While Instagram might have been initially introduced as a picture-centric social media platform, none of us can deny the fact that videos – or reels, to be more specific – dominate the platform today. It’s true that reels are a significantly recent addition to the platform. They made their entrance a decade after Instagram’s launch. And even though the platform was still highly popular by 2020, the introduction of reels just took things to a different level altogether.
From the time when reels were meant to be only 15 seconds long to the present, where 60 seconds-long reels are all the rage, this video feature has come a long way in only three years. By looking at that kind of growth, it’d be impossible to predict where reels might be in the coming five years.
With all the Instagrammers spending the most time on reel-scrolling these days, countless businesses have turned to paid ad campaigns on reels.
And while the end goal of these campaigns is the conversion of customers and purchases, the view counts on the reels are often considered a good indicator of its success.
For this reason, reel view counts on Instagram are important metrics for all creators, marketers, influencers, and businesses alike. In this blog, we aim to address a highlighted issue about the reels – do your own views on it count or not?
If you’ve been searching for an answer to the same question, keep reading till the end to learn some answers!
Does Viewing Your Own Instagram Video Count As A View?
Without any further delay, we’ll get to answer your question right away – Does viewing your own Instagram video count as a view? Well, yes, it does.
When it comes to registering and counting views on your video, the platform doesn’t discriminate between the account that created it and the other spectators. In other words, it means that your views will be recorded just as that of the other users watching the video.
So, when you upload a new reel next, don’t forget to watch it yourself first. After all, you should be the best promotor of your creativity!
How does Instagram count video views?
With the primary question you came here looking for out of the way, let’s ponder on other Instagram video FAQs that we keep receiving from our readers from time to time.
Another question – one that’s far more common than the last one – is about how the platforms count views on your videos.
The first step to understanding this metric is to familiarize yourself with the 3-second rule. But what do 3 seconds signify here? Well, we’re talking about the dwell time of users on your Instagram videos.
Keep in mind that it takes Instagram AI at least 3 seconds to recognize a user watching your video and register their view on it. So, if someone landed on your reel, and scrolled away immediately – in less than 3 seconds – their view will not be recorded.
If you take into consideration the fact that even the smallest reel on the platform is about 15 seconds long, it makes sense why Instagram would want users to at least watch it for three seconds to count it as a view.
This is true in your own case as well. To register your view on your video, you’ll need to play it for longer than 3 seconds.
Does re-watching a video also register as a view?
If you enjoy watching reels on Instagram, there has to be one or two reels that you like so much, you end up re-watching them; multiple times, in some cases.
And if you assume that only funny reels get re-watched on the platform, you couldn’t be more wrong. Users are just as drawn towards aesthetic reels, informative reels, GRWM reels, and even mundane activity reels like someone cleaning their rooms, re-arranging their cupboards, and so on.
Some reels bring us peace, others are feel-good ones, yet others inspire us to have healthy habits, be it about diet, movement, fitness, reading, journaling, and so on. It would make sense to wonder whether a second view of a reel from the same account owner would generate a fresh view or not. So, would it? Unfortunately, not.
Currently, Instagram only records the first view of a user on a reel or video and not the ones after that. Perhaps somewhere down the road, they will launch a feature to record multiple views from a single account. When that happens, we’ll be the first ones to tell you about it!
Does Instagram record the views of those who don’t have an account on the platform? If yes, how?
Did you know that you could watch an Instagram reel or video without even having an account on the platform? Because you totally can.
There are some conditions involved, though. First and foremost, no reels by a private account owner will be visible to you; you need to follow them to see the content they upload, which would be impossible without having an account.
Another condition is that your view will not be recorded on that video. This is because Instagram only records a view against an account. Without one, it’d be impossible for them to register you as a viewer.
So, as an answer to your question, the platform doesn’t record the view of someone who doesn’t have an account on it.
Boosting the views on your Instagram video: Tricks & Tips
Since you’ve shown such a keen interest in Instagram video views, we’re assuming you enjoy creating and sharing them as well. As a reel creator, what more would you want than for your reels to reach far and wide?
Although a dream of countless creators, enhancing the reach of our video content can be challenging; even more so with an increasing number of new reels made every single minute.
It goes without saying that adding value for your audience is key to boosting views on your video, but that alone isn’t going to save you. Here are a few tricks and tips that might come in handy in the process. Check them out!
Choose an audio track that’s already trending
Even though you create reels yourself, you must watch them as well, for inspiration, if for no other reason. So, when you do that, it’s helpful to pay attention to the tracks that keep showing up on your Reels feed several times. These tracks are generally trending on the platform; making a reel on them can help boost your own views!
Whoever said hashtags are dead doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Because on Instagram, they’re just as helpful now as they were starting out.
Even after the recent introduction of the Topics feature for reels, hashtags still work, which is why you shouldn’t shy away from using them. Especially not if you want to boost your Instagram reel.
Having a question in the caption might help
A high engagement rate on a reel also helps it gain more exposure. So, while users might view your reel, you need to think about how to get them to like – and, more importantly, comment – on it. Having a question asked in the caption could do the trick for you.
The end line
With this, we’re ready to wrap things up. Let’s quickly sum up all that we’ve learned above before we take your leave.
We were focused on exploring the views on Instagram videos today. Starting off with answering the query you had initially – of whether or not the platform records your own view on your video – we moved on to address other common reel-related questions from our readers.
Toward the end, we also discussed some tricks and tips you could use to boost the views on your Instagram video. Need more help with Instagram reels and their views? Feel free to reach out to us in the comments section below.
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