It’s time for some hot takes: what will be the biggest TikTok & Instagram trends of 2023? 

Overall, the biggest trend is going to be the shift away from super short, trend-oriented content towards “longer-form” storytelling content - all through videos on TikTok and Instagram Reels, of course. 

Here are my predictions for the top 5 TikTok and Instagram trends of 2023:

1. Viral Trends are Dead. Long Live Storytelling. 

2022 was the year of the audio trend. As brands and creators adopted Instagram Reels en masse, and TikTok continued to surge, the easiest way to create short-form video content was to follow a trend. “Trends” usually consist of an audio paired with an action and overlay text adapting the trend to a specific niche…think Taylor Swift’s “it’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me.”

These trends are super easy to create, and using a trending audio on TikTok or Reels would help boost your content in the algorithm. You only need to look at the wild growth my Instagram account @reelstips for proof of demand: it grew from 0 to over 250k followers in just one year! 

Trends are great for awareness and getting a lot of views, but in 2023 we are going to see a shift away from trend-oriented content towards visual storytelling. 

If you can master one marketing skill in 2023, it should be storytelling through short form video. 

It’s not actually as intimidating as it sounds: you are likely already doing this through Instagram Stories every day! 

In 2023 we are going to see a lot more vlogs on Reels and TikTok, which are basically like stories, just packaged up in a slightly different way (hook at the beginning, voice over, beginning-middle-end). You’re also able to add a bit more context and over-arching messaging to your content than you could with a story, like Brooke Devard Ozaydinli does here: 

We’ll also see more green-screen content, which is an effective yet super easy way to create content! If you’re someone who prefers to write content, I would focus on learning how to translate this skill into green-screen videos, like my friend and journalist Kirbie Johnson has successfully mastered: 

And finally, we’re already seeing the explosion of GRWM and Un-GRWM videos thanks to Alix Earle’s quick rise in popularity as the new “TikTok It Girl” (she’s gained over 2 million followers in the last month). 

Instead of just sitting down to do a “talking head” type of video, pair it with an action: it could be doing your makeup, or making a coffee, or even cooking as Morgan Lynzi expertly does: 

For 2023, I would start to think of TikTok and Reels more like a mini-Youtube: I think we are going to see a lot more variety in the types of content we see, which is a good thing. I don’t think trends are going to go away forever…but the good social strategists will switch it up and try new formats in an effort to connect with their audience on a deeper level. 

I’m currently working on The Reels Course 2.0 (launching next month!) and I have re-designed the course to have a much larger emphasis on teaching storytelling through video, and less of an emphasis on transitions and trends. 

One of my content goals for 2023 is to share more stories content as reels, where it can a) live permanently on my feed and b) reach more people, whether that’s followers of mine who don’t watch my stories regularly, or new people that the algorithm is sharing my content with.

I would encourage you to do the same and start practicing now, because you won’t be able to rely on trends forever! 

2. The Be-Real-ification of Social Media 

The hottest social media platform of 2022 was clearly BeReal, the app that is focused on “being real” yet usually results in a carefully curated version of what “being real” actually looks like. The app reached over 53 million downloads this year, yet it’s estimated that only 9% of users open the app daily. 

Looking ahead to this year, I think BeReal is going to go the way of Snapchat: it will stay relevant with Gen Z, but millennials are going to jump ship for the similar features available to them on Instagram and TikTok. 

Remember when everyone was obsessed with Snapchat Stories, but abandoned it for Instagam Stories once they launched their own puppy face filter? Same vibes. (Damn, I’m really aging myself here.) 

TikTok has “TikTok Now,” and Instagram announced they are testing a feature called “Candid Stories,” and both provide the same real-time, unfiltered experience that BeReal does - without having to be on a whole different platform. 

Even if you aren’t on the app, I’m sure you have seen what the iconic dual-camera BeReal posts look like, because they have been shared all over Instagram this year in photo dumps, and innovative brands are joining in on the trend too: 

I loved this app while I was traveling Europe this year, it was a subtle way to flex about what I was doing…but because I’m an “old” millennial, the majority of my BeReal content is just me/my friends posting our computer screens or watching TV at night.

I’ve come to the conclusion that while I love the unfiltered concept, I am over the app itself. But that doesn’t mean the Be-Real-ification of social media is going to go away… 

The “no filter” aesthetic has been trending for some time now, and in 2023 we are going to see this pushed even further with real time content that doesn’t give you an option to filter anything.

Brands with a large Gen Z audience will likely continue to flock to BeReal, like how American Eagle gave out exclusive photo codes on BeReal over the holidays to track the app’s performance:

But don’t expect everyone to be adding a “BeReal Strategy” to their marketing plans in 2023: instead I would expect to be creating a “Candid Stories” strategy for Instagram later this year.

3. Make Way for the New Photo Dump 

There was a LOT of discourse around “make Instagram Instagram again” in 2022, thanks to a viral graphic amplified by Kylie Jenner. As people lamented about how Instagram was becoming too much like TikTok and photos were “dead,” TikTok introduced a new photo post feature, thus becoming more like Instagram. 

