The 4 signals that matter most
Instagram has been pretty open about what its ranking model cares about. In order of weight:
- Watch time — especially full loops and rewatches.
- Shares to DMs and stories — the strongest "this is worth showing more people" signal.
- Saves — tells the model your content has long-term value.
- Comments and likes — important, but lower weight than the above.
What does NOT help anymore
- Comment pods
- Follow/unfollow loops
- Engagement bait ("comment YES below")
Practical playbook
- First 3 seconds must stop the scroll.
- End on a loop so people watch twice.
- Add a question in the caption to nudge comments naturally.
- Use a free views boost early — it pushes the reel into the algorithm's "worth testing" bucket faster.