How the Instagram Algorithm Works, According to Instagram
There is no single algorithm. What Instagram has said publicly about how it ranks posts, Stories and Reels, and what that means for you.
"The algorithm" gets blamed for almost everything on Instagram, from falling reach to strange recommendations. In 2021 Instagram published an explanation of how its ranking works, and the company has repeated the main points since. The most important message was simple: there is not one algorithm, but several systems with different jobs.
Different parts, different systems
Instagram explained that Feed, Stories, Explore and Reels each use their own ranking process, because people use each part of the app differently.
- Feed and Stories mostly show content from accounts you follow, ranked by what you are most likely to care about.
- Explore shows posts from accounts you do not follow, based on what you have engaged with before.
- Reels focus on entertainment and also show a lot of content from accounts you do not follow.
The chronological feed of the early days was replaced years ago because, as the app grew, people missed a large share of posts from friends.
The main signals
According to Instagram, the signals fall into a few broad groups. In order of rough importance, they include:
- Your activity. What you have liked, shared, saved and commented on.
- Information about the post. How popular it is, how quickly people engage, when it was posted and, for video, how long it is.
- Information about the person who posted. How often people have interacted with that account recently.
- Your history with that person. Whether you comment on each other's posts, for example.
For Reels, Instagram has said it pays attention to whether people watch to the end, rewatch, share or go to the audio page, as signals that a video is entertaining.
What Instagram says it does not reward
Instagram has also said it tries to show less of some content, such as reposted videos with another app's watermark, low-resolution video and posts that break its recommendation guidelines. Accounts that repeatedly share misleading or borderline content may be recommended less in Explore and Reels.
What this means in practice
There is no secret formula, but the explanation points to some sensible habits:
- Make things people want to save or share. Useful tips, beautiful photos and genuinely funny videos tend to travel furthest.
- Talk to your audience. Replying to comments and messages builds the relationship signals that help your posts appear in their feeds.
- Post original content. Recycled clips with visible watermarks are less likely to be recommended.
- Use the formats that fit. Our guide to Reels, Stories and feed posts explains the strengths of each.
- Look at your own insights. Instagram's built-in statistics show which posts reached non-followers and which were saved or shared.
Keep perspective
Ranking systems change regularly, and small shifts are rarely worth chasing. Accounts that grow steadily tend to share good content consistently and treat their followers as people rather than numbers. That approach survives algorithm changes much better than any trick does.
