In today’s Instagram landscape, marketers are playing for marginal gains. Organic visibility is tightening, competition is fierce, and attention is spread across multiple surfaces. To achieve meaningful results, brands can no longer rely on one or two familiar formats. Success now comes from executing across the full suite of placements. Reels, Stories, Feed Posts, Lives, Channels, and more all have a role to play, each used with clear intent.

Instagram’s latest content planning framework reflects this reality. The platform has outlined which formats are best suited to specific audience goals, whether that’s reaching new people, engaging existing followers, or nurturing loyalty. For marketers, this guidance isn’t just a content checklist. It’s a practical tool for aligning content to purpose and measuring impact more effectively across the funnel.

Here’s how Instagram suggests brands should structure their content strategy and how to apply that thinking in practice.

Reels and Carousels Best for Reaching New Audiences

When the goal is discovery, Instagram recommends prioritising Reels and Carousels. Both formats are geared towards visibility and shareability, and both benefit from the platform’s recommendation engine.

• Reels are Instagram’s top discovery format, consistently pushed into Explore, suggested feeds and trending areas. With Reels now accounting for over half of user time spent on the app, they are an essential driver of awareness.

• Carousels, though more static, also perform well in discovery contexts, especially when the content delivers quick value, encourages swipes, or includes saves and shares. The algorithm reads those signals as engagement, extending the post’s reach beyond your followers.

Tip: Use Reels to deliver high-impact, fast-paced creative aimed at stopping the scroll. Use Carousels to offer swipe-worthy content such as product roundups, tips or comparisons that compel users to interact.

Carousels, Stories and Single Images Best for Engaging Followers

Once users follow your account, the focus shifts to maintaining interest and building affinity. Instagram identifies Carousels, Stories and Single Images as the most effective formats for driving engagement with your existing audience.

• Carousels continue to deliver value here, especially when brands use them to tell stories or explore ideas in depth.

• Stories offer immediacy and intimacy. Their short lifespan encourages frequent updates, while features like polls, sliders and questions invite direct interaction.

• Single Images, though sometimes overlooked, still play a role, especially when paired with strong creative, brand consistency or emotionally resonant messaging.

Tip: Structure Stories content around engagement triggers. Use Carousels to build a narrative or break down complex ideas. Deploy Single Images as visual anchors, simple, punchy posts that reinforce brand presence.

Channels and Instagram Live Best for Nurturing Loyal Communities

Not every follower is equal. For your most loyal fans, those who want closer access or exclusive content, Instagram recommends Channels and Live.

• Channels are Instagram’s newer broadcast tool within DMs, allowing one-to-many messaging for followers who opt in. It is a direct line to your most invested audience, ideal for sharing exclusive updates or sneak peeks.

• Instagram Live creates shared, real-time experiences. Whether it’s a Q&A, a launch or a deep dive, Live helps humanise the brand and foster community through interactive sessions.

Tip: Use Channels to offer insider content such as early access, first-look product reveals or direct-from-the-founder messages. Schedule Lives with a purpose and promote them ahead of time to maximise attendance and engagement.

Plan With Precision Across the Funnel

Instagram’s guide is not just about format selection. It is about thinking strategically across the entire user journey and using each content type where it performs best:

To Reach New Audiences:

• Reels

• Carousels

To Engage Existing Followers:

• Carousels

• Stories

• Single Images

To Nurture Loyalty:

• Live

• Channels

In a platform environment that rewards sustained interaction and broad activity, deploying across all surfaces is no longer optional. What matters now is doing so with clarity, knowing what role each format plays, and tracking performance against that intent.

Playing The Long Game

Instagram is no longer a platform of quick wins. The brands seeing results today are playing the long game, using every available format, targeting distinct objectives and measuring impact with precision.

While Reels may grab attention, Stories build connection. Carousels deliver substance, while Channels and Live sessions foster deeper relationships. It is not about choosing one format over another. It is about knowing what each format is for and using them all strategically.

As marketers plan ahead, Instagram’s new guide is a timely reminder. The right content, in the right format, at the right time, still delivers. But only when used with purpose.

Save the framework. Build around it. And get ready to work smarter across the full funnel.