Instagram Trends - Oct 2026

Introducing "Instagram Trends 2026" – your source for staying ahead of the game on the latest Meta craze!

Staying ahead of the latest trends on Meta (Instagram and Facebook) can be tricky, but don't worry, we’ve got you covered!

Every two weeks, we’ll update you on the hottest trends across Meta platforms, helping you stay on top of what’s catching fire on Instagram and Facebook. Whether it’s trending hashtags, viral sounds, or popular formats, we’re here to help you create content that resonates.

Please note:

• Regular updates: Instagram trends are updated every week, giving you enough time to test, learn, and adapt without the pressure to move too fast.
• Across platforms: Our focus here is Meta, but we also track TikTok trends on our TikTok Trends page, updated weekly. Testing trends on both platforms helps you see what really resonates.
• Stay true to the trend: Instagram favors clean, relatable, and authentic formats. Avoid forcing promo moments; short, on-trend videos that fit your brand voice perform best.
• Pick what fits: Not every trend will work for every brand. Use the ones that align with your goals and audience but we’ll flag the most relevant use cases to guide you.

27 Oct 2026

Haunted house but it’s just

This photo trend is all about exposing your personal horror stories. Post a photo with the text “haunted house but it’s just…” and finish the sentence with something that genuinely scares you. Think everyday struggles, unnecessarily complicated tasks, or situations you never want to find yourself in again.

How to do this trend

• Pick a photo or a video that fits the haunted-house vibe. You can use a white sheet to create a haunted vibe
• Add the text “haunted house but it’s just…”
• Complete the sentence with your niche’s most relatable nightmare.
• Make it specific enough that your audience immediately gets it.

How can creators use this trend

Turn the things you used to do the hard way into your personal horror stories. The app becomes the thing you wish you’d discovered sooner.

• Travel apps: “haunted house but it’s just planning a 10-day trip on an Excel sheet”
• Fitness apps: “haunted house but it’s just trying to remember the exercises in your workout routine”
• Study apps: “haunted house but it’s just realizing your exam is tomorrow and you still need to plan what to revise”
• Finance apps: “haunted house but it’s just manually tracking every single expense in a spreadsheet”

There is no specific audio for this trend, but you can pick from any of the most popular ones.

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Today’s to-do list

This trend turns your everyday routine into a funny, slightly chaotic to-do list. It’s also a fun way to sneak a brand or app into the list without making the video feel like an ad.

How to do this trend

• Film a casual video of yourself getting ready, working, or going about your day
• Add the text overlay “Today's to-do list”
• List a mix of everyday tasks, funny habits, and niche-specific moments

How can creators use this trend

Make the app one of the things on your daily list, with a playful spin that fits your audience and shows how it fits into real life.

• Study apps: “Today's to-do list: romanticize studying, reorganize my desk, use my study app, finish exactly one chapter”
• Finance apps: “Today's to-do list: buy another iced coffee, pretend I'm saving money, check my budget app, try again tomorrow”
• Language apps: “Today's to-do list: practice French for 10 minutes, accidentally study for an hour, confidently mispronounce something”

For this trend, use this audio.

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19 Oct 2026

Daily glow loading

This trend turns a simple routine into a satisfying “loading” sequence. Creators start at 0%, usually looking half-asleep or completely unprepared, then use quick cuts to show each step of getting ready until they reach 100%. For apps, you can take the same idea beyond a physical glow-up and show someone gradually getting more productive, organized, healthy, or relaxed as they move through their routine with the app.

How to do this trend

• Start at 0% with the creator looking completely unprepared for the day.
• Use quick cuts synced to the audio to show each step of the routine.
• Let the percentage increase as they make progress, with the app naturally appearing during the relevant part of the routine.
• End at 100% with the finished result: ready to go, finished studying, completed a workout, or simply feeling much more on top of things.

How can creators use this trend

The percentage can represent progress toward anything your audience wants to accomplish, with the app becoming part of the transformation.

• Study app: 0% = still in bed → 25% = coffee → 50% = opening the app → 75% = deep into a study session → 100% = everything checked off and relaxing
• Running app: 0% = still in pajamas → 30% = getting dressed → 60% = starting the run → 85% = checking your progress → 100% = finished run, feeling great
• Finance app: 0% = avoiding your finances → 40% = opening the app → 70% = getting everything organized → 100% = knowing exactly where your money is going

For this trend, use this audio.

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The tools, the process

This trend gives viewers a look at the process behind the final result, revealing each part of the day one by one. Creators can show their workspace, tools, routine, and themselves at work before revealing what they created or accomplished. For apps, the same format can turn into a mini day-in-the-life, with the app naturally appearing during the part of the day where it actually gets used.

