Instagram recently launched a series of updates to Insights performance metrics to help creators better understand audience behavior and optimize their content strategies. These updates not only increase the granularity of the data but also enhance the visual correlation between content performance and follower growth.
This article will help you quickly grasp the key points of this update and provide practical operational suggestions so that you can accurately grasp user preferences before sending out your next Reel or Carousel.
What are Instagram's "Updated Performance Metrics"?
Instagram's "Updated Performance Metrics" refer to a series of metrics that the platform has recently added or optimized to Insights to help creators better understand:
What kind of content most impresses the audience?
Which details trigger user interaction?
Which piece of content was most effective in bringing in new followers?
Compared to the previous rough data based on "Accounts Reached", the new indicators focus more on:
Behavioral details (e.g., the screen the user was watching when they clicked "like")
Growth sources (e.g., which post brought new attention)
Structural analysis (e.g., which carousel item was the most popular)
These changes transform Instagram from a "post-and-go" platform into a data-driven content lab.
For those looking to grow their account, monetize their content, or manage their followers, these new metrics can help you find truly effective creative paths.
A quick overview of core features
Instagram's latest update focuses on three major directions: creator insights, content optimization, and audience growth, introducing five key features:
1. Time of likes during Reels viewing
2. Analysis of likes for each picture in the carousel
3. Post -level audience portrait
4. Content tips that attract the most new followers
5. Performance measurement based mainly on "view count"
The core purpose of these changes is to more accurately understand when and what type of content resonates with users.
Function 1: Reels like time analysis
Feature highlights:
Instagram will provide the specific time when users like Reels videos, so you can see it intuitively:
Which clip is the most attractive?
Did the joke/selling point hit the mark?
Does it need to be edited more tightly?
Practical advice for creators: Combined with YouTube's audience retention tool, this will allow you to more scientifically analyze whether "the first 5 seconds captured the user's attention."
Function 2: Carousel post "Which one attracts the most likes?"
Feature highlights:
Instagram has finally released detailed data on likes in its carousel posts — here's what you can expect:
Which picture was the user viewing when he clicked the "like" button?
Which image resonates most with you or evokes the most empathy?
Operational inspiration:
The picture with the most likes may be the most eye-catching.
Can be used as a reference for future cover designs (especially the importance of the images on pages 1 and 2)
If likes are concentrated in the middle or back pages, it may mean that the previous content is too weak or the pace is slow.
Although users may like the overall content, this can still help you optimize details such as image and text sorting, cover image selection, etc.
Feature 3: Audience Profile for Each Post
Instagram now includes two new metrics:
Post-level fan profile
Dimensions such as age group, gender, and region
In-depth analysis of audience characteristics for a single piece of contentWhich content brought in the most new followers (labeled directly)
Operational usage:
Determine which types of content are more appealing to different groups: for example, career posts attract women aged 25-34, while travel posts attract Southeast Asian users.
Analyze monthly "follow-up posts" and replicate the style of high-performing content (such as tone of voice, visual style, and publishing time)
Function 4: Which content brings new fans?
Now you can see which posts were the key ones that attracted the most new followers.
This is extremely important for formulating strategies of [content replication], [theme extension], and [community fission].
Examples of actions that creators can take:
Use this post style as the main theme of the new series
Use similar topics to attract new users again
Function 5: "Views" becomes a core data indicator
Instagram officially replaced "Accounts Reached" with "Views" as the core evaluation criterion.
This means:
All content performance will be based on "view count" as the primary indicator
A more realistic way to measure content appeal
Note: In the new version of the analysis page, "Views" will appear in the core area of the chart, and other indicators will be used as auxiliary references.
How to make good use of these new data?
We recommend that you visit your Insights dashboard once a week and perform the following actions:
Edit/optimize the rhythm of Reels based on the timing of likes
Analyze the interactive page numbers of the carousel and optimize the image sorting
Observe which content brings fans and make content plans for next month
Use single-post portraits to create differentiated tweets or niche content
Review the top 3 most popular content every month and use them as content reuse targets
Summary
This update actually reveals Instagram's new preference for content operations. Whether you are a small blogger or a brand account, these three keywords will be the future optimization direction:
"High engagement rate" > wide exposure
"Micro-behavioral insights" > Overall data
"Structural content design" > Single hit
Continuously paying attention to the detailed changes in Insights is the key to building a stable content growth model.
What Instagram metric do you most often reference?
