The Instagram Reels Algorithm & How It Works

Instagram Reels is still fairly new, and if you’re still trying to navigate how to maximize your Reels content, we’re here to help. Instagram recently shared the factors their algorithm analyzes when ranking Reels. These are important factors to take into consideration when creating your Reels in order to help you increase your reach. Here’s a breakdown of everything Instagram had to say.

How Instagram Determines Which Reels to Show You

Instagram determines which Reels to show you on your feed by taking into consideration the Reels you’ve watched all the way through, the Reels you’ve interacted with such as if you liked or commented on them, and the Reels which you’ve taken audio from to make your own.

If you’ve watched a Reel all the way through, or interacted with it, this of course will trigger the Instagram algorithm into thinking you want to see more of this type of Reel. But Instagram also tries to show you Reels which you’re likely to take the audio from and make your own Reel out of. This is why it’s a good idea to hop on trending topics and audio on Reels, as it can help your Reels get discovered.

Factors In Order of Importance

Instagram also shared the most important factors its algorithm looks at when determining which Reels content to show you. The most important factor is your past activity with Reels content, and the Reels you’ve most recently interacted with. Next, the history of your interaction with accounts posting Reels. Then, the information associated with the Reels such as the audio and video. For example, if you’re interacting with videos about skincare, you’ll see more of this in your feed. Lastly, Instagram looks into the accounts posting the Reels, and how others have previously interacted with them. Be sure to take these factors into consideration when creating your Reels to help you increase your reach.

What Instagram Limits

Lastly, Instagram shared which Reels it will avoid showing in the feed. These include low quality or watermarked Reels (such as those which have been re-uploaded from TikTok and include the TikTok marker on them), and political related Reels.

All this being said, be sure to strategize engaging, relevant, and quality Reels you can create in order to help you maximize your reach! 🙂

Source:

, Andrew. “Instagram Provides New Overview of How its Reels Algorithm Works.” SocialMediaToday, 4 August 2021, https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-provides-new-overview-of-how-its-reels-algorithm-works/.

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