Video and images will continue to be crowd favorites

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When survey respondents were asked which content format these marketers and creators planned to focus on in 2025, short-form video (60 seconds or less) won by a landslide with 47%. Rounding out the top three were videos less than 10 minutes long (17%), followed by photos and Carousels (14%).

Carousels made something of a comeback this year. Even before Instagram increased the amount of images and videos you could post to 20, brands were taking advantage of the swipe-through storytelling format.

A Sprout Social Instagram carousel that explains their social media moment of the week

Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, pointed to two main reasons for the usa mobile database format’s success: Multiple slides mean more interactions and the algorithm gives your Carousel a second chance after it’s posted, resurfacing it to followers who previously swiped by.

Even TikTok, which had previously only championed short-form videos, promoted photo Carousels this year, promising to “help you reach even more people.”

4. A renewed appetite for longer storytelling
Even as short-form video continues to dominate, the conversation is expanding to include more thoughtful storytelling. There is data to suggest audiences are beginning to crave depth alongside the quick hits of content that dominate their feeds.