Although it joined the game a bit later than some of the other popular social networks (Instagram launched on October 6, 2010 while Facebook started in 2004, Twitter in 2006 and Pinterest in January of 2010), Instagram certainly has made a name for itself in the industry. Now one of the most popular social media platforms available, the photo-sharing app has come a long way from its humble beginnings.
With a heavily active user base (500 million people access the app daily), there are tons of opportunities for users, influencers and businesses alike. To stay on top of your game, it’s important to understand some of the Instagram stats surrounding the platform.
Knowing who uses Instagram and how they interact on the platform can help your business to craft a better Instagram marketing strategy. So, check out the 17 Instagram statistics below and see what’s in store for 2019 to ensure you’re set up for success.
1. Instagram has 1 billion monthly active users
This makes Instagram the third most popular social media network, following only Facebook (over 2 billion monthly active users) and YouTube (1.9 billion monthly active users). With 1 billion users accessing the platform every month, 50% of those are scrolling through their feed each day.
That’s a pretty big audience to put your business in front of. This is why you want to learn the best tips and tricks for managing a brand on Instagram.
2. 64% of 18-29 year olds use Instagram
Understanding the demographics behind each social media platform can help you to determine which ones you need to be focusing on in your social media strategy. Instagram has a diverse user base, but is undeniably most popular with young people. Nearly two out of every three adults aged 18-29 use Instagram.
This percentage has increased from 59% to 64%, showcasing just how popular Instagram is with younger generations. If your brand is targeting Gen Z and Millennials, Instagram just might be the perfect spot for you.
Learn more about your own Instagram stats such as follower demographics with Sprout Social’s Instagram profile insights.
3. Instagram is expected to account for nearly a quarter of all of Facebook’s ad revenue by the end of the year.
If you didn’t know that Instagram is owned by Facebook, now you do. Instagram’s advertising is also completely managed through Facebook’s Ads Manager, and of course any revenue collected at year’s end stays under the umbrella of Facebook revenue.
That being said, Facebook’s purchase of Instagram ($1 billion in 2012 when the platform had only 30 million users) is certainly paying off. Considering the platform brought in between $8 and $9 billion in 2018 alone, I’d say Mark Zuckerberg is pretty happy about that acquisition.
Not only that, but Instagram’s ad revenue is only going to grow. It’ll bring in nearly a quarter of Facebook’s total ad revenue by the end of 2019, and 30% of total ad revenue by the end of 2020.
4. 80% of accounts follow a business on Instagram
If you’ve ever wondered if social media marketing actually works, think about this Instagram statistic. Users are following businesses on the platform. Eight out of 10 to be precise. Which means that if your brand has a presence on Instagram, your audience will likely follow you.
Not only that, but 200 million Instagrammers actively visit business profiles everyday. So get started with Instagram marketing for your brand today.
5. Instagram has 2 million monthly advertisers
As you scroll down your Instagram feed, every three or four photos, you’ll see one labeled “Sponsored.” You’ll also see Stories ads as you watch the Instagram Stories of people you follow. Instagram is a great platform for reaching your audience through both organic and paid means, and there are two million advertisers proving this each month.
To learn more about getting started with Instagram advertising without breaking the bank, check out our guide to ads on the platform.
6. The most-liked photo has 53 million likes
The account @world_record_egg started as a joking attempt to beat the previous most-liked photo with 18 million likes: Kylie Jenner announcing her daughter’s birth.
But it obviously caught on, with people talking about this egg’s attempt at breaking the record all across social media and the news. This viral post took only 10 days to break the record, and has been slowly generating more and more likes.
At the time of this writing, the most-liked photo now has 53 million likes, but we’re excited to see how many more it racks up by the end of the year.
Viral social media campaigns like this just go to show how well people can work together for a common goal (i.e., getting a photo of an egg to become the most-liked photo on Instagram). And since it currently has a 35 million like lead, it’ll be interesting to see when (or if?!) the next most-liked photo comes around.
7. The best times to post daily on Instagram are weekdays between 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Although the best time for any brand to post on social media is completely dependent on its own unique audience and engagement, Sprout’s study of the best times to post on Instagram offers up some pretty compelling data.
The findings showed that the safest time to post are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m–3 p.m., while the peak times during the week are Wednesday at 11 a.m. and Friday at 10–11 a.m. These windows of high engagement can likely help to generate even more likes and engagement, especially for brands just starting out.
Then you can utilize Sprout Social’s Instagram analytics tool to determine your own best days and times to post, or let Sprout ViralPost do the work for you.
8. Video posts receive 38% more engagement than image posts
Trying to improve your overall Instagram engagement? Think outside of the box and upload something other than an image or carousel post. Although this statistic could certainly be due to the fact that video is much less common on the platform, the numbers don’t lie.
Videos receive 38% more engagement than image posts and 2.1x the amount of comments. Since 81% of marketers agree that engagement is the most important metric of social media success, it’s no surprise than many of us want to figure out how to improve these numbers.
Using video within your Instagram feed could certainly be worth testing to see how your audience reacts.
