Later Creative Trends Shaping Social in 2019

TREND REPORT
20 Creative
Trends Shaping
Social in 2019
Table of
Contents
Introduction 4
Chapter 1 – The Video Takeover 6
Chapter 2 – Say It With Stories! 19
Chapter 3 – Next-Level Editing Trends 25
Chapter 4 – Content: All Killer, No Filler! 43
Chapter 5 – Aesthetic Appeal 54
Conclusion 65
A B O U T L AT E R
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to manage social
media
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media content in one place.
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Introduction
INTRODUCTION TO 20 CREATIVE TRENDS SHAPING SOCIAL IN 2019 5
Introduction
To get ahead of the competition and keep your
brand current, you need to be on top of the latest
creative trends!
From scroll-stopping edits to standout filters,

we’re covering the biggest creative trends shaping
the social media landscape right now.
Plus, we’re sharing the best apps and hacks to

help you recreate these trends on your channels.
Get ready to grow your social following and boost
your engagement levels!
CHAPTER ONE
The Video
Takeover
CHAPTER ONE: THE VIDEO TAKEOVER 7
CHAPTER ONE
The Video Takeover

When it comes to visual content, nothing compares to the rise in
popularity of video content. Video now generates 12 times more
shares than text and images combined on social!
With this in mind, having an effective video strategy is now

key for increasing engagement across almost every social
media channel.
In fact, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are actively encouraging

more video shares on their platforms with strategic in-app
positioning and new feature releases.
For example, Instagram now favors video content in Explore page,

with a suggested IGTV video taking up a large, prominent slot.
Alongside this, Instagram has also introduced an IGTV tab alongside

the profile grid view, so you can now easily discover someone’s IGTV
videos on their profile page.
On Facebook, video is bigger than ever. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has

already said Facebook users watch an average of 100 million hours
of video every day — and now viewers are diverted to “Facebook
Watch” every time they play a video in their news feed.
Facebook Watch displays a whole stream of suggested videos to

encourage more views in one sitting:
Even Pinterest — despite traditionally being an image-centric

platform — is jumping in on the video hype, adding a new “Videos”
tab for desktop users:
Whatever the platform, video is big business for 2019 — and this
trend is only set to get bigger!
Creative Social Media Trend #1:

Stand Out From The Crowd With
Creative Video Edits
Thanks to this major shift towards video on social, brands and
influencers alike are working hard to become even more creative
with their video content — ensuring they stand out from the crowd
and stay ahead of the competition!
Collages, video layering, text animations, and playful transitions

are becoming commonplace features of social video, as brands
strive to be as attention-grabbing and engaging as possible.
On IGTV, content creators are going above and beyond in their edits
— the lines between amateur and professional video editors have
never been more blurred. Influencers are using various editing and
cutting techniques to make their videos fun, fast, and engaging.
While TikTok, which is exclusively dedicated to short-form video

content, has seen meteoric growth since launching in 2016. In Q1
2019, TikTok was the third most installed app across the App Store
and Google Play, behind only WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger!
TikTok has a huge range of built-in features that encourage creators

to be super creative, all in a limited time span.
Most viral TikTok videos usually include special effects, such as

slow-mo, lip-syncs, duet chains, blurs, reverse video, camera
shakes, and zooms.
We’re seeing a shift to shorter, effect-filled videos with instant

pay-offs across almost every social platform — a trend that will
only continue to grow as brands fight for attention amongst
the competition!
And there are lots of new apps popping up to help your

videos stand out from the crowd. Prequel and Filmm are both
great for adding special effects that will give your videos a
competitive edge!

Invest in Vertical Short-Form Ads
According to data collected by Statista, more than 50%

of digital videos are now viewed in a vertical format.
As a result, we’ve seen a huge rise in vertical, short-form video ads

appearing on social media.
Even on YouTube — where most videos are still uploaded in the

traditional 16:9 format — we’re seeing a rise in the number of
vertical ads that are optimised for mobile views.
This vertical Instagram Stories advert for Converse is packed

full of animations, videos, and motion graphics — all in less than
15 seconds.
INSTAGRAM STORIES ADVERT FOR CONVERSE BY CREATOR JONA GREY
Hyper-engaging short-form videos are perfect for capturing the

attention of Instagram and Facebook Stories users, who are quick
to tap past anything that doesn’t grab their attention.
The good news is, you can easily create engaging, motion-
packed stories with the help of editing apps, such as Over, Mojo
or InStories!

