Instagram is making a major change, as it is now making “views” the priority metric across all types of the platform’s content. This includes Stories, Reels, live streams, carousel posts, and individual photos.
With this change, which is due to roll out in the coming weeks, creators will be able to track the same metric across all different content types.
In an Instagram post, head honcho Adam Mosseri wrote: “Historically we’ve shown different metrics for Reels vs. other posts, but we want to evolve this so it’s easier to understand how your content is doing regardless of the format.”
What is changing on Instagram?
Here’s what this all means. Firstly, on Reels, what was formerly known as “plays” will now be relabelled “views.” The number of times a Reel begins to play and replay will also be counted as part of this.
Similarly, “views” will become the primary metric for photos, carousels, and stories. As with Reels, repeat views will be accounted for.
Meanwhile, in Insights, creators will now see a “views” icon instead of a “plays” one. Furthermore, other metrics like “accounts reached,” “accounts engaged,” “interactions, and “watch time” will change locations.
In a video posted to Instagram, Mosseri also emphasized the importance of something called “sends per reach,” which is essentially how many times someone who views your content shares your post with other people.
Along with “views,” Mosseri said these metrics are “probably the most important metrics for anybody trying to understand how their content is doing on Instagram.”
