What is the difference between a Post, Story and Reel on Instagram?

If you are new to the app or are confused by some of the features then this blog post is for you. It is often difficult to decide what to post content as since there are many options.

Instagram offers Reels, Posts and Stories which each serve different purposes and knowing the difference between them is key to a strong marketing strategy.

Posts are likely the first thing that you will see when you open the app. Posts are permanent images or videos on your profile which can be captioned. They stay on your profle unless deleted and show in feeds based on Instagram’s algorithm. Users can engage with posts by liking commenting and sharing them. Recently Instagram have changed from a 4:4 dimension (square) to a 4:5 dimension which is longer but the same width. You can also pin up to 3 posts to your profile which will always show at the top when your profile is viewed.

Stories can be images, videos, text, stickers and interactive elements which last for about 24 hours, unless archived by adding to highlights, which will then appear under the bio of your profile. They appear at the top of the app above your feed and can be accessed by tapping on the profile picture icons, which should have an ombre ring around them. You can add music to them, ask questions and use polls which people can reply with using direct messages.

Reels are short videos which use audio or music. Effects can also be used and the videos are often edited. Reels stay on your profile like posts but are featured on the Reels tab. Trending songs are normally used on a reel and users can engage by liking, sharing, commenting and remixing. Reels are like the TikTok of Instagram.