Instagram Reel Trends - Top 10 Must-Know Trends in 2025

Instagram Reels are the best way to grab attention but only if you follow the right trends. This article discusses the top 10 Instagram Reel trends to help you stay relevant in 2025. CapCut is a good choice for making attractive Instagram Reels.

Instagram reel trends
CapCut
CapCut
Jun 16, 2025

Keeping up with the Instagram Reel trends is essential to stay relevant in the world of social media. So, this guide discusses in detail the benefits of following Instagram Reels trends, the top 10 Instagram Reel trends, and the strategies to make your Reels popular. We will also discuss CapCut as the best tool to create viral-worthy Instagram Reels. Its wide range of visual effects and AI-powered features make it a fantastic tool for creating compelling Instagram Reels. Start reading and creating your trending Reels!

Table of content
  1. Benefits of following Instagram Reel trends
  2. Top 10 Instagram Reel trends to watch in 2025
  3. The secret of trending Instagram Reels - create Reels in CapCut
  4. Bonus: How to make your Instagram Reels popular
  5. Conclusion
  6. FAQs

Benefits of following Instagram Reel trends

  • Increases audience engagement: Trending Instagram Reels capture attention instantly and lead to more likes, shares, and comments. Viral trends make the content easily discoverable, leading to more engagement.
  • Boosts followers growth: Following the latest trends helps your Reels appear in Instagram's algorithm, ranking you higher in Instagram's Explore and Reels feed. This grows your audience, making it easier to build strong and loyal followers.
  • Keeps your content fresh and relevant: Adapting to trends ensures that your content is always fresh and aligned with the current user interests. This helps maintain creativity, making your content stand out from repetitive posts.
  • Attracts brand collaboration opportunities: Brands prioritize creators who make trend-driven Reels because it enhances the market reach. By staying ahead of trends, you make yourself an ideal partner for paid collaborations and sponsorships.
  • Helps you stay competitive: In the fast-paced world of social media, you can easily get left behind if you don't keep up with the Instagram Reel trends. Making trending content keeps your content innovative and a strong presence in the creator space.

Top 10 Instagram Reel trends to watch in 2025

Now, let's explore the top 10 Instagram Reel trends in 2025 to help you create your own one.

The new dance trend challenge

The new dance trend challenge features high-energy moves, catchy beats, and viral choreography. These challenges have gained popularity as everyday users and influencers participate, making it a fun way to boost visibility. A popular example of this trend is the "Abracadabra Dance Challenge," which exploded in February 2025. It showcases energetic choreography that blends theatrical choreography with contemporary dance moves.

Tips for success

  • Practice the dance moves until they are smooth and in sync.
  • Comment on and duet popular videos to encourage more interactions.
The new dance trend challenge

The self-introduction Reel

The self-introduction Reel allows creators to highlight their skills, personality, or business in a fun and interactive way. Users can use short and dynamic clips to introduce themselves using trending audio and appealing text effects. This trend has gained traction because it builds a personal connection with viewers. For example, "Angela Poole's 2025 introduction" is quite popular, in which she gives her goals and aspirations for 2025.

Tips for success

  • Keep the Reel short and use quick transitions to keep viewers interested.
  • Highlight your hobbies, skills, or fun facts that make you stand out.
The self-introduction Reel

The reaction Reel

One-second Reels is an Instagram trend that delivers short, impactful content that loops endlessly. These videos grab the viewer's attention quickly, making them highly shareable in just a fraction of a second. The success of these Reels is mainly due to their ability to deliver quick and digestible content in a short span of 1 second. A popular example is the viral "THE BEST MAGIC Reaction in 2025," in which the creator shows his reaction to magic.

Tips for success

  • Genuine expressions make the reactions more entertaining.
  • Use a trending clip to react to viral videos to increase engagement.
The reaction Reel

The X tips to do X Reel

The "X tips to do X" Reel showcases quick and actionable advice in an engaging way. These Reels provide step-by-step guidance on topics ranging from fitness and fashion to social media growth. The audience likes bite-sized content, which is valuable to them. These Reels are easy to save and share, making them highly interactive. For example, a popular Reel titled "5 Photography Tips You Can Use in 2025" gives viewers quick photography tips.

