Instagram has shared clearer guidance on which content formats actually work best for different goals. The insights came during a recent webinar hosted by Rachel Karten's Link in Bio newsletter, where Instagram tackled common misconceptions while giving out practical advice – straight from the horse’s mouth.
The platform broke down its content formats into three main purposes:
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reaching new audiences
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engaging your followers
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nurturing your most loyal fans
Reels and Carousels are your best bet for reaching new audiences, Photos and Stories work well for engaging existing followers, whilst Lives and Channels are designed to nurture your most loyal fans. This hierarchy gives brands and creators a clearer roadmap for choosing formats based on what they're actually trying to achieve with their Instagram strategy.
But that’s not all, Instagram dived into the details about the algorithm, metrics and common myths. Here’s what you need to know.
What Instagram Metrics Should You Be Tracking in 2025?
Instagram confirmed that three metrics matter most for content success:
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watch time
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rate of likes (likes divided by views)
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rate of shares (shares divided by views)
This data provides creators with clear benchmarks for measuring content effectiveness.
Do Hashtags Still Work on Instagram in 2025?
The platform emphasised using targeted, community-specific hashtags over broad generic tags. Whilst generic hashtags don't guarantee increased reach, they remain valuable for providing context to content.
Which Instagram Post Types Get the Most Reach?
Carousels emerged as a standout format, outperforming single photos due to their "built-in second chance" feature. When users don't initially interact with carousel content, Instagram shows them the second and third slides later. Additionally, Instagram confirmed that adding music to static content can boost discovery as it makes posts eligible to appear in the Reels feed.
Common Instagram Myths Debunked
Instagram dispelled several widespread beliefs during the webinar. Contrary to popular opinion, including "link in bio" in captions doesn't hurt reach, thumbnails don't impact content discovery, and CapCut editing is acceptable for creators — as long as they remove third-party watermarks, which can negatively affect ranking. But using tools like CapCut for editing will not inherently lower the effectiveness of your content.
This guidance represents Instagram's ongoing effort to provide transparency around its algorithm and help creators maximise their platform presence through data-driven decisions. The timing couldn't be better, considering Instagram posts can now rank in Google search results as of July 2025.
Your Instagram content isn't just competing for attention within the app anymore - it's going head-to-head with actual websites for those coveted page one spots.
