Many creators harbor a desire to unravel the mystery of Instagram's algorithm. Two years ago, the social network shared some information to shed light on how recommendations are prioritized on its platform.

However, in a blog post published on Wednesday, Instagram goes further by revealing new details on how its algorithms work, with a separate system in place for each part of the application, namely Reels, Stories, the feed of news and Explore. Here's how these mechanisms work!

The Algorithm for Reels

The Reels format is clearly inspired by TikTok, which is also reflected in its algorithm, which has similarities to that of ByteDance's app. So unlike the logic of followed accounts, most Reels are selected based on your interests. Here are the factors taken into consideration:

  • Activity: the algorithm analyzes your actions such as likes, saves, shares and comments on videos to determine what content you might like.
  • Interactions with the creator of the video: Instagram considers that if you have already interacted with a user, it is likely that you are interested in their content and they will therefore be more likely to be recommended.
  • Information about the Reel: if a Reel achieves general success, i.e. if it generates a lot of engagement and interaction, it will be favored and more widely broadcast.
  • Information about the creator of the Reel: if the creator is popular, with a large number of subscribers and a high level of engagement, their contents will be more frequently recommended.


In this way, Instagram adjusts its Reels algorithm to present you with the most relevant content based on your preferences and past interaction with video creators .

The algorithm for Stories

It is likely that you have noticed that it is often the Stories of the same users that are highlighted in your dedicated section. To rank them, Instagram follows a process of first deleting Stories that violate Community Guidelines, then prioritizing those that remain based on the following criteria:

  • History of views: if you have already viewed several times the Stories of a specific account, these will be placed in priority in your feed.
  • Engagement: The app also takes into account your level of engagement with a user's Stories, whether it's likes or private messages (DMs). This may influence the ranking of that user's Stories in your section.
  • Proximity: Instagram tries to gauge how close you are to a user based on the relationship that you have with him on the platform. This can include frequent interactions, message exchanges or tagging in posts.


Using these criteria, Instagram seeks to personalize your experience by highlighting Stories from users with whom you have a strong affinity or a closer relationship.< /div>

The algorithm for your Instagram feed

Instagram's main feed has evolved in recent years, giving more importance to recommendations. Thus, the platform strives to find a balance between the accounts you follow and recommendations, as well as between different formats such as photos, carousels and videos. To do this, the algorithm is based on "signals" defined according to your behavior. Here are the most important:

  • Your activity: Instagram seeks to understand your preferences by analyzing the content you have liked, shared, commented on or saved.
  • The nature of the post: Similar to Reels, if a post is successful with a large audience, it will be featured. However, Instagram also takes into account more objective elements such as post date or location.
  • Your relationship with the creator: if you interact with a creator in a direct way (through likes, comments or exchanges in messages), his publications will be more frequently recommended to you. However, Instagram is careful not to overwhelm you with content from the same user.


Instagram thus implements these criteria in order to personalize your experience and present you with publications that correspond to your interests, while maintaining diversity in the recommendations.

The Explore Algorithm

As the name suggests, the Explore section of Instagram is all about getting you to discover new content. This is a section dedicated to recommendations, which is of great importance for creators wishing to expand their community. Here are the elements taken into account by the Explore algorithm:

  • Post information: The most crucial criterion is the popularity of the post. Signals such as likes, shares and comments are, according to Instagram, "much more important in Explore than in News Feed or Stories".
  • Your activity in Explore: the social network is interested in your interactions with the content published in this specific section. It analyzes your behavior, likes and comments to better understand your interests.
  • Creator Popularity: Once again, a popular creator on the platform will benefit from a greater visibility on Explore. Instagram highlights creators with large audiences and high engagement.


Using these criteria, Instagram personalizes the Explore section to show you content that may be of interest to you, taking into account the popularity of posts, your activity in this section and the reputation of the creators.