Tips for success

  • Present each tip clearly and quickly to enhance the viewer's retention.
  • Start with an attention-grabbing sentence to attract viewers instantly.
The X tips to do X Reel

The why you should stop doing X Reel

The "Why you should stop doing X" Reel grabs the viewer's attention, challenging everyday habits or misconceptions. These Reels create curiosity, encourage viewers to take action, and make them highly interactive. People are attracted to these Reels because they spark discussion and debate. An example is the trending Instagram Reel "Why you should stop kids from eating junk food," which gives tips to parents on why they should stop their children from eating junk food.

Tips for success

  • Capture the viewer's attention with a strong hook, like "You are making this mistake daily."
  • Clearly explain why users should stop doing that, giving the benefits of the alternatives.
The why you should stop doing X Reel

The how-to Reel

The how-to Reel effectively engages and educates the viewers by breaking complex tasks into simple and digestible steps. These Reels offer quick tips, like editing videos or cooking. People love to learn new skills in an easy and visual format. A viral 2025 Reel, "How to get six pack abs in 2025," which gives quick instructions to the viewers to get six packs in 2025.

Tips for success

  • Deliver quick and easy instructions in under 30 seconds to keep viewers engaged.
  • End with a before-and-after transformation to show the outcome and effectiveness of your method.
The how-to Reel

The life hack Reel

Life hack Reels provide quick solutions to everyday problems, making daily tasks simple and efficient. These short and engaging videos provide quick tips in an appealing way. The main reason for their popularity is that people love time-saving tricks that improve their routines. A popular example of this Instagram Reel trend is the "BEST Fitness Hack to Use in 2025," which tells the audience the best fitness hacks to stay fit in 2025.

Tips for success

  • Show the hacks which are simple and easy to understand.
  • Start with a strong hook, stating the problem clearly to make the viewers stay.
The life hack Reel

The ASMR trend

The ASMR trend Reel contains calming visuals or sounds that soothe, such as whispers, tapping, or soothing noises. These short videos help users unwind through sensory experiences. This ASMR trend has become popular because it relieves stress and promotes relaxation. An example of this Reel trend is the "ASMR, Doing Makeup with Kids toys." In this Reel, the creator combines soft whispers with the sounds of tapping objects. The Reel went viral due to its calming effect, allowing the viewers to relax.

Tips for success

  • Use a good-quality microphone to capture the soothing sounds clearly.
  • Use gentle whispers or soft spoken words to develop a connection with the viewers.
The ASMR trend

The pet cameos

Pet cameo Reels feature cute animals, making a surprise appearance in the Reels and adding humor and charm. These short clips show animals reacting to situations or joining trends. People love pets; their funny and unexpected reactions make these Reels shareable and entertaining. An example is the trending Instagram Reel "We Interrupt your Friday Yoga scrolling" in which a dog suddenly interrupts a person's Yoga poses, leading to humor and relatability.

Tips for success

  • Let pets be themselves to catch genuine and funny reactions.
  • Pair the pet clips with popular sounds to boost engagement.
The pet cameos

The Glow-up

The Glow-up Reels highlight dramatic transformations in lifestyle, appearance, or skills. These visuals show personal growth, mainly the before-and-after visuals, to engage the audience. The main reason for this trend's popularity is that people love seeing self-improvement and progress stories. A popular example of this Reel trend is "One Year Body Transformation" in which the creator depicts his fitness journey of day 25 out of 365, motivating the viewers to work on their self-improvement.

Tips for success

  • Use striking before-and-after clips to show a clear transformation.
  • Add a motivational message in the Reels to enhance engagement and shares.
The Glow-up

These are the top 10 Instagram Reel trends in 2025. You must create attractive videos with top-notch editing to make these trending Reels. CapCut is the best tool for creating compelling Instagram Reels due to its rich editing features.

The secret of trending Instagram Reels - create Reels in CapCut

CapCut is a popular video editing software that allows users to create high-quality Instagram Reels easily. It offers a variety of visual effects along with audio editing tools, like trending music and sound effects, to create engaging Reels. For advanced editing, you can also use its AI-powered features, like AI stickers, background removal, and auto-captions.

