There are so many different Instagram trends, facts and statistics all over the Internet. We didn’t know what to believe anymore and what to do with our strategy. So we did our own Instagram Trends 2019 survey.

Let’s find out:

• Are videos worth it? Or should you stick to photos and quotes?
• Do people watch Insta Stories more than Instagram posts?
• Do they put hashtags in the comments or caption?
• How many hashtags do they actually use?
• Do they buy on Instagram?
• Do they click on ads?
• Do they plan their feeds? And if so, how far in advance?
• Do people actually enjoy being on Instagram or is it becoming too stressful?

And much more.

If you participated in the survey: thank you!!

Some of these results really surprised us because they are completely the opposite of what some people claim online.

We’ll share the results and talk about their impact for your own Instagram strategy.

Ok, are you ready to see how everybody else uses Instagram?

Let’s start.

Instagram Trend #1. People watch more photos than videos on Instagram

84.4% of people watch more photos than videos on Instagram.

So almost everyone seems to scroll through photos, and rarely watches videos.

Does it mean that video is dead and you should never share videos?

No! Videos still play a huge role on Instagram for certain people and in certain industries. Videos can make you go viral. For example, videos of cute animals, workouts, motivational speeches and outfit ideas do really well on Insta. I mean, even slime videos took over Instagram last year! Gary Vaynerchuk‘s videos are powerhouses and catapulted his success on Instagram. So videos still have their place on Instagram, but more so in certain industries and for certain topics.

Action: Keep posting quality photos. Only create videos if it makes sense for your brand and use them in a super strategic way.

Instagram Trend #2. People prefer to watch Instagram Posts than Insta Stories

Say what?! Everyone all over the Internet is praising Insta Stories and telling people to focus more on Insta Stories than Instagram posts.

Here is what we found out:

36.6% of people watch Insta Stories. While 63.4% watch Instagram posts.

This is so interesting! We really thought it was going to be the other way around. In the comments below, can you please share with us why you prefer Instagram posts more than Insta Stories? That would be so interesting to find out.

Action: Focus on posts. Keep posting on your feed. And if you want to plan your feed in advance and see how your feed will look like before you post on Instagram, check out Preview app. With Preview you can also edit your photos, find hashtags, test your hashtags, etc…

Instagram Trend #3. Almost everyone posts on Insta Stories

86.6% of people post in their Stories.

Interesting. Even though not many people watch Insta Stories, almost everyone posts on their Stories.

Could this be because we’ve all heard all over the Internet that we must post in our Stories? And we do it and hope for the best?

Action:

• If you are using Instagram for fun and love sharing in your Stories, keep going and have fun with it!
• If you have a business or brand, I encourage you to assess the role Insta Stories play in your business, especially if it is taking a lot of your time for little results.
• Either adjust your Insta Story strategy or slow down with your Insta Stories.
• According to the results of this survey, most people watch Instagram posts instead of Insta Stories.
• Here is the question: would you be better off posting in your feed mainly and having an awesome Instagram strategy to support your posts?

When it comes to Instagram, I’m all about quality, not quantity. I’m also all about having a good time on the gram and having Instagram under control (not the other way around).

If Stories play a definite role in your strategy, go for it. We’ve shared a lot of Insta Story ideas for businesses in our Instagram Guide (click here).

If not, slow down and focus on your Instagram posts.

Instagram Trend #4. Not many people watch IGTV videos

Only 17.8% of people watch IGTV.

IGTV is the new app Instagram created in 2018. People can upload long videos (like YouTube videos).

Instagram has been pushing IGTV videos a lot.

• If you go in your Instagram “Explore” page, you will see that a video playing automatically: it is an IGTV video.
• You might also receive a notification on Instagram when someone uploads a new IGTV video.
• BIG NEWS: Instagram has just launched a new feature. Now your IGTV videos will appear in your feed. With this big new feature, people might start watching IGTV videos more in 2019. Let’s wait and see.

Action: Create IGTV videos only if it serves a big purpose in your business or brand. Click here for IGTV video ideas.

Instagram Trend #5. Hashtags are still important

83.6% of people use hashtags.

And that’s awesome! We always say it: “An Instagram hashtag is a door to an amazing community on Instagram”.

