Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri has shared new guidance on how creators should interpret performance insights on the platform, saying engagement rates matter more than raw reach in understanding how content performs.
Mosseri, who regularly posts updates on his personal account to engage with creators, said users should focus on why a post performs well rather than just how widely it is seen.
“The thing I think that matters most, and that you really should focus on, is not how much reach your post got. That is an important thing, obviously, but if you want to understand why a post got more or less reach, you should focus on your engagement rates,” Mosseri said.
He said higher engagement signals to the platform’s ranking systems that content is more relevant, which can increase distribution. Engagement includes likes, comments, saves, shares, and watch time.
“So of all the people who saw the post, how many of them actually engaged with that post?” he said, adding that different types of engagement send different signals to the system.
Mosseri also pointed to the difference between connected and unconnected reach. Connected reach refers to followers who see a post, while unconnected reach refers to non-followers.
“The engagement rates that matter most vary slightly,” he said. “For instance, like rates matter more for your followers, and send rates matter more for those who don’t follow you.”
He added that stronger engagement from followers increases the likelihood of content being shown more widely within follower feeds.
According to Mosseri, Instagram’s feed ranking is based on interaction patterns, meaning users may not always see posts from accounts they follow if they do not engage regularly with them.
