How to get your hotel on the Instagram Explore page
Instagram is one of the most important social media marketing platforms for hotels — so how do you promote your hotel on Instagram?
First, you should understand how its algorithm works. Specifically, I want to talk about why the app’s Explore page is some pretty coveted social real estate. What is it, exactly, and what can your hotel do to get featured on the Instagram Explore page?
These days, the Instagram algorithm is more sophisticated than ever.
It’s also highly personalized. The algorithm learns alllll about you, based on your behavior within the app — all of your likes, engagement, saves, shares, and activity train it to deliver more and more content it thinks you might like.
Let’s put aside the slight creepiness for a moment (😬) and instead, focus on what this means for your hotel’s Instagram marketing strategy.
The title of this blog might be ‘How to get on the Explore page’ but we’re actually going to dive a lot deeper into the algorithm so you understand how to approach promoting your hotel on Instagram. I’m also going to tell you seven specific ways to maximize your hotel Instagram presence right now — so let’s get into it!
*Heads up, this post contains links to products or services I recommend, which I may get commission from.
What is the Instagram Explore page and how does it work?
The Instagram Explore page is the platform’s way of showing you content it “thinks” you might like. It wants to serve you more and more accounts that you might like to follow and engage with. As with any social media site, Instagram’s aim is to keep on you on the app for as long as possible… because, of course, it wants you to see (and click on) more ads.
Or, as the folks at TechCrunch put it: “The more creators you discover through Explore, the more you have to look at on Instagram, and the more ads you end [up] seeing.”
All of this is powered by the Instagram algorithm.
The algorithm is constantly gathering data about you, the user — what Instagram feed posts do you like or comment on? What posts do you share with friends or save for later? What Stories do you watch in full and which do you skip?
The Explore page is kind of like a highly personalized peek into a user’s current interests and activity.
Grab your phone, pull up the Instagram app, and tap on the search 🔍 button to see your Explore page.
What’s there?
Everyone’s Explore page will look different, which is the entire point.
(Right now, mine is an odd mix of Love Is Blind cast members, puppies, interior decorating, and enneagram memes…)
Instagram’s algorithm gathers all that data I mentioned before and uses it to recommend posts, Stories, Reels, and accounts that are similar to what you’re currently engaging with. The Explore page can also pull in content that’s location-based, or “geo-tagged” near you. Neat, eh?
Cool, but what’s so great about getting on the Explore page?
Glad you asked!
The Explore page is a very effective way for your hotel to reach new customers. That’s exactly why I opened this article calling it “coveted social media marketing real estate.”
Let’s look at the numbers:
Whoa.
Now, you could spend a pretty penny on ads or Instagram influencer marketing and hope to grow your followers that way… personally, I like to err on the side of social media strategies that cost your hotel nothing.
This is the case for all hotels, but it’s especially true for independent hotels that need to grow their brand awareness and reach new fans — aka potential guests.
Optimizing your Instagram content for the Explore page is completely F-R-E-E. So the real question should be, why not do it?
Fresh out of content ideas for Instagram? Watch this video below:
Seven ways to get your hotel on the Instagram Explore page
How exactly do you optimize your hotel Instagram content for the Explore page?
First, let’s look at the signals used to rank content on the Explore page, according to Instagram:
What the viewer already follows and likes in their feed
Videos tend to get more attention since they auto-play in Explore, but great Instagram photos will still rank above mediocre videos
Highly-visual Instagram Stories will get preference, as long as they don’t include too much text
Stories that look and feel similar to an account’s typical feed posts are more likely to show up on Explore
“Reposts” of other people’s content are demoted by the algorithm
Instagram uses software to detect what the actual content of a Story is, in order to show you similar ones (though Instagram says this is a weaker signal than those above)
Not included in the above is, of course, Instagram’s new answer to TikTok: Reels.