While hashtags have changed a lot since the beginning of Instagram, we still believe they are important. They connect you to people. They train the Instagram algorithm to work for you. You can appear in the home feed of people. You can get featured on other people’s accounts. Basically, you can grow your account in a natural way, all thanks to hashtags.

Action: Choose your Instagram hashtags wisely.

• I recommend this blog post to help you choose the perfect hashtags for your account.
• Once you have chosen your hashtags, save them in your Preview app, like this. This way you can add them in your caption whenever you need them.
• If you have no idea what hashtags to use, check out the Hashtag Finder.

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Instagram Trend #6. Most people put their Instagram hashtags in the caption

71.9% of people put their hashtags in the caption, not in the comments section.

This is so interesting! If you’ve been on Instagram for a while now, you will know that one of the biggest Instagram questions in the world is: “Should I put my hashtags in the comments or caption?”

What is the fuss all about?

A few months ago, we had a huge conversation with a lot of you guys. Check out this blog post to see the ah-ma-zing discussion. Basically, we were torn. Many people were “Team Caption”. Many people were “Team Comments”. You guys shared your good and bad experiences.

Bad experiences?
Yes. Word has it that putting hashtags in the comments could get you “shadowbanned”.

If you feel like your account might have been affected, and you’re putting hashtags in the comments, we strongly recommend you read people’s experiences here.

Action: Test. If you have been putting your hashtags in the comments, and you don’t feel like there are any issues – awesome. You can keep going, or you can test for a week to put your hashtags in your caption to see if you see any difference (more Likes? Comments? Reach? Followers? Engagement?).

Instagram Trend #7. People don’t use all 30 hashtags

Of those who use hashtags:

• 19.8% use all 30 hashtags.
• 39.4% use less than 15 hashtags.
• 40.8% use between 15-30 hashtags.

Instagram allows you to use a maximum of 30 hashtags per post.

Action: Use between 15-30 hashtags. Each hashtag is an opportunity to be seen by different people, be featured and grow your account.

Instagram Trend #8. People follow hashtags

59.3% of people follow hashtags.

Action: Use your hashtags wisely. Your posts can appear in people’s home feed if they follow one of the hashtags you use.

Instagram Trend #9. People use Instagram to find things (shops, restaurants, holidays, etc…)

62.1% of people use Instagram to find things they want in real life.

Action: Businesses: Post, post, post! Take your Instagram feed seriously so your potential customers take you seriously. Make a beautiful first impression when people land on your Instagram page. Once again, you can use Preview App to design your Instagram feed in advance. If you have a local business, use location tags and location hashtags (the name of your city) to increase your chances to be found on Instagram.

Instagram Trend #10. Buying on Instagram is still new

65% of people have never bought something on Instagram.

Interesting. While people are using Instagram to find things, most have not purchased something through Instagram yet. However, Instagram did say that many people (90 million to be exact) Instagram tap on a shopping post to learn more about products every month. So even though people might not purchase yet, they are looking at shopping posts more and more, and they might be saving these posts too.

Action: If you have a business, don’t get discouraged by this trend. Instagram is the new social media platform and more and more people are searching on Instagram for things. Stay ahead of the crowd and build your Instagram presence now.

Instagram Trend #11. People haven’t used the new Instagram shopping feature yet

Only 23.1% have used the Instagram shopping feature so far.

Instagram rolled out their new Shopping feature in 2018. This feature is still new but is extremely valuable for businesses because your products are literally just one click away. People don’t have to go away from your post to shop. They can just shop straight from your post.

Action: Click here to see how to set up an Instagram shop and create shopping posts.

Instagram Trend #12. People click on ads

Waow!

A whooping 81.6% of people click on ads on Instagram.

This is such a surprise for us since we often hear that people are tired of ads. Yet, they seem to work!

Action: You can totally grow and rock your Instagram account without any ads. However, if ads make sense for your account and you want an extra boost during a launch or special event, consider running ads.

Instagram Trend #13. People plan their Instagram feed in advance

66% of people plan their feed in advance.
Of those, 63.5% plan their posts less than a week in advance.
36.5% of people plan a week or more in advance.

