How to Get Yourself on the Instagram Explore Page: Conquer Organic Reach Territory

Profile photo of Karen Lin, author

Karen Lin

Instagram Tips | Sep 15, 2023

Want More Real Instagram Followers?

On Instagram’s Explore page, organic reach reigns supreme. Knowing how to get yourself on the Instagram Explore page (also referred to as Search and Explore) means getting your foot in the door that gives you access to your audience of choice. Reaching a new audience can lead to more followers and/or customers; more followers can lead to higher engagement and/or sales; and higher engagement/sales numbers mean success for your business on Instagram. Keep reading to find out why you should aim to get featured on Instagram’s Search and Explore and how to do it to get more followers on Instagram.

image of Instagram's search and explore page

What’s the Instagram Explore Page?

Search and Explore, or just Explore, allows users to dive deep into their interests with a “full search experience.” When you know how to get featured on Instagram’s Explore page, you’ll be able to reach potential new followers who belong to the target audience you’ve identified for your business. More importantly, you’re guaranteed that the new audience you’ll reach are in a “discovery mindset” and are looking for exactly the kind of content you have — which means they’re genuinely interested in what you have to offer and more likely to become followers. 

Search and Explore results include photos, videos, accounts, shopping, reels, and other content related to a user’s inquiry and also specifically tailored to their interests based on their history of engagement and searches on the platform. These bespoke results are content published by accounts a user is following, as well as accounts they don’t follow yet but which they might also enjoy, as determined and recommended by Instagram’s finely tuned algorithm.

Screenshot showing hot to get to the Instagram Explore Page

For brands and businesses, getting on Instagram’s Search and Explore page is an opportunity to grow their audience, strengthen their community, and make their business stand out on the platform.

How to Get to the Instagram Explore Page

If you need to see the Explore page for yourself, here’s how to get on the Instagram Search and Explore page:

  1. Tap the magnifying glass icon in the menu at the bottom of the screen. 
  2. In the search box, you can look for a specific account, hashtag, place, or keyword. 
  3. You’ll be shown a grid of photos and videos related to your inquiry and curated based on your engagement and search history. On top of the grid are topic channels or category options also related to your search. 

When you click on a photo in the Explore grid, it will take you to an Explore Feed (similar to the Instagram feed) which will show you other photos and videos related to the clicked photo. Each photo or video in the Explore grid leads to different kinds of Explore Feeds. The Instagram Explore page, therefore, is like a portal to endless alternate feeds. If you know how to get featured on Instagram’s Explore page, you’ll be leveling up your game for organic discoverability. 

Magnifying glass on top of letter tiles spelling “Explore” to represent how to get on the Instagram Explore page.

How to Get an Instagram Post on the Explore Page

Now let’s get to the brass tacks of how to get an Instagram post on the Explore page. Remember that no two Explore grid results are the same, because every Explore grid is a personalized recommendation by Instagram’s algorithm based on a user’s activities on the platform. So if you know what your target audience frequently look for, you can create interesting Instagram content that matches your audience’s interests and meets their needs and which will land you on the Explore page.

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How to Get Featured on Instagram Explore Page Organically

Here are the best practices that can get your post featured on the Instagram Explore page. 

  1. Know your audience. Take a look at your Instagram Insights and identify the demographics of the audience you’re already reaching. You can target more of the same demographics with content similar to those they engage with the most. You can also check out the profiles of some of your highly engaging followers to find out what they’re interested in. 
  2. Explore the Explore page. A neat trick for how to get featured on the Instagram page is to do a search on content that’s similar to what you create, as well as content that your target audience loves to engage with. Analyze the composition of the photos and videos that get featured on your Explore grid results. Of course, these results will be tailor-made for you, but they will also serve as a good blueprint, so to speak, for future content you’ll create.   
  3. Target lookalike audiences by having an active community. The more actively engaged your community is, the more likely your content will appear on the Explore grid results of lookalike audiences. To cultivate an active community, keep conversations going in your comments section, be more proactive and initiate real conversations with your followers, promptly reply to all DMs, regularly post Stories, and know the best times to post on Instagram to maximize your audience reach
  4. Use relevant hashtags. Hashtags are frequently searched on the Explore page, so just knowing how to choose hashtags for Instagram can also help get your post on the Instagram Explore page. The same goes for location tags, so that people looking within your geographic location will discover you. 
  5. Cater to what’s popular. From your own Insights, find out the content formats that are most popular among your audience. Do your Reels or Carousel posts get more likes and comments? Visit some of your competitor pages and take note of their most popular posts. Improve your content strategy based on the information you gather.  
A girl holding a magnifying glass to her eye to demonstrate how to get featured on Instagram’s Explore page.

How to Get on the Instagram Explore Page With Ads

While the Explore page is a great way to reach a new audience without boosting a post or running an ad campaign, you should also consider taking the ad route to get on the Instagram Explore page. 

Instagram recently offered Ads in Explore to “target audiences who are primed for discovery and open to finding and engaging with new content.” Ads placement in Explore serves as a new stage with a new type of audience — particularly people who are already looking for something new from somebody else. 

When you have an ad on Instagram’s Explore page, take note that your ad will not appear in the Explore grid results or the topic channels on top. Your ad will appear on the Explore feed of a related photo or video. This means your target audience will see your ad when they click on a photo or video on the grid that’s related to your ad. You’ll need to know how to promote your Instagram with ads and how to get started with Instagram ads for e-commerce

Screenshot of how ads in Explore work.

Benefits of Knowing How to Get Featured on the Explore Page

Why should you learn the ins and outs of how to get yourself on the Instagram Explore page? Here are the benefits of landing a spot on the prime property that’s the Explore grid:

  • More exposure for your content, especially to users who haven’t discovered you yet but are looking for what you offer. 
  • Increased engagement for the post that gets featured on the Explore page from people that may become potential followers. 
  • An increase in followers, particularly when those who found your content through Explore and engaged with it also found it interesting enough to visit your profile and learn more about you. So make sure you know how to gain new followers with a great Instagram bio
  • Increased engagement for your other content, delivered by your new followers. 
  • An overall organic acceleration of your Instagram growth (unless, of course, your growth comes from your ad in Explore).

Final Thoughts: Explore the Amazing Possibilities of Instagram’s Explore Page

Reaching new people who are potential followers is a goal that’s getting harder and harder to achieve organically. But knowing how to get yourself on the Instagram Explore page will give your content the hard push it needs to reach a wider audience. Even with ads now getting some space on Explore feeds, your organic content has a better fighting chance because it has dibs on a highly coveted spot on the Explore grid. 
Growing your Instagram brand/business organically is also easier when you have the right growth partner — one with many years of experience on Instagram growth strategy, a company like Path Social. Take advantage of Path Social’s proprietary advanced AI technology and in-house team of experts, as well as their network of thousands of influencers, and start growing and gaining Instagram followers today!