Are static posts making a comeback?

SkylerTravel2025-07-032090

Static images are as fundamental to social media as the hashtag or the like button. Static image posts revolutionized the way we share images online—from creating a culture of selfies, memes and compulsory food photography to reimagining how brands could relate to audiences.

The rapid rise of short-form video content eclipsed static posts in early 2020, when TikTok and Reels took over popular culture—but now we’re wondering if static posts are making a comeback with Instagram returning to its photo-sharing roots and Meta launching its nostalgia-inducing network, Threads.

We investigated the role of static content as the likely reigning king of social content and how it compares to video, and asked Jackson Alder, Senior Digital Strategist at PFLAG National, to weigh in.

Are audiences and marketers experiencing video post fatigue?

Burnout rates are high for social media teams. According to a Q4 2022 Sprout pulse survey, more than half of social media professionals are either experiencing burnout or have experienced it within the last one to three months. Lack of bandwidth and resources were cited as the biggest contributing factors.

A hot pink graphic that reads: 63%. More than half of social media professionals have experienced burnout in the last three months.

The demands of video production are taxing creators and marketers under pressure to maximize their consistency in hopes of being favored by fickle algorithms. As early as 2019, CNN was already reporting on the burnout rate creators on YouTube experience, often filming, editing and posting multiple long-form videos each week. The New York Times published an exposé centered around creator burnout on TikTok in 2021, explaining the mental strain of constantly producing new short-form videos.

It seems audiences have stopped engaging with video content like they used to, suggesting they too may be experiencing video fatigue. Even last year, 61% of consumers found static images to be the most engaging in-feed content. At Sprout, our metrics reveal static posts are our highest engagement drivers. At the time of publishing, eight of our top 10 highest engagement-generating posts from 2023 feature static images, like carousels and data visualizations. The other two are text-only posts, which makes a compelling case for these tried-and-true formats.

Other brands are seeing this same trend. As Alder puts it, “As marketers, we're always looking at what's engaging, and what's making folks interact on social media. I think the shift [toward static] is because video was the previous trend that made people stop and engage. It's looking like it's not as much of an engagement-driver these days, so we're all just trying to find what is.”

Are static posts as effective as video content?

With our team’s social data and anecdotal evidence from other brands, we see that static posts can be more effective than video content when it comes to generating engagement. But that’s only scratching the surface of what it means to be effective on social.

Most social marketers are upping their investment in static and video content, suggesting that both are vital for overall success. A Q2 2023 Sprout pulse survey found that 59% of marketers are focusing more on images in 2023. By comparison, 53% said they are upping the quantity of 5-15 second videos this year, and 49% are creating more 16-30 second videos.

Always use your strategy and performance metrics to find your ideal content mix, and weigh the pros and cons of each content type. Your brand might be looking to boost discoverability with audiences on video-first platforms like TikTok. Or your data might indicate your audience behaves differently than ours.

By using an analytics tool like Sprout Social’s Post Performance Report, you can filter for your highest performing posts to see how static content compares to video and other post types. These results will help you determine which formats you should prioritize across networks.

4 examples of inspiring static content strategies 

If you want to experiment with incorporating more engagement-worthy static content into your strategy but don’t know where to start, use best practices from these four brands in your content ideation and development. Each brand produces static content that feels unique and modern, and it makes up a core part of their social presence.

1.  PFLAG

PFLAG is the nation's largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them. On social, they use static content to fulfill their mission. As Alder describes, “We're an education and advocacy [organization]…Static images are often the most accessible way to share content, which is a priority for us. Video isn't very accessible by comparison.”

Static content like branded graphics and quotes makes up the bulk of PFLAG’s content. “We lean heavily into static images and gifs, with video content being fairly minimal unless we're at an event. The big reason for this is safety. With all of the anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and laws being passed in our country, we must prioritize the safety of our PFLAG families. That means that we can share quotes from those families, but oftentimes can't share photos,” Alder explains.

Their static posts on their national and regional accounts all feature on-brand colors and graphics that stand out in feeds. The PFLAG team uses Canva as a central hub for streamlining content creation for their team, and the hundreds of volunteer-led chapters across the country.

Parents, kids, teens, and folx who live at the intersection of trans-ness and neurodivergence are invited to our Neurodiversity & Gender Diversity Meeting on July 10 at 7 pm ET. We hope to see you there! Register today ➡️ https://t.co/pBPZpGPga8#Neurodivergent #GenderQueer pic.twitter.com/nf0mIPA9WD

— PFLAG NYC (@pflagnyc) July 5, 2023

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