Mastering Instagram Recommendations: Get on the Explore Page in 2025

Introduction

Instagram’s algorithm has officially entered a new era.
The feed is no longer just a place for your followers—it’s now a personalized discovery engine powered by recommendations.

In 2025, more than 65% of total reach on Instagram comes from users who don’t follow you.
That means if you understand how the recommendation system works, you can explode your visibility, organically.

Here’s exactly how the new system operates, what signals matter most, and how to create content that the algorithm wants to promote.

1. The Rise of the Recommendation Era

Instagram’s CEO confirmed a full shift in focus toward three growth pillars:

Direct Messaging (DMs)
Reels
Recommendations

These three work together — DMs deepen relationships, Reels expand reach, and Recommendations connect your content with strangers who are most likely to enjoy it.

What this means for creators:

Your content is now ranked globally, not just among followers.
Engagement quality matters more than post frequency.
The algorithm prioritizes shareability and watch time over likes.

2. How the Recommendation Algorithm Works in 2025

Instagram’s system tracks behavioral relevance. In other words, it watches how users interact across content categories.

When someone engages with content about branding, growth, or social media, Instagram creates a behavioral tag like:

“Interested in digital entrepreneurship.”

Your job is to make sure your content fits within that niche so that when users add it to their algorithm preferences (through the new “Dear Algorithm” feature), your posts show up naturally.

Key ranking signals include:

Save rate (strongest signal of long-term value)
Shares (primary discovery trigger)
Completion rate (especially for Reels)
Comment length (authentic conversation > emojis)
Relevance between caption and visual (AI-matched by text recognition)

3. The Importance of Niche Clarity

If your account mixes multiple unrelated topics, you’re confusing the algorithm.
And when you confuse, you lose.

In 2025, Instagram’s recommendation AI classifies your account into interest clusters.
To rank, you need a clear thematic identity.

Ask yourself:

“Would a new viewer instantly know what I’m about?”
“Do my posts, Reels, and bio reinforce a single expertise?”

Example:
A creator posting about “social media growth,” “content psychology,” and “personal brand strategy” fits into one coherent niche.
But if the same creator adds “travel vlogs” and “fitness routines,” their discoverability drops.

Action Step:
Create 3–5 “content pillars” and post consistently within those themes for 30 days.
You’ll notice recommendation reach stabilizing—and then compounding.

4. Make Shareability Your North Star

In the new Instagram landscape, shares > likes.
The algorithm assumes shared content is useful, emotional, or high-value—and pushes it to similar audiences.

To optimize shareability:

Open with a scroll-stopping hook in your first 3 seconds.
Deliver one clear idea per post (don’t overload).
End with a “save or send” trigger like:

“Tag someone who needs this reminder.”
“Save this for your next content plan.”

Every share acts like a micro-boost to your content distribution system.

5. Build Your Content for the Explore Page and Reels Feed

The Explore page and Reels tab are now primarily recommendation-driven.
To appear there, optimize for both visual pattern recognition and engagement behavior.

Checklist for higher recommendation ranking:
✅ High-resolution visuals (1080x1920 or better)
✅ Text contrast that’s easy to read
✅ Relevant keywords in on-screen captions
✅ Consistent color palette (helps AI categorize your theme)
✅ A comment-to-like ratio above 0.2 (shows high engagement depth)

When your visuals and captions reinforce the same topic, you increase your “semantic consistency,” one of the newest algorithmic signals for 2025.

6. The New Customizable Algorithm: “Dear Algorithm”

Instagram’s “Dear Algorithm” feature lets users manually influence what they see more or less of.
That means the algorithm now listens directly to audience intent.

To benefit from this, your content must be tagged correctly by Instagram’s machine learning.

Practical steps:

Use specific, consistent keywords in captions and ALT text (e.g., “Instagram growth strategy,” not “growth stuff”).
Avoid vague hashtags like #motivation or #inspiration.
Use precise, searchable terms: #socialmediamarketingtips, #reelstrategy, #personalbrandgrowth.

This alignment ensures when users add interests like “Instagram Marketing” or “Reels Growth” to their preferences, your content appears first.

7. Frequency vs. Relevance: What Really Wins

Posting every day without purpose no longer works.
In 2025, Instagram values relevance density over posting volume.

A creator posting 3 times a week with strong niche clarity and shareability often outranks daily posters recycling trends.

Optimal cadence:

3–4 high-quality Reels/week
1–2 Carousels that summarize key insights
1 Story per day that leads to DM engagement

Focus less on being everywhere and more on being remembered.

Conclusion

Instagram recommendations have made discoverability easier—but only for those who play the long game.
If your content is niche-aligned, visually consistent, and built for shareability, the algorithm will work for you, not against you.

So instead of chasing the next hack, build around clarity, emotion, and value—the three things AI can’t fake.

For real-time strategy updates, content frameworks, and growth experiments, explore @stefanravram.

Your cart is currently empty.

Mastering Instagram Recommendations: How to Get on Everyone’s Feed in 2025