Instagram vs. LinkedIn in 2025: Where Are Businesses Finding the Most Engagement?

When it comes to social media marketing, there are many variables at hand, from algorithms to audiences to advertisements to engagement. Seeing the metrics that prove your strategy is driving success is essential, but sometimes the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Many businesses prioritize Instagram and LinkedIn for their marketing efforts, the former for its visuals and virality, and the latter for its B2B performance and thought leadership reputation. However, when you ask which offers the highest engagement, the answer is not as straightforward as you might like.

Each platform has different algorithms and audiences that prioritize different types of content and engagement. In this blog, we’ll break all this down, so you get the complete picture before deciding which social media is best for your business.

Content Types

The first difference we’ll look at is content types. Visually, this one is starkly obvious. Instagram is for visual content – photos, reels, stories, and carousels. On this platform, creative assets are key, and brands that consistently deliver eye-catching visuals can build loyalty and increase engagement. The algorithm favours consistency and relevance, and brands can drive engagement with hashtags and interactive features.

In contrast, LinkedIn is for thought leadership and networking, thriving on text-based posts and conversations. On this platform, conversations and education often outperform overt selling. Brands can drive B2B leads and sales by posting industry insights, case studies, and articles, prioritizing quality over quantity.

Despite their differences, brands often have a presence on both platforms. However, understanding these differences can help businesses tailor their content to each in order to drive success and engagement.

Audience Types

The next difference is audience types. As mentioned above, LinkedIn tends to be the leader for B2B marketing. The audience consists mainly of executives, recruiters, entrepreneurs, and corporate professionals, as the platform is designed for business professionals, industry leaders, and decision-makers. This is a significant factor in whether your business will drive high engagement on the platform. If this is your target audience or you are focusing on nurturing leads, LinkedIn is the platform for you.

On the other hand, Instagram is great for a wide variety of markets. Instagram has a diverse user base that includes professionals, creatives, and consumers. While not traditionally seen as a B2B platform, Instagram’s ability to showcase company culture, humanize brands, and engage audiences through visual storytelling makes it a valuable tool for certain industries. If your brand prioritizes visual storytelling and creative content, Instagram may be the platform to help you connect with your audience.

Engagement Types

Lastly, there are different types of engagement on each platform. Platforms encourage different behaviours and provide different means of engagement. This means that engagement rates will vary as platforms count different behaviours with different levels of intention. For example, LinkedIn prioritizes comments and discussions, while Instagram thrives on shares and saves. Further, not all interactions, such as bookmarks, DMs, and link clicks, are counted in engagement rates.

While LinkedIn shows the highest average engagement rate, its lower saturation and prioritization of conversations help to accentuate this. On the opposite end, Instagram shows the lowest average engagement rate, yet more content is being consumed than ever. With reels and stories dominating, users are watching more but interacting differently — passive engagement is rising. Creating shareable and saveable content might be the behind-the-scenes route to success on Instagram.

Overall

As we said in the beginning, the numbers point to LinkedIn, but they don’t tell the whole story. Depending on your content, audience, and engagement types, either platform could be best for your brand’s engagement rates. At least now you have all the information to make an educated decision on the matter!

Need more marketing guidance? unLOCKEd is the one stop for all your marketing needs! From expertise to strategy to execution, contact us today to find the best solution for your business.

Author: Sarah Murphy