Action: You can use Preview app to plan your posts. You can plan as many photos, videos and carousels as you want. So if you want to plan your feed a few months in advance, you totally can.

Instagram Trend #14. People don’t plan their Insta Stories

21% of people plan their Insta Stories in advance.

Action: If you have a business, map out what you would like to share in your Story during the week. It will give you guidance and motivation to post regularly. You can also use Preview to schedule Insta Stories.

Instagram Trend #15. People love being on Instagram ❤️

Waow this is awesome! Despite the tension we often hear about on Instagram, the majority of people are having a lot of fun!

85.1% of people said they enjoy being on Instagram.
14.1% said “it’s stressful”.

Action: If it is stressful for you, read this. It is my journey about how I went from stressing out about Instagram and hating it, to loving it again. I also share my own Instagram routine.

Instagram Trend #16. Most people spend 1 to 3 hours a day on Instagram

Here is the breakdown:

• 8.8% of people spend more than 5 hours on Instagram
• 17.2% spend between 3 to 5 hours on Instagram
• 23.5% spend 1 hour or less on Instagram
• 50.5% of people spend between 1 to 3 hours on Instagram

Action: I’ll leave this up to you 🙂

Instagram Trend #17. People care about the number of followers you have

72.9% of people said they care about the number of followers an account has. 27.1% don’t care.

This surprised us too! Maybe that’s why Instagram is changing the design of the bio. They might want people to focus less on the number of followers you have and more on the content you share.

Action: If you would like to grow your Instagram account, think about how you can do it in a natural and organic way. Click here to see our favorite tips and tricks.

• Be careful not be to sucked up by the numbers as they could hinder your creativity and ruin your Instagram experience.
• Remember that behind every number is an actual person.
• If you have a small business, we recommend you to think about numbers differently. While you might dream to have 100 likes on every photos all the time, think about this: what would 10 new customers mean to you and your business? What about 100 customers? Suddenly these numbers look like a lot for the success of your business.

Instagram Trend #18. People switch to business profiles

69.6% of people have switched to an Instagram Business profile.
30.4% kept their personal profile.

Action: Switch to a business profile if it makes sense for you and your account. Click here to see how to make the switch.

Instagram Trend #19. More and more businesses are using Instagram

41.2% use Instagram for fun.
58.8% use Instagram for their business.

Action: Dear business owners, please respect the fact that you and your ideal customers are just one “like”, “comment”, “DM” or hashtag away. Take advantage of this amazing opportunity that you have to be in direct contact with your audience.

• Think about creative ways of how you can capture their eyes and heart through your posts.
• Think about how you can collaborate with your favorite Instagrammers.
• Take a few minutes everyday (like 20 minutes) to interact with people, on their accounts.

Instagram Trend #20. Not everyone has unlocked the key to making money through Instagram

73.7% of business owners don’t make money through Instagram.
26.3% of business owners make money through Instagram.

Selling on Instagram is a new territory. Many people are currently trying different strategies (I might do a separate blog post on that soon).

It is possible to make money through Instagram. Many people are the proof of it. They sell their own filters, handmade knitted blankets, clothing lines, courses, workshops, affiliate links, etc… But their Instagram goal and strategy to get there might surprise you… and might not involve “direct selling”.

Action: Think about what place Instagram takes in your business. We’ve talked about the importance of your goal in our Instagram Guide for Business.

That’s it!

What do you think? What trend surprised you the most?

For us, it has definitely been:

• People watching Instagram posts more than Insta Stories
• People putting their hashtags in the caption more than the comments
• People caring about how many followers you have
• A lot of people clicking on ads

Some of the results might be controversial. But Instagram is controversial anyway. Also, bear in mind that a strategy that works for someone might not work for you. And that’s the beauty of Instagram. Test different things and have fun with it until you find your sweet spot.

In summary, here’s what we’ve learned:

• Photos are still the king of Instagram
• Keep posting photos on your feed
• Don’t stress out about Insta Stories if posting there isn’t fun for you or if it is not aligned with your strategy
• Use hashtags wisely
• Follow your favorite hashtags to meet new people

That’s it for now.

We hope you found this article useful.

And until next time, see you on Instagram!