What are the most important signals for the algorithm to show my posts to more people?

According to Instagram leadership, the top three signals are: watch time, likes per reach, and sends (shares) per reach. Sends are the most powerful—when someone shares your content to a friend, that signal is weighted 3-5 times more than a like. In practical terms, 10 shares are more valuable than 100 likes for reaching new audiences. The funniest or most entertaining post will beat the most beautiful post in algorithmic distribution.

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Asked by an artist wanting to understand platform algorithms · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2026-03-30