Instagram Reels launched in August 2020. While the feature is still pretty new, it’s safe to say that Instagram wants to get folks using this new content format. No doubt, you’ve seen more than a few appear on the Explore page.
So, if you’re comfortable creating this type of short-form video — and have a clear strategic reason to do so — by all means, start experimenting with Reels! In terms of potential for virality, right now could be the best time for hotels to dabble with Reels, before the platform becomes too saturated.
Now, let’s take the above signals and apply it to creating content for your hotel on Instagram.
1. note Which posts have already made the explore page
The best place to start when auditing your past social media content is your analytics. The Instagram app gives Business profiles a ton of useful data about every post shared, so make sure you use it!
Here’s how to see which of your past content has made it onto the Explore page:
Open a recent post
Swipe up to view performance ‘Insights’
Scroll to ‘Discovery’ to see where the post’s impressions came from
Look for ‘From Explore’ or ‘% weren’t following you’
If you know which of your past Instagram feed posts have appeared on the Explore page, you should strive to create similar content.
2. Know your audience through and through
Understanding your audience is a critical part of your entire hotel digital marketing plan — that goes for Instagram and social media, too.
Again, utilize the data and analytics available to you!
To find your Instagram Audience Insights:
Open the Instagram app and tap the three-line icon at the top-right
Hit ‘Insights’
Select the ‘Audience’ tab
Here you’ll see all sorts of juicy insights about your Instagram audience, but one of the most important things to note is WHEN users are interacting with your posts.
If you know when your audience is likely to be online, you can schedule your content around those times.
This improves your chance of post engagement, which helps your content rank on the Explore page for similar Instagram users.
If you don’t have enough data on your account to view this, here’s a general guide to the best times to post on Instagram. (As with most “general” social media advice, take that with a pinch of salt! It’s always best to try and plan your posts around YOUR audience. 😉)
3. Write thumb-stopping captions
Wait, what do I mean by “thumb-stopping”?
An interesting, impactful image can grab the user’s attention and get them to stop mid-scroll. (We’ve all experienced this…)
Your Instagram caption could do the same!
A well-written Instagram caption can capture interest — and ideally, it’s enough of a teaser to make you stop and click “Read more.”
What is it that you want to say? What do you want to get across? Is your aim to simply inspire… or do you want your audience to actually take action?
The answer can be, “both.”
To get your content on the Explore page, though, remember you want to get Instagram users to engage with your post. This signals to the algorithm gods that your content is good — and tells Instagram to show it to more similar users.
Being a copywriter, I have a lot more to say on this topic!
My Hotel Social Media Masterclass includes lessons on content creation, scheduling, measurement, and much more. You can get a feel for what’s in store with my FREE class on writing captions for social media below! ⤵
4. Use hashtags… strategically
Ah, Instagram hashtags… what’s not to #love?
Hashtags are how Instagram groups together similar content. In 2020, users also have the ability to follow their favorite hashtags, helping your Instagram posts reach an even wider new audience.
Instagram’s most popular hashtags in 2020 include such winners as: #love #instagood #photooftheday #fashion #beautiful #happy #cute #tbt #like4like #followme… and so on.
In reality, choosing your hashtags on Instagram is a lot like choosing your hotel keywords for SEO. You need to consider opportunity versus volume.
Your chance of “ranking” or reaching the Explore page for the top trending hashtags is very, very slim.
Be strategic about who you’re trying to reach.
If you’re a hotel in Boston, for example, you might want to do some hashtag research and compile a few lists of hotel hashtags to refer back to. Use your content pillars as a guide.
To find the best hashtags for your hotel, a great place to start is actually the Explore page! Using the search bar at the top, start your hashtag research with a general term like your destination or city — #boston, in this example below.
You’ll see tons of recommended hashtags that start with #boston, including the approximate volume of posts. Look for what’s actually relevant to your hotel (#bostonterrier, not so much; but #bostonfoodies would be great for posts promoting your delicious hotel restaurant menu.)
