Instagram glossary: all the words you need to know

From "Hashtag" to "Story" via "Boomerang" and "Regram," many words are used daily on Insta.

Discover in this article the must-have words in the Instagram lexicon to decode this platform and maximize your experience on it.

What does "Subscribers" or "Followers" mean?

This refers to users who subscribe to your account for the purpose of see your publications regularlyThe number is displayed at the top of your profile page.

Want to increase your number of subscribers easily? Discover where to buy Instagram followers with our article on the subject.

What does "ghost subscribers" mean?

These are accounts that follow you, but do not participate to your content. This term therefore characterizes your less active followers who don't even see some of your content, or who see it but ignore it.

What does "algorithm" mean?

This is Instagram's system that determines the order and content visibility in a user's feed.

The algorithm governs the evolution of the social network operating on both the creator's and the viewer's side. It is thanks to this system that the content of a publication is adapted to a target user.

What does "close friend" mean?

It's a shortlist of subscribers with whom you share private and exclusive publications and stories. Followers belonging to this list have the privilege of accessing your content that certain categories of people can't.

This feature is less recommended if you are on a Instagram Business. In fact, it can harm your visibility.

What does "Sponsored Ads" mean?

Sponsored ads are paid content by advertisers to promote their products or services.

If you want increase the reach of your postsYou can improve your account with these ads. The price of advertising depends on its duration and the size of the audience you're targeting.

What does "Archives" mean?

Know that your stories are saved after expiration and they go into the archives. It's also possible that the content hasn't yet expired, but you want to remove it from your feed. You can then not delete them, but send them to the Insta archives.

What does "organic" mean?

The bio on Instagram is a brief description in your profile that introduces you, whether you're on a personal or business account. The only difference is that on an Insta business account, it's a good idea to detail your professional profile and include a little call-to-action.

What does "Boomerang" mean?

This is a looping video format short video created from a series of photos that plays back and forth. It is also possible to create a Boomerang video from Instagram stories.

What does "Caption" mean?

This is the text to accompany your photo or video to contextualize it. Some also call it legend ".

What does "Carousel" mean?

A carousel is a type of post comprising several images or videos (up to 10 contents) that users can scroll through.

What does "Comment" mean?

By reacting to your posts, Insta users can leave messages on a place dedicated to what we call "commenting". This encourages interaction with your audience. This section can be deactivated if required.

You can also buy Instagram comments if you want to boost your account quickly.

What does "Creator Account" mean?

It's a type of Instagram account designed for influencers, artists, public figures and content creators.

It allows you to benefit from many other features in addition to those available on a traditional account. In this case, you will have access to Instagram statistics to better analyze your account.

What does "Business Account" mean?

A professional Instagram account is perfect for businesses thanks to additional tools and detailed statistics. It's an account designed more for sales and promotion of a brand.

What does "Creator Studio" mean?

It's a platform for plan and manage Instagram content from a computer, having been created by Facebook.

What does "cross-posting" mean?

This means sharing the same content on various social platforms or on several accounts.

With crossposting on Instagram, you'll have access to the same content on two different Insta profiles, on which check-ins, likes and comments will be shared. You can also post to your Facebook or WhatsApp accounts. associated with the platform.

What does "DM" mean?

It's short for " Direct Message "which refers to private messages or MP Instagram exchanged between users. To access it, Insta Messaging is located on the top right-hand side of the application's home page.

What does "double tap" mean?

Double-tap (on phone) or double-click (on computer) rhymes with the action of liking a publication by double-clicking on it. By doing this, you no longer have to click on the heart-shaped button to put a "like" on an Insta post.

What does "Commitment" mean?

Interaction and user involvement This is what we call "engagement". This is marked by all the likes, comments, shares and registrations.

The more engagement a piece of content generates, the more Instagram's algorithm places it in the newsfeed, leading to a high visibility.

What does "Registration" mean?

Recording an Insta story or post is an action that allows you to keep content to your account for future reference.

Content with a large number of records also shows a sign of commitment on the platform.

What does "Explore" mean?

"Explorer" is none other than the discovery tab where users discover relevant content. Explorer suggests posts based on each user's preferences and, above all, habits.

If your content is visible on Explorer, you benefit from a considerable visibility on Instagram.

What does "Feed" mean?

the feed is the photo and video streams in which users browse publications. In other words, it's all the posts in your account, also known as the "grid".

What does "News Feed" mean?

When you're on the social network Instagram and you see the updates of the accounts you follow, you're on the "news feed", also known as the "home page".

The publications appear in the order established by the Insta algorithm according to the engagement it generates and the preference of each user. When you're in other sections of the app, simply press the little house icon to return to the News Feed.

What does "Follow" mean?

