Instagram has been rolling out several updates recently but there’s one new feature that could have a significant impact on how radio stations use social media to expand their reach and connect with new listeners.
Starting this month, Meta (the parent company of Instagram and Facebook) is allowing public posts from professional Instagram page accounts to be indexed by search engines like Google.
What does this mean for radio stations?
This means that your reels, quote graphics, how-to-tips, show promos and staff highlights can now appear in Google search results—even for people who don’t follow you or don’t use the app at all.
Why is this important?
The Instagram content your station is creating was only available to audiences via the Instagram platform . . . until now. With this new update, your posts can now show up when someone Googles:
- “Christian encouragement music”
- “Morning show devotional”
- “Bible verse for anxiety – radio station”
- “Tips on how to strengthen my marriage”
The key is to act now. Review your Instagram and Facebook pages. Optimize captions, bios, and alt text. Use keywords naturally and describe your content clearly. – Chris Essey, Digital Marketing Consultant (Read more.)
What You Should Do Next
- Make sure your Instagram account is a public professional account
- Go to Settings / Privacy / Allow search engine indexing (starts rolling out mid-July 2025)
- Make sure your captions include search-friendly phrases and words – like faith-based, worship radio, local talk show or syndicated radio program name, hopeful Bible verses, marriage tips, family fun, etc.
- Give strategic thought to your posts – make the captions short, meaningful, searchable
With over 16 billion Google searches happening each day, this new Instagram feature paves the way for radio stations to meet people at the digital front door . . . as they search for truth, hope and encouragement.
Photo courtesy of Shutter Speed on Unsplash.
