# How to Get More Likes on Instagram: What to Change

Author: Nora Lindell
Published: 2026-09-12T09:42:00+00:00
Updated: 2026-10-06T20:10:22.628483+00:00

Find out whether your posts need more exposure or a stronger response, then improve openings, test posting windows and compare likes using your own Insights.

To get more likes on Instagram, show the payoff in your first image or reel frame, choose a format that fits the idea, and post around your audience's active times. Open View insights, compare likes with unique viewers, and test one change at a time. Use Stories and relevant collaborations to widen exposure.

Learning how to get more likes on Instagram starts with two questions: are enough relevant people seeing the post, and does it give them a reason to respond? I'd separate those questions before changing your posting schedule. Your own Insights can show which problem to work on first.

Nora Lindell, Growth editor at Ganicly.

## How to get more likes on Instagram with a better baseline

1. Open a recent feed post and tap View insights underneath it. For a reel, open your profile's Reels tab, select the reel, then tap View insights. You'll see the content's metrics.
2. Record likes and Viewers, the unique accounts that saw the content. Keep Views separate because displays and replays can come from the same person.
3. Tap the information icon, shown as (i), to check the definition of a metric you're using.
4. Choose one change for your next comparable post: show the result earlier, simplify the cover, sharpen the caption or change the posting window.
5. Check both posts at the same age. I'd use 48 hours for an initial comparison and revisit them after a week.

More likes can come from more relevant people seeing your content, more of those people liking it, or both. Improve the [opening and distribution](/blog/instagram-algorithm), then use Insights to see which change helped.

Professional accounts (creator or business, both free to switch to) get Instagram Insights. I'd begin with six recent posts covering similar subjects rather than comparing an everyday post with a major announcement.

Keep a small record with the topic, format, opening, posting time, likes and Viewers. Ganicly's [free Instagram average likes tool](/tools/instagram-average-likes) gives you a baseline to keep alongside that post-by-post record.


## Replace the introduction with the payoff

Your opening needs to answer one question: what am I getting from this?

Say you run a custom stationery shop. Instead of opening a reel with your logo, show an invitation tilting in the light so the foil catches. Put “Flat print or foil? Here's the difference” on screen, then show the plain version beside it. The viewer gets a reason to watch before learning anything about the business.

That idea could also become a carousel: comparison first, then paper, lettering and finish choices. You're choosing a format that makes the difference easy to see.

I'd skip the decorative title card when it delays the interesting part. Preview the opening without sound and check whether the subject is still obvious.

Write a caption that continues the thought. “The same design looks different when the light hits it” adds meaning to the stationery example. “Big things coming!” doesn't. If you ask for a like, connect the request to the value you've delivered.

- Photo: make the main subject clear at phone size.
- Carousel: put the useful promise on the cover, then deliver it on the next slide.
- Reel: begin with the result, action or contrast.

## Choose the format around the idea

Use a photo for a striking finished result, a carousel for a comparison and a reel for a process that benefits from movement. I'd choose the format after deciding what someone should notice, learn or feel.

For discovery, name the actual subject in your caption and choose [relevant hashtags](/blog/how-many-hashtags-should-i-use-on-instagram). “Foil wedding invitations” tells people what the stationery post contains. Add a location when the place matters, such as a studio visit or local event.

When a post works, repeat its useful structure with a fresh subject. Keep the recognizable comparison or reveal, then write the caption around the new material.


*Choose the format that makes the idea easiest to appreciate*

| Format | Best starting use | Opening to test |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Single photo | One strong visual result | Finished result, close crop |
| Carousel | A sequence or comparison | Specific promise on cover |
| Reel | Movement or demonstration | Result before explanation |

## Test posting windows your audience can actually use

On a professional profile, open your profile, tap Professional dashboard, then tap See all beside Insights. Tap Total followers and scroll to Most active times.

Follower trends, including activity times, become available when you have at least 100 followers. Use that activity to choose two posting windows you can maintain.

Compare similar posts across those windows. A product comparison at lunchtime and another product comparison in the evening give you a cleaner timing test than comparing a launch announcement with a casual studio photo.

Below the follower threshold, choose two practical windows and build your own record. Keep the format and topic reasonably consistent.

I'd also leave room to answer questions after publishing. Someone who needs a detail gets an answer while they're interested, and you learn which information to include in your next post.


## Give a useful post more routes to relevant viewers

Sharing a post to Stories works better as an introduction than a repeated announcement. For the stationery comparison, “Planning an evening wedding? See how these finishes catch the light” gives people a reason to open it.

