Instagram is shifting its focus from traditional metrics like followers and likes to a new primary metric: views. This change, which has been in the works for months, reflects a broader transformation in how Instagram’s algorithms and user behaviour interact, with significant implications for content creators.

The Shift To Views

Instagram has long been a platform where follower count and engagement through likes have been considered the most important metrics. However, Instagram’s Chief, Adam Mosseri, has been vocal about encouraging creators to refocus their attention on reach rather than followers. The argument is that reach — the number of unique users who see your content — is a more meaningful indicator of success on the platform.

Now, Instagram has announced that views will become the primary metric across all content formats, including Reels, Stories, photos, and carousels. This means that instead of tracking different metrics for each content type, creators will now have a unified metric that better reflects the performance of their content across the platform.

According to Instagram, this change is designed to provide a more consistent and comprehensive understanding of content performance. Views will replace previous metrics like “Accounts Reached,” “Accounts Engaged,” and “Interactions,” giving creators a single, streamlined metric to focus on.

Why The Change?

The shift towards views as the primary metric is not just a random decision; it is rooted in the evolving nature of social media usage and algorithmic curation. Historically, platforms like Instagram and Facebook relied heavily on the social graph — the network of people and pages a user chose to follow. However, this model has been gradually replaced by algorithmic feeds, where content is recommended based on user preferences rather than strictly from followed profiles.

As a result, more than 50% of the posts that users see in their Instagram feeds and 30%+ on Facebook are now recommended by Meta’s AI rather than being from profiles they have chosen to follow. This change in how content is served has led to a significant shift in user behaviour. People are no longer following profiles as actively as they once did, relying instead on the platform’s algorithms to show them what they like.

This new reality means that follower counts are becoming less relevant as a measure of success. What matters more is how often your content is seen, regardless of whether it’s by your followers or by users who are discovering you through algorithmic recommendations, hence why Mosseri and Instagram are pushing views as the new focal point.

Sends Per Reach Is Also Now A Thing

While views are becoming the primary metric, Instagram has also recently highlighted the importance of another metric: sends per reach. This metric measures how frequently your posts are shared via direct messages, which has become a key way users interact with content on Instagram. According to Mosseri, this is now one of the most important metrics for understanding how your content is performing.

The focus on sends per reach aligns with broader trends in social media usage. People are increasingly engaging with content privately, through direct messages, rather than publicly through likes and comments. By tracking how often your content is shared in this way, you can get a better sense of how much impact it’s having, even if it’s not always visible in traditional engagement metrics.

What This Means For Content Creation

For content creators, the shift to views as the primary metric represents a significant change in how success is measured on Instagram. It means that instead of focusing on building a large following or getting lots of likes, the priority should now be on creating content that is widely viewed and shared.

This new focus also means that content creators will need to adapt their strategies to appeal to Instagram’s algorithms. With more content being served to users based on their preferences rather than their followings, it’s essential to create content that resonates with a broader audience. This might involve experimenting with different formats, leveraging trending topics, or tapping into popular cultural moments to increase visibility.

However, it’s important to note that while views are now the primary metric, they are not the only one that matters. Instagram has cautioned against putting too much emphasis on a single data point, reminding creators that metrics like sends per reach and overall engagement still play a crucial role in understanding content performance.