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Instagram likes: Why they matter, and how to get more in 2025
Whether or not you can see Instagram likes, they're an important signal for the Instagram algorithm. Likes can help your posts get seen — here's how to get more of them. The post Instagram likes: Why they matter, and how to get more in 2025 appeared first on Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard.
Instagram likes are one of the top three signals the Instagram algorithm uses to promote or hinder your post’s reach. Put simply, more likes = more reach.
But should you buy Instagram likes? Does it matter if you hide likes or not? How do likes help grow your Instagram account? Do popular hashtags matter?
All the answers and how to get more likes on Instagram ahead.
Key takeaways
- Instagram likes are still a big deal. They’re one of the top three factors Instagram’s algorithm uses to decide how far your post will go. More likes = more reach.
- Don’t buy Instagram likes (seriously, don’t). Instagram’s algorithm can spot fake engagement, and accounts flagged for scammy activity may never fully recover. Focus on real engagement strategies instead.
- Easy ways to get more likes? Share posts to Stories, work with creators, use Collab posts, and track performance to see what works (then, do more of it).
Are Instagram likes still an important metric?
When your post or Reel receives likes, it signals to Instagram two things:
1) people like this content (a.k.a. “We should show it to more people.”)
2) which types of people like it (a.k.a. “Who we should show it to.”)
Instagram takes that information, along with other ranking factors, and uses it to expand the reach of your post.
Adam Mosseri explains why Instagram likes matter in 2025 in a recent video:
“The top three signals that matter most for ranking are watch time, likes and sends. So if you’re trying to understand why one Reel did better than another, look at […] average watch time, likes per reach, and sends per reach.”
He further explained that Instagram has two types of ranking:
- Connected reach (people who follow you)
- Unconnected reach (people who don’t follow you)
While Instagram likes are important for both, they actually matter more for “connected reach,” in other words: getting a wider audience to see your content.
There are four groups of Instagram ranking factors, including interest, post popularity, poster information, and interaction history. Instagram likes fall into the popularity category, along with comments, shares, and saves.
And while they’re not the most important thing to grow, Instagram likes still matter because they’re easy for your audience to do, so they do it more often.
It’s easier to get an Instagram like than a comment or share. The average post received 513 likes in 2024, but only 19 saves and 15 comments.
Source: Statista
Since likes are easier to get and faster for your audience to do, getting a lot of likes as quickly as possible after posting can be a massive signal to the Instagram algorithm that your post is high-quality content—increasing reach and growing your account.
What are the risks involved in buying Instagram likes?
Since Instagram likes are so powerful, wouldn’t buying them help even more? No.
NO.
Say no to bots. Instagram has been able to identify accounts who purchase fake likes, comments, or Instagram followers since at least 2018 and actively penalizes those who use bots. Buying Instagram likes violates the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use and Instagram is always developing new AI tools to weed out bad behavior. In 2024, Instagram confirmed they keep track of accounts engaging in “potentially scammy activities.”
Since “scammy” labels are automatically applied, there’s really no telling if that label is ever removed from your Instagram account. Any potential increase in reach or new followers you get will be temporary, but the consequences of buying likes can be permanent.
How to get Instagram likes from real audience engagement
1. Share new posts and Reels to your Story
Simple and effective. Whether you’ve posted a photo, carousel, or Reel, share it from your profile to your Story.
Source: @colbertlateshow on Instagram
Try this strategy:
- Share your latest post, then check out more tips for growing engagement with Instagram Stories.
2. Use Instagram Collab posts
Reaching new people has never been easier on Instagram thanks to new collab posts. Instead of only being able to tag other accounts in your posts, now the same post can exist on up to three Instagram profiles by adding others as collaborators.
Besides instantly tripling your potential reach, all engagements on the collab post benefit each collaborator. It’s an engagement party, and for once, you’re invited.
Try this strategy:
- Still looking for your social soulmate(s)? Tips on who to collab with:
3. Post carousels
Instagram Reels are still great, but don’t sleep on the power of plain ol’ Instagram photos posts and carousels.
Our data from Q4 of 2024 shows that carousels outperform Reels by 26% when it comes to engagement.
Try this strategy:
- Need help planning your Instagram content mix? Copy Hootsuite’s exact content calendar template and process to pin down the right content formats and posting frequency.
Bonus: Get 5 free, customizable Instagram carousel templates and start creating beautifully designed content for your feed now.
4. Track what works
As Hootsuite’s own Trish Riswick notes, getting more likes means knowing what your audience wants, without guessing:
“Without analytics reports, we may have guessed [which social media platforms different types of videos performed best on], but we wouldn’t have known for sure or been able to measure the difference trying new strategies made.”
Hootsuite Analytics makes it easy to track social performance across all social platforms in one place. Plus, save time with customizable reports, custom tagging, and intelligent tools like benchmarking, competitive analysis, and more.
Try this strategy:
- Monitor analytics at least monthly to see what’s working (and what’s not).
- Run a full audit of your social media marketing strategy with our free social media audit template.
5. Use the right hashtags
You’ll get more Instagram likes and other engagement by sticking to three to five hashtags per post. Anything more than that can look spammy and confuse the algorithm.
Choose relevant hashtags that reflect the audience you’re trying to reach and the content you’re posting. Simple is best! They don’t need to be currently trending hashtags, they just need to accurately describe the type of content you’re sharing.
Source: @methodk9 on Instagram
Try this strategy:
- Check our list of top Instagram hashtags by industry for inspiration.
- Get Instagram likes on easy mode with our free AI Instagram hashtag generator.
- Put hashtags in the first comment instead of the main Instagram caption for less clutter. You can schedule a first comment at the same time you schedule and post content with Hootsuite.
6. Use interactive Stories
Stories are a goldmine for Instagram engagement, including likes. Besides only sticking around for 24 hours—encouraging fast action—Stories feature many interactive elements your audience can respond to, and you can learn valuable insights from.
Source: @grelhadosrestaurant on Instagram
Try this strategy:
- Try these Instagram Story hacks to engage your audience.
- No need to be glued to your phone daily. Learn all the ways you can schedule Instagram Stories in advance, including for free and with Hootsuite.
7. Partner with UGC creators
Partnering with big-name influencers still has many benefits, but is out of budget for most small businesses.
User-generated content (UGC) campaigns include organic content your real customers share on social media, or content made by professional creators for you to post on your own channels.
This often less-polished content appears more authentic and builds trust. 86% of consumers say they trust brands who share UGC content.
