Say goodbye to Instagram likes and say hello to saves: It’s the latest engagement metric we’re obsessed with. And there’s a good reason for it.
Instagram saves are a key signal for how the Instagram algorithm works. In 2020 we saw the introductions of Reels and how the algorithm favours them, which you can learn more about in our guide to Instagram reels for salon professionals.
The more saves you get on a post, the more people it will be shown to. When someone takes the action of hitting save — people think your content is worth revisiting again and again. Which, to Instagram, means that your content is worth displaying to a broader audience. That’s why, in order to grow your reach on Instagram, you should focus on getting more saves on your posts.
What Are Instagram Saves?
It’s a handy feature to “bookmark” the posts that you like and save them in different collections (categories) so that you can revisit them again in the future. You will find the “ribbon icon” button in between the image and caption on the right-hand side. You can either tap save or hold down on the save icon to select a folder (Instagram calls these “Collections”) to save the post under. Once you’ve saved content you can go back and revisit all your saved posts under the main menu button on your profile. Collections are a great way to organise your favourite Instagram posts in a library-like setting. Most importantly, you won’t need to crack your head to remember where you’ve seen it to find the post again.
When we think about the psychology around when some hits “save” it’s much more valuable than a “like”. People tend to double tap automatically; it’s a quick action and doesn’t require you to fully stop scrolling or completely absorb the post. We rank “save” as the best recognition for a great and engaging post as the person hitting save wants to revisit that post in the future.
How Do You Get People to Save our Posts?
1. Write Richer Captions
The captions are very important on Instagram. Did you know that Instagram gives you 2,200 characters for a caption? Long gone are the days when having a heart emoji or a laughing face was enough to engage with your audience. Today, people value sharing - life and educational skills. Have a caption that reads like a short blog post or a piece of professional education or advice. Engage with your audience on a personal or professional level and provide benefits to them. Micro-blogging on Instagram has become a very big thing, and it clearly works. Why? Because it provides answers to people who have questions. It’s no longer necessary to Google something to find the answers; we can find them on Instagram.
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2. Create Content That Visually Educates your Audience
This is all about creating content that genuinely benefits your audience. They are posts that help your followers achieve something in their own lives. This could be a post that teaches your clients a great tip on how to style their hair at home or it could be a post that teaches a professional peer how to create the perfect fame (for example). Remember it’s important to visually demonstrate your point, adding text over images or steps throughout a video helps ensure your point is not missed if they don’t read the caption.
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3. Be Unique
People won’t save posts that contain information that they already know. You wouldn’t revisit what you’ve already seen, done, or tried. You would save something that has a new twist and would benefit you to experience or try something new. This means your social media approach needs to be as an early adapter and jumping on trends early is key. Being agile and fast means you need to go from an idea to publishing a post almost immediately. Try to avoid basic posts and instead offer unique experiences or a fresh perspective that’s based on your real-life experience. If somebody likes your content enough to save it for viewing in the future, that’s a huge indication of quality. It means you’re delivering what your audience wants to see and creating a follow-worthy business presence.
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To summarize, saves are extremely important. The more saves your posts receives, the more people it will be shown to. Your post may even appear on Instagram’s Explore page which can translate into more followers and growth of your account.
