Want to know how Instagram’s latest algorithm will decide what photos and videos show up in your feed? We’ve got all the answers!

Done in an effort to refresh the app and improve chronology, Instagram is opening up about what’s new and why.

A personalised feed

The new algorithm places a focus on ensuring everyone’s feed is unique and relevant to the user. This personalisation is done through monitoring who you interact with and past behaviors. Basically, a users level of engagement with certain accounts will determine how much or how little they will see of that content.

A big part of this new and improved personalised feed is to prioritise posts from your ‘friends and family’. The updated algorithm claims that users will now see 90% of the posts from their ‘friends and family’ (as determined by Instagram), as opposed to 50%, which was the percentage prior to the algorithm change.

Breaking it down – interest, timeliness and relationship

To help us further understand the new algorithm, Instagram has broken it down into three important determining classifications: interest, timeliness and relationship.

Interest = how interested they think you’ll be in the post

If Instagram thinks you’ll be interested in a post, they will prioritise it and it will appear higher in your feed. How do they determine what they think you will like? Well, they base this on your past behavior and engagement with similar content.

Timeliness = relating to how recently a photo was posted

This new aspect of the algorithm intends to limit how often users are seeing ‘old’ posts from weeks ago and helps keep users feeds more recent and up to date.

Relationship = determining the ‘friends and family’ category

Instagram is taking more notice of users relationships with other users. For example, if you frequently comment or are tagged in a person’s photos instagram takes that to mean you have some sort of a relationship with them and they will be categorised as your ‘friends and family’.


So what can your business do to make sure your posts are being seen and heard in the Instagram feed? Why not pencil in a chat with our team to discuss your Instagram strategy.

Want to know how Instagram's latest algorithm will decide what photos and videos show up in your feed? We’ve got all the answers! Done in an effort to refresh the app and improve chronology, Instagram is opening up about what’s new and why.