Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms. But whenever we hear about Instagram, we only recall reels. But does Instagram only consist of reels?
That is not true; Instagram originally started as a photo-sharing platform. But only in 2020, did it embed reels within itself. And today, we cannot imagine Instagram without reels! But are posts and stories not important? Let us compare Instagram Story vs Reel vs Post.
We will compare all the content formats to determine which one can drive significant growth on Instagram. Which content format is genuinely liked by the Instagram algorithm, and what should be our formula for Instagram growth?
We will explore every aspect of each content format in this blog. And we will go one by one.
Difference between Instagram reels, posts, and stories.
What is a Instagram Reel?
1. Reels are short-form videos. But these short-form videos can tell a whole story within a limited time and give us a mini dopamine boost.
2. Recently, Instagram expanded the time limit of reels up to 90 seconds.
3. If your account is public, reels can reach followers and non-followers. Reels also get featured in explore reel tabs. Because of this, reels get more reach and discoverability.
Did you know that more than 200 billion reels are viewed every day?
What are Instagram posts?
1. Photos, videos (more than 90 seconds), and Carousel come under the Instagram post category.
2. Posts are visible to followers and non-followers (if your account is public), and they get shown in the in-feed of Instagram
What are Instagram stories?
1. Instagram stories are available in the top area of Instagram. They can post an image/post or video (under 60 sec)
2. Instagram stories disappear after 24 hours.
3. They are visible to followers only (even if you have a public account).
Here is the table that shows the difference between post, reel, and stories.
| Technical aspects | Instagram Reel | Instagram Post | Instagram Story |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video Duration | 20 Minutes (up to 3 minutes reel would be shown to the audience) | In-Feed video can be 60 minutes long | 60 seconds |
| Aspect Ratio & Dimensions | 1.91:1 and 9:16. | · Square: 1:1 (1080×1080 px) · Portrait: 4:5 (1080×1350 px, best for engagement) · Landscape: 1.91:1 (1080×608 px) |
9:16 and 1080 × 1920 pixels |
| File Size | Maximum size 4 GB (recommended under 650 MB) | 30 MB (Image) or 4 GB (Video) | 30 MB |
| File Formats | MP4 or MOV | PNG/JPG or MP4/MOV | PNG/JPG or MP4/MOV |
| Frame rate | 30 frames per second (FPS) | NA | 30 frames per second (FPS) |
| Engagement Rate | Medium | Highest of all formats | Medium |
| Reach | High | Medium | Only followers can see |
| Life Span | 2 weeks (remains on your page unless deleted) | 2–3 days | 24 hours (unless saved to Highlights) |
| Discoverability | Reels get featured in a dedicated Reels tab. So, discoverability is high |
Medium | Visible to followers (unless promoted via ads) |
What features can we use in Reels, posts and stories?
| Feature / Element | Posts 🖼️ | Stories ⏳ | Reels 🎬 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Music / Sounds | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (trending audio library) |
| Stickers (poll, Q&A, quiz, countdown, etc.) | ❌ | ✅ Yes | ✅ Limited (some interactive stickers available) |
| GIFs | ❌ | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Filters / Effects (AR) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Links (swipe up / link sticker) | ❌ | ✅ Yes (via link sticker) | ❌ (but can mention link in caption) |
| Mentions / Tags | ✅ Tag people, products | ✅ Mention stickers | ✅ Tag in caption or overlay text |
Instagram Story vs Reel vs Post, which gets more views?
1. If you plan to grow on Instagram, this must be an obvious question in your mind. You might have also heard that to achieve fast growth, you should keep making more and more reels.
2. Let us explore the complete story. Instagram does have a “Reel tab button, so it is natural that the audience can click on that button and see the reels. So, in terms of views, Instagram reels are the winner.
1. Meta states that Reels account for over 35% of Instagram users’ total app usage time and are shared 3.5 billion times daily. Additionally, the frequency of reel sharing is higher than for other formats. Some reports say that reels get 17.6 million watch hours daily.
