Does instagram reels count your own views?

Yes, Instagram does count your own views of your Reels towards the view count. When you post a new Reel, your first view of it will be counted in the view tally displayed under the video. Subsequent views from you will also add to the counter.

Why Instagram Counts Your Own Views

Instagram counts your views of your own Reels for a few key reasons:

It incentivizes creators to watch and analyze their own content. This helps creators improve their future Reels.

It provides creators with initial social proof and momentum. Seeing even a handful of views can encourage a creator to keep posting.
It allows creators to test and preview content before anyone else sees it. They can check quality, editing, etc.
It helps boost new or struggling creators. Having their own views counted gives them a starting point to build an audience.

It simplifies the view counting system. Not excluding user views reduces complexity for Instagram’s algorithms.

In essence, Instagram wants to encourage users to keep viewing and posting Reels. Counting a creator’s own views helps drive engagement on the platform.

How Many Views Do Creators Get

When a user first posts a new Reel, their initial view will get counted. After that, Instagram will count somewhere between 1-10 additional self-views of that Reel over the next 24 hours.

The exact number seems to vary based on factors like how established the creator’s account is. But in general, creators can expect to get at least a handful of free views from themselves on new Reels.

Does Watching Reels on Loop Work?

No, looping your own Reels continuously will not add to the view count after a certain point. According to Instagram, views are capped after a person watches a Reel over and over.

Specifically, it appears continuous self-views stop being counted after about 10-15 loops. Beyond that threshold, the view tally will freeze even if a creator keeps replaying their Reel.

So while creators’ own views do increment the counter, this only works for a limited number of repeat views.

Do Video Views Impact Reach?

Yes, a Reel’s view count can impact how far it is distributed by Instagram’s algorithms. Reels that accumulate more views early on tend to be favored and shown to more new viewers.

However, artificially inflated view counts from self-looping likely won’t improve organic reach. The algorithms seem to detect and discount these fake views.

But genuine views gained from a creator’s initial self-views can give a new Reel momentum. If friends, followers, and others then view it, the accumulating views signal to Instagram that it’s engaging.

Strategies to Get More Views

Here are some tactics and best practices creators can use to get more legitimate views:

Optimize hashtags – Use a mix of high and low competition tags that fit your niche and content.

Post consistently – Keep uploading Reels 2-3 times per week to build an audience.
Engage with your followers – Like, comment, and reply to build connections.
Cross-promote between feeds – Share Reels on your Instagram story, profile, etc.

Run giveaways and contests – Offer prizes or rewards to boost engagement.
Collaborate with others – Work with complementary creators to tap into new audiences.
Advertise thoughtfully – Consider promoted posts to get seen by more potential viewers.

Analyze your best-performing Reels – Spot trends in hashtags, music, timing, etc.
Improve quality over time – Keep refining your content style, editing, etc.

Other Key Instagram Reels Metrics

Along with view count, creators can analyze these other key Reels metrics to gauge performance:

Likes – Shows how many viewers positively engage with your Reel.
Comments – High comment numbers signal you’re driving conversation.
Saves – When people save your Reel to replay later.

Shares – Indicates your content resonates enough to share.
Reach – How many unique accounts your Reel was shown to.
Audience Retention – The % of your Reel people watched from start to finish.

Optimizing these metrics involves understanding your niche audience and consistently providing your core fans with entertaining, useful content.

Do Pro Accounts Get More Views?

Upgrading to an Instagram Professional Account likely won’t directly increase views or engagement. However, Pro Accounts offer analytics tools that can help creators improve their content and growth strategies over time.

Key features of an Instagram Professional Account include:

Insights – Reels and post metrics like reach, impressions, etc.
Contact options – Email, phone number, and address in bio.
Promotions – Easy access to Instagram advertising tools.

Analytics – Charts and tables to analyze your growth.
Branded content – Tag business partners in your posts.

The insights unlocked with a Pro Account allow creators to craft higher quality content that resonates with their audience. So in an indirect way, the features can help Reels get more views long-term.

Should Businesses Buy Reels Views?

In most cases, buying views or followers does more harm than good for business accounts on Instagram. While services selling likes, views, and followers exist, this is against Instagram’s terms.

There are several downsides of inflating Reels metrics artificially:

Purchased views rarely convert to loyal, engaging customers.

It damages trust and reputation if viewers realize the numbers are fake.
Instagram may detect the activity and penalize your reach or visibility.
The inflated numbers give misleading insights into what content resonates.

It becomes a slippery slope once you start buying engagement.

Rather than buying views, put that time and money into generating authentic engagement. Focus on your brand identity, high-quality content, and building connections with potential customers.

Recap

Instagram does count creators’ own views of their Reels around 10 times.

This gives new Reels initial momentum to be picked up by the algorithms.
But repeatedly looping Reels won’t increment views forever.
Genuine early views can improve organic reach and discovery.

Optimize content and engagement to get more legitimate viewers over time.
Insights from a Professional account can inform better strategies.
Buying views or followers risks damaging your account.

Counting creators’ own views helps incentivize the production of more Reels. While artificially inflating metrics is risky, genuine self-views offer new Reels an initial push that can lead to organic growth. Focus on providing value for your audience above vanity metrics.