Instagram’s New Layout Prioritizes Reels & DMs: Why This is a Win for Recipe Creators
Instagram just made its priorities loud and clear: short-form video and private conversations. The company is testing a new layout that puts Reels and DMs front and center in the bottom nav, and it’s also rolling out controls to help users “tune” what Reels they see by topic, this means your videos and your DM workflows are about to get even more visible (and more valuable).
This push follows Instagram hitting a mind-bending 3 billion monthly users, with leadership saying that growth has been fueled specifically by DMs, Reels, and recommendations.
The new layout reflects: Home → Reels → DMs → Search/Explore → Profile, with the old “+” post button moving up top.
What the layout shift means (and why it favors you)
Reels get more entry points. With Reels pinned in the nav (and in some markets even opening the app into a Reels-first view), discovery skews toward short video. Think hooks, watch-time, and shares. In fact, the average reach rate (according to Socialinsider) is roughly Reels ~30.8% vs carousels ~14.5% vs images ~13.1%.
DMs are a growth surface, not just a mailbox. Instagram explicitly treats shares and conversations as strong signals. If people DM your content, the algorithm listens.
Topic tuning = better matching. Users can add/remove interests that guide Reels recommendations. If your niche is “high-protein meal prep” or “air fryer dinners,” consistent cues in your captions, on-screen text, and hashtags help the algorithm find your people.
Your 30-day action plan for optimizing Reels & DMs
1. Engineer Reels for watch-time and shares
Open strong (first 2–3 seconds). Promise the payoff: “5-ingredient weeknight salmon—crispy skin without splatter.”
Show the result first. Then the “how,” then the quick ingredient frame.
Add on-screen text so sound-off scrollers still follow the steps. (Instagram and third-party analyses consistently point to watch-time, likes-per-reach, and shares-per-reach as key Reels signals.)
End with a DM-first CTA. Instead of “link in bio,” say: “Comment SALMON for the recipe & shopping list.” This primes the algorithm with comments and kicks off a DM workflow.
See how Lexi’s Clean Kitchen utilizes a strong hook via on-screen caption (appealing to busy moms in need for a quick dinner recipe), a highly engaging video to keep sound-off scrollers sticking, and a comment-for-recipe feature in the bio. This spurs an automated touch point with her viewers! More on that next.
2. Turn comments and story replies into automated DMs (that actually convert)
Use a comment-keyword like “SALMON” or “SOUP” on your next recipe Reel. When someone comments, send a branded DM with the recipe card and link. (Grocers List’s Comment for Recipe is built for exactly this: it cycles reply variations, pulls in your recipe image, and sends the link from your account.)
Do the same in Stories and Lives. Ask viewers to reply a specific keyword, and they’ll get the clickable link in a DM. It keeps your story frames clean (one CTA) and moves conversion into a private channel that’s easy to act on.
Not only does The Cookie Rookie utilize the Comment for Recipe feature in her Reels, she also instructs viewers to follow her page to ensure DMs don’t get lost in a IG user’s request folder. The more context you give your viewers upfront, the better your conversion rates will be.
3. Capture emails, right inside the DM
Every recipe DM should include a Save to Email option: “Want this later? Enter your email and we’ll send it.” That single prompt turns passing interest into an owned subscriber you can reach long after algorithms shift again.
Pinch Of Yum is a pro when it comes to setting up an automated workflow that sends branded emails of specific recipes to her engaged followers!
Bonus: set a saved-recipe email template that matches your brand colors. The link and cover image should auto-insert so you’re not doing extra work. Grocers List helps with a lot of the branding and design legwork for your DMs.
4. Get your affiliate links to open in directly in the Amazon app
Many of the recipe creators we work with don’t just make recipes, they’re also affiliates for cookware or tools they use in the kitchen. This allows them to earn revenue from the brands they already love.
That being said, if your followers click an affiliate link in Instagram’s in-app browser, they may not be logged in, and this added friction can kill your conversions.
Instead, use Amazon deep links from Grocers List that bypass the browser and open directly in the Amazon app they’re already logged into. Creators who do this reliably see up to 5x higher conversion rates because checkout is immediate.
How to measure what’s working and what’s not
Reels
Track average watch time, replays, shares, and comments per view. If your first-3-seconds retention isn’t holding, rewrite the hook or show the final dish earlier.
DM workflows
Monitor DM opens → link clicks → email captures. If clicks are high but emails lag, tighten the “save it for later” copy and make the email field the obvious next step. Grocers List gives you all the
Analytics you’ll get within the Grocers List app to see individual performance of your posts, Reels, DMs, etc.
Affiliate
Compare cart adds → checkouts. If add-to-cart is healthy but checkout is weak on Amazon, switch to app deep links to remove login friction.
Recipe creators will win with this latest Instagram update
Instagram’s UI is moving the goalposts toward Reels and DMs, because that’s where users spend their time, and where growth is coming from. If you adapt your content and calls-to-action accordingly, you’ll ride the wave: more reach from Reels, and more conversion in DMs. The winning loop for recipe creators looks like this:
Post a watch-time-optimized Reel with a comment keyword
Auto-DM the recipe (plus Save to Email)
Offer Shop the Recipe and Amazon app deep links
Email them the saved recipe and feature related dishes next week
You can accomplish all of this, and then some, within the Grocers List app.
Do this consistently for 30 days and you’ll likely see higher reach, more comments, bigger email growth, and a measurable lift in affiliate revenue, without chasing every trend of the week. Instagram will keep evolving, but if you can own the relationship and reduce purchase friction, your recipes (and your business) will stay on the menu.