Use this sharing flow:

A complementary collaborator can add another route. A stationery designer and wedding photographer could create a comparison of how invitation finishes photograph. Give the partner a clear topic and a finished asset they can confidently share.

Before expanding discovery, make the profile easy to understand. Your bio should say what you make and who it's for, and your pinned posts should show your best examples, like a finished invitation suite and how to order one. A [free Instagram profile scan](/scan) gives you a starting point for reviewing that first impression.

For [ongoing discovery](/blog/instagram-explore-page), [Ganicly's Instagram growth plans](/instagram) promote your public profile to a targeted audience at a steady daily pace. Pair that visibility with a recognizable content series so new visitors have something relevant to explore.

- Tap Share below the photo or video.
- When Add to story appears, tap it to open the Story composer.
- Add a short explanation of why the post is worth opening.
- Tap Next, then Share.

## Read total likes and audience response together

For your own comparison, calculate likes divided by Viewers, multiplied by 100. Label this “[likes per viewer](/blog/good-engagement-rate-instagram)” in your notes and use it alongside the total like count.

Consider the hypothetical results in the table. The second post earned more likes, but a smaller share of viewers liked it. Exposure improved, while response didn't improve by the same measure.

If Viewers stay similar and likes rise, the content change looks promising. If both stay low, work on distribution as well as the opening. Repeat a promising change across several comparable posts before rebuilding your calendar.

Keep likes separate from comments, saves and shares. Instagram groups these actions under Interactions. The other actions help you understand a post's usefulness; the individual like count shows whether you're improving the specific response you set out to increase.


*Hypothetical results illustrating exposure versus response*

| Post | Likes | Unique viewers | Likes per viewer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Original opening | 60 | 1,000 | 6% |
| New opening | 100 | 2,000 | 5% |

## Use a boost when a specific post needs wider exposure

A boost turns an existing post into an ad, making it a practical distribution option for a strong demonstration, launch or dated offer. I'd choose a post whose message is already clear, then set an audience that fits the subject.

On instagram.com, click Profile, select the post and click Boost. Set Goal, Audience, Budget and Duration, then select Boost post. You'll receive review notifications, and the ad begins running after approval. Boosting requires a professional account.

I'd use instagram.com rather than funding the boost in the iOS app. In most regions, an Apple service fee of 30% of your total ad payment may apply when adding funds there, before taxes and local fees.

Afterward, read ad goal results and spend alongside your content results. Keep the boosted post separate from your everyday posting baseline so you can distinguish paid distribution from the effect of your next content change.


## Checklist

- Record likes and unique Viewers for comparable posts.
- Show the result before the introduction.
- Give each post one clear visual payoff.
- Choose posting windows using follower activity.
- Compare posts at the same age.
- Share posts to Stories with useful context.
- Repeat promising changes across several similar posts.

## Questions

### What is the 3 second rule on Instagram?

The 3 second rule is an informal editing guideline: make a reel's subject and payoff clear in its opening three seconds. I'd use it as a creative check rather than a promise of extra reach. Show the result, recognizable problem or interesting movement first. Preview the opening without sound, then compare watch time and audience response with similar reels.

### What is the 5-3-1 rule on Instagram?

A common version of the 5-3-1 rule means liking five posts, commenting on three posts and following one relevant account. It's an informal networking routine. Make the comments specific to what someone posted, and follow an account you'd genuinely want in your feed. I'd skip quota-driven generic comments because they give people little reason to explore your work.

### Why am I getting no likes on Instagram?

First check whether people saw the post or saw it without responding. Open View insights and compare Viewers with similar posts. Low exposure points toward distribution; normal exposure with fewer likes points toward the opening, subject or payoff. Also check your own total: you can still see likes on your posts when their public counts are hidden.

### How do I get more likes on Instagram after posting?

Give the existing post another relevant route to viewers through Stories, a collaborator's share or a useful response to a question. Add context, such as which slide answers a common problem, rather than repeating “new post.” Correct confusing caption details if needed. Keep the original post available so you can compare it with posts measured at the same age.

### Does posting Reels help you get more likes on Instagram?

Reels can help when movement, a demonstration or a reveal makes your idea easier to appreciate. Start with the action or finished result, then explain how it happened. Compare reels with photos and carousels serving similar audience interests. In View insights, distinguish Views, which include starts and replays, from Viewers, which represent unique accounts that saw the reel.

### What is the best time to post on Instagram for likes?

Start with the times your own followers are most active, then compare similar posts across those windows. Instagram's Total followers insights include activity times when you have at least 100 followers. Choose windows you can maintain and measure posts at the same age. Below that threshold, use two practical posting windows and build your schedule from the results.