Social media check: Which content for which platform?

Social media is constantly changing. It’s important not only to know the latest trends, but also which content formats work best for your content. What really works, and what has changed since the beginning of the year? The latest analysis from Buffer provides updates and insights and shows which formats will generate the most engagement on platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Threads, and Facebook in 2025.

LinkedIn: Carousels as engagement drivers

On LinkedIn, swipeable carousels perform by far the best. According to an analysis by Buffer, they deliver up to 600% more engagement than text-only posts. They are also significantly ahead of images and videos. However, video content is also establishing itself on the B2B platform. In the first quarter of 2025, six times more videos were viewed compared to the previous quarter.

Carousel posts with storytelling generate clicks, but short videos with subtitles also perform well on LinkedIn.

Instagram: Reels for reach, carousels for interaction

Reels are number one on Instagram. Since the beginning of the year, the short videos that creators use to reach their target audiences with video content can be up to three minutes long – and there is even a test phase for videos longer than 20 minutes. Does this make Instagram YouTube 2.0? One thing is clear: Reels create reach. It is not uncommon for a reel from an account with a relatively small number of followers to go viral and reach millions of clicks. However, similar to LinkedIn, carousel posts on Instagram also encourage interaction and generate 12% more engagement than reels.

Cross-posting Reels on Instagram and Facebook not only reduces effort, but also displays videos on both platforms simultaneously in Reel format.

Analysis by Buffer on the platforms LinkedIn, Instagram, and Threads, source: Buffer

TikTok & Facebook: Everything stays the same

TikTok remains true to its focus: videos deliver the best results. The situation is similar on Facebook, where classic image posts still work best and are most popular.

Will Threads replace text posts on X?

What about engagement on the Meta platform Threads? The platform has over 350 million users worldwide and has become popular with humorous, provocative, non-branded content. The focus is on text posts – preferably spontaneous, authentic, and posted several times a day. Analysis by Buffer now shows that posts with images or videos generate significantly more engagement than text-only posts. It’s worth testing different formats here!

Similar to target groups, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to content formats. Tailor your format to the platform and monitor the results. And, of course, always remember: provide information, incorporate trends, and produce user-generated content!