Instagram Hits 3 Billion Users and Bets on DMs, Reels & Recommendations — A Guide for Creators and Brands
Instagram has crossed 3 billion monthly active users, joining Facebook and WhatsApp at this major milestone. For all the talk about it “dying,” the platform remains deeply embedded in culture and continues to grow.
The bigger question: what drove Instagram to this point — and where is it headed next?
The Path to 3 Billion
In his announcement video, Instagram head Adam Mosseri highlighted three key drivers: Direct Messages (DMs), Reels, and Recommendations. These areas have seen constant updates and Instagram plans to double down on “reorienting” the app around them in the coming months.
What’s Coming Next
More User Control Over Recommendations
Instagram is testing a feature that lets users shape their feeds intentionally. Inspired by the “dear algorithm” trend on Threads and likely TikTok’s Manage Topics — the platform will surface a dedicated page highlighting what content it thinks users want. People can then add or remove topics to see more or less of certain content. Updates will first appear in Reels before expanding to Explore and the main Feed.
Why it matters: Algorithms aren’t always right, and people’s interests change quickly. Giving users the ability to refine what they see makes recommendations more relevant and personalized.
Easier Access to DMs
Instagram will update the main navigation bar, replacing the Create Post button with direct access to DMs — a feature it has tested before.
Why it matters: DMs aren’t just for texting. They’re where people connect, share, and engage with content. Every minute, over 700,000 Reels are sent via DMs, and more than 4.5 billion Reels are reshared daily. In fact, Reels make up 85% of all content reshared in Instagram messages.
Reels-First Experiences
In India, Instagram is testing a version of the app that opens directly to Reels. The recently launched iPad app also drops users straight into Reels.
Why it matters: With TikTok banned in India, Instagram is seizing the opportunity to make Reels the default experience. If engagement rises during the test, Reels could eventually become the starting point for more users worldwide—especially since Reels now account for 50% of the time spent in the app. Adoption in the U.S. may also face less resistance, given ongoing concerns around TikTok’s upcoming ownership changes.
What It Means for Creators and Brands
Big shifts on any platform usually mean big adjustments for creators and brands. Here's what these changes could mean in practice and how to stay ahead.
Niche Content Will Win
With more granular recommendations expected, creators and brands who focus on specific niches are likely to benefit most. The algorithm will be better at surfacing content tied to clear categories and what people want at that moment. Instead of being broad and trying to be everything to everyone, creators and brands should lean into specific niches with their content, and optimize their bios, captions, hashtags, Reels cover, Story Highlight titles, and more around those topics.
On the influencer marketing front, this should also push more brands to seek out creators who may be smaller but produce niche content that serves certain communities.
Separate Accounts for Separate Niches
For creators and brands covering multiple topics, it may be more effective to spin up a new account rather than dilute the main one. With feeds becoming more tailored, broad or unfocused content could perform worse.
Some of this is already happening, especially for brands diving into episodic content. Creators are doing it too, with some maintaining separate Instagram accounts for different content verticals, such as Future Social writer Jack Appleby, who has separate accounts for his personal, marketing, basketball, and music content.
Reels Are Non-Negotiable
While Instagram has invested in formats like Carousels, the app's future is clearly tied to Reels. With the eventual potential for a default Reels-first experience and a rumored Instagram for TV app likely to be heavy on Reels, the format needs to be a core part of creators' and brands' mixes. This helps deliver more of what users want while increasing the chances of being discovered in recommendations, DMs, and beyond.
Taking A Step Back
If you look across the social media ecosystem, you'll recognize that other platforms are focusing on many of these same areas. TikTok has made messaging a bigger part of its experience, YouTube is pushing Shorts, and LinkedIn is doing both—pushing users to invest in video and opening up ways to share posts with their networks. Even X is exploring feed personalization by letting users tell its chatbot Grok what they want to see more of.
While each platform needs tailored strategies, the core areas driving Instagram success—messaging, short-form video, and personalized recommendations—apply across most of its competitors.
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