Instagram Growth
Use to grow an Instagram account — the Instagram-specific growth strategy that diagnoses where growth is stuck (reach, follow-conversion, retention…
By Frank Heijdenrijk, MIT licence. Shared here with credit.
Instagram Growth
This is the Instagram-specific growth system — not another content skill. It diagnoses where growth is stuck and routes to the skills that fix it, on top of the 2026 reality of how Instagram actually distributes content.
Three truths shape everything:
- Instagram is a discovery engine, not a follower feed. ~94% of distribution is AI recommendations; most reach comes from non-followers via Reels and Explore. Reach is earned per post — follower count is a vanity number.
- Watch time and sends drive reach. The top signals are watch time (the first ~3 seconds decide a Reel) and sends-per-reach (DM shares), which are ~3–5× more valuable than likes for reaching new people. Strong hook + send-worthy content = travel.
- Each surface has its own algorithm. Reels = discovery, Feed = followers, Stories = retention, Explore = discovery. Match the format to the surface's signal.
(Full model: references/the-growth-engine.md.)