Download CapCut today and use its editing features to make viral-worthy Instagram Reels:

Key features

  • Variety of visual elements: Enhance your Reels with trending video transitions, filters, effects, stickers, and animations for a more dynamic look.
  • Extensive audio editing tools: Use CapCut's audio editing tools, like copyright-free trending music, sound effects, and pitch adjustment, to enhance the Reel.
  • AI-powered features: You can use CapCut's AI writer feature to generate Reel scripts, and auto-captions for automatic subtitles and better accessibility.

Steps to create appealing Instagram Reels

    STEP 1
  1. Import the video

First, open CapCut and click "New Project" to create a new project. Next, click "Import" and import a video you want to edit from your PC. To match the Instagram 9:16 Reels format, click "Ratio" below the video and select the 9:16 ratio.

Uploading the video to CapCut
    STEP 2
  1. Edit the Instagram Reel

Select "Transitions" from the top-left toolbar for smooth scene changes. Apply filters and effects for a more polished appearance, and use stickers and animations to increase interactions. Click the "Audio" option to add royalty-free music and sound effects according to the mood of your video. You can also use speed adjustment options for slow or fast-paced effects in the video, creating dramatic effects.

Editing the Instagram Reel in CapCut
    STEP 3
  1. Export the Instagram Reel

Once satisfied with the edits, click "Export" in the top-right corner, select your format, and select your desired resolution. Optimize for the best quality, then click "Export" to save the video to your PC. Now, the Reel is ready to be uploaded to Instagram.

Exporting the Instagram Reel in CapCut

Bonus: How to make your Instagram Reels popular

  • Use trending hashtags

Add popular and niche-specific hashtags to enhance discoverability and reach a wider audience. Research the trending hashtags in your content category to improve engagement, and use those hashtags. If your Reels are about landscapes, you can use hashtags such as #Nature, #Landscape, etc.

  • Engage with your audience

Respond to your audience's comments, ask questions, and encourage the viewers to interact with your Reel. The higher engagement your post gets, the more importance Instagram gives it.

  • Leverage trending music and sound effects

Use viral and trending sounds and music from Instagram's Reel to increase the chances of your Reel appearing on the Explore page. Reels with trending audio get more popular, enhancing viewership. CapCut provides a large number of copyright-free trending audio, you can use them to easily make Reels.

  • Post at peak times

Share your Reels when the audience is the most active to enhance views and interactions. Use Instagram Insights to determine when your followers are online the most.

Conclusion

Keeping up with Instagram Reel trends in 2025 is the key to boosting views, driving engagement, and remaining competitive in the ever-changing social media environment. Popular Reel trends, like dance challenges, how-to videos, reaction videos, and ASMR, offer unique opportunities to enhance visibility and make viral Reels. Using tools like CapCut helps you make trending compelling and engaging Reels. Its visual effects and AI-powered features, like auto-captions, make it a fantastic tool for creating Instagram Reels. Now, get CapCut and use its editing features to stay ahead and maximize your Reel's potential.

FAQs

    1
  1. How can I find trending Reels on Instagram?

You can find the trending Reels by browsing the Explore page and checking the popular hashtags. Keep an eye on the music and sounds widely used in trending Reels. Explore the content that top influencers and creators share to understand trending Reels better. You can also follow accounts that specifically post trending content.

    2
  1. What is the best time to post Instagram Reels?

The best time to post Instagram Reels varies depending on your audience. Typically, the best times are from 9 AM to 11 AM and 6 PM to 8 PM. Posting during these peak times enhances engagement and visibility. Analyze your Instagram insights to determine your audience's active times. Experiment with different timings to determine what works best. You can use CapCut's video editing features to create attractive Reels to post at these peak times.

    3
  1. How to monetize with trending Instagram Reels?

Monetizing with trending Instagram Reels can be achieved through affiliate marketing, brand collaborations, and creator funds. Consistently posting trending Reels with appealing content attracts brands for partnerships. Creating unique and standout content enhances engagement, increasing monetization opportunities. Use CapCut to create trending Reels that align with your brand, giving you an edge over others.