2. Even in the feed section, Reels have dominated, and 38.5 % of the feed consists of feed. In terms of views, Reels will be the winner.
|
Reels |
Most views |
|
Posts |
Fewer views |
|
stories |
Least views |
3. But, here is the catch: all the metrics vary when you compare the number of followers
| Follower size | Avg. Instagram Reels View Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| 1k – 5k followers | 20.01% |
| 5k – 10k followers | 10.18% |
| 10k – 50k followers | 8.02% |
| 50k – 100k followers | 4.98% |
| 100k – 1M followers | 4.00% |
so, we can conclude that for small accounts, having fewer followers, reels are a good way to increase reach and get noticed. But for large accounts, the Instagram reel view rate decreases.
Instagram post vs story vs reel, which gets more saves?
1. Carousels get the highest number of saves. And Carousel is a form of in-feed post only. So, we can say that.
|
Carousel |
Highest number of saves |
|
Reel |
Fewer saves |
|
Images |
Least saves |
2. But remember that people only save content when the content gives them value or entertainment.
3. Also, remember that depending on the follower size, we get a different number of average saves. This table shows the data
| Follower size | Avg Saves for Reel | Avg Saves Carousel | Avg Saves for Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1k – 5k followers | 2–3 | 2–3 | 1–2 |
| 5k – 10k followers | 3–4 | 4–5 | 1–2 |
| 10k – 50k followers | 9–10 | 10–11 | 4–5 |
| 50k – 100k followers | 24–25 | 33–34 | 13–14 |
| 100k – 1M followers | 112–113 | 134–135 | 68–69 |
So, the average save for a carousel is more (expect for small accounts)
Instagram Story vs Reel vs Post, which gets more reach?
1. Instagram reels reach over 727 million(approx.) people on Instagram.
2. Short-form reels have the ability to reach a larger audience.
|
Reels reach |
Approximately ~1.37× more reach than carousel posts |
|
Reels reach |
2.25× more reach than traditional single-photo posts |
1. Since Instagram reels have a better reach than any other content format on Instagram. They are ideal for running ads.
2. So, for reaching more and more audience, Instagram reels are a better format than any other format.
|
Reels |
Maximum reach |
|
Posts |
Medium reach |
|
Stories |
Limited reach ( as only visible to followers) |
Instagram Story vs Reel vs Post, which gets more impressions?
1. Impression is different from view or reach. It is the number of times a content is displayed on the user’s screen.
2. Both reels and Carousel are capable of getting a high number of impressions.
3. Here is the table showing how Reels get high impressions for small accounts and Carousel overtakes Reels when it comes to large accounts.
| Follower size | Avg. Impressions Per Reel |
Avg. Impressions Per Carousel |
Avg. Impressions Per Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1k – 5k followers | 591 | 471.9 | 266.8 |
| 5k – 10k followers | 1,077 | 936 | 561.9 |
| 10k – 50k followers | 2,423.7 | 2,149.8 | 1,467.6 |
| 50k – 100k followers | 5,408.7 | 6,916 | 5,420 |
| 100k – 1M followers | 19,800.6 | 21,826.8 | 17,743.8 |
4. We can clearly conclude that
|
Reels |
High impressions (for small account) |
|
Carousel |
High impressions (for large accounts) |
|
Images |
Good number of Impressions |
|
Stories |
Limited Impressions |
Instagram Story vs Reel vs Post, which gets more engagement?
When it comes to engagement (mostly like, comment, share, and save), Instagram post (especially Carousel) overtakes reels in specific ways.
| Engagement Type | Reels | Standard Posts |
|---|---|---|
| Likes | 243 | 198 |
| Comments | 8 | 10 |
| Saves | 27 | 11 |
Reels can get you more likes and comments, but posts can bring in more comments and saves.
