--- title: "Instagram Study: We analyzed 9 million posts and here's what we've learned" description: With over 1 billion users is Instagram one of the most used social networks worldwide. This was reason enough for us to conduct an analysis of the performance on this platform for which we analyzed over 44,000 profiles and over 8.9 million posts between January 1 and September 30, 2018. image: https://www.quintly.com/hubfs/archive/98%20Assets_Archive/Blog/Imported_Blog_Media/Instagram%20Study%20Featured%20Image.jpg --- **[🚀 ANNOUNCEMENT: QUINTLY BECOMES FACELIFT DATA STUDIO→](https://www.quintly.com/quintly-becomes-facelift-data-studio)** [![facelift-datastudio-black-1](https://www.quintly.com/hubfs/facelift-datastudio-black-1.svg "facelift-datastudio-black-1")](https://www.quintly.com) ** ** Use cases [Brands Find the KPIs you need, get deep insights and build your brand by understanding your audience on social. ](https://www.quintly.com/brands) --- [Case Study: Benefit Cosmetics How the global beauty brand gained 50% growth in engagement and increased reach across the world. ](https://www.quintly.com/case-study/benefit-cosmetics) [Case Study: Meliá Hotels Int. How social media data is key to Meliá Hotels International and their brand's digital revolution. ](https://www.quintly.com/case-study/melia-hotels-international)   [Agencies Drive better decisions based on quality data using social analytics and reporting for all your clients. ](https://www.quintly.com/agencies) --- [Case Study: The Marketing Arm How this global agency uses social intelligence to win pitches and retain clients with top brands. ](https://www.quintly.com/case-study/the-marketing-arm) [Case Study: bürosüd plusNew! How bürosüd plus increased their audience by 40% ](https://www.quintly.com/case-study/burosud-plus-pr-and-communication-agency-quintly-case-study)   [Media Do more with your data using custom metrics and API integrations to optimize your social strategy. ](https://www.quintly.com/media) --- [Case Study: RTL Media Group How quintly helps a large news-media organization create a data-driven culture for their teams company-wide. ](https://www.quintly.com/case-study/rtl-media-group) [Case Study: Landau MediaNew! How Landau Media manages 50 profiles in one place ](https://www.quintly.com/case-study/landau-media) FEATURES [Analytics Track, benchmark and optimize your social media. ](https://www.quintly.com/analytics) [Data in Depth Secure, trusted data quality for better business. ](https://www.quintly.com/social-media-data)   [Reporting Create or automate reports, exports and live links. ](https://www.quintly.com/reporting) [API and Integrations Take analytics further with our API and integrations. ](https://www.quintly.com/social-media-data-integration) NETWORKS [Facebook ](https://www.quintly.com/facebook-analytics) [Instagram ](https://www.quintly.com/instagram-analytics) [Twitter ](https://www.quintly.com/twitter-analytics) [Snapchat ](https://www.quintly.com/snapchat-shows-analytics)   [LinkedIn ](https://www.quintly.com/linkedin-analytics) [YouTube ](https://www.quintly.com/youtube-analytics) [TikTokNew! ](https://www.quintly.com/tiktok-analytics) Company [About Us We’re people persons – read our story here. ](https://www.quintly.com/about) [Careers Looking for a job? See what we have to offer. ](https://quintly-jobs.personio.de/) [Contact Want to get in touch? Come say hi. ](https://www.quintly.com/contact) Resources [Blog Our latest articles, social news and industry insights. ](https://www.quintly.com/blog) [Social Media Studies Browse our collection of free reports. ](https://www.quintly.com/resources) [Knowledge Base More than a help center – updates, guides and more. ](https://help.facelift-cloud.com/en/collections/6890662-facelift-data-studio)     [Free stats portalNew! Check out popular industries & countries. ](https://info.quintly.com/free-stats) [Product newsNew! Receive the latest news on improvements and updates to our product  ](https://www.quintly.com/product-news) [![facelift-datastudio-black-1](https://www.quintly.com/hubfs/facelift-datastudio-black-1.svg "facelift-datastudio-black-1")](https://www.quintly.com) ** ** Solutions [Brands Find the KPIs you need, get deep insights and build your brand by understanding your audience on social. ](https://www.quintly.com/brands) --- [Case Study: Benefit Cosmetics How the global beauty brand gained 50% growth in engagement and increased reach across the world. ](https://www.quintly.com/case-study/benefit-cosmetics) [Case Study: Meliá Hotels How social media data is key to Meliá Hotels International and their brand's digital revolution. ](https://www.quintly.com/case-study/melia-hotels-international)   [Agencies Drive better decisions based on quality data using social analytics and reporting for all your clients. ](https://www.quintly.com/agencies) --- [Case Study: The Marketing Arm How this global agency uses social intelligence to win pitches and retain clients with top brands. ](https://www.quintly.com/case-study/the-marketing-arm) [Case Study: bürosüd plusNew! How bürosüd plus increased their audience by 40% ](https://www.quintly.com/case-study/burosud-plus-pr-and-communication-agency-quintly-case-study)   [Media Do more with your data using custom metrics and API integrations to optimize your social strategy. ](https://www.quintly.com/media) --- [Case Study: RTL Media Group How this large news-media organization creates a data-driven culture for their teams company-wide. ](https://www.quintly.com/case-study/rtl-media-group) [Case Study: Landau MediaNew! How Landau Media manages 50 profiles in one place ](https://www.quintly.com/case-study/landau-media) FEATURES [Analytics Track, benchmark and optimize your social media. ](https://www.quintly.com/analytics) [Data in Depth Secure, trusted data quality for better business. ](https://www.quintly.com/social-media-data)   [Reporting Create or automate reports, exports and live links. ](https://www.quintly.com/reporting) [API and Integrations Take analytics further with our API and integrations. ](https://www.quintly.com/social-media-data-integration) NETWORKS [Facebook ](https://www.quintly.com/facebook-analytics) [Instagram ](https://www.quintly.com/instagram-analytics) [Twitter ](https://www.quintly.com/twitter-analytics) [Snapchat ](https://www.quintly.com/snapchat-shows-analytics)   [LinkedIn ](https://www.quintly.com/linkedin-analytics) [YouTube ](https://www.quintly.com/youtube-analytics) [TikTokNew! ](https://www.quintly.com/tiktok-analytics/) Company [About Us We’re people persons – read our story here. ](https://www.quintly.com/about) [Careers Looking for a job? See what we have to offer. ](https://quintly.jobs.personio.de/) [Contact Want to get in touch? Come say hi. ](https://www.quintly.com/contact) Resources [Blog Our latest articles, social news and industry insights. ](https://www.quintly.com/blog) [Social Media Studies Browse our collection of free reports. ](https://www.quintly.com/resources) [Knowledge Base More than a help center – updates, guides and more. ](https://support.quintly.com)     [Free stats portalNew! Check out popular industries & countries. ](https://info.quintly.com/free-stats) [Product newsNew! Receive the latest news on improvements and updates to our product  ](https://www.quintly.com/product-news) [![quintly.com](https://www.quintly.com/hubfs/Design/Mayday/Pricing%20Page/white%20icons/AdvancedTraining.svg "quintly.com")](https://www.quintly.com/) ** ** [featured](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/featured) [Reach vs Impressions](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/reach-vs-impressions) [Twitter Analysis](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/twitter-analysis) [Youtube Analytics](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/youtube-analytics) [Instagram Strategy](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/instagram-strategy) [YouTube Data](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/youtube-data) [YouTube Metrics](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/youtube-metrics) ## [5 YouTube Analytics Metrics You Should Know](https://www.quintly.com/blog/5-youtube-analytics-metrics-you-should-know) by [David Campbell](https://www.quintly.com/blog/author/david-campbell) on August 11, 2023 [Read more](https://www.quintly.com/blog/5-youtube-analytics-metrics-you-should-know) ### Filter by Category - [Instagram Strategy (214)](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/instagram-strategy) - [Reach vs Impressions (213)](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/reach-vs-impressions) - [Twitter Analysis (213)](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/twitter-analysis) - [Youtube Analytics (213)](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/youtube-analytics) - [featured (213)](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/featured) [quintly Blog](https://www.quintly.com/blog)  /   [featured](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/featured) [Reach vs Impressions](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/reach-vs-impressions) [Twitter Analysis](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/twitter-analysis) [Youtube Analytics](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/youtube-analytics) [Instagram Strategy](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/instagram-strategy) [Instagram