How to Get More Likes on Instagram
Here's how to get more likes on Instagram: stop chasing the like, and make reels people want to save and send. In my own hook test, the version people saved and sent the most also got the most likes.
- Hook strangers fast: the first line on screen decides if anyone stays. Same footage, new hook and song, and 72 likes became 50.3K.
- Make it worth sending: one person should pop into their head while they watch.
- Make it worth saving: give them a line, a list or a step they want to keep.
- Ask for one thing: one soft ask in the caption, not five.
- Read likes per reach: a big total can fool you. Divide by the accounts reached.
Same footage, three hooks: what happened to my likes
One test changed how I think about likes. I posted the same footage three times, in May and July 2026. The words on screen changed, and so did the song. Each version ran as a Trial Reel, so Instagram showed it to people who don't follow me first.
| From my Insights | Hook 1 | Hook 2 | Hook 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Views | 2,758 | 85,878 | 747,760 |
| Accounts reached | 1,946 | 57,644 | 427,974 |
| Likes | 72 | 3.3K | 50.3K |
| Saves | 7 | 563 | 8.4K |
| Shares | 13 | 307 | 6.5K |
| Average watch time | 5s | 6s | 8s |
Look past the big totals. The winning hook didn't only reach more people. It also earned more likes for every 1,000 views, and more saves and shares too.
Likes per 1,000 views
Saves plus shares per 1,000 views
So the like isn't the lever. The hook is. Likes are the receipt you get when the hook and the video land.
One test is one test. The song changed too, and things like the hour each version went up can play a part. My typical reel gets about 5,400 views (the median of my 243 reels), so read this as an example, not a promise.
Source: my Instagram Insights for the three versions, from the screenshots in my 2026 playbook. Insights rounds big numbers (3.3K, 50.3K), so the per 1,000 views figures are close, not exact. Median views: my own public reels, collected November 2, 2026.
Likes vs shares vs saves: my best 90 days
Here is every tap on my reels from April 28 to July 27, 2026, my best stretch so far. Likes win by a mile. That's normal. A like takes half a second.
A save means "I want this later." A share means "you need to see this." Both take more intent than a double tap. That's why I judge a reel by its saves and shares in the first day. When those are strong, the likes tend to come with them, like they did in my test above.
And here's what made those 90 days work: strangers, not followers, gave me 95.3% of my views. Strangers don't owe you a like. You have to earn it in the first few seconds.
Source: the Insights screens in my playbook for the 90 days ending July 27, 2026 (99 reels, 12,194,417 views, 95.3% from non-followers).
What Instagram says it looks at
Instagram has published what it tries to predict for each part of the app. Likes are on every list. They're just never alone.
- Feed: it predicts things like how long you'll spend on a post and whether you'll share it in a message. A like, comment or reshare is one of its inputs.
- Reels: it predicts whether you'll reshare a reel, watch it all the way through, and like it.
- Explore: the actions it cares about most are likes, saves and shares.
- From the top: Adam Mosseri, who runs Instagram, said in a 2025 video that watch time, likes and sends matter most, and told creators to compare likes per reach and sends per reach.
So likes count. They're just the cheapest signal to give. If you want the whole picture, I break down how the Instagram algorithm ranks Reels on its own page.
Sources: Meta Transparency Center, Instagram Feed system card (updated June 29, 2026); Adam Mosseri, "Instagram Ranking Explained" (May 31, 2023); Mosseri's 2025 video as quoted by Hootsuite, "Instagram likes: Why they matter" (read November 3, 2026).
I judge reels by shares and saves, not likes. My free video shows why, and what I do next.
Watch the video8 ways I get more likes without chasing them
1Fix the first line on screen
You get a few seconds at most: even my best hook test version held people for 8 seconds on average. My hooks are one block of white text in the top half of the frame. Hooks of 9 to 15 words carry 54.6% of my views. If you need a starting point, steal the shapes from my Instagram hooks list.
2Test new ideas on strangers first
I post most new ideas as Trial Reels. Instagram puts a Trial Reel in front of non-followers first. If it performs, you can share it with your followers later, or let Instagram do that for you on its own. A miss mostly stays out of your followers' feeds.
