Instagram Algorithm: How It Works

(and How to Make it Work for You)

in 2025
Alyssa Gagliardi

How does the Instagram algorithm actually work?

It's a common question amongst social media managers, creators, and

anyone trying to grow on social.

We’re breaking down how the Instagram algorithm works in 2025, the top
:
 ranking factors, and our top tips for hacking the algorithm for more
engagement for your brand.

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents
What Is the Instagram Algorithm?
How Does the Instagram Algorithm Work?
How the Instagram Algorithm Works for Feed Posts
How the Instagram Reels Algorithm Works
How the Instagram Story Algorithm Works
How the Instagram Explore Page Algorithm Works
How to Reset the Instagram Algorithm
7 Tips to Beat the Instagram Algorithm in 2025

Never Miss a Trend AgainJoin over 1 million marketers to get social news,
trends, and tips right to your inbox!Email Address

What Is the Instagram Algorithm?

The Instagram algorithm is a system used by the social media platform to
determine the order in which content is displayed in a user's feed.

You’ll often hear the Instagram algorithm referred to as a singular

concept, but there are really multiple algorithms at play.

In fact, Instagram describes it as a "variety of algorithms, classifiers, and

processes, each with its own purpose. We want to make the most of
people’s time, and we believe that using technology to personalize
everyone’s experience is the best way to do that."

In other words, Instagram's algorithms have one goal: to make you stay
on the app longer by delivering content you'll find relevant and
:
 interesting.

The algorithm majorly affects how social media managers work.

“Instagram’s algorithms impact the day-to-day life of just about social

media professional in big ways,” says Later’s Senior Social Media
Manager, Alexandra Standafer Bolles.

“In order to create best-in-class content that drives growth and

engagement, we’re required to produce a wide range of assets—from
videos to statics, carousels, stories, to lives, and more—multiple times a
day, every day.”

However, you can use it to your advantage.

By tailoring your strategy to "hack" what Instagram's algorithm is

prioritizing — so you can reach more users and build a community of
engaged followers.

How Does the Instagram Algorithm Work in

2025?
There are multiple factors that Instagram will use to evaluate its
algorithm in 2025, depending on what you’re posting.

According to this deep-dive into ranking from Instagram itself, each

algorithm uses different “signals” to determine what will rank on your
feed.

The major takeaway? Each Instagram algorithm ranks content based on

different signals:

The Instagram Feed algorithm: Your activity in-feed (likes,

comments, shares, and saves), and info about the post and the person
who posted.
:
 The Instagram Stories algorithm: Stories you've viewed or engaged
with in the past.

The Instagram Explore Page algorithm: Your activity in Explore

(likes, comments, and shares), and info about the post and the
person who posted.

The Instagram Reels algorithm: Your activity in Reels (likes,

comments, shares, and saves), and info about the Reel and the
person who posted.

Here’s what all of these signals have in common: The algorithm will
reward content that resonates with your audience.

Read on for an in-depth breakdown of how each algorithm works.

How the Instagram Algorithm Works for Feed

Posts
Remember the days when your Instagram was a chronological story of
what your friends were eating for lunch that day?

Now, things are a little more complex.

The feed now consists of Reels and posts from followed accounts as well
as suggested content.

The signals the Instagram algorithm uses to evaluate feed posts are:

Your activity. Users see content from topics and accounts that
they're already liking, saving, or sending.

Information about the post. If a feed post is going viral or has a high
engagement rate, Instagram is more likely to include it in the feed.
:
 Information about the poster. People get recommended posts from
users who are similar to the ones they already follow and interact
with.

Your history of interacting with someone. If you’re always liking

someone’s posts or frequently visiting their profile, the algorithm
will consider this.

The moral of the story is the higher the engagement your posts have,
the better.

TIP: Use Later's Instagram Analytics to understand which posts deliver

the highest engagement for your account and optimize your strategy.

How the Instagram Reels Algorithm Works

Knowing how to "hack" the Reels algorithm can be a huge advantage for
anyone looking to grow on Instagram.

Much like feed posts, Instagram prioritizes Reels based on what it

believes a viewer will be most likely to interact with.

The signals it uses to determine Reels ranking are very similar to feed
posts:

Your activity

Information about the reel

Information about the poster

Your history of interacting with someone

According to Instagram, brands and creators should create Reels that are
entertaining, inspiring, or experimental and use creative tools like text,
:
 camera effects, or filters.

Psst, bookmark this blog for additional Reels tips: The Ultimate Guide to
Instagram Reels.

How the Instagram Story Algorithm Works

The Instagram story algorithm works a little differently, as you don’t see
accounts you haven’t followed in your Story feed (yet).

However, the key ranking signals for the Instagram Story algorithm are
similar:

Viewing history: The algorithm will start by showing people the

stories they know they’ll enjoy (so they’ll stay on the app longer, of
course).

Engagement history: People are served stories from accounts that

they’ve previously DMed or reacted to.

Closeness: The algorithm evaluates how likely it is that an account

comes from a close friend or family member. That’s why you’ll often
see Close Friends’ stories show up at the beginning of the Story feed.

ICYMI: With Later, you can plan and automatically publish your
Instagram Stories, add captions or links, and set a publish time.
:
 Start scheduling your Instagram Stories in advance with Later with a
free trial of any plan.
:
 How the Instagram Explore Page Algorithm
Works
The Instagram Explore page algorithm delivers content that it thinks
you’ll be most interested in, based on your prior interactions.

While your Instagram Home feed is mostly made up of content from

accounts you already follow, the Explore feed consists entirely of
content from new accounts.
:
 The signals the algorithm uses to rank Explore posts include:

Information about the post: How popular a post seems to be — like

how quickly users are interacting with it. These signals matter much
more here than they do for Feed and Stories.

