When Instagram was launched in 2010 as a platform for photo sharing with friends, little did they expect it to become the important business tool that it is today. The shift could be attributed primarily to the introduction of Instagram business profiles in 2016 which offered clear insights into their audience demographics, and engagement. This proved beneficial to the businesses as they used the data to refine their marketing strategies to promote their products.
The Instagram Reels feature was introduced in the year 2020 as a tool to create short-form video clips of 15 seconds to compete against the hugely popular TikTok. Within a short span of four years, Reels have garnered immense popularity. They now are equipped with options to create up to 90 seconds of videos integrated with music, voiceovers, and sound effects.
Instagram Reels are a popular element on everyone’s feeds. Instagram’s algorithm works to suggest reels to you based on your interactions with content on the app and the accounts you follow. But you may have occasionally come across reels that are irrelevant and do not match your interests at all. Alternatively, you may have interacted with a topic that you are no longer interested in, but Instagram may keep showing you similar reels.
How do you then change suggested reels on Instagram? Let’s understand what suggested reels are, and how you can adjust your settings so that you only have to view content you enjoy.
Why Instagram Reels?
Though Instagram offers several types of content to businesses and influencers to engage with their followers, Instagram Reels have stood out as the best contraption to garner maximum customer engagement.
- The reach of the reels has grown exponentially and now has an average engagement rate of 1.23% higher than carousels and images.
- Studies also show that reels created twice the impression rate at 33.81% compared to other types of posts.
- More businesses around 57.4% have started using reels for growth in the year 2023.
- Instagram Reels are used by 500million+ users globally.
How Can You Effectively Create Engaging Reels?
You can create Instagram reels easily with free AI-powered tools that require minimal input from you. Editing the reels and scheduling them to be posted on Instagram is easy with this tool’s integrated features.
Use Predis.ai's content scheduling tool to streamline your content posting process.
What are Suggested Reels?
When you see one particular reel content more often than others, the Instagram algorithm suggests or makes more reels on similar lines appear on your Instagram feed. However, the algorithm doesn’t always suggest reels that are relevant to you.
For example, if you’re interested in cooking, you may have followed several cooking pages to explore new recipes. While scrolling through visuals of mouth-watering dishes, an irrelevant reel (like the one below) suddenly pops up, breaking your train of thought.
Reasons Why You Might Like to Change Suggested Reels
Having irrelevant reels pop up on your feed can quickly get very distracting and annoying. Here are some reasons you may want to change suggested reels on Instagram to match your preferences:
1. Compatibility with Your Preferences
You might have unique preferences and would like to see content only related to that. You would like your feed to reflect only your unique interests and not waste time scrolling through unnecessary posts.
2. To Minimize Content Overload
You might be overwhelmed by the unwanted digital overload in your feed and want to change the suggested reels on Instagram to make your browsing experience stress-free.
Though it is impossible to permanently turn off the suggested reel feature on Instagram, you can always follow the methods mentioned below to minimize the appearance of suggested reels on Instagram.
How to Change Suggested Reels on Instagram?
If you are wondering how to change suggested reels on Instagram you can follow any one of these methods to control and manage the appearance of suggested reels.
(Please note that there might be minor differences in the options depending on your region and Instagram version).
1. Disabling the Suggested Reels for A Limited Time
Here is a step-by-step guide to disable your suggested Reel feature for 30 days:
- Visit your Instagram profile by clicking the profile symbol in the lower right corner of the screen.
- Click the three lines in the upper right corner of your profile to select the settings options. The Settings menu will open.
- Scroll to the Suggested content option.
Here you can toggle the snooze suggested posts in your feed option. You will not be seeing any suggested reels for the next 30 days.
If you want to see suggested reels again in your feed, you can always disable the option.
2. Choosing the Not Interested Option
If you are not interested in seeing a particular type of reel content and do not want it to be on your feed again then you can use this option.
- Open your Instagram app and locate the reel that you are not interested in. Click on the reel to open it. Click the three dots in the reel’s top rightmost corner.
- Click on it and a menu opens. Choose the Not Interested option from it.
When you select this option, the Instagram algorithm comprehends that you don’t wish to see similar posts in the future. This will prevent Instagram from suggesting similar reels.
Depending on your version, Instagram might request you to choose the reason for the “Not Interested” option. Choosing a reason would help Instagram suggest better and more relevant content for you.
3. Change the Sensitive Content/Political Content Settings
If you don’t want to see reels that include sensitive, adult, or political content in your feed, you can control their appearance using this option.
- Go to your Instagram profile and click on the three lines in the right-hand top corner.
- Select the Suggested Content option from the menu.
- Click on the Sensitive Content option and choose how much sensitive content you want in your feed.
- Choose the Less option if you want to see minimal sensitive content.
- Similarly, you can also limit the amount of reels with political content in your feed by choosing the appropriate option.
4. Report the Reel
You can report any reel to Instagram if you don’t like it or if you feel it is spam. You can also report the reel for the following reasons:
- Nudity/Sexuality
- Hate speech or symbols
- Violence or dangerous organizations
- False information
- Bullying or harassment
- Scam or fraud
- Intellectual property violations
- Suicide or self-injury
- Sale of illegal or regulated goods
- Eating disorders
- Drugs
Once any user reports a Reel, Instagram will take action or remove it if it is against their community guidelines.
To report a Reel, navigate to the Reel that you are unhappy about and select the three dots in the upper right corner.
Make use of the “Report” option from the menu to report a particular Reel to Instagram.
These are very simple methods to control your Instagram experience. So, take a few minutes and adjust your settings accordingly for a personalized feed.
5. Interact With the Interested Reel
Are you someone who doesn’t want to spend any time modifying the settings but looking for alternate ways to see only the reels that you are comfortable with? Dont worry! Just try engaging and interacting with the reels that you would like to repeatedly see in your feed.
You can interact with reels by liking them, commenting on them, and sharing them via DMs or on your story. This shows the algorithm that you like the topic of the reel, and it will start showing you similar content.
The more you interact with the reels you like, the more Instagram algorithms will suggest similar ones that align with your interests. So, take some time out and entertain yourself with the reels you like and Instagram will make sure your feed is filled with content you love.
Final Thoughts
Whether we use Instagram for entertainment or business, unwanted Reel content can be upsetting. You might sometimes see Reels even from accounts you don’t follow making you wonder why they are in your feed. You can follow the methods mentioned and control what you want to see.
In the current scenario, Reels have become so important for business to engage their customers that they are even resorting to converting word-rich blogs into reels. Log on to Predis AI and discover how AI-based tools can help you create reels where content is the king. Unleash the power of AI by signing up for a free account on Predis.ai and see your business grow by leaps and bounds.