Analytics](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/instagram-analytics) [Social Media Studies](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/social-media-studies) 7 MINUTE READING TIME [featured](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/featured) [Reach vs Impressions](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/reach-vs-impressions) [Twitter Analysis](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/twitter-analysis) [Youtube Analytics](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/youtube-analytics) [Instagram Strategy](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/instagram-strategy) [Instagram Analytics](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/instagram-analytics) [Social Media Studies](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/social-media-studies) # Instagram Study: We analyzed 9 million posts and here's what we've learned by [Nils Herrmann](https://www.quintly.com/blog/author/nils-herrmann) on November 22, 2018 ![](https://www.quintly.com/hubfs/archive/98%20Assets_Archive/Blog/Imported_Blog_Media/Instagram%20Study%20Featured%20Image.jpg) Instagram has over 1 billion users worldwide. This is not only a huge amount of registered users but also a lot of many different use cases. Some use it to share their life with their friends, influencers make a living out of the platform and brands engage with their audience or to generate new customers. All these different use cases made us curious. For this reason, we decided to learn more about the usage of the social network by analyzing the performance of **44,432 Instagram Business profiles and over 8.9 million posts** between January 1 and September 30, 2018. Now it’s time to put your reading glasses on and to get excited about our findings! ## Key focus of our Instagram study We clustered our dataset in six differently-sized groups, to make it applicable for your specific Instagram account: ![Profile Size Group Pie 01-1 OUTLINE](https://www.quintly.com/hubfs/archive/98%20Assets_Archive/Blog/Imported_Blog_Media/Profile%20Size%20Group%20Pie%2001-1%20OUTLINE.svg) And here is an overview of the six categories we analyzed: - Follower development - Post type performance - The length of posts - Usage of hashtags - Emojis on Instagram - Posting time Let’s dive into the data. ## Instagram profiles grew up to 33% This year was a strong year for Instagram. Not only for the network itself, but also for the users, influencers and brands using it. You ask why? By observing the fan growth in the differently-sized buckets, we detected an overall growth for all analyzed profiles. Breaking the number down to our different profile groups, it can be seen that the profile growth spans from 17% up to 33%. ![Follower Growth Rate 01-2 OUTLINE](https://www.quintly.com/hubfs/archive/98%20Assets_Archive/Blog/Imported_Blog_Media/Follower%20Growth%20Rate%2001-2%20OUTLINE.svg) ### Videos get up to 21% more interactions Images are the most common post type, but how do they compare in terms of interactions (*Note: Interactions are defined as the sum of likes + comments*) to carousels and videos? The answer is that they perform on average not as well as the other two formats. Taking a look at the performance of each format is revealing: ![Post type interaction OUTLINE v3](https://www.quintly.com/hubfs/archive/98%20Assets_Archive/Blog/Imported_Blog_Media/Post%20type%20interaction%20OUTLINE%20v3.svg) Do you want to know which post type was used the most? Find it out in our study. [![New call-to-action](https://www.quintly.com/hs-fs/hubfs/archive/98%20Assets_Archive/Blog/Imported_Blog_Media/b64a5094-697e-4e61-b13c-a7207ccd94dc-1.png?width=930&height=338&name=b64a5094-697e-4e61-b13c-a7207ccd94dc-1.png)](https://www.quintly.com/cs/c/?cta_guid=2f570109-6e5c-4677-b74d-3e6d2cdb9dfe&signature=AAH58kGsF-kuswWrdYVVa01R1yUu88sWkw&pageId=6570249164&placement_guid=b2cd5c87-8f90-4fbf-8388-8ac2d7572fa8&canon=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.quintly.com%2Fblog%2Finstagram-study&portal_id=3330298&__hstc=146014955.4ac32fe5bdcab407482560af6e5d7795.1692631347040.1692631347040.1692631347040.1&__hssc=146014955.8.1692631347040&__hsfp=1561754925&hsutk=4ac32fe5bdcab407482560af6e5d7795&contentType=blog-post) 31% have lengthy post descriptions  Instagram is all about browsing, getting visual inspiration and quick entertainment, it seems. So it comes as a surprise that **31% **of overall Instagram posts have more than 300 characters in their post description.  ![Instagram Sample Post](https://www.quintly.com/hs-fs/hubfs/archive/98%20Assets_Archive/Blog/Imported_Blog_Media/Instagram%20Sample%20Post.png?width=419&name=Instagram%20Sample%20Post.png) On the one hand, we have a prevalence of posts with over 300 characters, but on the other hand, we see that only 1% of posts use no description at all. ![Post description length - OUTLINE](https://www.quintly.com/hubfs/archive/98%20Assets_Archive/Blog/Imported_Blog_Media/Post%20description%20length%20-%20OUTLINE.svg) Posting without providing a further context doesn’t seem to be the standard. Drilling down these findings, we wanted to see how writing maniacs the different profile groups really are. Find the ideal perfect length specifically for your profile size [in our study](https://info.quintly.com/instagram-study).  ## 1-3 #Hashtags used the most Hashtags on Instagram are a vital way to easily find your posts. Adding hashtags to a post is a great way to make your content more visible and potentially reach more people that might be interested in your content. But how many hashtags should you use in your post? Let’s take a look at the usage of hashtags and the data-driven answer to the question: ![Hashtags distribution OUTLINE](https://www.quintly.com/hubfs/archive/98%20Assets_Archive/Blog/Imported_Blog_Media/Hashtags%20distribution%20OUTLINE.svg) ## 55% of profiles don’t use emojis  Thinking face 🤔, face with tears of joy 😂 or the red heart ❤️ - all of these emojis are used in nearly everyone's day-to-day communication. But are emojis simply are a nice way of making your post a bit more personal or are they actually stirring your interactions? Our dataset revealed that **54.9% of profiles **don’t use emojis at all. But does this lead to more or less interactions? Find it out in [our study](https://info.quintly.com/instagram-study).  ![Emojis distribution OUTLINE](https://www.quintly.com/hubfs/archive/98%20Assets_Archive/Blog/Imported_Blog_Media/Emojis%20distribution%20OUTLINE.svg) Weekend or Weekdays? When do posts tend to receive higher interactions? Access the the answer to this question in our Instagram study. [![New call-to-action](https://www.quintly.com/hs-fs/hubfs/archive/98%20Assets_Archive/Blog/Imported_Blog_Media/b64a5094-697e-4e61-b13c-a7207ccd94dc-1.png?width=930&height=338&name=b64a5094-697e-4e61-b13c-a7207ccd94dc-1.png)](https://www.quintly.com/cs/c/?cta_guid=2f570109-6e5c-4677-b74d-3e6d2cdb9dfe&signature=AAH58kGsF-kuswWrdYVVa01R1yUu88sWkw&pageId=6570249164&placement_guid=b2cd5c87-8f90-4fbf-8388-8ac2d7572fa8&canon=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.quintly.com%2Fblog%2Finstagram-study&portal_id=3330298&__hstc=146014955.4ac32fe5bdcab407482560af6e5d7795.1692631347040.1692631347040.1692631347040.1&__hssc=146014955.8.1692631347040&__hsfp=1561754925&hsutk=4ac32fe5bdcab407482560af6e5d7795&contentType=blog-post) ## Go and try it out  I hope you enjoyed our study, and it would be even better if you could pull out helpful insights for yourself. Please keep in mind that the results of our study are averages of our specific data set (even if it consisted of almost 9 million posts) and adapting our findings will not directly positively influence the performance of your profile. Take them as inspiration for your own Instagram strategy. Never forget! Every Instagram profile works in its own way and, therefore, it’s necessary to keep a close eye on your performance. Do you have any best practices to share with us? Leave us a comment and tell us how you utilize the platform for your own benefit[.](https://www.wavesnbackpack.com/en/) Looking forward to hearing from you. **Recommended reading:** [Emojis Lead up to 47.7% More Interactions on Instagram](https://www.quintly.com/blog/instagram-emoji-study)[Instagram Analytics – How to Measure Instagram Performance](https://www.quintly.com/blog/instagram-analytics)[Instagram Stories – From A to Z](https://www.quintly.com/instagram-stories)[A Complete Guide to Influencer Marketing ](https://www.quintly.com/influencer-marketing)[Instagram Ad Analytics](https://www.quintly.com/blog/instagram-ad-analytics)  [![3 KPIs Head of Social](https://www.quintly.com/hs-fs/hubfs/archive/98%20Assets_Archive/Blog/Imported_Blog_Media/667eee5c-f592-410c-b0c1-d1c63f80a65b-Aug-22-2023-06-56-17-4187-AM.jpeg?width=1880&height=684&name=667eee5c-f592-410c-b0c1-d1c63f80a65b-Aug-22-2023-06-56-17-4187-AM.jpeg)](https://www.quintly.com/cs/c/?cta_guid=7d7b67f3-82be-4d8c-8929-ebbfd899edcd&signature=AAH58kGBZFDxLShXK_F8v4SJ26PBaqu1KQ&pageId=6570249164&placement_guid=3a1d6fc6-2e9d-4b32-bd1e-87e7a0a03e44&canon=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.quintly.com%2Fblog%2Finstagram-study&portal_id=3330298&__hstc=146014955.4ac32fe5bdcab407482560af6e5d7795.1692631347040.1692631347040.1692631347040.1&__hssc=146014955.8.1692631347040&__hsfp=1561754925&hsutk=4ac32fe5bdcab407482560af6e5d7795&contentType=blog-post) ### Related