Instagram has released an update to Reels insights that tells us exactly how they weight different actions in terms of how they impact the reach of a Reel. Obviously, this is a big help for creating Reels so you can better understand how and why your Reels hit certain thresholds and reach.

For brands, this is a chance to ensure your content is not only hitting the mark for your brand but also matching the algorithm preferences to reach more people.

What You Need to Know

This latest Insights update for Reels appears to be rolling widely to all users so if you don’t yet have it, be patient. You should see it soon.

Here’s what it looks like:

And it literally says “Rates are listed in order of importance to reach.”

All of your Reels will show this data in the individual post insights under the Overview tab. You’ll scroll down that page and this information is below your Views chart/graph.

The priority ranking for determination of reach is your Skip Rate - the rate at which people swipe past your Reel and onto the next within the first 3 seconds.

Shares are the next priority. The more people share the post with others, the more it signals value and, therefore, Instagram will show your Reel to more people.

Surprisingly, likes are pretty high at number three but comments are the LEAST important metric for reach determination. This surprised me!! But, IG has made it clear that most conversations and valuable interactions happen in private convos (DMs) and people are less inclined to leave comments publicly so they aren’t rewarding comments as much for value overall.

But the fact that comments mean less than a repost… that’s crazy to me, but we work with what we’ve got.

So let’s break this down a little more…

Why This Matters: The Strategic Shift

The most important metric for reach on your Reels is Skip Rate. This is the rate at which people leave your Reel for the next, or leave Reels altogether, within the first 3 seconds of your video. If they leave before that 3 second mark, that’s a skip. If they stay past (even to just 4 seconds), that’s not a skip.

A high skip rate is bad. A low skip rate is good.

And this is why your Reels hook is CRITICAL. You can have the best video possible, but if people don’t get “hooked” in the first 3 seconds, they won’t see the rest of it. And if people are bouncing off in that first 3 seconds, IG won’t show it to as many people. If you’re not investing into capturing your viewers in the first 3 seconds, you won’t keep them, and less non-followers will see your Reels, and you’ll struggle to grow quickly.

In terms of the other metrics to consider. Share rates are incredibly important. So, not only do you have to capture the attention of viewers past 3 seconds, but you ideally need to create content that makes them say “I need to send this to so-and-so” or to post it to their Stories. Shareable content tells Instagram the Reel is valuable and worthy of more views, so they will push it out to more via Recommendations, Explore, and the Reels feed.

And, likeability rounds out the top 3 metrics. People throwing up the old fashioned double-tap is a signal to IG that your Reel is quality content. In all fairness, you won’t typically get both a share and a like. If people take an action to share, they aren’t typically also “liking” the post, but they might. So if shares aren’t high, but likes are high, you can still get good traction on your Reel.

How This Applies to Your Organization

If you’re going to assess your Reels strategy, based on this new information, here are some things to consider: