a week or so, you will unfollow them. People usually follow back when they see that you have started to follow them. Sure, you may have gained 1000 followers because of this strategy, but then they were just interested in your account because you followed them. Can you monetize them in the future? Probably not, since they were not interested in your content in the first place.