Reels lead, and they work on mute
Reels take a large share of time spent on Instagram. The best ones hook viewers in three seconds and carry on-screen text for people watching with the sound off.
Source 1 Insights · 2026 trend notes
Why the work looks the way it does.
Every creative in my portfolio uses a format that's working on the platforms right now. These are my 2026 notes, drawn from recent platform research, with sources listed below.
Product brands
Instagram & Facebook trend notes
A weekly series beats one-offs
A recurring format with one fixed template builds recognition faster than unrelated posts. Followers know the post before they read it.
Source 1Real beats perfect
Honest, less-produced posts and reposted customer content are outperforming studio-perfect feeds. Customer posts are always reposted with permission.
Sources 1, 2Photo dumps and teaching carousels
Five to ten slides mixing polished and candid shots feel personal. Carousels that teach something earn saves.
Source 2Grain, space and handwriting
Film grain, one subject with room to breathe and handwritten type all signal a human touch. Collab posts share one post across two brands' grids.
Sources 2, 4The 3:4 grid and Instagram SEO
Profile grids now preview at 3:4, so key content sits in the centre of each 4:5 post. Keyword-led captions and alt text help posts get found.
Sources 3, 1 Service brands
LinkedIn & Facebook trend notes
LinkedIn PDF carousels, done properly
Portrait slides, 5 to 15 of them, with one idea and under 60 words on each. The post copy runs to 100 to 200 words.
Source 5People reach further than logos
Posts from personal profiles tend to earn more engagement than company-page posts, so I write content your team can post as themselves.
Source 5Proof over polish
First-person detail, real screenshots and simple subtitled videos from experts are outperforming generic templates.
Source 6The whole answer, in the post
LinkedIn favours posts that deliver their full value in the feed over posts that push people to a link.
Source 6Repeatable newsletters
A fixed structure, such as 3 proof points, 2 takes and 1 risk, makes every issue quick to read and quick to write.
Source 6Timed to real moments
Posts tied to a moment people already care about, like the first cold snap or a tax deadline, beat generic offers.
Source 1Sources
- Sprout Social, Instagram trends UK (opens in a new tab)
- ContentStudio, Top Instagram photo trends in 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Inro, Instagram post size 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Adobe Express, Design trends for 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Oktopost, LinkedIn carousel best practices for B2B in 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Pettauer, LinkedIn trends 2026 (opens in a new tab)
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