Data-Proven Insights for Top-Performing Instagram Content

What will be the top-performing Instagram content that every marketer should be looking to use? Let’s find out.

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erikInstagram is one of the top social platforms that you can leverage for better marketing and customer engagement. That being said, some content performs well and some do not. Don’t play the guessing game, we’ve got the scoop on the top-performing Instagram content based on data-proven insights.

There are 6 top types of content on Instagram and we’re going to break down why you should use them for better marketing. Among the top are; Live videos, Stories, videos, carousels, captions, and ads.

Your Instagram content is important, so let’s see what formats will work best for your business. 

Best-Performing Instagram Content

The best-performing content on Instagram is content that engages the viewer. Sure, you probably already knew that, but actually executing it is another story, right?

While it may take some time to hone your brand image and message delivery, the following types of content are going to perform the best based on hard data.

1. Video Content 

Videos are among the top types of content used on this platform getting an average of 11 comments per post. This average is higher than images and other types of content combined. 

The engagement with video is higher than with images and carousels which makes it the first choice.

• 91 percent of people love to watch videos on this platform. 
• Creators with under 100k followers get more results with video.
• 68 percent of marketers use video content in their marketing strategy on Instagram. 
• 66 percent find short-form videos most engaging.
• Video posts have 2 times more engagement than other posts.
• Sponsored videos get 3 times more comments than sponsored images. 
• 60 % of Story videos are watched with sound.

Many videos are at least previewed without sound, so using captions can help you convey your message to the people who see these stories mute. 

2. Ads = Results 

With social media ads simply equal more reach with your audience. There are several ad formats you can use based on your content:

• Story ads 
• Video ads 
• Carousel ads 
• Photo ads 
• Collection ads 
• Ads on the Explore page

Now that you know the top types of ads on this platform, the following tips will help your ads be more effective:

• Use aesthetic photos
• Short captions can help you get better results for your ads.
• Make sure that you use minimum text on images.
• You can try using relevant hashtags. 

Instagram ads allow you to easily scale your audience reach based on your comfort level and return on ad spend. 

There are additional benefits to running ads:

• There is an increase in opportunities you get on platforms like Instagram. 
• 81 percent use this platform for research.
• You can showcase your content with the use of Stories. 
• It also helps build a following for brands and ads are easy to create. 

3. People Love Stories

Instagram Stories are known for being a great source of awareness for social media brands. So, you can use them to improve your results in marketing.

Aside from building brand awareness, there are other benefits to using Instagram stories like; building revenue. While most businesses turn to social marketing in order to boost brand recognition, why not kill two birds with one stone? Engaging Instagram Story ideas can help your business earn money just with the effort you’re already putting in to marketing on the platform.

Top influencers make thousands of dollars per sponsored post. Keep in mind that it takes a long time and a lot of hard work and talent to get to this point. It’s attainable for sure, but make sure you manage your expectations if you choose this route. ~ Source: Oberlo

Instagram stories are only available for 24 hours, afterward, they automatically disappear. You can also have the highlight option to save the important stories that appear below your Instagram profile.

• Video tends to work better on Instagram Stories than images.
• Half of brands use videos for Stories and one-third of most viewed stories are from businesses.
• 500 million users use Stories every day.
• Half of the brands on the platform create them once every month. 

4. Short Captions Save the Day

Short captions can help you improve audience engagement. It is a recommendation that you use 10 words per caption as such content gets 2.35 to 3.13 % engagement. 

Some tips to use:

• Tell stories
• Offer value
• Use a CTA or a question
• First sentence is super important
• Take time to do it and focus on them
• Know your goals
• Humanizing your content is important
• Use emojis
• Know the caption length

5. Try Using Carousels 

Carousels are the second most engaging form of content on Instagram. On average carousels get a 1.92 % engagement rate.

Carousels provide a more dynamic type of content preview to hook your audience. You can publish up to 10 images in a carousel, but avoid using all of them it’s not worth it. 

• 19 % of all posts on Instagram are carousels
• Using before and after images can really help you improve your results.

Using carousels will improve your Instagram Profile Search on the platform. 

6. Live Video

So, we’re back to video… We know video works and live video is no exception. 

• 80 % users on the platform prefer watching a video rather than reading a blog. 
• Live video can help you improve personal-level connections with your audience.
• Such content offers more curiosity 
• Allows for audience interaction.
• Live content allows you to get more engagement in real time.
• Your audience can see people behind a brand with such content. It improves your brand’s likability on any platform.

Final Thoughts 

Currently, these are the top perf0rming types of content on Instagram; carousels, live videos, videos, Stories, ads, and other types of content improves Instagram marketing to yield results. You can try using these types of content to improve your marketing results.

The use of such content can help you go beyond to get more results and get a great marketing outcome. We gave you all the statistics that you would love to use to find the benefits of such content.