Instagram Algorithm Explained by Mosseri: Four Principles and Posting Tips for Creators

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri shared a series of videos on his profile explaining why and how the platform ranks content. The goal is partly to address concerns about algorithmic influence on content trends, which the Australian government is looking to curb with regulation, and partly to give creators insight into improving their posting approach. The original coverage called most of it generic, but a few points are worth noting from a social media marketing view.

Why Instagram ranks content at all

According to Mosseri, ranking helps people see the most relevant content and spend their time well. Without it, the feed gets overrun by accounts that post the most, and businesses and brands post a lot more than creators and people. That would worsen the experience, reduce how much content people see and lower average reach for creators. Ranking rests on predictions of how a user will respond to a post, such as whether they will watch it or share it with a friend, and recency matters a lot, which is why the feed is roughly chronological.

The four principles behind the algorithm

• Originality: Instagram gives precedence to original content and the original creator over re-posters.
• Recency: When something is posted matters for ranking and display.
• Breaking content: Posts from small creators with public accounts are shown to people who do not follow them, to learn how audiences respond and boost newcomers.
• Model size: Instagram has expanded its AI models to take in more factors from a broader range of posts.

Tips creators and brands can use

The key advice is to focus on engagement rate rather than total views or likes to increase reach. Mosseri also suggested experimenting with different content because trends change, noting that trial Reels can help. Creators tend to post as much as they can to improve their odds of a hit, he said, while managing their time to avoid burnout. Users can also steer their feeds with favorites, "Not interested" and Your Algorithm, so it is worth knowing how your content fares in those tools.

What it means for marketers

First, because heavy posters can be disadvantaged, judge performance by response rate, not posting frequency. Second, favoring originals over re-posts is the same direction YouTube is taking; see the YouTube Shorts algorithm update favoring original content. Third, when planning creator partnerships, factor in the shift described in Shoppers Follow People, Not Search: Creators Are Becoming the Seller in Korean Commerce.