How to Increase Saves on Instagram Posts
Published on 26.07.2026 by Chizoba T
Introduced in 2017, the Instagram Save feature has become an important metric for creators and brands. This feature works like a website's bookmark feature, allowing creators to save posts for future reference, making it one of the key Instagram engagement strategies in 2026. Creators can also create collections of bookmarks. What is even better is that they can see how many people have bookmarked their posts.
As one of the key factors the Instagram algorithm considers when recommending content on the FYP page, this is one of the most important metrics you need to increase. Instagram users can access their saved content by tapping the three-dotted lines at the top of their profile, then tapping ‘saved’. They can also create collections from saved posts with titles like "Recipe ideas," "Christmas gifts," or "interior design." In this article, we will look at how to increase saves for your Instagram posts as part of driving your Instagram engagement.
Why Saves Are Important for the Instagram Algorithm
Saves play an important role in growing your organic social media growth and engagement. When users find your post valuable, they click Save. The feature also allows users to organize their saved products or posts into collections.
When IG users save your posts, Instagram interprets that as a sign that you are creating high-quality content worth revisiting. Just as with other social media KPIs, Instagram rewards accounts with more saves with greater visibility. That means the people who save your post will see it more often in their feed, thereby increasing its reach.
Also, Instagram Saves have a hidden effect on content ranking. Since hyperlinks aren't allowed on Instagram, Saves help people revisit the useful information they found in your posts.
Impact of Saves on the Instagram Algorithm
Do Instagram Saves count the same as likes and comments? Before we answer that, let us get a rough idea of how the Instagram algorithm works. The algorithm predicts the kind of content a user will be interested in seeing in their feed. According to Instagram, there are five key user interactions the platform considers: likes, comments, taps on profile, time spent, and saves.
You can now see why saves matter. When your posts receive a high number of saves, their performance on the algorithm will be better, and their reach will increase. However, the weight of these metrics also differs. Compared to saves, likes are considered a lightweight metric. While they are also important, likes alone may not put your brand in front of some new eyes. All they do is keep your community warm rather than enhance discovery.
On the other hand, when someone saves your posts, they are saying the content is worth revisiting. This offers several benefits, such as:
- Shows the algorithm you are creating valuable content.
- Extends the lifespan of your content. These can drive future touchpoints, unlike saves.
- Increases credibility and trust. This is key for service-based businesses and thought leadership.
Therefore, Saves are important for lead nurturing. Even when the person doesn't convert instantly, they can still consider your brand in the future. Therefore, if your goal is to increase your long-term authority, you should focus on creating detailed resources, guides, and product reviews that show you are offering value, resulting in long-term visibility.
Tips for Increasing Instagram Saves
We have now seen why Instagram Saves matter. Let us look at actionable tips you can use to increase your saves.
Add Rich Captions
Captions are one of the most important metrics on Instagram, with the platform allowing up to 2,200 characters. If you want to drive engagements such as saves, you need to make the most out of this feature. Use it to show the value people will get from reading the post.
While post content can determine whether a user saves a post, longer captions can increase the likelihood that users find the content worth saving. This is especially true when the caption contains important information.
By adding informative captions that offer advice and tips, you can easily make your audience stop and notice the value you add to the feed. You can add emojis to make it easier on the eyes and add visual elements to the words.
Create Evergreen Content
If you want people to save your Instagram posts, you need to ensure they still see the value in your post. If you create content that quickly becomes irrelevant, people will not see the value in saving it. For instance, when you create a post related to Valentine's Day, nobody will want to see it after February 14, which will attract fewer saves.
Examples of good evergreen topics are tips & tricks, motivational quotes, and detailed guides. For instance, if you are in the workout industry, you can create a Reel of simple home workouts. People save evergreen, inspirational, and educational posts more often because they can revisit those instructions later. They can also use their saved motivational and inspirational content in the future to get a quick burst of motivation during those hard times.
Encourage Followers to Save
Another great way to increase Instagram Saves is to remind people to save the post. If you just assume that people will automatically save the pictures on Instagram, you will not see good results. Instead, use a gentle reminder. Simply add a caption at the end of your post, reminding people to save the post.
You can use words such as “save this video for future reference” or bookmark this reel to refer to when trying the recipe. These captions can show your audience the value of saving the posts.
Leverage Instagram Insights
If you are not checking Instagram Insights, it can be hard to determine which content resonates with your target audience. On the one hand, Instagram Insights can help you identify your previous posts with the most saves. That way, you will see if there are any patterns in the posts.
Check the post with the most saves and see what they had in common. You might notice that posts with a humorous tone were saved the highest, or the behind-the-scenes pictures had the highest number of saves. When you notice that something in common appears in your most saved posts, it shows that this is the kind of content your audience enjoys.
In addition to the type of content, also consider the posting time that works best for your audience. To do that, visit your profile and click the followers section. This will show the days and times of the week when your audience is most active.
Publish Visually Pleasing Content
Another strategy to increase the number of saved Instagram posts is to publish beautiful posts. Make sure your posts are beautiful and pleasing to the eye, as this kind of content attracts more saves. If your content is aesthetically pleasing, people will remember it more and even refer to it later.
If you are in the interior design space, you can post a picture of your beautiful master bedroom to increase Saves from people who would like to redecorate their master bedroom. On the other hand, sellers of home decor products can create some lovely product displays, resulting in more Instagram Saves.
Ensure the Content is Relevant to Your Audience
Another important strategy for increasing saves is to post content you find relevant to the target audience. Ensure the content aligns with your brand values and the kind of content your audience would like to see, because that's why they followed you in the first place.
For instance, if you are an expert golfer, then your Instagram followers will look forward to seeing posts that are golf-related, such as tips and news. Don't just start posting. When you create irrelevant content, they might stop engaging with and saving the posts.
Create Humorous Posts
One of the most popular content formats on Instagram is funny posts because people like to be entertained on the platform. They also love to create collections of memes, funny videos, statements, and pictures, saving them for future revisits. However, when doing that, you must avoid over-sharing or overusing funny posts. Many social media users hate old jokes.
In Conclusion
Instagram Saves can be an important indicator that you are creating the kind of content your audience wants to see and save. This can increase your content's visibility to the target audience, resulting in even greater reach. Therefore, use the above tips to drive your social shares and saves.