1. To be very particular, Carousels get 12% more engagement than Reels and 2.14 times more than single-image posts.
2. According to the data of 2024, Carousel leads in engagement rates
| Content Formats | Avg. Engagement Rate 2024 |
|---|---|
| Reels | 50% |
| Carousel | 55% |
| Image | 45% |
When it comes to comments, reels overtake other formats.
| Number of Followers | Reels Avg Comments | Carousel Avg Comments | Image Avg Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1k – 5k followers | 3–4 | 2–3 | 1–2 |
| 5k – 10k followers | 4–5 | 3–4 | 2–3 |
| 10k – 50k followers | 6–7 | 5–6 | 4–5 |
| 50k – 100k followers | 14–15 | 11–12 | 12–13 |
| 100k – 1M followers | 46–47 | 38–39 | 50–51 |
2. Reels are highly shareable; due to this, reels help in achieving more reach.
So, we can say that reels get more comments on average.
Instagram post vs story vs reel, what does the Algorithm prefer?
The Algorithm always prefers the content format that gets more activity from the users.
As a user, if you comment on reels more, the Instagram algorithm will show you more and more reels.
Making the audience involved in your content should be your priority.
Conclusion
Instagram Story vs Reel vs Post, what should I post?
Now that Reel content format has won the most cases, it can be considered the winner. However, does this mean you should only post Reel content?
No, that does not mean that.
Reels give you great reach, but to get a larger number of loyal followers, posts, and stories are important.
- Posting reels consistently will keep you at the top of everyone’s mind. You will be noticeable, and it’s possible that you’ll gain more followers.
- Reaching heights is difficult, but staying there is even more challenging. Here, Instagram posts and stories will help you.
- If we sum up,
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| Reels = most views (best for discovery & reach). |
| Posts = fewer views but stronger per-post engagement (likes, comments, saves). |
| Stories = least views but strongest viewer retention & direct interaction. |
Instagram is a social media platform and we should always remember that, the dynamics can change.
Although reels seem to be a popular format today, but they can lose their charm any day.
A balanced combination of Reels, post and stories should be a good Instagram strategy. And depending upon your goals, you can choose the ratio of reels, posts, and stories. The ratio can depend upon your goals.
If you always want to be evergreen, always add value via your content in a user’s life and keep following our blogs to keep track of any update or changing dynamics.
Making content and managing them is not easy.You can try our smart social media management tool for free.
FAQ
If you are starting or trying to grow on Instagram, then post your video as a reel. If your video is under 3 minutes, Instagram will automatically post it as a reel.
Also, if you have gained some followers, you can use a combination of both short-form and long-form content to get the best of both worlds.
| Target a new audience | Retain current audience |
| Reels | Long-form videos |
Indians and Americans are the highest consumers of reels.
| Country | Instagram Reel Users |
|---|---|
| India | 385.34 million |
| United States | 166.16 million |
| Brazil | 135 million |
| Indonesia | 99.3 million |
| Turkey | 58.45 million |
| Reels | For greater reach and discoverability |
|---|---|
| Posts | For branding purposes, build trustworthiness. |
| Story | Make a bit of a personal connection, build the momentum, and test before publishing something |
| Live | Having real-time interaction and building a deeper connection with people |
So, you can post any content format depending upon your need.
Yes, it is possible to post a photo as a Reel on Instagram. While posting a photo, you can select to post it as a reel. And do not forget to add music to the image.
You should definitely post your Carousel as reels, as they get more engagement.
There’s a common perception that Instagram Stories take a backseat to Reels in terms of performance. But that is not entirely true.
Both the reel and the story have their own strong points.
| Instagram Reel | Instagram Story |
| To grow reach, make people notice you. It will help you increase followers | It will help retain the current followers and increase engagement |
Here are some of the ways you can use stories to gain more followers.
1. While making reels every day can be challenging, posting a story daily is more manageable. This will ensure that your current followers stick to you.
2. Stories give your followers special treatment, i.e., only followers can see the story. So, it gives them that satisfaction.
3. In addition to the special treatment, posting polls, questions, or sliders in your story can increase engagement.
4. Stories help you test content. For example, you make content on motivation. But once in a while, you’d make a short video about your daily life routine and post it as a story. If you receive a good response, you could start making daily blogs.
Stories can help you test content.
5. You can also post exclusive content in your stories, making it harder for people to miss your stories.
