What counts as a trend on Instagram
A trend is anything many accounts copy at the same time. On Instagram it takes four main forms:
| Trend type | What spreads | Where you find it |
|---|---|---|
| Audio | A song or sound used across many reels. | Tap the audio name on any reel to see the other reels that use it. |
| Reel format | The same music and timing, with new clips. | Templates in the Reels camera, or Template by on a reel. |
| Add Yours prompt | A question or theme people answer in their stories. | Templates on the story gallery screen, Trending section. |
| Effect | A filter or effect everyone is filming with. | Effects in the Reels camera; swipe up for popular ones. |
Audio has its own guide, because licensing decides what a business account can use: trending songs on Instagram.
Where Instagram itself shows what is trending
Instagram does not publish a trends list in its help pages, but several screens in the app sort things by what is popular right now:
- The Add Yours Template browser. Start a story, go to the photo gallery screen and tap Templates in the top left. There are two sections, Trending and International hits.
- Reels templates. Tap Create, then Reel, then Templates, and swipe through what is available. You can save the ones you like to come back to.
- Popular effects. In the Reels camera, open Effects and swipe up to scroll through popular ones.
- Popular Add Yours stickers. Under Add in the Reels camera tools, scroll the list of popular Add Yours stickers.
- Inspiration in the dashboard. Professional accounts get high quality posts and ads from similar businesses and creators, for ideas, plus guides from Instagram's @creators and @instagramforbusiness teams.
Your own Reels and Explore feeds are the other source, with a catch: they are personalized. What looks like a trend to you may be a trend among people like you. Scrolling for five minutes and noting what repeats is still a good habit, as long as you read it as your corner of Instagram rather than all of it.
Joining a trend with a reel template
A template copies the music and timing of an existing reel, so you only supply the clips:
- Tap Create at the top, or swipe right in Feed, then tap Reel.
- Tap Templates and swipe through to choose one.
- Tap Add media, and pick your photos or videos in the order they should play.
- Tap Next. To swap a clip, tap it, then Replace media.
- Tap Next to preview, then share.
You can also start from a reel you are watching: tap Template by, then Use Template. Not every reel offers it, because templates exist only for reels with music and at least 3 clips.
Joining an Add Yours prompt in stories
Tap the Add Yours sticker on someone's story, choose or take a photo, add your own stickers, text or effects on top, and tap Post. Your answer goes to your story with the same audience as any other story, so if your account is private, only your followers see it. Tapping the profile pictures beside the sticker shows who else has joined.
Starting a trend of your own
The Add Yours Template sticker lets you start one. Build a story with the GIFs, text or images you want everyone to reuse, add the Add Yours Template sticker, pin those items, and post. Anyone can then use your template, even from a private account, and a Started by credit shows your username on their stories unless you hide it.
You get a notification each time someone on Instagram uses it. If it takes off in a direction you do not like, you can delete the template, which removes it from Instagram and Facebook. For story ideas worth turning into a prompt, see Instagram story ideas.
Testing a trend with trial reels
The risk with a trend is posting something off brand to everyone who follows you. Trial reels remove most of that risk. A trial reel is shown first to people who do not follow you; your followers do not see it in Feed or Reels, and it stays off your profile unless you decide to share it.
- Record a new reel, not one you have posted before.
- Before sharing, tap Trial, then Next and Share.
- Check its insights, which appear within 24 hours: views, likes, comments and shares.
- If it works, open the reel, tap View insights, then Share to everyone.
You need a public account with at least 200 followers on a professional account, or 1,000 on a personal one. Instagram says trial reels are evaluated separately and do not affect the ranking of your regular reels, and that they can take longer to get views because they go to people who do not know you.
Which trends to skip
Joining a trend is a choice, not an obligation. A few tests before you film:
- Can you add something? A trend you can bend toward your product or field says more than a copy that could have come from anyone.
- Can you use the audio? Business accounts may not have access to the licensed music library, and Meta's Sound Collection is the safe source for commercial use.
- Is it still rising? If an audio page already shows a huge number of reels, you are late, and your version competes with all of them.
- Would you post it without the trend? If not, skip it.
The first seconds decide whether a trend reel gets watched like any other reel, which is what nine ways to open a reel is about. How Reels decides who sees it is in what the Instagram algorithm means.
For a brand account
For a brand, trends are a cheap way to reach people who do not follow you yet, and an easy way to look like everyone else. Two habits keep the first without the second:
- Check the templates once a week, on the same day, and pick at most one trend that fits.
- Post it as a trial reel when you are eligible, and share it to everyone only if strangers responded.
- Repost rather than copy when another account's take on a trend says it better than yours would; what a repost is on Instagram covers the button.
If you want someone watching trends and filming the ones that fit, the Instagram management service covers it.
How we will test this
Not run yetEverything above comes from the published sources listed below, and nothing here is presented as something we measured. Our own test on live accounts has not been run yet.
This is the test we will run: we check the Trending and International hits template sections and the Reels template browser on a test account each week for a month, join two trends with templates as trial reels, and record what the app showed and what the insights reported after 24 hours.
Platforms change behavior without announcing it, so once the first test is run we repeat it every quarter, and this section will say when it was run and on which devices and app versions.
Sources
Read on October 1, 2026.
- Instagram Help Center, Add Yours Template on Instagram
- Instagram Help Center, Use a template to create an Instagram reel
- Instagram Help Center, About trial reels on Instagram
- Instagram Help Center, About Instagram dashboards
- Instagram Help Center, read September 23, 2026, Reels tools: effects and Add Yours
- Instagram Help Center, read September 23, 2026, Licensed music and Meta Sound Collection
Questions people ask next
What is an Instagram trend?+
A sound, reel format, Add Yours prompt or effect that many accounts use at the same time.
Where can I see what is trending on Instagram?+
Start a story, open the photo gallery and tap Templates for the Trending and International hits sections. Reels templates, popular effects and popular Add Yours stickers are in the Reels camera.
Does Instagram publish a list of trends?+
Not in its help pages. Trends show up inside the app instead, in the template browsers and the popular effects and stickers.
How do I join a trend on Instagram?+
Use a reel template: Create, Reel, Templates, pick one, add your clips in order, and share. Or tap Template by on a reel you are watching.
Why can't I use a reel as a template?+
Templates exist only for reels with music and at least 3 clips, and not every reel offers one.
How do I join an Add Yours trend?+
Tap the Add Yours sticker on someone's story, add your photo and anything on top, and tap Post.
Can I start my own Instagram trend?+
Yes, with the Add Yours Template sticker. Pin the GIFs, text or images people should reuse, and post the story.
What are trial reels?+
Reels shown first to people who do not follow you. Your followers do not see them unless you share them to everyone.
Who can use trial reels?+
Public accounts with at least 200 followers on a professional account, or 1,000 on a personal one.
Do trial reels hurt my normal reach?+
Instagram says trial reels are evaluated separately and do not affect the ranking of your regular reels.
Can a business account use trending songs?+
Not always. Licensed music is meant for personal use and some business accounts do not have it; Meta Sound Collection is cleared for commercial use.