Instagram’s ‘Your Algorithm’ Lets Users Tune Reels: What Brands Should Do
Instagram now lets people see and edit the topics its AI thinks they like in Reels. Here's how 'Your Algorithm' works and how brands can use it to reach the right audience.
Key takeaways
- Instagram launched 'Your Algorithm' in the US on December 10, 2025, with a global English rollout planned.
- A new Reels icon shows the topics Instagram's AI thinks you've engaged with. Users can turn topics up or down, add new ones or share their snapshot to Stories.
- Instagram plans to extend the controls to Explore, Search and other surfaces.
- For brands, clear topical focus matters more: content that clearly belongs to a topic people choose to see more of is easier to recommend.
For years, Instagram users could only influence their feeds indirectly: like this, skip that, tap “Not interested.” With Your Algorithm, launched in the US on December 10, 2025, Instagram now shows people the topics its AI thinks they care about, and lets them change that list directly.
How Your Algorithm works
A new icon in the Reels tab opens a personalised list of topics Meta’s AI believes you’ve recently engaged with, for example “home workouts,” “Lahore food spots” or “UI design.” From there users can:
- Turn topics up or down to see more or less of them
- Add topics that aren’t on the list yet
- Share their algorithm snapshot to Stories
Instagram’s VP of product, Tessa Lyons, said the goal is to “show people the best possible reels for them,” acknowledging that the system doesn’t always get it right and that people’s interests change. Instagram has said the controls will expand to Explore, Search and other surfaces, and that a global English rollout is planned.
Unlike TikTok’s category-based “Manage Topics” setting, Instagram’s list is individual: it is generated from each person’s own recent activity.
Why this matters for brands
Your Algorithm makes the topic signal behind each Reel more important. When a user turns up a topic, content that clearly belongs to that topic becomes easier to recommend to them. When they turn a topic down, vaguely related content becomes harder to push.
That rewards accounts with a clear focus and penalises accounts that post a bit of everything.
6 ways to adapt your Reels strategy
1. Own two or three clear topics
Pick the topics your ideal customers would actually add to their list (“budget skincare,” “small business tax tips,” “Karachi real estate”) and make most of your Reels obviously about them.
2. Make the topic obvious in the first seconds
Instagram’s systems read the video itself, on-screen text, captions and audio. Say what the Reel is about early, and use on-screen text that names the topic.
3. Write captions for understanding, not just engagement
A short, specific caption (“3 mistakes Lahore restaurants make with Instagram ads”) helps classify your Reel far better than a line of emojis.
4. Keep themes consistent across your grid
Consistency helps Instagram associate your account with a topic, and helps viewers decide to follow.
5. Watch negative signals
The same update period saw Instagram put more weight on negative signals such as quick skips, “Not interested” taps and hides. If people who chose a topic still skip your Reel, your hook isn’t delivering.
6. Test new topics with Trial Reels
Want to reach a new audience without confusing your existing followers? Use Trial Reels to show a Reel to non-followers first and see how it performs.
What to measure
In Instagram Insights, watch views from non-followers, average watch time and sends (shares by DM) for each Reel. If a topic gets strong non-follower reach and sends, it is probably being matched to people who chose that topic. Our guide to reading Instagram Insights explains each metric.
The bottom line
Your Algorithm doesn’t change what good Instagram content looks like. It makes topical clarity more valuable. Brands that consistently own a few well-defined topics are best placed to benefit as the controls spread across the app. For more, read how the Instagram algorithm works in 2026.