If you want to make it big on Instagram, you need to be able to keep up with the latest instagram trends. In doing so, you no longer have to keep trying to guess which strategies work and which ones are no longer as effective as they once were. At the same time, knowing the right Instagram trends can help your account avoid: getting flagged down by Instagram as a scam or a bot. (Because Instagram is getting rid of fakeness).

What you need to know – Instagram trends

Here are some of the findings of a recent study conducted by The Preview App.

#1: Photos get more views than videos

According to the respondents of the study, 84.4% of people prefer scrolling through photos instead of watching videos on the platform. This means that almost everyone prefers to look at photos rather than spend countless minutes of their day watching a video.

Knowing this, should you stop using video in your Instagram strategy?

The answer is no. Regardless of the statistics, there are still some individuals who prefer to look at videos on Instagram. Videos play a vital role in making your content go viral. You just need to know who you are targeting and whether or not they appreciate videos more than photos. They are relevant to a certain industries like cooking, pets, DIYs, art, and many more.

Scrolling to the future and beyond.

Pro Tip: continue posting high-resolution images on your account. If videos make sense for your brand, create them and be strategic about how you use them.

#2: People still prefer posts than Instagram Stories… but that’s about to change

Despite their popularity, Instagram Stories are still not as widely accepted as they should be. As a matter of fact, the study showed that 36.6% of users watch Instagram Stories. The other 63.4% look at the posts.

This is actually a pretty interesting discovery, especially since there are several guides that swear by the success of Instagram Stories. More importantly, Instagram Stories is noted to be growing 15 times faster than feeds.

Stories has quickly become the primary way that people share content with their friends. This Instagram trend has grown quickly and is expected to be widely used by next year.

A highly recommended Story-series from @NathanwpyleStrangePlanet.

Pro Tip: your priority should be your posts. Plan how your feed will look like in advance and see how you can incorporate your posts with your Stories.

#3: Coincidentally, almost every user posts on Instagram Stories

86.6% of people are now using Stories to share their content. Even though not too many people watch Stories, users continue to post in this feature. If you do decide to make use of this key Instagram feature, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• You have to have a strategy when using Instagram Stories, especially if you are a business owner.
• Have fun with it! Stories are a great way to be more human and spontaneous. Share your Stories with like-minded individuals who are interested to know how your day is going.

We are stories.

Pro Tip: what you have to remember about Instagram is that it should be about quality, not quantity. You don’t need to have a thousand posts on your feed that do not follow a general theme. If you are wondering how you’ll be able to post random photos, you can use Stories for that.

#4: IGTV still hasn’t kicked-off as an Instagram trend

IGTV is a new app that Instagram created last year. The feature allowed users to post longer videos on the platform so they are not limited to just a few minutes. Unfortunately, the survey showed only 17.8% of respondents watch IGTV. IGTV looks to be very promising for content creators but it is taking some time to build momentum, unlike Instagram Stories.

But even though this Instagram trend is not as popular as it should be, it still looks like a promising feature. As a matter of fact, Instagram has been pushing a lot of IGTV videos on the home screen. And recently, Instagram made IGTV videos appear on the feed. With this new feature available, users may just watch more IGTV videos this year.

Learn more about IGTV, this format is going to be huge in no time.

Pro Tip: like the previous advice, only create IGTV videos if they serve a bigger role in your business or brand. BUT you should try to, let your users and followers tell you if that’s how they like their content to be deliver, or not.

#5: Hashtags still play an important role

During the study, 83.6% of respondents admitted to using hashtags in their posts. And true enough, it has always been a good strategy to use for gaining new followers.

Compared with previous versions, hashtags continue to do great things for Instagram users. Undoubtedly, they are an excellent way to connect with other individuals on the platform. It also lets you be featured on the accounts of other users. If you want your account to grow organically, hashtags are a great tool to use!

Use the ones that are ‘made for you’ – don’t clutter it just to get attention.

Pro Tip: be wise about the hashtags you use on your posts. One big Instagram trend for using hashtags this year is that people don’t max out at the 30-hashtag limit anymore. Instead, they look for the right hashtags that are relevant to their posts. A good rule of thumb to follow is between 15 and 30 hashtags.

#6: Follow those hashtags!

Hashtags are an excellent way to build your followers list organically. Now that Instagram has added an option for users to follow hashtags, it is a great way to keep up-to-date with the most recent posts under that hashtag.

59.3% of users are now into following hashtags. The latest Instagram trend on where you should add hashtags is in the caption. Many users have always used the comments section to post hashtags. This, unfortunately, is no longer the best practice among avid users.

The reason behind this is that if you put hashtags in your comments, your account could get “shadowbanned.”

Related: get to know the 2019 content tricks and hacks for your Instagram Feed

Learn how to build an Instagram Feed that you are proud of.

Pro Tip: keep testing what works for your account. Try to see what your engagement is like when you post the hashtags in the caption instead of the comments. Compare these results with one another to see if they are doing the job they are intended for.

#7: Instagram Shopping is still a new thing

The survey showed that 65% of people have never purchased anything on Instagram. An even more surprising discovery is that only 23.1% of users have used the Instagram Shopping feature.

This is an interesting discovery because even though people use Instagram to find new things, they are not as open to making a purchase through the platform. Instagram, however, has shared that 90 million users tap on a shopping post each month. What this means is that even though they are not making a purchase, they are still looking at the posts to learn more about the products.

The user’s adaptation to this feature is taking longer than Instagram thought.

Pro Tip: don’t be discouraged that this is not yet a viral Instagram trend that people use. After all, it is a new feature that Instagram rolled out. Keep being consistent and stay ahead of the crowd. Hang tight. You’ll build your Instagram presence eventually.

#8: People care about your follower count

72.9% of the survey respondents said that the number of followers of an account is important to them. Only 27.1% don’t care about these numbers.

This survey result is actually very surprising, especially since Instagram has rolled out a new update to the bio design. Instagram’s purpose is to take out people’s focus on the number of followers that an account has. And instead, look at the content being shared by that user.

Related: the easiest ways to get more Instagram Followers

But remember, more than a number, you are your daily actions.

Pro Tip: as a business owner, don’t be intimidated by the numbers game. Focus on building a consistent feed and posting the right content. If you focus on the numbers, it could hinder your creativity and stop you from making the most out of your Instagram account.

#9: Engagement matters… a lot!

We can’t stress this enough. Ands this is not just ‘part of’ Instagram trends. THIS IS THE ONE. If you have to choose what to master, it should be how you can grow your engagement. As more and more people start making the most out of Instagram Stories, you also need to make sure that you are using its full potential. With more than 400 million people who watch Stories every day, you need to be able to reach the right people.

You can achieve this by making use of Instagram Stories stickers. This is a great way you can give your followers a fun and easy way to engage with your brand and products.

Instagram is gearing up to launch widget stickers that help users engage with their followers. You can use this feature to your advantage by creating your own branded stickers. Your loyal followers can then gain access to download the sticker pack and use it whenever they are engaging with your content.

Cats of the internet don’t need a strategy, you do.

Pro Tip: use a cute industry-related sticker to gain the attention of your followers.

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Are you using everything that’s on-hand?

There are lot of Instagram trends you need to keep an eye-out for. Just remember that when you are trying to grow your account, a little testing wouldn’t hurt it. Do this so you can figure out which strategy works best for your business.