How to Find Reach on Instagram

Vanity metrics get a bad rap, but understanding your Instagram reach is one of the most direct ways to measure brand awareness and see how many actual people your content is connecting with. This guide breaks down exactly how to find your reach on Instagram, explains what the numbers mean, and gives you actionable strategies to grow it. We'll cover everything from navigating your professional dashboard to creating content the algorithm loves to share.

Understanding Instagram Reach vs. Impressions

Before we go any further, let's clear up the difference between two of Instagram's most common metrics: reach and impressions. They sound similar, but they measure two very different things.

• Reach: The total number of unique accounts that have seen your post or story. If one person sees your post, your reach is 1.
• Impressions: The total number of times your post or story has been seen. If that same person sees your post three times, your reach is still 1, but your impressions are 3.

Think of it like a billboard on a highway. Reach is the number of individual cars that drive past it in a day. Impressions is the total number of times the billboard was seen, including the commuter who drives past it on their way to work and again on their way home.

While impressions show how often your content is appearing, reach tells you how wide your net is. It’s the metric that truly measures how many different people you are connecting with - both followers and non-followers.

Why Your Instagram Reach Matters

Tracking your reach is more than just an ego boost, it’s a health check for your account. It directly tells you if your content is breaking out beyond your existing audience, which is fundamental to growth.

Here’s why it’s so important to track:

• It Signals Content Effectiveness: A high reach on a specific post suggests the content resonated well enough for the algorithm to show it to new people via Reels feeds, the Explore Page, or hashtag pages.
• It Measures Brand Awareness: If your goal is to introduce your brand, service, or message to a new audience, reach is your primary indicator of success.
• It Highlights Growth Opportunities: A stagnant reach could indicate your content strategy is getting stale or that you're not using features that Instagram is currently promoting, like Reels.

How to Find Your Reach on Instagram: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to see your numbers? Instagram makes this pretty easy, but the data is only available if you have the right kind of account.

First Things First: Switch to a Professional Account

To access any analytics, you need a Creator or Business account. If you're still using a personal profile, you won't be able to see any of this data. Making the switch is free and takes just a minute.

1. Go to your profile and tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
2. Tap Settings and privacy.
3. Scroll down to Account type and tools.
4. Tap Switch to professional account and follow the prompts.

Once you’ve switched, your new posts and stories will start gathering data. Note that you won't be able to see analytics for content you posted before making the switch.

Accessing Your Professional Dashboard

Your main analytics hub is called the Professional Dashboard. You can find a link to it right at the top of your profile page. Tap on that, and then tap Account Insights to see your performance overview.

Viewing Overall Account Reach

At the top of your Insights dashboard, you’ll see an overview of key metrics. One of the first will be Accounts Reached.

• Tap on Accounts Reached to see a detailed breakdown.
• You can adjust the time frame in the top-left corner (e.g., Last 7 Days, Last 30 Days).
• This screen shows you the total number of unique accounts that saw any of your content.
• It also breaks down your reach by followers vs. non-followers, which is fantastic for seeing if you’re successfully expanding your audience. You can also see the top content formats and demographics of the audience you reached.

Finding Reach for Individual Posts and Reels

Checking the performance of a specific post is just as simple:

1. Navigate to the post, Reel, or carousel on your grid.
2. Below the image or video on the left, tap View insights.
3. A screen will pop up showing an overview of performance. The first metric, labeled Accounts reached, tells you exactly how many unique users saw that piece of content.

Finding Reach for Instagram Stories

Stories have their own insights panel that works slightly differently:

1. Open your current Story or tap on a past Story from your Archive/Highlights.
2. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
3. You'll see a list of viewers and reactions. In the top-left, tap the chart icon for Insights.
4. Here, you'll see a detailed breakdown, including Accounts reached.

So, What's a "Good" Reach Rate?

Seeing that your post reached 1,000 people might feel good, but that number is meaningless without context. An account with 500 followers reaching 1,000 accounts is performing phenomenally. An account with 500,000 followers reaching 1,000 accounts has a big problem.

This is why marketers often use Reach Rate. It’s a simple calculation that tells you what percentage of your followers your post reached.

The formula is:

(Reach / Total Followers) * 100 = Reach Rate %

While there are no official benchmarks, industry studies and general consensus suggest the following as loose guidelines for a good reach rate per post:

• Below 10%: You might want to re-evaluate your content strategy.
• 10% - 30%: A solid, average performance.
• 30% - 50%: Great performance, your content is resonating well with your audience.
• Above 50%: Excellent performance, this is often a sign of a post going viral and reaching a high number of non-followers.

Remember, your reach will fluctuate! Don't panic over one underperforming post. Look for trends over time.

7 Actionable Ways to Increase Your Instagram Reach

Okay, you know how to find your reach and what it means. Now for the most important part: how do you get more of it? Here are seven proven strategies.

1. Create Content People Want to Share and Save

Likes are nice, but shares and saves are gold. When a user shares your Reel to their Story or saves your carousel post for later, it sends a powerful signal to the algorithm that your content is high-value. The algorithm then rewards you by showing it to more people. Focus on content that is:

• Edutaining: Both educational and entertaining. Think quick tips, how-tos, or myth-busting Reels.
• Inspirational: Quotes, success stories, or beautiful imagery that aligns with your brand’s values.
• Relatable: Memes, comics, or relatable anecdotes that make your audience say, "That's so me!"

2. Nail Your Hashtag Strategy

Hashtags are not dead. They are still one of the most effective tools for reaching people who don't already follow you. A good strategy involves a mix of different hashtag types in each post:

• Broad/Popular Tags (1-2): Think #SocialMediaMarketing or #Videography. These have huge volume but also massive competition.
• Niche/Specific Tags (5-10): These are more targeted, like #ContentStrategyForCreatives or #AustinFoodBloggers. The audience is smaller but more qualified.
• Community Tags (3-5): Hashtags related to online communities or movements in your industry, like #CreativeCommunity or #SmallBusinessOwner.

3. Post Consistently When Your Audience is Active

Consistency signals to Instagram that you're an active, reliable creator. It doesn't mean you have to post three times a day, but aim for a schedule you can stick to. More importantly, post when your followers are most likely to see and engage with your content. Head back to your Professional Dashboard > Account Insights > Total Followers. Scroll to the bottom to find a chart showing the most active times and days for your audience.

4. Engage Deeply with Your Community

Social media is a two-way street. When you actively engage, the algorithm takes notice. Dedicate time each day to:

• Respond to comments and DMs quickly. Especially within the first hour of posting, as this early engagement can boost a post's momentum.
• Engage with other accounts in your niche. Leave genuine comments (more than just "Great post!") on content from your peers or potential customers.

5. Use All of Instagram's Features

Instagram gives preferential treatment to creators who use its newest features. Don't just post to the grid. Make use of the whole ecosystem:

• Reels: Still the single best format for reaching non-followers. Use trending audio and formats.
• Stories: Use interactive stickers like polls, Q&As, and quizzes to drive engagement.
• Collaboration Posts: Use the "Invite Collaborator" feature to have a post appear on both your profile and another creator's profile, instantly tapping into their audience.

6. Write Captivating Captions

Your caption is your chance to stop the scroll and encourage engagement. A weak caption can kill the reach of a great visual. Try to:

• Lead with a strong hook: The first sentence should grab attention.
• Provide context or value: Tell the story behind the photo or expand on the tip from your Reel.
• Include a call-to-action (CTA): Ask a question, encourage saves, or prompt users to tag a friend.

7. Promote Your Instagram Content Elsewhere

Don't rely solely on Instagram's algorithm to do the work. Drive traffic to your profile from other sources:

• Share your new Reel to your email newsletter list.
• Embed your Instagram posts on your blog.
• Cross-promote your Instagram on other platforms like TikTok, X, or LinkedIn.

By putting in a little extra work, you can give your content the initial push it needs to gain traction and expand its reach organically.

Final Thoughts

Understanding and tracking your Instagram reach moves you from passively posting content to actively building a brand strategy. Use your insights to see what’s working, double down on that content, and systematically test new ways to connect with more of your ideal followers.

Monitoring this growth is essential, and we built Postbase around making analytics simple and actionable. Our dashboard lets you track performance across all of your connected accounts in one clean view, so you can easily spot trends in your reach and engagement without jumping between apps. It helps you get insights that actually help you create better content, so you can spend less time guessing and more time growing.