Activity in Explore: How you've interacted with posts in the past.

Information about the person who posted: How many times people
have interacted with them in the past few weeks.
:
 The Explore page is constantly evolving, with new topic categories and
advanced search functionalities being introduced all the time.

So, by continually sharing engaging content with strong captions, relevant

keywords, and niche hashtags, you’re optimizing your posts for Explore
page potential.

TIP: Write your Instagram captions in advance with Later's Instagram

Scheduler.

Schedule, manage, & analyze Instagram posts with Later — try it for free.

Sign Up

How to Reset the Instagram Algorithm

Short answer: You can't "reset" the Instagram algorithm.

If your account isn’t appearing on any feeds, you may have been
“shadowbanned”. Read this post to learn what shadowbanning is - and
how to undo it.

However, there are a couple of ways you can refresh the content shown in
your feed:

By clearing your search history

By tapping "Not Interested" on suggested posts

The good news? If you haven't been shadowbanned, there's plenty you
can do to boost the chances of others seeing your content (keep reading).

7 Tips to Beat the Instagram Algorithm in 2025

If you want to improve your ranking with the Instagram algorithm, the
:
 best thing you can do is drive as many interactions (likes, comments,
saves, and clicks) as possible.

And by building momentum with your existing community, you’ll soon

find your content surfaced to new audiences.

Here are seven ways to improve your algorithmic ranking and reach new
audiences:

Tip #1: Use Instagram SEO

Optimizing your Instagram for search - whether that be through the

Explore page or through the search bar - is one of the best ways to keep
your account discoverable.

And when it’s easy to find your content, you’ll be encouraging those
interactions that the algorithm sees as strong signals.

From using keywords in your captions and profiles to adding subtitles to

Instagram Reels, Instagram SEO is an essential social media tool.

Read our Instagram SEO guide to get started.

Tip #2: Encourage More Interactions with Instagram

Stories Stickers

Instagram Stories stickers are a great way to encourage audience

engagement — and the more engagement your posts get, the higher
they’ll be boosted by the Instagram algorithm.

There are lots of Instagram stickers, but the best ones for driving
engagement are the poll, emoji slider, and question stickers.

TIP: Include a sticker on your first story for an added boost!

:
 Tip #3: Drive Conversations with Engaging Captions

Instagram has confirmed comments and likes are important when it

comes to feed ranking — so it’s a good idea to encourage as many as
possible for your posts.

One of the best ways to do this? Write strong captions that drive
engagement.

This could be as simple as asking your followers to share their thoughts,

double-tap if they agree, tag a friend in the comments, or click the link in
your bio.

With Later's AI Caption Writer, you can create on-brand captions in

seconds — no brainstorming required.

Generate social media captions in seconds with Later’s AI Caption Writer!

Start Free Trial

Tip #4: Add Relevant Hashtags to Your Posts

Adding hashtags to your posts is an effective way to reach more people on

Instagram, which means more “views” for the Instagram algorithm to take
into account.

It’s important to focus on quality, hyper-relevant hashtags — even using 5

or 10 hashtags is better than zero.

Use Later's Hashtag Suggestions tool to automatically find relevant

hashtags for your posts based on your caption and other hashtags you
search. Work smarter, not harder.

Reach new followers with relevant, on-brand hashtag suggestions from

Later.
:
 Start Free Trial

Tip #5: Optimize for Views

Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced in the summer of 2024 that

Instagram’s analytics would be views-focused and that users should
optimize for Views instead of likes and engagement.

This update indicates that you should evaluate your content’s success on
how visible it is.

While we don’t have this confirmed, this also suggests that Views might be
seen by Instagram’s algorithm as a strong ranking signal.

Some ways you can optimize for Views include:

Creating trends-focused content

Collaborating with other creators

Engage with your audience

Post at your personalized Best Time to Post

Learn more about Instagram Views, and how to optimize for them, here.

Tip #6: Cross-promote Your Instagram Content

If you’re looking for a quick and easy engagement win to help boost your
algorithm ranking, cross-promoting your Instagram content is a great
place to start.

Instagram Collabs posts (with co-shared authorship) are an incredible

new way to reach new audiences.
:
 You’ll share views, likes, and comments — allowing you to leverage and
engage with each other’s communities.

Tip #7: Use Instagram Analytics to See What’s Working

Tracking and monitoring analytics is one of the most reliable ways to take
on the Instagram algorithm.

Having a better understanding of what’s working (and what isn’t) will help
you come up with a finely-tuned marketing plan, saving you time and
effort in the long run.

But diving into your Instagram Analytics means more than just finding
out which photo, video, or Reel performed best.

Truly understanding how your content performs — by tracking key

metrics over time — is vital to knowing what helps improve your ranking.

The easiest way to do this? Later’s Analytics feature:

:
 The tool lets you track up to 12 months' worth of Instagram feed posts,
Stories, and Reels so you can see exactly what's performed best — and
filter by key metrics like engagement, followers, reach, likes, and more.

Plus, you can export your Instagram analytics directly to your desktop (in
a CSV file) making it easy to keep all of your numbers in spreadsheet
format.

Get Ahead of the Instagram Algorithm

The best way to gain an advantage with the Instagram algorithm in 2025?

Know your niche, create engaging content, and be consistent. The

Instagram algorithm will do the rest.

TIP: Plan your Instagram content in advance so you can have an

organized content calendar (and save time!). Start a free trial with
Later Social today.
:
 Schedule, manage, & analyze Instagram posts with Later — try it for free.

Sign Up
: