Does Watching My Own Video Increase Views in Instagram?

It is always nice to see the capital K next to the view count on your Instagram videos. However, getting thousands of views is not easy at all. Some users might resort to watching their own videos as a simple hack to boost the view count.

The view count on your Instagram videos can be an indicator of how successful you are. More followers doesn’t always equate to success because it’s your content that keeps people engaged. Regularly posting great content is one way to grow your Instagram influencer status. But, how do you get more views? Does watching your own videos increase your view count?

Although it might sound like cheating; does it actually increase the number of views? While the answer to this question varies, there are ways that you can increase your view count. Instagram has a set of rules and regulations about displaying video view counts to prevent any potential abuse that can give marketers heartburn.

Does Watching Your Own Videos Count?

If you watch your video for more than three seconds, the view counter will increase by one. Do this several times and your views will soar.

Of course, if all you’re looking for is more views, this will work. But how does it actually help you? From an analytics standpoint, there is much more you need to do to become a successful influencer and perhaps even monetize your account.

If that’s your goal, continue reading.

How Does Instagram Count Video Views?

The number of views you get for each Instagram video is displayed just below the post. You can tap on the views to get a better insight into the interactions on that video and see all the people who liked it.

Unfortunately, you cannot see all the people who viewed your video. But, you will have some idea which videos do better than others. This could help you to critique your creations and therefore gain more engagement with your followers.

Instagram counts a single view from each individual profile that takes a look at your video. This means that when you post a video and watch it for more than three seconds, it will count as a view. The same rule applies to any other Instagram users who sees the clip. However, in our recent tests if you go back and take a look at the video again, it won’t count as the second view.

There is a very simple way to test the video count principle. You can create a mock Instagram account with 0 followers and upload a video to it. After you’ve uploaded the video, you will be able to see the one view that came from your profile. You may as well watch the video for the second time to make sure that it doesn’t count as another view.

The Workaround

Based on our tests in October of 2020, the view counts are not always accurate. But, there is one thing you can do to increase your account every time; use another profile. It may seem obvious but Instagram makes it too easy to have mulitple accounts. All you need to do is long-press your profile icon in the lower right-hand corner to switch back and forth.

Tap the search icon and pull up the profile with the video, watch it for more than three seconds. Once you travel back to your Instagram profile, the view count will have increased.

Why Are Instagram Video Views Important?

To put it simply, the number of views under your video signals how popular and potentially viral your video is. The number of views is crucial if your goal is to monetize an Instagram profile.

The marketers who might pay you to post a video featuring their product will be interested in the view count. The number of views combined with likes and the total number of followers provides invaluable metrics for the marketers. This allows them to measure the level of engagement on your profile and determine if your profile is interesting for them or not. In addition, this will also affect the price of a sponsored post on your Instagram profile.

However, you should know that Instagram counts only the views within the Instagram app. This means that if you embed an Instagram video in your blog, the views from the blog won’t be counted on Instagram. The same rule applies to all other social media platforms where you might share your Instagram video.

How to Boost Instagram Video Views?

There are some tried and tested methods you can use to increase the number of video views on Instagram. Consequently, this will make your profile more interesting for marketers and result in better engagement rates on the profile.

The two methods listed below are quite straightforward, but they do require some effort on your side. Keep in mind that the more popular your profile gets, the higher the expectations from your videos will be. This might push you to try even harder and become a true influencer.

1.   Catchy Description

If you want to get a decent number of views, each video you post should have a catchy description. This description is something your followers can latch onto and get a better understanding of the video content.

A few lines of text outlining what to expect in the video are usually more than enough. It is also important to use simple and straightforward language to avoid confusion.

2.   Hashtags

Instagram is a social network that is mostly based on hashtags. Choosing the relevant hashtags for your videos is thus a must if you wish to get a decent number of views. However, proper hashtagging is a science in itself.

You should use a clever mix of trending hashtags relevant to your topic and niche hashtags that will keep you at the top of the Instagram feed. All you need to do to find this hashtags is begin typing. A list will appear and show you how many people are talking about or following that hashtag.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, watching your own video a thousand times won’t translate into a successful Instagram account. Luckily, there are some methods you can use to naturally boost Instagram’s views.

While there are plenty of paid websites that promise to increase your views, these aren’t recommended because they’re usually scams and even if they aren’t it could get your account(s) banned.