How to See How Many Saves on Instagram

You’ve hit publish, the likes are rolling in, and the comments are buzzing - but there’s a powerful metric hiding in plain sight that tells you more than almost anything else: your post saves. This simple guide will show you exactly how to find out how many people are saving your Instagram posts and, more importantly, how to use that information to supercharge your content strategy.

Why Instagram Saves are a Big Deal

Likes are nice, comments are great, but saves? Saves are a different level of audience feedback. While a 'like' is a quick flick of the thumb, a 'save' is a conscious decision. It means your content was so valuable, interesting, or inspiring that someone tucked it away to revisit later. It's the social media equivalent of someone bookmarking a webpage or tearing a recipe out of a magazine.

This is a powerful signal to the Instagram algorithm. High save numbers tell Instagram a few key things:

• Your Content is a Resource: People see your post as useful, not just entertaining. It could be a tutorial, a list of tips, a relatable quote, a workout routine, or a beautiful place they want to visit.
• It Has a Long Shelf Life: Content that gets saved often has evergreen value. It’s not just relevant for a few hours but can be useful weeks or months down the line.
• You’ve Captured Undivided Attention: A save indicates you truly stopped someone in their scroll. You gave them something they want to hold onto, which is a massive win in a busy feed.

Think of it this way: saves are a private, high-intent action. Your audience doesn’t get any social points for saving your post, they do it purely for their own benefit. As a result, Instagram weighs saves very heavily when deciding whether to push your content to new audiences on the Explore page and in hashtag feeds. In short, more saves can lead to more reach, more followers, and a more engaged community.

First Things First: You Need a Professional Account

Before you can get access to any of this valuable data, you need to be using an Instagram Professional Account. If you’re still on a Personal Account, you won’t have access to Insights at all. Don’t worry, switching is free, easy, and you don’t need to be a registered business to do it.

A Professional Account can be either a Creator account or a Business account.

• Creator Account: Perfect for public figures, content producers, artists, and influencers.
• Business Account: Best for brands, retailers, local businesses, and service providers.

Both types give you the analytics you need, including saves. If you're unsure, starting with a Creator account is a great choice.

How to Switch to a Professional Account (Step-by-Step)

If you're still on a personal profile, follow these simple steps to make the switch:

1. Open your Instagram app and go to your profile page.
2. Tap the hamburger menu (the three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
3. Tap on Settings and privacy.
4. Scroll down to the "For professionals" section and tap on Account type and tools.
5. Tap Switch to professional account.
6. Instagram will walk you through a few screens explaining the benefits. Tap Continue on each one.
7. Choose a category that best describes what you do (e.g., Blogger, Digital Creator, Entrepreneur, etc.). You can choose whether to display this on your profile or not.
8. Select whether you're a Creator or a Business and tap Next.

That's it! Your account is now a Professional Account, and going forward, all of your new posts will gather detailed insights. You may even be able to see insights on some past content, though it's most reliable for content posted after you make the switch.

How to See Saves on Individual Instagram Posts and Reels

Now for the main event. Once you have a professional account, finding your save metrics is simple. The process is almost identical for standard feed posts (images, carousels) and Reels.

Checking Saves on a Feed Post (Photos or Carousels)

1. Go to your Instagram profile.
2. Find the feed post you want to analyze and tap on it.
3. Right below the photo or carousel, you’ll see some text that says View insights in blue. Tap it.
4. A detailed analytics screen will pop up from the bottom.
5. Look at the stats under the "Post interactions" section. You'll see icons for Likes, Comments, Shares, and finally, the bookmark icon (a little ribbon). The number next to the bookmark icon is your total saves!

Checking Saves on a Reel

The process for Reels is just as easy.

1. Navigate to the Reels tab on your profile.
2. Select the Reel you're curious about.
3. Tap the three dots (...) at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
4. From the menu that appears, tap View insights.
5. Just like with a feed post, you'll see a panel with all your analytics. The bookmark/ribbon icon will show you the exact number of people who have saved your Reel.

This is where the real work of a content creator begins. Finding the number is easy, figuring out what to do with it is how you grow.

What Do You Do with This Data? Turn Saves into Strategy

Knowing your save numbers is great, but that data is only useful if you act on it. Your saved posts are a direct line into the mind of your audience. They are telling you exactly what type of content they find most valuable. Here's how to turn that knowledge into a coherent content strategy.

1. Identify Your “Save-Worthy” Content Pillars

Don't just look at one post. Scroll through your grid and open the insights for your last 10-20 posts. Open a notepad or a spreadsheet and jot down the save counts for each one. Look for patterns.

• Which posts have the highest number of saves?
• Are they tutorials? Tips lists? Infographics?
• Are they inspiring quotes? Relatable memes?
• Maybe they are behind-the-scenes looks at your process or product hacks?

Over time, you’ll start to see a theme. For a fitness coach, it might be quick workout routines. For a food blogger, it might be visual recipe cards. For a business consultant, it could be carousels explaining a complex industry concept. These are your save-worthy content pillars.

2. Double-Down and Create More of What Works

Once you’ve identified your high-save content themes, the next step is obvious but critical: make more of it. If you discover that your audience loves saving your "checklist" carousels, brainstorm a whole series of checklists for them.

• Create a Series: Turn a single successful high-save post into a regular weekly or bi-weekly series.
• Try a Different Format: If a carousel post about “5 Ways to Be More Productive” got tons of saves, try turning that concept into a short, punchy Reel.
• Go Deeper on the Topic: If a post about a specific tool you use was highly saved, create content about other non-obvious ways to use that tool.

3. Use an Open Call-to-Action (CTA)

Sometimes, your audience just needs a little nudge. You don’t need to be aggressive about it, but adding a gentle CTA in your caption can dramatically increase saves.

Try adding lines like these at the end of your captions for relevant posts:

“Save this post to remind you later!”
“Bookmark this idea for your next project.”
“Don’t forget to save this for when you need it!”

This simple reminder can be the difference between someone liking your post and taking the extra step to save it for future reference.

4. Focus on Evergreen Value

Finally, the core lesson from high-save content is that people want value that lasts. While timely, trending content has its place, it's the evergreen, resourceful content that usually racks up the most saves over time.

When you're planning your content, ask yourself: “Will this be just as useful a month from now as it is today?” If the answer is yes, you're likely creating save-worthy content. This includes how-to guides, educational content, resource lists, checklists, and timeless inspiration. Focusing on providing lasting value is the ultimate strategy for growing a loyal community and signaling your authority to the Instagram algorithm.

Final Thoughts

Checking your Instagram saves is a straightforward process once you have a professional account, but the impact of that data is what matters. By checking insights, analyzing what resonates with your audience, and creating more of the content they find valuable enough to keep, you build a stronger, more effective content strategy that goes far beyond chasing likes.

Once you've analyzed what is truly working and what isn't, our analytics tools at Postbase can help you see these trends in a clean dashboard across all your connected platforms. After discovering that "how-to" Reels are driving the most saves, you can easily plan and schedule a whole series dedicated to that theme in our visual calendar, ensuring you consistently give your audience more of what they love.