Goodbye likes, hello saves: Instagram saves are the hottest engagement metric that brands are tracking right now (and for good reason).

With Instagram testing the removal of likes, success metrics for Instagram feed posts are moving away from public likes in favor of the private “saves” metric instead.

Instagram saves are also a key signal for how the Instagram algorithm works: the more saves you get on a post, the more people it will be shown to in the algorithm.

So if you want to grow your account, you need to focus on getting people to save your Instagram post! Here are 6 top tips on how to increase Instagram saves:

What are Instagram Saves?

Instagram saves aren’t anything new. In fact, they first appeared about two years ago as a handy way to collect and save your favorite posts.

By tapping the “bookmark” icon in the bottom right corner of an Instagram post, that post gets added to your saved posts, making it really easy to find again.

Instagram also introduced Collections — the ability to categorize your saved posts by topic, look, or any other classification that you want to use to keep your saved posts organized!

It’s like creating a personalized library of your favorite Instagram posts!

But thanks to the intelligent Instagram algorithm, Instagram saves are more important than ever!

Now, the more saves your post gets, the more likely the Instagram algorithm will position your post higher in people feeds, or even on the Instagram Explore page!

How Does the Algorithm Use Instagram Saves?

The Instagram algorithm uses 7 key factors to determine how to rank a post in the Instagram feed, one being the engagement you get on a post (likes, comments, views, and saves).

It “reads” the number of saves an Instagram post gets as an indicator of quality: people saving your post is an indicator to Instagram that this is high quality content, so it shows it to more people in the feed.



In a nutshell, an Instagram save is like flagging an email as important — it gets pushed to the top of the pile thanks to the Instagram algorithm.

The more likes, comments, and now saves a post gets the better — especially if all that engagement comes quickly after posting.

Why are Instagram Saves Suddenly so Important?

ICYMI: Instagram is testing removing post likes from certain countries.

What started out as an experiment in Canada has now expanded to several other countries, including Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and New Zealand!

We’re currently running a test that hides the total number of likes and video views for some people in the following countries: ✅ Australia

✅ Brazil

✅ Canada

✅ Ireland

✅ Italy

✅ Japan

✅ New Zealand pic.twitter.com/2OdzpIUBka — Instagram (@instagram) July 17, 2019

With this shift in mind, the number of likes a post gets is becoming less valuable to brands when it comes to tracking how successful a post is.

If likes can’t be seen by anyone except the account holder, the focus is more on overall engagement, including the number of comments and saves a post gets.

And to help measure this overall engagement, a lot of businesses have started to track saves as part of their Instagram engagement rate calculation.

Often called “true engagement”, the calculation includes not just likes and comments but also the number of times your post is saved.

And for influencers, a collaboration project with a brand could be measured in this way too.

James Nord, CEO of the influencer marketing platform Fohr, describes saves as a “super-like.”

While a simple like is a way for a user to tell a brand they’ve seen and enjoyed their post, a save is an indicator that this is of value to them and that they want to come back to this content at a later date.

“Looking at the posts that get the most saves (on your profile) helps you understand what your audience is most connected with,” says James in his A Drink With James video series.

Instagram educator and influencer Christina Galbato has also recently shared about how important Instagram saves are to driving more engagement and performing well in the algorithm:

So if you want to see what your audience is really engaged with, it’s time to start tracking Instagram saves as a performance metric.

With saves being a strong indicator of your best content, plus the improved chances of appearing on the Explore page, it’s time to strategize on how to get more Instagram saves on your posts:

Get More Instagram Saves Tip #1: Create Infographic-style Images

While good quality photography will always do well on Instagram, if you want to boost your Instagram saves, you might need to mix things up.

Images that are educational, information-heavy or almost infographic in style are likely to be saved as people want to “save it for later,” so they can process that information in their own time.

Think of it as reference material that your users might want to check back on or save for a future date.

Check out how fitness and health influencer @lucymountain has created her feed with plenty of shots that have been edited to look like infographics:

Get More Instagram Saves Tip #2: Write Longer & Richer Captions

Gone are the days of a caption just being a collection of emojis — captions need to be crafted and share value with your readers!

And when it comes to getting more saves on your post, having a caption that reads almost like a mini-blog is a great way to do it.

