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Decoding the Jargon

Shares (sends)

Also called Sends, reshares, DM shares

Social mediaTerm

The number of times people shared your post, either to their own Story or privately through direct messages. Instagram calls DM shares sends and treats reshares as a key signal for Reels.

Example

Meera's Reel on 'what to wear to a Pune wedding in summer' was sent in DMs 100 times. Each send puts the Reel in front of someone who may not follow her.

How you'll hear it

“Sends are up, so people are passing our Reels to friends in DMs.”

Don't confuse it with

  • Reposts on your own Story by you: those are not shares by your audience.

Related terms

EngagementSavesDark socialOrganic reach

Want to use this at work? AI-led Social Media Excellence is aFactor's 16-week program for social media work.

Sources

  1. Instagram Ranking Explained, Instagram, 2023
  2. Social media metrics to track, Hootsuite, 2026

Checked 1 October 2026. Examples use a fictional business; figures are illustrative.

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