Social media is constantly evolving, and Instagram is no exception. Instagram is the fastest-growing app, with more than 1 billion users (projected to jump to ~1.2 billion in 2023). Its vast population of users is enough reason for you to learn all there is to the platform, and Instagram trends are no exception.
2022 Instagram Trends You Must Know
Instagram is an ever-evolving community, and so are the trends; you have to catch up with new trends and updates to stay ahead of your competitors. The following is a complete list of the most popular Instagram trends in 2022.
1. The Dance Revolution
The dance and music popularity started with TikTok videos but gradually seeped into other social apps, and Instagram was one of them.
Instagram’s own 2022 trend reports that one-third of teenage users are interested in dance challenges. Music and dancing have become inseparable parts of Instagram.
2. Social Justice on Social Media
The spark of justice, which was flared in 2020 on major social platforms and not just Instagram, yet remains to be among the popular Instagram trends in 2022.
Social media creates the opportunity to inform people worldwide and encourage them to utilize their power and fight for a better community and life.
In 2022 more active social users are showing interest in advocacy and activism.
Meanwhile, Gen Z plans to donate more money to social causes than before and have additional social justice accounts.
3. Instagram Shopping Is Rising
Online shopping has been increasing in past years, and the pandemic also boosted it to its highest.
Customers search for platforms that enable them to discover and get all the information they want in the fastest and easiest way; Instagram has given them this opportunity.
According to research, 70% of users discover new products and services on Instagram, and 87% are inspired by influencers and tap on the shopping posts they introduce.
Instagram has provided its users with specific features such as product tags, shoppable stickers, an Instagram store, and in-app checkout to make e-commerce easy for both customers and companies.
4. Organic Reach Isn’t Enough
Organic reach refers to the number of people who have seen your post without any advertisements.
Organic reach is vital because it brings you loyal followers and customers, but in 2022, people face a challenge: the decline of organic reach and the need for paid advertising.
To maintain your Instagram reach in 2022, you need to learn how to boost and master the essentials of audience targeting.
5. Creators Are in Power
Another one of the top Instagram trends in 2022 is a consistent increase in the power of creators. About 80% of Gen Z users believe that creators’ influence on culture is as much or, in some cases, even more than traditional celebrities.
Due to the pandemic, the number of creators has risen and is more than ever before; It is expected that more than a half of marketers will use influencer marketing by 2022.
Instagram is now playing a matchmaker role and making the collaboration easier; the platform’s latest tools allow creators to make lists of brands they are willing to work with and enable brands to use filters to search for best-fit creators.
6. Live Streaming Is Getting More Popular
Instagram Live video was launched in November 2016, but its usage increased to 70% in one month, April 2020, with the widespread of COVID-19.
In the beginning, it was a safe run away from the isolation that quarantine caused us, but it gradually became a better choice to watch a Livestream than to read a blog.
Another factor that affected users’ engagement in Live videos was the fear of missing out (FOMO).
People are more likely to watch Live videos in comparison to pre-recorded ones. Over 1 million people watch Instagram Live and Live stream every day.
Instagram has rolled out some features to make Livestreaming more exciting and engaging. For example, it has extended the duration of Live streams from one to four hours, you can now archive your video, and it also created Live Rooms to make it possible for up to three people to go live all together.
7. IGTVs, To Be or Not To Be
IGTVs first seemed to be a revolution of long videos on Instagram and an equivalent to YouTube on mobile devices, but the long format idea didn’t really catch on, and TikTok was getting more popular.
So in October 2021, Instagram announced the retirement of IGTV and added long-form videos (up to 60 minutes) to the main Insta feed, but kept competing with TikTok with its short video Reels.
Now the IGTV app is being rebranded as the Instagram TV app.
With the new IGTV format in the feed, you can write captions and actively direct your followers to IGTV.
8. The Chronological Feed Is Back
Instagram is bringing back the chronological feed after six years. The app has been using an engagement-based ranking, and it became controversial since the algorithm prioritized divisiveness, violence, and misinformation.
On the contrary, a chronological feed displays the latest posts, and it’s a great thing for those who felt outwitted by the Instagram algorithm.
The Instagram team has also stated that the chronological feed will be an option, not a force.
9. Instagram Carousel For High Engagement
You have seen the carousel posts before; carousels are multiple photos or videos in one post, and people can swipe through several photos of an event or different angles of a product.
The most important thing on Instagram is engagement and besides likes, comments, and shares, swiping through the carousel post is an easy way to boost your engagement.
10. Instagram Reels
Next on our list is the Instagram Reels trend. Reels are short, entertaining videos similar to stories. Still, with a lot more editing effects, the content can only be a video. They are visible to everyone, not just your followers, so that you can reach a wider audience and potential customers.
Businesses are also participating in Reel trends to be shown more in explore pages; it is an opportunity to beat the Instagram algorithm.