When you share a lot of valuable and interesting content in your captions, your readers will be more likely to save your post to save it for later, or to return to when they want a refresher of the info you shared.

Take for example @laurathomasphd — her information-rich captions go above and beyond to educate her readers:

Sony Alpha also likes to give its audience a little more info behind every post they share.

At the end of each caption, you can find the camera settings each photo was captured on, making it a great resource for pro and novice photographers:

Influencer @officiallyquigley is also a fan of long-form captions!

She gives her readers some added insight into her shots while letting her audience get to know her a little more — so it’s no surprise she’s built up a huge, loyal following with her posts and captions combo:

Want to learn more about growing your Instagram from the pros like @officiallyquigley, @jasminestar, @alextooby and more? Get your ticket to Later’s free (and *totally* digital) Instagram conference — LaterCon!

Get More Instagram Saves Tip #3: Create Evergreen Content

Instagram is a fast-paced world — the chances of your post being seen more than once by your followers are slim considering the Instagram algorithm values timely and new content above all else.

So you need to create content that your audience will want to come back to time and time again.

It could be a year-long calendar of events, a check-list, a 60-second workout video or tutorial — whatever the content, make sure it’s something that will be relevant for today, next week, next month, and even next year.

You’ll soon find your saves will go up!

At Later, our most-saved post of the year is this one — swipe left to find the best times to post to Instagram!

For our audience, this info is definitely something that’s going to be relevant to their strategy, whether they’re planning posts for this week, or at some point in the future!

Similarly, @GirlBoss knows what kind of information their audience loves. But it’s not all just relevant for today.

Their checklist of ‘6 steps for negotiating the salary you deserve’ post is useful for all their audience, whether that important meeting is tomorrow or at the end of the quarter!

Get More Instagram Saves Tip #4: Create Instagram Quotes

Instagram quotes are not filler content — they’re a huge asset to your Instagram strategy, especially if you want to get more saves on your posts.

Why? Because viewers love having them to read back on, to share with their friends, and to save them away in a Collection.

Whether that’s inspirational quotes or funny quotes — they work!

Brands like @OldEnglishCompany use quotes to not only promote their products but also to engage their audiences:

Other brands and influencers use them sparingly to spark engagement and relatability with their audience. Check out how @aestheticsofjoy uses quotes in her feed:

Want to learn more about how Instagram quotes can strengthen your marketing strategy? Check out this blog post for 5 top tips!

Get More Instagram Saves Tip #5: Ask Your Audience to Save Your Post

A call-to-action (CTA) in your post caption can be a powerful thing when used correctly.

So if you’re going to use any of the tips above, don’t forget to add a CTA to save your post!

It acts as a friendly reminder to your audience that this is a post worth filing away for the future, while also giving that signal to the algorithm that it’s a piece of quality content, worthy of the Instagram Explore page!

Get More Instagram Saves Tip #6: Create Posts with Tips and Hacks

Everyone loves a top industry tip or trying out a new hack they’ve found online.

So unsurprisingly, this type of educational content can do really well on Instagram, especially when it comes to saves.

Beauty brand @gotoskincare has done a great job at weaving tips and tricks into the Instagram feed.

Their posts with beauty and skincare tips help users get to know their products and learn some skills along the way — it’s a perfect recipe for a saved post:

How to Track Your Instagram Saves

While it’s relatively easy to see how many likes and comments a post receives, it’s a little harder to track saves.

One way to do it is by looking at your Instagram Insights — under the Content tab, if you tap “See All” under Feed Posts, you can use the filter option to analyze your post-performance based on the number of saves it got:

Or if you use Later to plan and schedule your Instagram feed, you can also use it to get detailed insights into your post performance!

With Later’s Instagram Analytics, you can sort your profile’s post analytics by “saves” and see all of your top-performing content all in one place!

Plus easily compare engagement rates, likes, comments, and impressions!

Whether you’re looking to get more engagement on your post or earn a spot on the coveted Explore page, creating content that’s “saveable” helps.

Next time you’re planning your content strategy for your feed, think about incorporating a few of these top tips and you’ll soon see your engagement rates and your account grow!

Find out which posts get the most Instagram saves with Later’s Instagram Analytics! Available on all paid plans, starting at just $9 per month — upgrade today to get access!