Stop Traffic With Video Subtitles
According to Digiday, up to 85% of video on Facebook is now
watched without sound — so being able to share your message
without audio is more valuable than ever!
And the subtitles trend isn’t just limited to Facebook. It’s quickly
filtering into Instagram, YouTube, and even Pinterest.
Adding subtitles can help engage your viewers and improve your
retention rates — plus, it’s also an easy way to make your video
content more user-friendly for people with a hearing impairment.
There are now several apps that allow you to add subtitles to your
video content, without having to manually type out a lengthy script.
For live video, you can use the Clipomatic app to add subtitles as
you record. All you have to do is hit the record button, speak clearly,
and your words will appear in a form of a stylish caption right on
your recording.
For prerecorded video, you can use the Caption This app to
automate your subtitles — just upload your recorded video and
wait for your captions to populate.
For a more traditional route, you can manually add subtitles to

your videos with the desktop app Kapwing — which allows you
to upload any video and overlay subtitles that are in sync with
your content.

Get Creative With Stop Motions
If a full-blown video shoot isn’t your thing (or is not within budget!),
you can still jump on the video hype with the latest creative trend:
stop motion animations!
Stop motion animations are growing in popularity across social,

with brands and influencers alike experimenting with fun,
creative edits.
And thanks to custom made apps — such as Life Lapse and

ImgPlay — creating impactful stop motions for your brand is now
super easy!
Check out our Ultimate Guide to Instagram Video:

Stories, IGTV, Live, Posts, & More! and start getting
more from your video strategy on social.
CHAPTER TWO
Say It With
Stories!
CHAPTER TWO: SAY IT WITH STORIES! 20
CHAPTER TWO
Say It With Stories!

When it comes to social trends in 2019, it doesn’t get much bigger
than stories — over 500 million people now use Instagram Stories
every day!
And stories aren’t just making waves on Instagram and Facebook.

YouTube and Spotify are now also getting involved with new in-app
stories features!
Stories provide the perfect opportunity to share authentic content

that connects with an audience — driving both engagement and
brand loyalty.
So if you’re not up to speed on stories, now’s the time to jump

right in!

Customize Your Content with Stories
Templates
While “unfiltered” stories content is on the rise, it doesn’t mean
design is taking a back seat.
In fact, we’re seeing more customized, creative stories templates

pop up on social, especially on Instagram!
And with pre-designed stories templates apps such as StoryLuxe

and Unfold, it’s so easy to create professional-looking stories that
captivate your audience.
Check out how bridal designer Suzanne Neville uses Unfold stories
templates to create a curated storybook on Instagram Stories —
creating a consistent experience that is well-aligned with their
simple and elegant brand aesthetic.
While Anthropologie uses different template designs for each new

editorial feature — creating a fresh and eye-catching experience
for their audience.
Although the template designs change between campaigns,

Anthropologie’s overarching aesthetic remains on-brand through
their use of brand colors, styles, and fonts.
And we’re even seeing brands collaborating with design apps to

release custom stories templates. At Later, we partnered with
Storyluxe to create a series of fun, summer-ready templates that
anyone can download and use — for free!
Ready to get creative with your stories?

Find out How to Use Instagram Stories Templates for
Your Brand (+10 Free Templates!)
And the best thing about stories is that the dimensions are always
the same — so if you create great Instagram Stories content, you
can also share it on Facebook and YouTube!

Make It Pop With Animated Stories!
Alongside super swish design templates, we’ve also noticed a huge
wave of animated stories making their debut in 2019.
From motion graphics to scrolling text, you can now create a super
dynamic experience on your stories — and there are apps that do
all of the hard work for you!
At Later, we use Mojo and InStories to create our animated stories.

Here’s an example that was created in Mojo. The story appears to
“jump” upwards, mirroring the effect of a swipe up:
All you have to do is upload your static content, choose your

animation effect, and the Mojo app does all of the hard work for you!
Adding simple animations — like scrolling text or moving images —

to your stories is a quick and easy way to create a more engaging
experience for your followers.
CHAPTER THREE
Next Level
Editing Trends
CHAPTER THREE: NEXT-LEVEL EDITING TRENDS 26
CHAPTER THREE
Next-Level Editing Trends

As we’ve already touched on, we’ve seen a huge boom in the
number of editing apps available to make your social content stand
out from the crowd!
So you don’t need to be a Photoshop wiz or have a graphic design

degree to really level-up your photography skills.
Here are some of the top editing trends that are really crushing it in
2019 (and the best apps to recreate them!):

Jump On The Collage Craze!
Collage edits have been huge this year, and it doesn’t look like this
trend is going anywhere soon.
Originally gaining popularity on Instagram Stories, we’re now

seeing collage effects popping up all over Pinterest, Facebook,
Instagram Feeds, and even IGTV.
Collages are a fun way to show off the personality of your brand on
social, and you don’t need to be a graphic designer to get involved
in this trend thanks to the many easy-to-use editing apps available!
For example, with the Pantone Studio app, you can instantly add a
cute color swatch to any image. The app automatically pulls the key
tones from an image to create a designer-inspired collage effect.
Whereas StoryLuxe, Unfold, and Over all have pre-designed

templates — so you can transform your images into cool collages
in minutes!
Looking to level-up your collages?

