If you’re trying to figure out the best approach for your Instagram video content, especially now that views and watch time are key factors for engagement, this new insight could be helpful.
Today, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri shared more details about how the platform’s content algorithm evaluates watch time. Instead of just counting views, Instagram now looks at watch time as a percentage of a video. This means that the longer someone watches your video, the more favorable it is in the algorithm.
In other words, creating videos that encourage people to watch for a greater portion of the video, rather than just clicking through, could significantly boost your engagement on the platform.
Some creators have raised concerns that posting longer videos on Instagram might hurt their chances in the algorithm. The worry is that longer videos would need a higher watch time to reach a certain percentage threshold, making it harder for these videos to gain algorithmic favor.
However, Mosseri clarified that the algorithm doesn’t just focus on the relative watch time (based on how much of the video is watched). It also takes into account watch time in isolation. This means that longer videos can still perform well, as the system will look at how much time users spend watching the video, regardless of its length. So, while a higher completion rate might be harder to achieve for longer videos, the algorithm still rewards the total watch time as a significant factor.
As explained by Mosseri:
Mosseri emphasized that Instagram doesn’t want to penalize longer videos. He explained that the platform looks at both the percentage of a video that was watched and the number of seconds watched. For example, watching 10 seconds of a 1-minute video is treated the same as watching 10 seconds of a 10-second video—meaning you’re not penalized for the length of the video.
However, Mosseri didn’t provide specific details on the algorithmic weighting of each element, so it’s unclear whether completion rate is more valuable for reach than the total time spent viewing. But the key takeaway here is that Instagram aims to ensure that creators don’t lose reach for uploading longer videos, even if those videos don’t achieve the same completion rates as shorter ones.
Exactly, it makes sense that completion rates would likely carry more weight, as having people watch your longer videos all the way through would be a strong indicator of engagement. But, as you mentioned, it shouldn’t drastically impact your reach if viewers are still watching a significant portion of the video, even if they don’t finish it.
With Instagram now allowing Reels to be up to 3 minutes long, this is especially relevant. As Instagram encourages users to post longer videos, it’s in the platform’s best interest to ensure that creators aren’t penalized for doing so. Longer videos can drive more engagement, and penalizing creators for them would undermine that goal.
Ultimately, Instagram seems to prioritize time spent viewing as a relative indicator, meaning that while watching to completion is ideal, it won’t heavily impact reach if people are still engaging with your content for a meaningful amount of time.
