Last year, Instagram celebrated its 12th anniversary. Since its inception, the social network has evolved a lot, continuously integrating new features. Its algorithm has also often been modified, seeking to find the right formula to offer content adapted to the desires of users. So, it can be difficult to find the best method to generate engagement on your posts. In its latest report, HubSpot wanted to look into this question, and study the publications that generate the most engagement. To do this, the publisher is based on the analysis of 37,411,256 posts around the world.

What is the best type of post?

• Video is still the most engaging type of content.

• Using 1 to 10 emojis gave posts a small boost in engagement.

• Globally, captions performed best either very long or very short— think less than 20 characters, or over 2,000

• Many of the most engaging hashtags were Reels or video-related.

• Tagging more than 11 other accounts seemed to increase engagement.

What is the best format to adopt?

The video and the reel format are those that generates the most engagement on the platform. It averages 20.8 comments and 957 likes. Carousels also get good engagement rates: in terms of comments and likes, they are slightly behind videos, but quite significantly ahead of photos.

What is the correct description size?

According to the results of the study, the posts generating the highest engagement rate in France are those containing between 1 and 20 characters (7.65%) and those containing between 21 and 50 characters (7.73%) . This trend is confirmed worldwide. Short descriptions are therefore preferred. According to HubSpot, it is also preferable to indicate the key information at the beginning of the description.

Should hashtags be included in posts?

Instagram itself recommends using no more than 5 hashtags. Reels-related hashtags were among the most engaging, with tags like #ReelsTrending, #FunnyVideos, and #FunnyReels dominating the top 10. There are five main types of hashtags, and all of them can have a place in your captions:

1. Location: #London, #VisitPortugal, #ExploreBC

2. Branded: #AbsolutVodka, #GotMilk, #NikeByYou

3. Niche or industry: #HomeCooks, #MakeupLovers, #AviationGeek

4. Communities and fandoms: #Arianators, #LakersNation

5. Descriptive: #Eyeshadow, #KitchenDesign, #FallTrends

Should emoji be used?

Posts using 1 emoji performed well (8% engagement rate), as did posts using up t0 10 emojis (9.16% engagement rate). It’s okay to have fun with emojis, just don’t go crazy! Posts that used between one and ten emojis did show a small boost in engagement, but the effect dropped off after 11 or more. Cluttering your captions with emojis can look a little spammy or chaotic.

When should you post ?

If you’re wondering when to post on Instagram, the answer is simple. Share when your audience is online. Here’s the global and regional trends around post timing and engagement. But remember that the answer for your audience might vary, so keep careful watch of how content performs when you post it at different times:

• Evenings (around 8 p.m.) and weekends remain the most engaging time to post.

• Globally, there was more late-night engagement than before.

• Tuesdays, not the weekend, was the most engaging time to post in Asia-Pacific, and the gap between peak and bottom engagement was three times larger.

• North American engagement spiked at 9 p.m. but otherwise wasn’t as dependent on time and day.