Sends or likes: which one Instagram values more

In January 2025, Instagram head Adam Mosseri told creators that three things matter most for distribution: watch time, likes and sends. Then he added a nuance: likes matter a bit more when your followers see a post, and sends matter a bit more when it’s shown to new people.

1 / 4The three signals

1. 01
   Watch time

   How long people stay with your post. If they scroll past in the first few seconds, that’s a bad sign for the system.

2. 02
   Likes per reach

   How many of the people who saw your post liked it. Mosseri advises creators to watch this ratio in their insights, not the total number of likes.

3. 03
   Sends per reach

   How many people sent your post to someone in a DM — with the paper-plane button. It says: “This is so good I have to show a friend.”

2 / 4Which matters more

1. 04
   For followers — likes

   In the feeds of people who already follow you, likes carry a bit more weight.

2. 05
   For new people — sends

   When your post lands in recommendations and reaches people who don’t know you, sends matter a bit more.

3. 06
   The key word is “a bit”

   Mosseri said “a bit more” in both cases. Instagram doesn’t publish exact weights, so don’t trust numbers floating around online like “a send is worth five likes.”

3 / 4How to make a post people will send

1. 07
   A useful list

   “5 mistakes when…”, “3 things to know before…”. People save lists and send them to whoever needs them.

2. 08
   “This is so you”

   A situation people recognize themselves or a friend in. Posts like that often get sent with “look, it’s you.”

3. 09
   News

   Something that’s changed in your field that most people don’t know yet: a new rule, a new service, the start of the season.

4. 10
   One idea

   The faster the point of a post lands, the easier it is to share. One post, one main idea.

4 / 4Where to find these numbers

1. 11
   Insights

   On a professional account, open the insights under a post: you’ll see how many people saw it, liked it, shared it and saved it.

2. 12
   Divide by reach

   Divide likes and shares by the number of people who saw the post. That lets you compare big posts with small ones.

3. 13
   One month

   Write down your five best posts of the month and look at what they have in common: the topic, the format or the first line.

✓In short

Likes help your followers see a post. Sends help it reach new people. The best posts get both.

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