The method
How Outrank Reels scores a reel
A reel's outlier score is its views divided by the median views of the 12 reels published closest to it. 2x and up gets a yellow badge. Outrank Reels calls this a neighbor score.
A worked example, with made-up numbers
The 12 reels published closest to one reel got 3,000, 3,400, 3,600, 3,800, 3,900, 4,000, 4,000, 4,100, 4,200, 4,400, 4,600 and 5,000 views.
- 40,000
- views
- ÷ 4,000
- median of the 12
- = 10×
- outlier score
Gets a yellow badge.
Move the slider to change the reel in the middle. The score comes from the same function the extension runs.
- 1Sort those 12 view counts.
- 2Take the middle. With 12 numbers the middle is halfway between the 6th and 7th. Both are 4,000, so the median is 4,000.
- 3Divide the reel's views by the median. The reel got 40,000 views. 40,000 ÷ 4,000 = 10, so it gets a 10x badge.
Now a second reel. It got 500,000 views, but the 12 reels around it have a median of 1,000,000. 500,000 ÷ 1,000,000 = 0.5, so it scores 0.5x.
The first reel has fewer views and the higher score.
Why neighbors, not the whole account
An account's usual reel changes as it grows. Some tools compare each post with the creator's own median or average. Outrank Reels compares it with the posts around it in time, so a reel from a year ago, before the account grew, is judged against the account as it was then.
To pick the 12, Outrank Reels starts at the reel and steps outward in time, taking whichever side is closer, until it has 12 posts of the same type. A reel near the newest end of a profile gets most of its neighbors from the older side.
Why the median, not the average
One huge hit among the neighbors would pull an average up and make every ordinary reel look weak. The median ignores it.
Reels and photos
Reels are scored on views. Photo posts are scored on likes plus comments, because Instagram doesn't show view counts on them. Each post is scored against posts of its own kind. On the niche board, all scored posts are ranked together by score.
When a post has no score
A post needs at least 3 neighbors of the same type to get a score. A profile with fewer than 4 reels, or fewer than 4 photo posts, shows n/a for those.
What a high score doesn't tell you
It means the post beat the posts around it. It doesn't say why. A trend, a collaboration or a promoted post can do that too. Open the reel and decide whether the format is worth copying. Copy the format, not the reel.
A reel from the last few days may still be gaining views, so its score can change on your next scan.
The score describes what already happened on a profile. It doesn't predict what will work for you.
See it on a whole profile
Outrank Reels scores every post on a profile this way, then ranks the profiles you scan on one board.
Outrank Reels is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Instagram or Meta.