The good news: Instagram has transparently shared a ton about the magical, majestic Instagram algorithm. (At Buffer, we’re big believers in transparency, so hat tip to Instagram for that!)

The not-so-good news: Instagram has different algorithms for all parts of the app — namely feed, stories, explore, and reels.

“Does this mean I have to optimize my Instagram content four different ways to please the algo?”  

The overarching signals — such as watch time, likes, and sends — are the same everywhere. And the principles behind them are evergreen enough to survive the small updates. Follow these, and you’re (mostly) golden.

But still, knowing the specifics of how each subset of the algorithm works helps reach your goals faster. Reaching new people on Instagram works a tad differently from deepening relationships with the audience you already have, for instance.

Here’s how each algorithm works, the evergreen principles behind all of them, and what to do about it.

If you didn’t already know, Instagram’s feeds are not in chronological order. The algorithm decides how to rank content. Why not chronological?

Without ranking, feeds would be overrun by the accounts that post most often, which tends to mean businesses and brands, and the average creator's reach would shrink.

And Instagram doesn’t have one algorithm. It runs a separate ranking system for each part of the app (feed, stories, explore, and reels), because people use each one differently. Mosseri groups them into two general types: 

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