How ranking algorithm works on reels [Tips to use it to your benefit]

If you’re looking to grow on Instagram, reels are the way to go. After all, it’s not just a photo-sharing platform anymore.

But how to make sure your reels are discovered? To understand that, first you need to understand how are reels ranked. Once you have an answer to that, you can create a strategy based on your findings to rank your own reels.

Reels are shown to a consumer based on the following criteria

1. Do they watch reels all the way through? If yes, show more reels from the same account. If no, show reels from the other accounts till they land on the reel that they watch all the way through.
2. Do they hit that like button? If yes, show more reels from the same account. If no, show reels from the other accounts till they like the reel.
3. Do they comment on the reels. If yes, show more similar content and more content from the same creator.
4. If they go to audio page and create a reel, show similar content.

So, if you are a creator, you need to:

• Create short and engaging reels.
• Engage with the content consumer when they comment.
• Create more of what gets better engagement.

Important SIGNALS that determine which reels are shown to a content consumer

1. Recent activity: This includes reels you’ve liked and engaged with.
2. Your history with the person who has posted the reel.
3. Information about the reel: Quality of the video, audio used and the overall content.
4. Information of person posting the reel and how they interact with others.

So if you are a creator, you need to:

• Stay active before and after posting your reel.
• Interact with your target audience. Like and comment on their posts.
• Create good quality reels with popular original audios, trending audios and keep it short so people watch it till the end.
• Make sure you respond to your comments.

Your Reels won’t work if:

1. You create low res reels, add watermarks or repost content created on a different platform.
2. If you’re a political party or political rep.
3. If you talk politics on your reels.
4. If you create content that doesn’t grab attention immediately.

Reel caption and hashtags

If you don’t prompt the content consumers to read your caption, chances are they won’t read it. So make sure you ask for it. For hashtags, you can add 30 but your don’t have to, you don’t need to and you just shouldn’t. 3-5 hashtags is the magic number. Find the right hashtags and stick to them. Also, remember:

No one showed up on the explore page by using the hashtag #explorepage.

Now that you know enough about what to create, it’s time to start creating. Here are some ideas to start with.