Scroll on down and click on any of these top hashtags to explore the best-performing content.
I know that #visitboston is what the official tourism bureau uses, so let’s explore that one. When you click into one of the hashtags to view its page, you’ll also see a line of “Related” hashtags along the top, which you can scroll through to build up your list even more.
5. Play around with your format
Both the Facebook and Instagram algorithms loooove video — it’s a highly engaging format on most social media platforms, because even a tiny bit of movement or animation can stop a user mid-scroll.
Now, creating and editing videos for social media can be a lot of work. Especially if you’re a hotel marketing department of one! (Been there.)
If you’re going to spend time creating video, you should want to do it properly. Remember, Instagram even told us that great photos will outrank mediocre videos every time.
This is part of the appeal of apps like TikTok or Instagram’s Reels feature — people don’t expect to see high production value there. Creativity is rewarded, so if you’re new to video creation, I strongly suggest experimenting with Reels first.
If you’re a little more seasoned and/or want to increase your production value, there are a few great resources out there I can recommend.
Check out these free or low-cost hotel social media marketing tools, all of which help you create animated graphics, GIFs, or simple video content:
*Heads up, this post contains links to products or services I recommend, which I may get commission from.
6. create Stories (and Reels) with a consistent theme
Instagram started including Stories on the Explore page in 2019. Stories are now a great way to get your hotel account discovered by a new audience — if you use them strategically.
Of the six signals used by Instagram to rank content on the Explore page, three are related to Stories:
Highly-visual Instagram Stories will get preference, as long as they don’t include too much text
Stories that look and feel similar to an account’s typical feed posts are more likely to show up on Explore
Instagram uses software to detect what the actual content of a Story is, in order to show you similar ones
There are some very actionable takeaways here — oh, and with the recent introduction of Reels, I think these tips apply there as well.
Creating a consistent “look” for your hotel brand is important, particularly on Instagram. Your “aesthetic” should carry over from your feed posts to your Stories and Reels.
As a general social media best practice for hotels, use your content pillars to create recurring “themes” that your followers can expect to see. Local tips, snapshots from recent hotel weddings or events, or even your tastiest restaurant dish are all engaging Instagram Story ideas for hotels.
Stories can be images OR video, so Reels are a slightly different ballgame. Instagram Reels are 15-second video clips designed to compete with viral video app TikTok.
As I always say, any single piece of content can be repurposed in multiple ways — rather than worry about a social media strategy that’s specific to Reels, think about how your existing posts can be adapted. Anything you share on Reels should still ladder up to those defined hotel content pillars.
7. Always tag your location
Whether it’s a Story or post, always remember to add your location.
The reason this is an effective strategy is that the Explore page shows Instagram users content they might like from nearby, but only if it’s been tagged with a location. There are two ways to do this:
When creating a new Instagram post, below the caption you can select ‘Add Location’, search for your hotel property (or destination name), and choose to add it to the post.
For Instagram Stories, simply use the “Location” sticker and add your hotel or destination that way.
One quick tip for Stories: If you do choose to use the Location sticker, consider resizing and moving it out of the way, perhaps all the way to the side or in one of the corners. You don’t want your location sticker covering or taking away from the actual content you’re sharing!
Final Thoughts
Now, that’s a heck of a lot of information on Instagram, the algorithm, and the Explore page!
If you’re a hotelier interested in learning about using Instagram and other social media platforms to stay top of mind with future guests, the Hotel Social Media Masterclass was created for you.
You can also get a feel for what’s in store with my FREE class on writing captions for social media below! ⤵
WHAT TO READ NEXT:
101 Content Ideas For Your Next Hotel Blog Or Social Media Post
The Six Most Important Social Media Marketing Platforms For Hotels
*Heads up, this post contains affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase using my link, I’ll receive a small referral fee at no extra cost to you. I will only recommend products and tools that I use and love. Thanks for supporting my business—and iced coffee habit.
Updated: October 2020