This is an English term meaning "to follow," which means subscribing to an account to see its content in your feed. When you subscribe to someone on Insta, you become their follower.

Discover who unfollowed you on Instagram by applying the tips in another article on our website.

What does "Geolocation" mean?

It's a feature that lets you geotag content to increase its reach. In other words, you can tag a photo or story with a specific location which will appear between your IG name and the post visual.

If you would like to know more about locating someone on Instagram, feel free to read our article about it.

What does "hashtag" mean?

It's a word or a phrase preceded by a symbol # to group together publications on a subject. Hashtags are very much in vogue on social networks, allowing posts to be easily found on search engines.

What does "IGTV" mean?

Long videos on Instagram, i.e. those that last more than a minuteare called IGTV.

What does "Impressions" mean?

This is the number of times your content has been posted and viewed. Even if it's a single Insta user who views the post several times, impressions will increase.

What does "Insights" mean?

These are the statistics and information about your performance on Instagram, which is only available to professional and creative accounts.

What does "Instagram shopping" mean?

It's an option for companies to brand their products in shopping publications. It is, in fact, a kind of showcase which already exists on the platform, encouraging users to redirect to an external store.

What does "Like" mean?

We like when we like or approve a publication by clicking on the heart or by double-clicking or double-tapping as described above.

It's a true sign of engagement. The content you like will serve as a reference for the algorithm to suggest similar publications on your feed. Likes also enable a creator to evaluate audience feedback on his or her content.

You can buy likes on Instagram if you want to highlight one of your publications.

What does "Live" mean?

Doing a live show means broadcast a live video in order to interact instantly with subscribers for a limited time.

What does "Post" mean?

This is an individual post on Instagram. It can include a photo or video according to user preferences.

What does "Reach" mean?

Reach is the total number of users who have given your content. It can also be defined as the scope of a post.

Here it's different from impressions, because if a user has seen the publication once, it's equal to a Reach, even if he or she views the publication several times, reach will not increase. Among the different types of Instagram content, real ones gain the most reach.

What does "Real" mean?

These are short, creative videos with special effects, similar to those on TikTok. Even users who aren't your Insta followers can see your real ones.

What does "Regram" mean?

Regram is an action that consists of share content from someone else on your own account. Regram can also be called repost or republication. You can republish a story or a post on Insta.

This action is made easier by the use ofother applications as :

• Regram for Instagram;
• Repost for Instagram ;
• INSTANT (Instasave, Repost, Regram).

What does "Restrict" mean?

It is the fact of limit interaction with certain users to reduce harassment. With this feature, you can limit the reach of your Instagram content.

What does "Shadowban" mean?

This is a temporary restriction content by the Insta algorithm. This can happen if you share offensive or undesirable content on the platform.

What does "Sourdine" mean?

When you don't want to see posts and stories on your feed without unsubscribing, simply mute it.

What does "Featured Stories" or "Highlights" mean?

These are stories saved in your profile for extended visibility. They can be found at the top of your profile page.

Yes, even if the published stories only last 24 hours, you can always take them back and put them in story à la une Instagram and you can even create a group of them, i.e. a few old stories grouped together in the same Highlight.

What does "Story" or "Stories" mean?

These are photos or videos that can be found at the top of the home pagewhich disappear 24 hours after publication.

All you have to do is scroll contents the banner right at the top of your news feed to view the different stories of the people you follow, including those of your most recent subscriptions.

Then, if you want to see the story of a particular account, simply click on your profile photo and you're done.

What does "Swipe up" mean?

Literally, swipe up means Slide up. It's an old manipulation allowing you to access a link in Instagram stories. We just put it here for you to understand in case you see this term somewhere in the Instagram posts you read.

What does "Swiper" mean?

This is the action of fscroll quickly through posts using your finger. This means you don't have to stay on something you're less interested in, or you can view the contents of a carousel, for example.

What does "Tag" mean?

Tagging on Insta means identify an account or a person in a comment or on a publication. To do this, simply type "@" on your keyboard and the names of your Insta contacts will be displayed so you can choose the person you want to tag.

FAQs

What words are forbidden on Instagram?

The words provocative, indecent or reflecting the violence are forbidden on Instagram. So you can't talk about nudity, address homophobic comments or say hateful words and insults on this platform.

What is the 5-3-1 rule on Instagram?

The 5-3-1 rule on Instagram is one of the best ways to create authentic links with your audience on the social network.

The approach is at :

• Interacting with five publications by adding a like to show that you appreciate the content.
• Comment on three publications using relevant words or compliments.
• Follow an account that matches your values and tastes.

This method helps you put your account in the spotlight by fuelling curiosity platform users.

Now you know the meaning of all the Important words in the Instagram lexicon when using this social network. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments.