Don't rely on feelings to judge engagement. Use specific, data-driven benchmarks based on follower count to determine if your rate is 'critically low.' For example, an account with under 5k followers is in trouble below a 2% engagement rate, while one with over 100k followers is critical below 0.5%.
Going viral isn't always positive. If a post attracts thousands of followers outside your target audience, it can cripple future performance. Instagram will show your niche content to these new, uninterested followers, whose lack of engagement signals to the algorithm that your content is poor, suppressing its reach.
If your account is over three years old, you might be at an algorithmic disadvantage. Newer accounts often receive a boost as Instagram tries to find their audience, whereas older accounts have years of data that might signal disinterest to the algorithm and may also lack access to the latest features.
Before blaming the algorithm, meet a high consistency bar: post to your feed five times a week, every week, for 12 consecutive months. If you haven't achieved this, the problem isn't the account's age but the lack of consistent effort and content refinement needed for growth.
To increase content output, systematically repost or recreate all previous posts every 90 days. Contrary to popular advice, don't just reuse your best performers. A great post may have flopped due to timing, so give all relevant past content a second chance to find an audience.
Engagement pods, where groups agree to like each other's posts, ultimately harm your account. The algorithm recognizes the inorganic pattern of the same people engaging at the same time and weighs that engagement less heavily. This results in your posts being shown to fewer people, leaving you worse off.