How to do this trend

• Start by showing the different elements of your routine, one by one.
• Include the people, places, tools, and little details that make up the process.
• Work the app naturally into the moment when you would actually use it.
• End with the finished result, whether that's a completed run, a finished meal, a study session, or a successful date.

How can creators use this trend

The format can work for almost any app that fits into someone's routine. The key is to show the app as part of the process rather than making the whole video about the product.

• Running app: a day in my life → getting ready, heading outside, warming up, using the app during the run, then showing the final stats
• Study app: my study day → coffee, setting up, opening the app, working through a session, then showing everything checked off
• Cooking app: making dinner from scratch → grocery shopping, prepping ingredients, following the recipe in the app, then revealing the finished dish

For this trend, use this audio.

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13 Oct 2026

It’s officially fall

This trend is an easy way to give your content a seasonal switch-up. Start with the opening of the “It’s officially fall” audio, then use the change in the sound to reveal whatever says fall for your niche: a new product, routine, offer, outfit, or seasonal obsession.

How to do this trend

• Start by lip-syncing or acting along to the opening of the audio.
• Use the switch in the sound as your transition.
• Reveal something that signals fall in your niche.
• Keep the reveal simple and visual so the transition does the work.

How can creators do this trend

You don’t need a traditionally “fall” product to make this work. Think about what changes for your audience once September rolls around, then make that the reveal.

• Fashion: summer outfits → first fall outfit
• Food: iced coffee → pumpkin spice everything
• Fitness: outdoor summer workouts → cozy gym routine
• Study apps: summer mode → back-to-school study setup
• Finance apps: summer spending → getting your finances back on track

For this trend, use this audio.

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No no no no

This trend is as simple as it gets: use the “no no no, yes yes yes” audio to show what you absolutely reject versus what you’re fully on board with. For apps, creators can contrast doing something the hard way with the easier, more satisfying way their app makes possible.

How to do this trend

• Pick a task, habit, or situation your audience can relate to
• Use the “no no no” part for the thing you don’t approve of
• Switch to “yes yes yes” for the better alternative
• Make the contrast obvious and keep the text short

How can creators do this trend

Almost any niche can turn this into a simple before-and-after. Show the manual, annoying, or outdated way first, then switch to how your product makes it easier.

• Language app: “memorizing random French vocabulary” → NO NO NO / “practicing with my app for 10 minutes” → YES YES YES
• Photo-cleanup app: “deleting 4,000 photos one by one” → NO NO NO / “swiping through and cleaning my camera roll” → YES YES YES
• Finance app: “doing my budget in a spreadsheet” → NO NO NO / “checking everything in one app” → YES YES YES

For this trend, use this audio.

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5 Oct 2026

My reaction if

This trend is all about reacting to how difficult something looks without the right tool. Instead of sticking to numbers, creators show a series of situations that get progressively more ridiculous, using only their facial expressions to react. For apps, that can mean reacting to someone doing something the hard way when there’s an app that makes it much easier.

How to do this trend

• Pick an everyday task your app makes easier.
• Show different ways someone could approach it, from reasonable to unnecessarily complicated.
• React to each one with your facial expressions getting more and more dramatic.
• Make the final reaction the biggest one when the person chooses to do it the hard way instead of using your app.

How can creators use this trend

The format works well for apps because the “acceptable vs. ridiculous” contrast can naturally highlight what the product does without turning the video into a product demo.

• reacting to your friend manually deleting 5,000 photos instead of using a photo-cleanup app
• reacting to your friend planning an entire trip across five different tabs instead of using a travel app
• reacting to your friend trying to build a workout routine from random TikTok videos instead of using a fitness app

For this trend, use this audio.

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Getting robbed

This trend is all about being so distracted by something on your phone that you completely miss what’s happening around you. The creator acts totally unbothered while someone steals their bag, with the text overlay revealing what could possibly be important enough to deserve that level of distraction.

How to do this trend

• Film yourself completely focused on your phone while someone casually takes your bag
• Add a text overlay explaining what has your full attention
• Make the reason specific enough that your audience immediately gets why you’d be distracted

How can creators do this trend

The joke can be adapted to pretty much any niche, just make the thing on your phone something your audience would genuinely get excited about.

• Dating: getting robbed but I just matched with my dream guy
• Study apps: getting robbed but I just got off the waitlist
• Language apps: getting robbed but I finally understood what they were saying in French
• Travel: getting robbed but I just found flights for €200

For this trend, there are several audios being used. Go with something that is trending

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