3Make it worth sending
Ask yourself one question before you post: who would they send this to? My love and healing reels work because people see someone in them. In one sample of my comments, about 1 in 10 were people telling their own story.
4Make it worth saving
People save what they want to come back to. A line that hits hard, a short list, a step they'll forget. If nobody would save it, ask what's missing.
5Ask for one thing in the caption
I keep my asks soft and simple. Here's how my caption asks compare:
| My caption ask | Captions | Median views |
|---|---|---|
| "Share this if..." | 6 | 13,720 |
| "Comment..." | 13 | 5,836 |
| "Drop a heart if..." | 24 | 5,529 |
| "Save this if..." | 22 | 5,037 |
| "DM me" | 13 | 2,213 |
Small samples, so it's a hint, not a law. But asking people to DM me was my weakest move by far.
6Post when your people can react
Instagram says it looks at how many people like, comment, share and save a post, and how fast. So post when the people you want are awake. My best time to post on Instagram page compares the big studies with my own reels.
7Keep it original, and team up
Instagram says it's less likely to recommend a repost of a reel that's already on the app, or a video with a visible watermark. A Collab post works the other way: it goes out to both accounts' followers.
8Never buy likes
Meta's spam rules ban buying, selling or trading engagement like likes, views and follows. And fake likes break your numbers. You'd never know which hook really worked.
Sources: "Tips for improving your reach," on Instagram's creators blog (May 31, 2023); Meta Transparency Center, Spam policy (read November 3, 2026). Hook length and caption asks: my content study of every reel and caption, November 3, 2026; comment stories: 225 of 2,115 sampled comments.
How to tell if a post is really doing well
Total likes can fool you. A reel shown to 400,000 people should get more likes than one shown to 2,000. So divide before you judge.
Using my test above: hook 1 got 72 likes from 1,946 accounts reached, or 3.7%. Hook 3 got 50.3K from 427,974, or 11.8%. Same footage. Three times the like rate.
You'll find views, accounts reached, likes, saves and shares in each reel's insights. My Instagram engagement rate calculator does this math for you and scores saves and shares too.
Source: Meta for Developers, Instagram media insights metrics ("likes", "saved", "shares", "reach"), read November 3, 2026; the example uses my three-hook test.
Why your likes dropped
- Fewer people saw it. Check accounts reached first, and the split between followers and non-followers. Fewer eyes means fewer likes, even if people loved it.
- The hook lost them. Watch your average watch time. In my test, the winner held people 8 seconds and the loser 5.
- It wasn't original. Reposted reels and watermarked videos are less likely to be recommended.
- Your account isn't being recommended. Instagram's Account Status screen tells you if your posts can be recommended to non-followers.
Source: that same creators blog post from May 31, 2023, on the reach breakdown, originality and Account Status.
Questions people ask
Do likes still matter on Instagram?
Yes. Instagram says it predicts likes on Feed, Reels and Explore. But likes are the easiest tap, so a save or a send tells you more. In my best 90 days I got 769K likes and only 88K shares.
How do I get more likes on my Reels?
Change the first line on screen, and test new ideas as Trial Reels. When I changed the hook and the song on the same footage, likes went from 72 to 50.3K.
What is the 4-1-1 rule on Instagram?
It's a content-mix habit, not a rule from Instagram. Out of every six posts, four teach or entertain, one promotes softly, and one sells directly.
What is the 5-3-1 rule for Instagram?
Another habit, not an Instagram rule. For each post you share, you like 5 posts, comment on 3 and follow 1 new account. It can help people find you, but it won't save a weak hook.
Is it OK to buy likes?
No. Meta's spam rules ban buying, selling or trading engagement like likes, views and follows. Fake likes also wreck your numbers, so you can't see what works.
Sources: Instagram Ranking Explained (May 31, 2023); Buffer, "How the Instagram Algorithm Works" (October 23, 2026), for the 4-1-1 and 5-3-1 habits; Meta Spam policy; my own Insights.
Likes are nice. Shares move reels. Watch my free 10-minute video to see the numbers I track and how I act on them.
Check your numbers with the Instagram engagement rate calculator.