Instagram just handed users a control panel for what they see in their feed and it is about to change how local businesses think about content strategy on the platform.
Instagram rolled out the “Your Algorithm” feature to all English-speaking users. This allows users to manually set their interests for Reels and even prioritize three top topics for 2026.
For local businesses, this feature shifts the content targeting conversation entirely. In the old system, Instagram’s algorithm decided who saw your content based on engagement signals and category matching.
In the new system, users are actively telling Instagram what they want to see. If they include your category in their top three interests, you get priority placement in their feed. If they do not, you are competing for the residual attention of their general feed.
For creators and businesses, this means getting even more specific within your niche so you land directly in your target audience’s curated feeds. The opportunity is to remind your community to actively manage and refine their interests.
This is a direct call to action for local businesses. Tell your existing followers about the Your Algorithm feature and suggest they add your category to their top interests.
A post or Story explaining the feature and encouraging followers to customize their feed toward your niche is one of the most practical things a local business Instagram account can do this week.
Reddit’s r/small business at https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/ has a thread on Instagram’s algorithm changes and how small businesses are adapting their content strategy. The most practical suggestions are around niche specificity and giving followers a reason to actively seek out your content rather than just passively encountering it.
X at https://x.com/search?q=Instagram+Your+Algorithm+feature+local+business+2026 has social media managers sharing their early results from encouraging followers to use the customisation feature.
Quora at https://www.quora.com/How-does-Instagram-Your-Algorithm-feature-affect-local-business-reach has answers from social media practitioners on how to communicate the feature to followers in a way that actually drives action.
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