11. Instagram Stories
Although the Instagram story is one of the oldest features, its popularity and usefulness for brands have grown. Both brands and influencers say Instagram stories have had a massive impact on their business, and they are using it more frequently.
Instagram is increasing its storytime to 60 seconds, and it gives people the opportunity to watch videos without interruptions.
Knowing how to use Instagram stories can help you with a better result; use all the available features like polls, emoji sliders, stickers, and more to encourage engagement.
12. Replying With Reels
Instagram added a “comment on Reels” part, allowing users to make a video response and then send their video as a sticker.
These stickers and replies are highly interactive and engaging, and we are optimistic that Reels will play an essential role for brands in2022.
13. “Add Yours” Collaborative Albums
Creating challenges can increase engagement, and so do the “Add Yours” stickers.
These stickers ask users to share a photo-based on a specific theme; add the last photo on your camera roll, add your children’s picture, etc.
“Add Yours” stickers are easy and fun to create and can help with your organic Instagram engagement.
14. Story Links For All
Instagram swipe-up links were available for accounts with 10.000 or more followers. Still, it wasn’t fair to new and small businesses, so Instagram retired the swipe-up feature and instead added a link sticker that everyone could use.
15. More Relatable Influencer
Not very long ago, influencers were paid to introduce a product and help brands promote it. Still, many people found their posts misleading, and now, Influencers are obligated to use the “paid partnership tags” to disclose the product.
Another thing is that people are looking to connect with real people and real lives with all the sparks and flaws, not a perfect unreal life, and these people seem more trustworthy.
16. DM Is Getting Big
The direct message was introduced in 2013, but it’s updating and getting more valuable features. It has voice messaging, pictures and videos, and a video chat, and there is also a quick reply feature that helps brands and businesses send saved responses to FAQs.
17. Instagram Guides
Instagram has rolled out Instagram Guides to allow the creators to keep all the important posts in one place and make step-by-step guides.
The guides enable businesses to create collections and mention all the information they seek.
18. Supporting Small Businesses
During the years of the pandemic, nearly all businesses were affected and went through hard days, but it was even more challenging for small businesses, so they were seeking help and support.
Accordingly, Instagram has introduced the “Support Small Businesses” sticker. Loyal customers can use the sticker to show their love and support and help that business to get more views and Instagram followers.
19. Cause Marketing Is Increasing
Cause marketing establishes a for-profit business and a non-profit relationship for a common benefit. It can also refer to a social or charitable campaign; people choose to buy from companies that support a charity or a social issue. As a result, companies are using more and more cause marketing.
20. Explore Page
The goal of all social media platforms is the same; engagement; for that purpose, Instagram created a tab called Explore page so that users can have access to content that interests them.
It is an excellent opportunity for brands to reach more audiences and potential customers.
Expect to see competition among brands in 2022 on Instagram Explore Tab.
21. AR Filters
Almost everyone uses filters on Instagram to look better for a photo or have some fun. Still, the Augmented Reality (AR) filters are getting more popular for businesses and brands.
The AR filter can let users see how different cosmetics and clothes look on them or how an item of specific furniture would look in their house before purchasing.
As a result, businesses are increasingly turning to Augmented reality (AR) development companies to create custom filters to promote their brand on Instagram.
We expect to see more brands and small businesses create AR filters in 2022.
22. Instagram Ads Grow
With the increase of online shops and more options for customers, the competition between companies gets more complex, and they are forced to turn to Instagram ads.
On the other hand, people see lots of apps (mostly annoying) on the internet every day, so you have to choose the right ad to interact with your potential customers.
The popularity of Instagram ads is on the rise, and the ads will be shown on IGTVs too.
23. Embrace UGC and Reposting
User-generated content is one of the best ways to build trust with customers. It is human nature to trust other people’s words rather than a brand’s commercial.
You can run a contest and encourage your followers to create content introducing and suggesting your product and share and repost their Instagram posts.
This is a key to maintaining success on Instagram in 2022.
24. Cross-Promotion
Another way to increase your social media reach is to combine your Instagram marketing with other platforms such as Emails, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Pinterest,
In this case, you will get the chance to have more eyes on your Instagram posts and, consequently, more engagement rate.
25. Digital Stickers
Virtual stickers with extra information have not become a trend on Instagram. These stickers can display various things like a price or the validity of a service or product.
26. Sticker Selfies
The sticker selfies feature allows users to create an emoji of themselves and add that to their stories.
These animated or state stickers showed up in 2020, but they are getting trendy.
27. Anesthetic Instagram feed
Posting regularly and having a beautiful Instagram feed have always been important. The first thing is that potential followers judge your profile by its appearance.
The good news is that in 2022, plenty of tools have been released to help you schedule posting and designing your Instagram page. Use them, and you will be ahead of the curve in 2022.
Wrapping Up
It is not easy to predict what Instagram will introduce next, but it is evident that Instagram trends are changing rapidly. Businesses and brands should use these changes as opportunities to spark their followers’ interest in their latest products.
