Instagram's 2026 Algorithm: 6 Metrics Explained — Full Breakdown & Transcript

[00:01] Most creators still think that likes and comments are what increase the reach of the content. But it is not like that now. Instagram has completely reshuffled And they have put it all inside your own inside screen all rank in

[00:15] break down what each metric actually means. Why Instagram ranks it there exactly what to do to improve each metric. By the way if you are new to this channel hi I am Sunny. I am a travel photographer and creator based in Mumbai. I have two

[00:29] Instagram pages and across both I have multiple reels with over million plus views. So when I talk about algorithms I am talking from actual data and experience, not just theory. So now let's get into it. [Music] Instagram has the

[00:42] number one skip rate. And that tells you everything. Skip rate is simple. What percentage of people swiped your reel in the first 3 seconds. And every skip Instagram. If your reel has a high skip rate , its direct effect is that

[00:55] new audiences. This is the number one point of importance because if people leave within the first 3 seconds, then none of the other metrics matter because they did n't even watch your reel. [MUSIC] So how do you fix it. Fix your hook? Yes. The first

[01:08] what we call a hook. And you need to understand that every reel has three types of hooks, and you need to at least use any two of them. Now let's break down each one of them. First verbal hook. What You Say in the First Three Seconds. [Music] Now this only

[01:22] applies if you make a talking hand reel or a voiceover reel. If you're making a pure cinematic reel where there's no speaking then you don't need a verbal hook. Three things that start from the middle. Start the reel as if you were already in the middle of a conversation.

[01:35] start with and that's exactly why you are not losing weight. No matter how much you run. Saw this happen in between starts [music]. Many people make the mistake because they Always [music] come to the point. This is short form content. Not long form.

[01:49] Second Start with the Result. For example, this is the created before showing a single ingredient. And like in this video I shed how I gained 50 followers in the Start Itself and then show the process.

[02:02] explanation because the viewer must have a reason to watch your video till the directly. For example, the health and wellness creator Might say [music] If You Wake sleep. This is exactly why. Basically, you should address your audience

[02:17] So they feel like it's a video targeted to them personally and they want to skip the video. Now, let's talk about visual hooks. What People See in the First Frame Before They Hear Anything. This is mandatory for every type of reel. Weather it's a

[02:30] talking head reel, voice over reel and even a cinematic reel. For This Either Show The Most Unexpected and Unfinished. And if you do n't have some wow or controversial clips, then the bonus step is to use more fast

[02:42] viewer. For example, the views of this video of mine are almost 5 million. And its skip rate is around 54%. And this video has got only 30 views and its skip rate is 68% and the text of both was almost the same. Like in one it is written Mumbai Next Month and

[02:56] in the other it is written LAP Next Month. But I feel the Mumbai clips at the start were visually more striking than the LAP one. So that's why visual hooks affect your skip rate and eventually your reach. So one of my reels got 5 million plus views

[03:09] about the text hook. What's written on screen in the first three seconds. Again this is also mandatory for every type of reel. Because many people's sound remains off when they scroll. If there is nothing to read immediately they are going to skip the

[03:22] video. So if you're making a talking head reel, either write a bold unexpected point in bold [music] text. And if it's a cinematic reel write some relatable text that I use a lot on my reels. Just make sure whatever your text is,

[03:35] don't make it long. Keep it to two to seven words. For example, like here I mentioned Instagram you remember is dead. Now that is a bold statement. And this other reel I wrote how I posted Delhi which addresses the pain point of people who are inconsistent because

[03:47] of this text hook even if their sound is off they would still want to watch the video and even better they would save the video to watch it later. So the main rule is every reel you make you need minimum two out of these three hooks working simultaneously. This creates an immersive

[03:59] skip the video. And now if you feel stressed about writing your have created a hooks database that is plug Prompts to Make It Faster Inside My Program Short Form [ Music ] Creator

[04:12] Master. So you can focus more on the other areas of content creation and grow faster. You can use YouTube for 20% off just for [music] you. The link is in the description. All right, let's move to the next metric. The number two metric on

[04:24] important to know why it's there. Because a share or send does something that no other metric does. This allows your content to reach

[04:36] is the percentage of how many people viewed your reel and sent it to others in other DMs and on the Stories. But mainly because of two reasons. First when you share valuable information in your

[04:49] video like my Kerala itinerary video which became viral because I shared seven best places to visit in Kerala in monsoon. It has a share rate of 5% and total shares of 21,000 and that's insane. Those who are planning to visit Kerala during monsoon must have

[05:02] shared this. And second when your reels evo some sort of emotion. It could be funny, inspiring, deep relatability, anything. And you can do that either by your content itself or by adding text, which I do in my travel content.

[05:14] is POV. You manifest a monsoon trip like this in [music] Kerala. This reel has a share rate of 5.7% and 31,000 people share it. It worked not only because of the text but also the beautiful visuals that complemented it. So

[05:28] any couple, family or friends planning a trip to Kerala, they would have shared this either provide value and evoke some sort of emotion. Because when you share something with someone it says a lot about your taste, values ​​and humor. You would only share if it makes

[05:42] you look good. But the most important thing is subscription. 94% Off You Watch My Videos and Have Not Subscribed. It's free of cost to you. If you like my videos, please subscribe. Now let's move to the third metric.