9. Over 100 million photos are uploaded every day
100 million photos. Every single day.
People and businesses alike are using Instagram to share photos and videos of their life story or brand story. And there’s plenty of room for your brand to share your own story, product/service photos and more.
10. 1 out of 3 of the most viewed Stories are from businesses
Instagram launched Stories in 2016 as their own version of Snapchat’s disappearing stories, and since that time they’ve added additional features that make Instagram Stories uniquely appealing as its own experience. Instagram Stories now has 500 million daily active users and only continues to grow.
The adoption of Stories on Instagram has created even more ways for brands to tell their story to their audience. While able to keep a carefully curated feed, your brand can also share behind-the-scenes footage, video clips, graphics and more on your Story.
Instagram also added the option of highlighting your Story so that it stays on your profile for more than just 24 hours.
Stories can be used in many different ways in order to engage your brand’s followers. And since one-third of the most viewed Stories were posted by businesses, it’s obvious that audiences are engaging in brand Story content.
11. 50% of businesses create at least one Story every month
Half of all businesses on the platform are creating and sharing Story content each month, proving again that Stories aren’t just for users sharing their day-to-day with their friends.
Check out these creative Story ideas to help generate your own inspiration for your brand’s Instagram Stories.
12. 68% of Millennials consume Stories on Instagram vs. 49% on Snapchat and 44% on Facebook
Even though Instagram Stories came about years after Snapchat created the idea, it has already surpassed the inventor in usership. 68% of Millennials say Instagram is their preferred Story consumption method, nearly 20% more than those who use Snapchat.
Because those Millennials are also likely following and interacting with businesses on Instagram, it can be deduced that they’re likely engaging with and watching those businesses’ Stories as well. Instagram Stories are here to stay, and utilizing all features of the platform is only going to do good things for your brand.
13. The most popular hashtag is #love
Hashtags were invented in 2007, and have only become more and more prevalent in social media and in our everyday vernacular. (I know I can’t be the only marketer who occasionally texts friends in hashtags (#sorrynotsorry).
Hashtags, when used properly, can improve overall reach and engagement for your content on Instagram, and who doesn’t want that? The most popular hashtag on the platform is #love, and including that within your content could help you reach a lot of users.
But is that really the best way to find potential new followers? If your content isn’t actually about love, you don’t want to include that hashtag. The best way to determine which hashtags to use is to include a mixture of extremely popular hashtags (you can find 100 of them right here) that are relevant to your brand and hashtags that are highly relevant to your industry and business.
Still not sure? Sprout Social can help you find and monitor the best hashtags to use within your posts.
14. Users spend 53 minutes a day on Instagram
That is powerful. Nearly an entire hour out of each user’s day is spent scrolling through photos, interacting with accounts, watching Stories and more. Although Facebook leads with most time spent at 58 minutes a day, Instagram is in second place and has beat out Snapchat’s 49 minutes a day.
Putting your brand on a platform that users are using for almost an hour everyday can help you to find even more customers, grow your business and create a community around your brand.
15. The platform gets 4.2 billion likes per day
Considering users have to double tap photos on the app to give them a like, that’s about 8.4 billion taps per day. Instagram has the highest engagement rate of all platforms, at about 2-7% of all posts. So it’s likely that you’ll receive a great deal more interaction on your Instagram photos and Stories than you see on other platforms.
However your overall hashtag and marketing tactics make a difference, so be sure to remain strategic in your content planning.
16. Over 100 million Instagrammers watch or record Live video each day
Instagram Live is a feature that was added not long after Stories that allows users to livestream content to their audiences. Since Stories videos can only last up to 15 seconds, there’s not a lot of time to do a deep dive into any particular topic. Because Facebook Live has been so popular, a similar feature was added to Instagram.
And it’s obviously doing well, as over 100 million users are either watching or creating Live video everyday.
Going live on Instagram can be a great way for your brand to interact directly with your followers, as users can like and comment on your video in real time. Learn more about how to run a great Instagram live experience.
17. There has been no data released on IGTV
This is less of an Instagram stat and more of a lack thereof. Facebook and Instagram love sending out their data about active users, usage times, interaction and more.
That means it’s notable that IGTV was not mentioned at all during the network’s announcement of 2018 Q4 numbers.
This makes it harder to get a picture of IGTV’s engagement rates and value for marketers.
Probably because IGTV’s engagement rates aren’t great. Accounts with tens of thousands of followers can see only hundreds of views on the platform. IGTV is completely revamping how businesses create video with its vertical dimensions, but brands will need to better understand the ROI of creating these more complex pieces of video content.
Instagram is starting to place IGTV previews in its user feeds as an attempt to generate more interest around the vertical video app, but we’ll have to see if it pays off.
Getting the most out of Instagram stats
These statistics show that Instagram’s fast-growing platform certainly has its perks for businesses. Consider your goals for 2019 and beyond, and think about how the above information may be useful for you. Are you ready to start taking your Instagram management seriously with Sprout Social? No better time to start than now.
