Free Instagram Growth Checklist

Fix the settings that quietly cap your reach.

Before you chase hooks, hashtags, or another editing trick, make sure your Instagram account is public, recommendable, remixable, measurable, and uploading clean video.

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Instagram

Settings

Account privacy

Private account off

Account Status

Eligible for recommendations

Sharing and reuse

Remix, reuse, downloads on

Media quality

Highest quality uploads on

Goal state

Public, recommendable, remixable, measurable, and high-quality.

30 seconds

Check if your account is eligible to be recommended

8 settings

The settings that matter before posting Reels

1 default

SDR, 30 fps, 1080p/2K for Edits exports

The Settings Pass

Run these before your next Reel.

Make the account public

Profile -> Menu -> Account privacy

Private account: Off

Public Reels can appear in Feed, Reels, Explore, audio pages, effect pages, hashtag pages, and shares. Private Reels are limited to approved followers.

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Use a professional account

Profile -> Menu -> Account type and tools

Creator or Business account: On

Professional accounts unlock the dashboard, insights, and account-level performance signals. You need this to know what is growing and what is just getting posted.

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Check recommendation eligibility

Profile -> Menu -> Account Status

All recommendation and policy checks: Green

Account Status tells you whether your content may be eligible to be recommended. If this is not clean, growth tactics are secondary.

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Protect originality

Account Status -> Recommendation checks

Mostly original content over the last 30 days

Instagram is increasingly limiting recommendation reach for accounts that mostly repost unoriginal Reels, photos, or carousels. If you reuse content, add real commentary, edits, voiceover, or Collab/Repost properly.

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Allow remixing and reuse

Profile -> Menu -> Sharing and reuse

Allow remixing/reuse for Reels and Posts: On

Remix and reuse let other creators build on your content. That can create distribution loops beyond your existing audience.

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Allow downloads when the goal is spread

Profile -> Menu -> Sharing and reuse

Allow people to download your Reels: On

If the goal is reach, downloads make it easier for people to share your Reel outside Instagram. Keep it off only for content you do not want redistributed.

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Turn on highest quality uploads

Profile -> Menu -> Data usage and media quality

Upload at highest quality: On, if available

This reduces the chance that Instagram sacrifices upload quality to save data. For Reels, export SDR, 30 fps, and 1080p/2K by default.

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Keep comments, tags, and mentions open

Profile -> Menu -> Tags and mentions / Comments

Allow comments, tags, mentions, and Collabs unless abuse forces limits

Growth needs interaction. Tags, Collabs, comments, and mentions create more surfaces where your content can be discovered.

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Rules Of Thumb

What to do, and what not to waste time on.

Post mostly original Reels, photos, and carousels.

Use Collab posts when another creator materially helped make the content.

Check Account Status before blaming the algorithm.

Do not

Build the account on reposts with only captions, borders, or subtitles added.

Do not

Turn off comments, mentions, remixing, or downloads by default if reach is the goal.

Do not

Export every Reel in 4K HDR unless the source was made for that.

Comment Keyword

Comment IG SETTINGS to get the checklist.

Use this before posting a new campaign, giveaway, founder story, or educational Reel.