Instagram Just Gave Users Control of Their Explore Page Algorithm

Instagram has expanded its "Your Algorithm" feature from Reels to the Explore page. The tool, which first launched for Reels in December 2025, now lets users directly tell Instagram what they want to see across both surfaces. In practical terms, users can open the Explore page, tap the "+" button next to the "For You" tab, and add or remove topic interests. Select "Cooking" and you will see more food content. Remove "Gaming" and it fades out. The changes apply across both Explore and Reels because Instagram now runs them through a shared recommendation system. Instagram says the feature is rolling out globally in English, with plans to expand it further across the app over time.

Until now, the Explore page was driven almost entirely by passive signals. What you liked, what you watched, what you lingered on. Users had very little direct say in what showed up. If Instagram decided you were interested in something based on a few taps, you were stuck with it until your behaviour shifted enough to change the algorithm's mind. This update flips that. Users can now actively curate their Explore feed by choosing topics they care about and dismissing ones they do not. For everyday users, it means less noise and more relevant content. For businesses, it means the people seeing your content in Explore are increasingly there on purpose, not by accident. That is a significant shift. Discovery through Explore has always been one of the best ways to reach non-followers. But now the audience finding you there will be more intentional, more interested, and more likely to engage.

If your business creates content that clearly signals what it is about, this update works in your favour. When users actively opt into topics like "Restaurants," "Fitness," "Home Renovation," or "Local Adelaide," your content has a better chance of surfacing to people who genuinely want to see it. The flip side is that generic, unfocused content gets punished harder. If your posts do not clearly belong to a topic category, the algorithm has less reason to surface them to users who are actively curating their feed. Businesses that post inconsistently or without a clear content theme will struggle more than before. For Adelaide businesses specifically, this reinforces something we have been saying for a while: know your content pillars and stay in your lane. A cafe should be posting food, atmosphere, and behind-the-scenes content consistently. A tradie should be posting before-and-afters, process videos, and completed work. The more clearly your content signals what your business does, the more likely it is to reach users who have told Instagram they want exactly that. This also makes local hashtags and location tags more important than ever. Users curating their Explore feed around Adelaide-specific interests will see content tagged with local context. Make sure you are using it.

First, audit your content pillars. If someone scrolled through your last 20 posts, could they immediately tell what your business does and who it is for? If not, tighten your focus. Second, use relevant topic signals in your content. Captions, hashtags, and on-screen text all help Instagram categorise your posts. If you are a bakery, say "bakery" in your content. Do not assume the algorithm will figure it out from the visuals alone. Third, keep posting Reels. Reels and Explore now share the same recommendation engine. A Reel that performs well feeds into your Explore visibility and vice versa. Short-form video is still the highest-reach format on the platform. Fourth, stay consistent. Users who opt into your topic area will see more of you if you are posting regularly. Drop off for two weeks and the algorithm moves on to the next creator who is showing up. If you are unsure whether your content strategy is set up to take advantage of these changes, that is exactly what our free social media audit covers. We will look at your content, your topics, and your discoverability and tell you where the gaps are.