Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, made something very clear: the metric that matters most for reach isn't likes, comments, or even watch time. It's how often people share your content in DMs.

"Sends per reach correlate more, in my experience, with overall reach than anything else, because we are looking to help people discover content they want to connect with friends over."

- Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram (reconfirmed December 2025)

This wasn't a one-time comment. Instagram's December 2025 algorithm update increased the weight of DM sends even further. And in his year-end memo on December 31, 2025, Mosseri noted that "DMs are where people share now."

The message is consistent: create content people want to send to their friends.

Why Sends Matter More Than Likes

Think about it from Instagram's perspective. Anyone can accidentally double-tap while scrolling. Comments can be gamed with engagement pods. But when someone takes the time to share a post in a DM, they're putting their social reputation on the line.

They're saying: "This is worth your time."

That signal is gold. It indicates genuine value, not passive engagement.

Mosseri explained the reasoning: Instagram wants to help people discover content they'll want to connect over with friends. A DM share is the strongest indicator that content creates connection.

The Three Ranking Factors (According to Mosseri)

In January 2025, Mosseri outlined the three key factors that carry the most algorithmic weight:

  1. Watch time - How long people engage with your content
  2. Likes per reach - The ratio of likes to people who saw it
  3. Sends per reach - How often people share it in DMs

But here's the nuance: likes matter more for reaching your existing followers, while sends matter more for reaching new audiences.

If you want to grow, sends are your priority metric.

The Problem: You Can't Optimize What You Can't Measure

Instagram shows you likes. It shows you comments. It shows you reach and impressions. But it doesn't give you a clear "Shareability Score" that tells you how your sends per reach ratio is trending over time.

You can dig into individual post insights and calculate it manually. But who has time to do that for every post, track trends, and compare across content types?

Most creators are flying blind on the metric that matters most.

Introducing Your Shareability Score

We built something to solve this. Inside ChatGenius's Market Intel dashboard, you'll find your Shareability Score, a real-time measurement of your sends per reach.

Here's what you get:

  • Overall Shareability Score - Your weighted average across all content
  • Breakdown by content type - See how Reels, Posts, and Stories perform separately
  • 30-day trend tracking - Is your content getting more shareable over time?
  • Rating system - From "Low" to "Excellent" with actionable descriptions

You can finally see if your content strategy is actually improving shareability, not just engagement.

What's a Good Shareability Score?

Here are the rating thresholds we use based on industry data:

Sends per Reach Rating What It Means
Under 1% Low Content not resonating
1% - 2% Average Room for improvement
2% - 5% Good Above average shareability
Over 5% Excellent Highly shareable, viral potential

The goal isn't to hit a specific number. It's to improve over time. If your Shareability Score is trending up, your content strategy is working.

How to Create More Shareable Content

Now that you know what to measure, here's how to improve it:

1. Create "Send to a Friend" Moments

Before posting, ask yourself: "Would someone send this to a specific person?" The best shareable content makes people think of someone immediately.

  • Relatable observations ("This is so you @friend")
  • Useful tips someone needs to see
  • Inside jokes for specific communities
  • Surprising facts worth sharing

2. Optimize for Reels

In most cases, Reels have higher shareability than static posts. The format is designed for discovery and sharing. If your Reels Shareability Score is higher than your Posts score, lean into video.

3. Lead with a Hook

If someone doesn't watch past the first second, they definitely won't share. Strong hooks increase watch time, which increases the chance of a share.

4. End with Share-Worthy Value

The share impulse often comes at the end. If you deliver unexpected value or a satisfying conclusion, people are more likely to share immediately after watching.

Beyond Shareability: Full Competitive Intelligence

Your Shareability Score is just one part of Market Intel. The full dashboard includes:

  • Competitor Leaderboard - Track any Instagram account's followers, engagement rate, posting frequency, and daily growth
  • Deep Insights - Your views, reach, saves, audience demographics, and best posting times
  • AI-Powered Opportunities - GPT analyzes your competitors and generates specific recommendations

It's the intelligence layer that helps you understand not just how you're performing, but how you stack up against competitors.

Track Your Shareability Score

Market Intel is available now inside ChatGenius. See the metric Instagram's algorithm values most.

Start 7-Day Free Trial

Use code CHATGENIUS25 for 50% off your first year.

The Bottom Line

Everyone's optimizing for likes and watch time. The creators who win in 2026 will be the ones who understand what Mosseri has been telling us:

Create content people want to send to their friends.

Now you can actually measure whether you're doing that. That's the edge.

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