Categories [featured](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/featured) [Reach vs Impressions](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/reach-vs-impressions) [Twitter Analysis](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/twitter-analysis) [Youtube Analytics](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/youtube-analytics) [Instagram Strategy](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/instagram-strategy) [Instagram Analytics](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/instagram-analytics) [Social Media Studies](https://www.quintly.com/blog/tag/social-media-studies) ### [Nils Herrmann](https://www.quintly.com/blog/author/nils-herrmann) [featured](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/featured) [Reach vs Impressions](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/reach-vs-impressions) [Twitter Analysis](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/twitter-analysis) [Youtube Analytics](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/youtube-analytics) [Instagram Strategy](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/instagram-strategy) [YouTube Data](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/youtube-data) [YouTube Metrics](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/youtube-metrics) ## [5 YouTube Analytics Metrics You Should Know](https://www.quintly.com/blog/5-youtube-analytics-metrics-you-should-know) [Read more](https://www.quintly.com/blog/5-youtube-analytics-metrics-you-should-know) [featured](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/featured) [Reach vs Impressions](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/reach-vs-impressions) [Twitter Analysis](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/twitter-analysis) [Youtube Analytics](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/youtube-analytics) [Instagram Strategy](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/instagram-strategy) ## [7 Tips for Using Social Media Reporting Data To Tell a Story to Your Client](https://www.quintly.com/blog/7-tips-for-using-social-media-reporting-data-to-tell-a-story-to-your-client) [Read more](https://www.quintly.com/blog/7-tips-for-using-social-media-reporting-data-to-tell-a-story-to-your-client) [featured](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/featured) [Reach vs Impressions](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/reach-vs-impressions) [Twitter Analysis](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/twitter-analysis) [Youtube Analytics](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/youtube-analytics) [Instagram Strategy](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/instagram-strategy) [tiktok business](https://www.quintly.com/blog/topic/tiktok-business) ## [How to Build an Engaged Audience on TikTok](https://www.quintly.com/blog/how-to-build-an-engaged-audience-on-tiktok) [Read more](https://www.quintly.com/blog/how-to-build-an-engaged-audience-on-tiktok) ![](https://www.quintly.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Marketing%20/blog-en/General%20Files/5%20Ideas%20banner%20promo%20module-3.png?width=120&name=5%20Ideas%20banner%20promo%20module-3.png "5 Ideas banner promo module-3.png") ## 5 Ideas to Optimize Your Social Media Analysis   [Download the E-book](https://info.quintly.com/optimize-your-social-media-performance) ### Join the conversation. Leave us a comment below! ## See where you stand on social media. Get in touch today to track, benchmark and optimize your social media performance with advanced analytics made easy. #### Solutions #### Integrations #### Platform #### Networks #### Resources What's new #### Company #### Contact Copyright © 2024 Facelift Data Studio. All rights reserved. • [Terms](https://www.quintly.com/terms) • [Privacy](https://www.quintly.com/privacy) • [More...](https://www.quintly.com/transparency) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Nils Herrmann", "url" : "https://www.quintly.com/blog/author/nils-herrmann" }, "dateModified" : "2023-08-29T10:00:11.596Z", "datePublished" : "2018-11-21T23:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Instagram Study: We analyzed 9 million posts and here's what we've learned", "image" : [ "https://www.quintly.com/hubfs/archive/98%20Assets_Archive/Blog/Imported_Blog_Media/Instagram%20Study%20Featured%20Image.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.quintly.com/blog/instagram-study", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.quintly.com/hubfs/2024-home/facelift_logo_new_black_rgb.svg" }, "name" : "Facelift brand building technologies GmbH" } } ```