Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, released a new video and blog post explaining how the Instagram algorithm works for Stories, Feeds, Reels, and Explore.
In addition to ranking, it contains more information about shadowbanning, reviewing your account status, and best practices for growing an Instagram audience.
The following is an update to the original video about the Instagram algorithm from 2021.
The first point Mosseri makes is that the Instagram algorithm is not one algorithm but rather many algorithms and processes that work together to personalize the content each Instagram user sees.
Why does Instagram employ algorithms? Because each individual is different, each Instagram user should see content that matches their interests.
This is what Instagram hopes to achieve through ranking – a personalized experience that keeps users engaged with the Instagram platform for more extended periods of time.
When you open the Instagram app, the first thing you see at the top is a row of the latest Stories from accounts you follow.
To determine which Stories appear first, Instagram analyzes all of the Stories by those you follow from the last 24 hours. The goal is to decide which Stories you will most likely be interested in through proxies (guesses).
Instagram wants to predict which stories you will likely open, reply to, react to, or like.
To make these predictions, Instagram uses signals – previous interactions you’ve had with Stories. The top signals that affect the order of Stories in your Instagram app include the following:
Instagram hopes that ranking Stories through personalized proxies, signals, and predictions will ultimately place Stories first from the people you care about most.
The Instagram Feed aims to catch users up with the best content posted since they last used the app.
It will include a mix of content from those you follow, and Instagram accounts you might be interested in based on a series of predictions.
These predictions are based on the following top signals:
Instagram uses your history of interactions, the popularity of the post, information about the author, and how often you’ve interacted with the author to determine the order in which content appears.
You can shape the content of your Feed by designating your favorite accounts, which would place posts from those accounts at the top of the Feed. You can also switch to the Following Feed, which will only show posts from accounts you follow chronologically.
The goal of Instagram Reels is to entertain users. Instagram serves Reels primarily from accounts you do not follow.
First, Instagram looks at the Reels you have interacted with in the past and Reels liked by other users similar to you.
Next, it guesses which Reels you will most likely watch until the end, share with friends, or visit the audio page for your content creation efforts.
To make these guesses, Instagram uses signals like the history of the Reels you’ve watched, information about the Reel, information about the author of the Reel, and how often you’ve interacted with the author.
This is combined to create an immersive, entertaining, and delightful tab.
Like Reels, Instagram Explore aims to serve the best content from accounts you do not follow to help you discover new things to be interested in on Instagram.
Instagram predicts the posts you will likely like, save, or share.
It uses signals like the post’s popularity, topics you tend to be interested in, information about the author, and how often you’ve interacted with the author.
In addition to explaining how ranking works in various areas of Instagram, Mosseri also wanted to discuss shadowbanning and debunk a popular myth about it.
Some Creators believe they have been shadowbanned when their content does not receive the expected or desired reach.
While there is speculation that Instagram reduces the reach of accounts to “encourage” them to pay for advertising, Mosseri claims that is a myth.
He explained that it is in Instagram’s best interest to connect people to the most exciting content possible to increase time spent on the app and, ultimately, increase advertising revenue.
To help users, Instagram created an Account Status section that describes any reasons that Instagram may have to limit an account’s visibility on the platform.
Mosseri concluded the video by sharing the following best practices to help you grow your audience and reach on Instagram.
Have questions? Mosseri invites Instagram followers to participate in regular AMAs about Instagram via Stories.
Featured image: Kaspars Grinvalds/Shutterstock
Google’s Search Advocate John Mueller recently addressed the SEO community’s concerns about site recovery after…
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes…
Google’s SearchLiaison confirmed that Google’s site reputation abuse update started on Monday May 6th. Many…
This post was sponsored by Fiverr Pro. The opinions expressed in this article are the…
A report based on independently verified accounts notes that Apple’s Safari 18 will come with…
Looking to increase the impact of your blogging strategy? Wondering what separates the top blogs…
This website uses cookies.
Leave a Comment