How Instagram Ranking Works in 2025
Social media algorithms are complex and unique.
In fact, it's TikTok's algorithm that makes the platform so special...and why so many people are not happy about it being removed from the App Store.
Adam Mosseri (CEO of Instagram) just shared a video explaining how ranking works on Instagram in 2025.
This info is important if you post on Instagram and care about growing an audience there.
Instagram's Ranking System in Plain English
Instagram uses two main systems to decide who sees your videos (or "Reels"):
1. People Who Follow You
- Instagram shows your videos to people who already follow your account. This is called Connected Reach.
2. People Who Don't Follow You
- Instagram also recommends your videos to strangers who don't follow you yet. This is called Unconnected Reach.
How Instagram Decides Which Videos to Show People
They look at three key things to figure out if your video is worth showing:
1. How Long People Watch
- If your video keeps people watching longer, Instagram sees it as a good video.
2. Likes
- How many people like your video compared to how many see it.
3.Shares
- How many people send your video to a friend or share it in a message.
What's Most Important?
- The most important thing overall is how much time people spend watching your video.
- For followers, likes are slightly more important than shares.
- For non-followers, shares are slightly more important than likes.
How You Can Implement This Information
If one of your videos did better than others, check your insights to see:
- Average watch time
- Likes per reach
- Shares per reach
All of this explained in one sentence very simply:
Instagram prioritizes showing videos people watch the longest followed by which are liked and shared the most…focus on these!
-Dylan