Sends per reach: the share signal that reaches new people

A "send" is when someone shares your reel with a friend in a DM or to their story. Instagram's Adam Mosseri has named sends per reach as one of the top three signals — and the one that matters most for people who don't follow you yet.

What sends per reach means

Sends ÷ accounts reached. If 2,000 people saw your reel and 40 sent it, your sends per reach is 2%. It's a rate, so a small account can beat a big one.

Where to find it

Open the reel → View insights. You'll see shares and accounts reached; divide one by the other. Compare it against your own average rather than someone else's numbers.

Seven ways to make reels people forward

1. Make it about a person: "Send this to the friend who…" works when it's genuinely true of someone.
2. Useful enough to save for someone: a checklist, a recipe, a price, a place.
3. Say what people think but don't say: relatable truths get sent with "this is so you."
4. Settle an argument: clear, sourced answers to common debates.
5. Make it funny in the first second: people forward jokes faster than anything.
6. Keep it short enough to rewatch before sending.
7. End with one clear line — not "like, comment and subscribe".

Test it

Post two versions of the same idea as trial reels — one framed for a specific person, one general. Trial reels reach non-followers first, which is exactly where sends carry the most weight.