[05:54] Like rate is the percentage of people who viewed your reel and double tapped to like it. It still matters because it's Instagram's clearest signal [music] of your overall content quality and emotional resonance. Because now it is visible

[06:06] and emotional resonance. Because now it is visible not like anything randomly because there are no people going to judge them. Also, all these metrics are not as simple as they seem. Instagram CEO himself said there is a thing

[06:18] called connected reach from your own followers and unconnected reach from your non-followers. That comes basically from Recommendations, the Explore page, and the Reels tab. Now likes matter more when it comes from your followers and

[06:30] shares [music] matter more when it comes from non-followers. So ideally followers. But you have to make sure to create real content that those who follow you also engage with your content in a way that is like and comment. My piece of advice for

[06:44] you would be to dedicate 10 to 15 minutes a day. To just like and comment on comments are genuine. What will happen with this is that people will also see your work. And when they see your post, they'd also like to reciprocate that engagement [music] on your

[06:57] actually good. So how to improve your like rate? It's simple. Make your content everyone to start adding text on [MUSIC] your Reels. And overall improve the visuals, better story [music] telling, better editing, better scripts, anything.

[07:12] Also If You Find This Video Helpful, Please Improve The Like Rate Of This [Music] Video By Giving It A Like. Now let's move to the next metric. Save rate is the percentage of views that resulted in saves. Sevas are a bit different from every other

[07:24] metric on the list. When People Save the Reel, It's Intentional. Because the save button is not directly visible on Reels, you can engage passively. You have to click on three dots and then save. That's an effort from a viewer who is just casually viewing. And

[07:37] Instagram treats that are a positive signal. Because people have chosen to save it to I have got less than 100 views in this reel. But still the save rate is 2.2% which is great. That is around ₹1,300 savings. Because here the tech says this and your favorite person in

[07:52] Manali with a gorgeous view of Jacuzzi in front of the mountains. So, whatever couples there are, they would save this video so they can travel to this place in the future. Now How Create useful and informative content. Think about why you ever saved the last content

[08:06] ? [MUSIC] It could be either recipes you want to cook, workouts you want to try, travel destinations you want to visit and general tips you want to refer back to. Do you ? That they are all useful content. No one saves the reel because it was funny. They

[08:19] Save It Because [Music] They Want to Watch That Piece of Content in the Future. Now let's move to the fifth metric. This is a fairly new feature on Instagram where you repost and it is reflected on your followers' feed. So basically, whoever follows you will

[08:31] see this post. Right now to be honest people don't repost a lot. Because if they do it means the content is so good and relatable that you want to show it to your followers. Because even now whenever you share or send DM it is still private. But this

[08:45] completely different level of trust. Usually the repost rate will be less than 1% because people rarely repost and that's okay. And that's why Riposte is a little lower in the rank of importance. Now How to Improve Repost Rate. Make visually stunning

[08:59] Because this repost will appear in your feed tab. And people take great care of aesthetics in their field. So if they repost it should be visually also good. People Rarely Repost a Talking Hand Reel Unless It's Very Deeply Personal to Them. Either

[09:12] you improve the visual content quality or have a strong point of opinion in your reel that resonates with people. A pro tip and I do this a lot. Whenever you upload a new post, wait for a few hours and then repost your own

[09:24] content. It will show up on your [music] followers feed twice. So there are more chances for them to engage. If someone misses it once, they will probably watch and engage the second time too. And now last comment rate. Ok. So Instagram ranked

[09:36] comments dead last on this list. And honestly I was quite amused to see this. comments are king. But I feel many people misused it by using engagement, pods and bots to gamify this. But I still feel comments are a great way to build a

[09:49] community with your audience. And for also understanding what your audience feels about your content. So here's how to improve your comment rate. Take a contrarian approach. If it's a talking at dre. Basically, you have a different point of view about the common

[10:01] believe in them and you'll see people starting discussions in the comments. And it is one of the not doing anything. You put out a content piece and people are fighting in the comments. Arguments are being made. And your engagement is growing. Second, ask

[10:16] very easy in the video. It's called a call to action. Basically ask people to comment a word and give them something valuable for free in their [music] DMs. I use it a lot in my videos on the other page. And it has really grown my page a lot. So, these were the

[10:29] six metrics that actually decide your Instagram reach. Now to quickly hook. And for that again you can check out my program Short Form Creator Mastery. There description. To improve share rate, make it personally relevant. For like rate, make

[10:45] them feel something. For save rate, add utility and usefulness. For repost rate, make content people are proud to share. And for comment rate, give a specific reason to comment. And I would like to tell you that while these insights are there, it's great to look at

[10:58] and analyze but don't be fixated on it every day. You can check your insights once a week and do a monthly review [music] not daily. Focus all your creative and mental energy on creating content that you would personally love to watch yourself. If you have

[11:11] word hook. Because I want to see how many people watched this video till the end and I truly appreciate you guys. Now you know about the algorithm. But if you want to know date how I grooved from zero to 50 followers from scratch on

[11:23] a new page watch this video. Thank you for watching.