Instagram users need to try this easy hack to get more likes

IF YOU are an avid Instagrammer then you need to try this trick to get more likes ASAP.

A group of researchers from the North Carolina State University think they have discovered the perfect formula for getting more likes on Instagram.

The findings are detailed in a new paper, entitled "Simplicity is not key: Understanding firm-generated social media images and consumer liking," which was published in the International Journal of Research in Marketing.

In the document, the team explores "the relationship between the visual complexity of firm-generated imagery (FGI) and consumer liking on social media."

The researchers were aware, as are most people, that Instagram users who have large followings tend to get a higher like count.

However, they wanted to shift their focus solely on the images themselves, with this question at the center of the research: Could Instagrammers garner more likes by uploading certain types of content?

In order to answer this question, the team wrote a computer program that scanned nearly 150,000 Instagram images and then generated scores based on six different visual components.

The six components comprise 'color complexity,' 'luminance entropy,' unique objects count,' 'edge density,' irregularity of object arrangement,' and asymmetry of object arrangement."

The research yielded some promising results that could help Instagram users optimize their likes.

“In practical terms, we found that you could improve the number of likes of any given image by about 3% if you applied the appropriate filter," the study's authors noted.

"What’s more, our model suggests that optimizing both feature and design complexity could improve consumer engagement by about 19%," they added.

The researchers said that their goal going into this project was to create a program and collate data that could be used “to inform decisions made by design professionals in the marketing sector.”

Furthermore, they are planning to release the raw code for the program itself once it's in a more user-friendly stage.

"I’m sure the right tech-savvy people could use it to create a valuable tool for the industry," Bill Rand, executive director of the school’s Business Analytics Initiative and a co-author of the study, said.

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