Carousel posts have never really been passé, just look at any aesthetic girlies’ carefully curated photo dump. But they are nos trending big time on TikTok right now as an easy and accessible way to share content, mainly thanks to the “2022 eras” trend. 

The only difference? Text added on top of the photos, and set to a song. 

(I can’t share an example here because apparently you can only view photo posts inside the TikTok app, so here is a video version that popped up when I searched #2022eras):

Instagram has already released the ability to add a song to your photo posts, and I think this trend of adding text on top of photos and setting it to a song is going to become “the new photo dump” in 2023. 

But Taylor, isn’t that basically a reel? Yes, yes it is. 

It’s also giving major “my iPhone made a slideshow for me” vibes, but I digress. It does allow you an opportunity to insert your personality or wit through the overlay text, which I’m not mad about. 

I’m curious to see how this translates to Instagram: will Instagram push the Reels format for this, or add an option to easily add text to a carousel post, which music is then added to?

Most likely, the cool aesthetic creators of Instagram will set the trend, and the rest of us will just follow.

4. The Branded Audio Era

Even though I think the dominance of trend-focused content is going to give way to other forms of storytelling in 2023, trending audios are not going anywhere (see: “it’s corn!”).

In 2023, we are going to see creators, brands, and musicians desperately trying to make their audio happen, a la Gretchen Wieners. 

DJ Austin Millz is a great example of someone who had a huge year thanks to his viral remixes that are constantly trending on TikTok and Instagram Reels - he’s even playing the music festival circuit now! 

Having an audio go viral can be a great boost to your TikTok or Instagram profile, because you are the “owner” of the audio and are linked at the top of the audio page which collects all of the videos using that audio.

Creating original audios has been a successful strategy for my friend Manu from @yoursocialteam - one of her audios has been used in over 300k reels and her reel with the audio got over 1 million views! 

After that success, Manu has now incorporated original audios into her social strategy, and regularly encourages her followers to use them: 

In 2023 I would not be surprised at all to see Instagram contests along the lines of “use this audio in a reel for a chance to win…” 

But mainly I think this will be a silent strategy, with brands and creators creating their reels with the intention of having the audio go viral, but not wanting to be as explicit about their intentions. 

We’re also going to see a big marketing trend of more brands working with musicians (and creators with iconic voices) to create their own “original audio moments” for campaigns, and then amplifying the sound by having different influencers attached to the campaign use the branded sound in their content. 

Especially since so many brands have difficulty using trending audio in their content (thanks, legal). 

5. “Long-er form” TikToks & Reels

As I mentioned earlier, there has been a huge rise in “storytime” content on TikTok this year, and the majority of that content is over 1 minute long. The trend of telling a story set to the beat of Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” is just one example of that: 

Often with storytimes, people run out of time and have to prompt their followers to go to part 2, which leads to even more video views for the creators. 

In 2023, we’re going to see the rise of “long-form” short-form video content. 

I have no idea what to call this content (medium-form? long-er form?), but basically it’s videos that are longer than 1 minute, but less than 5 minutes. Enough time to keep scrolling after, without having to commit to sitting down and watch a 20 minute Youtube video. 

GRWM videos are a perfect example of this, and it would be nice to have the option for a slightly longer vlog on Reels too. 

Instagram will likely extend the length of Reels from 90 seconds to…3 minutes maybe? 

But an extended length doesn’t mean you have more time to get to the point!! 

As I teach in The Reels Course, in order to keep someone watching your video, you really need to be efficient with time: editing out pauses, switching up angles, adding overlay text to keep their attention, and speeding up your voice are all important aspects of video editing to keep someone from just scrolling out of your video. 

So when it comes to your TikTok and Reels strategy, you’ll probably end up with super-short content (30 seconds or less, designed for quick consumption) or long-form content (2-3 minutes, designed for deeper connection). 

This is actually really interesting to me, because we have come full circle to what the original vision of former Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom’s vision for IGTV was, where you could upload mobile-first, vertical videos up to 10 minutes in length…all the way back in 2018. 

In Conclusion…

Video content isn’t going anywhere, and we’re only going to see more emphasis placed on “short form” videos in 2023 as it becomes the standard medium across social media platforms.

I didn’t mention Youtube Shorts in this post, but I wouldn’t ignore that as part of your social media strategy either, especially since you have the opportunity to monetize and get paid for your views.

As people have become more comfortable with creating Reels and TikToks, this year we are going to see content driven by storytelling over trends. Just look at transitions as an example: they were basically synonymous with Reels and TikToks at the end of 2021, and now they are…fine. Dancing videos and challenges were super trendy in 2020, and now there’s only a few dances per year that really take off (I see you, Lizzo).

Content trends will ebb and flow, but one thing you can count on is that video will continue to be the most popular content format. It doesn’t mean photos or graphics are dead forever, but it’s important to adapt your strategy to content trends so you can have a successful 2023!