Instagram reveals key factors for boosting reach

Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri has launched a new video series aimed at helping users improve their performance on the platform in 2025. In the first video, Mosseri outlines the top three factors that influence Instagram’s algorithm, determining which content gets more reach. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)

The key factors are watch time, likes, and sends. Mosseri explains that these factors are crucial when assessing content performance. "The top three signals that matter most for ranking are watch time, likes and sends," he said. Users should focus on average watch time, likes per reach, and sends per reach when reviewing their insights. 

Mosseri clarified that while these factors are generally consistent, the importance of each can vary depending on the context. For connected content, likes have slightly more influence, while sends carry more weight for unconnected content. 

If users aim to increase their visibility with current followers, likes are the most important. The more likes a post receives, the more likely it is to appear in followers' feeds. However, to expand reach to new users, sends become crucial. Content that gets shared indicates broader appeal, prompting Instagram’s algorithm to promote it through explore and recommendations.

Interestingly, comments were not included as a primary factor in the algorithm breakdown. It is believed that comments are factored into watch time, as users tend to spend more time engaging with posts they comment on. Despite this, the algorithm is currently not amplifying content based on discussions, which may be a move to reduce the impact of divisive political content.