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Instagram algorithm 2026: how to get reach

According to Adam Mosseri, Instagram ranks mainly by three signals: average watch time, plus likes and sends (shares by direct message), the last two relative to reach (Mosseri, January 2025). For small businesses that means posting your own content that people watch to the end and send on.

  • 6 min read

As of October 13, 2026

The information comes from public statements by Instagram and Adam Mosseri, from Instagram help pages and from the trade press. Where only the press reports something, we say so. Changes: October 13, 2026 – first version. Next review: January 2027.

What does Instagram rank by?

There is no single algorithm. Instagram ranks Feed, Reels, Stories and Explore separately (according to Social Media Today, January 2025, quoting Mosseri). According to Mosseri, three signals count most: watch time, likes and sends. That means how long someone watches, how often a post is liked and how often it is sent by direct message.

Likes and sends are measured relative to reach. Likes matter a little more with followers, sends with non-followers. Mosseri advised watching three numbers in Instagram Insights: average watch time, likes per reach and sends per reach.

The three signals and what you do about them
SignalWhat is measuredWhat you do
Watch timeHow long people watch your video or Reel.Show the result in the first second, not the logo or a greeting. At the hair salon: the finished hairstyle first, then the way there.
Likes per reachHow many of the people who see the post like it.One clear subject and one idea per post. Real photos from your business instead of stock images.
Sends per reachHow often people send the post on by direct message.Content people want to send to someone: a price example, a care tip, opening hours over the holidays, a before and after. Ask yourself before posting: Who would I send this to?

Be careful with fixed factors

Claims like “sends count several times as much as likes” circulate online. Meta has not confirmed any such factor. Go by the direction: sharing counts, especially with people who don’t follow you yet.

What is the originality update of April 30, 2026?

Since April 30, 2026, Instagram no longer shows accounts that mostly post other people’s photos, carousels or Reels in recommendation surfaces such as Explore (according to Social Media Today and MediaPost). The last 30 days are evaluated on a rolling basis. Your followers still see the posts. It is about reach among people who don’t follow you yet.

For businesses, that means: if you mostly re-upload manufacturer images or posts from other accounts, this rule applies to you. Your own photos and videos from the workshop, kitchen or salon are the opposite of unoriginal. As an alternative to reposting, the trade press mentions Collabs and Remix. The often-quoted limit of “10 reposts in 30 days” is not official.

How long can a Reel be?

Reels of up to 3 minutes can be recommended to non-followers. Until January 2025, the limit was 90 seconds (Instagram Creators blog, January 21, 2025). Longer Reels are not recommended to new audiences (Instagram Help, retrieved October 13, 2026). Your Reel still doesn’t have to run 3 minutes: what matters is that people watch to the end.

Hashtags: 5 at most

Since December 2025, Instagram allows 5 hashtags at most per post (Instagram Help). Examples for trades, hair salons, hospitality and cleaning are in How many hashtags in 2026?

What are “Your Algorithm” and Trial Reels?

Your Algorithm. Users see the topics behind their Reels recommendations and edit them themselves. The feature launched in the US on December 10, 2025 (exchange4media). In June 2026, Instagram tested further ways to access it (TechCrunch, June 27, 2026). Our sources give no launch date for Germany. Our assessment: one clear topic per account still makes sense, because viewers now choose their topics themselves.

Trial Reels. These are test Reels that Instagram first shows only to non-followers (Instagram Creators blog, January 21, 2025). They have existed for professional accounts since December 2024 (according to Websitebuilderexpert). Instagram has not confirmed whether a minimum number of followers is required. Good for tests: two different openings, or one Reel with a price mentioned and one without. companycore does not publish Trial Reels.

Myth check: what is true and what isn’t?

ClaimStatus
“Link in bio” in the text lowers your reach.Not true, Mosseri said in July 2025 (PetaPixel, July 25, 2025).
After 10 reposts in 30 days, you stop getting recommendations.That number is not official. All that is reported is that accounts with mostly other people’s content are no longer recommended.
Sends count several times as much as likes.Meta has not confirmed any such factor.
There is one best time of day.The big studies contradict each other, see Best time to post in 2026.
Your account is “shadowbanned”.Not supported as a blanket explanation in our sources. First check the account status in the app and the points in Instagram reach dropped?

What can small businesses do now?

  • Show your own work. Photos and videos from the workshop, salon, kitchen, office or shop instead of reposts and manufacturer images.
  • Make the first line and the first second strong. The result, a question or the price comes first, not the greeting.
  • Post what people send on. A price example, a care tip, a before and after. When someone sends it by direct message, that gives Instagram a signal that counts slightly more with strangers.
  • Start with 2 to 3 feed posts per week. Studies give 3 to 5 as a guide. What they show, and how much of it is solid evidence, is covered in How often should a business post?
  • Vary your formats. Alternate between image, carousel and Reel. What each one is good for is in Reels, carousel or image.
  • Do Collabs instead of reposts. Publish a post together with a partner business or supplier instead of re-uploading their image.
  • Use 5 hashtags at most. Instagram allows no more.
Reach dropped?Eight checks, from the switch in how reach is measured to link posts on Facebook, plus a 30-day plan.Hashtags 2026The 5-hashtag limit, the 5-hashtag formula for small businesses and the rules per platform.How often to post?What studies show about posting frequency and how to keep up the rhythm.Reels, carousel or image?Which format works best for what, and how much effort it takes.

With companycore

companycore turns your own photos and company content into on-brand posts, so you don’t have to repost other people’s images. In the Post Generator, Visible before “more” shows how much of your first line can be read before it is cut off (for Instagram, the display assumes about 125 characters). The Calendar shows you where publications are missing in your rhythm.

Frequently asked questions

How many reposts are still allowed?

Instagram gives no official number. The often-quoted limit of 10 reposts in 30 days is not confirmed. What is reported is that accounts with mostly other people’s content are no longer recommended; the evaluation covers a rolling 30 days.

How long can a Reel be for strangers to see it?

Up to 3 minutes. According to Instagram Help, longer Reels are not recommended to new audiences.

Do likes still count?

Yes. According to Mosseri, likes per reach are among the three most important signals; with followers they weigh slightly more than sends.

Can I adjust the Instagram algorithm?

There is no switch for your reach. With “Your Algorithm”, Instagram is testing how users steer the topics of their own Reels feed (launched in the US, December 2025).

Sources

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