Get a head start with our blog post: 8 Trendy Apps to
Create Collages for Instagram

2019’s Big Hitter — Glitter!
Alongside creative collages, glitter edits have seriously blown up in
2019 — and this trend isn’t showing signs of slowing down.
This sparkle-clad hype first entered our orbit back in 2017, thanks
to the Kirakira+ app gaining lots of attention from celebrities,
bloggers, and editors.
After a few quiet years, the glitter trend is back with avengence.
Self-titled “Original Crystal Artist” Sara Shakeel now has over 800K
followers on Instagram, up from 250K in January 2018.
@SARASHAKEEL
Forward-thinking brands are getting involved in the hype too,

creating their own edits — or regramming the work of others — to
tap into this trend.
If you’re looking to quickly recreate this look for your brand, the
Meitu app lets you paint over an area in an image to add a glitter-
like texture — plus there are a ton of other effects you can get
creative with too!

Stand Out With Stickers
Stickers have also seen a huge surge in 2019, with lots of influencers
and brands trying out this creative trend.
From bright flowing lines to cute little star illustrations, the sticker
trend is still packing a punch on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
Brands are capitalizing on this trend too, creating memorable

experiences with added pops of personality.
The good news is, it’s never been easier to get creative with stickers
on your social posts.
From creating your own custom overlay stickers to finding your

favorite pre-made “pack”, you can stay on top of the trend this
year by reading our blog all about overlay stickers and how to
use them.
We created our own FREE Instagram Overlay

Sticker Pack that you can use with your favorite
editing app!
Sign up here and we’ll send the pack straight

to your inbox.

Add a Custom Border
More recently, we’ve spotted a new, eye-catching trend emerging.
Colorful and standout borders are being added to images, creating

a contrasting effect that makes sure your content stands out from
the crowd.
You can use this trend to support your brand aesthetic too. Take
for example how Create & Cultivate use their brand palette and
fonts to frame their images on Instagram:
Adding a border can be a great way to create consistency for a

specific campaign — which is one way to jump on the trend without
completely overhauling your aesthetic!
If you want to try out this trend, the InShot app is great for quickly
adding a color or image to the background of your content.

Layer It Up!
When it comes to attention-grabbing edits, one of the hottest
trends right now is layering duplicate videos and images!
This new trend is simple but eye-catching — and we’re seeing

brands, influencers, and regular social users jumping on this new
“layered up” style.
And the good news — it’s super easy to create the effect thanks to
editing apps like Unfold. All you have to do is select the same video
or image in one of their pre-designed templates!
TIP: This is also a great way to create vertical video content from your
horizontally shot footage!
The Camera Roll Effect

Similar to content layering, we’re also seeing the “Camera Roll
Effect” trend popping up on our feeds.
Influencers are leading this trend — which is essentially sharing

a screengrab of multiple, similar images from your camera roll —
but as with all influencer trends, we expect to see this catching on
across social soon.
Check out how @retroflame and @lornaluxe are using this on their
Instagram Stories:
Similarly, Summer Fridays use this same effect on their Instagram

feed, except the focal point is their product rather than a person.
This is a great way to make a static image more interesting, and it’s
really easy to achieve too!

Go Vintage Edit With Grain, Dust,
and Light Leaks!
When it comes to content editing trends, “vintage” is having a
moment right now.
From grain, to dust, to light leaks — if it looks like it was recovered

from a beat-up film roll, then it’s a win.
To recreate these vintage film effects, you can use the Meitu app to
turn your pictures into vintage polaroids — or add a whole bunch
of grain inspired filters from their vast catalogue.
Meanwhile, the Afterlight app is great for adding grain, dust, and
light leaks — creating that realistic “old film” aesthetic.
Whereas Filmm and Prequel are both great apps for adding cool
watermarks, grain, dust, light leaks, and distortion to videos,
creating that vintage “home video” vibe.
Whatever look you’re going for, there’s an app out there

to help you achieve it! Check out these 14 Apps for
Creating Gorgeous Instagram Stories
CHAPTER FOUR
Content:
All Killer, No
Filler!
CHAPTER FOUR - CONTENT: ALL KILLER, NO FILLER! 44
CHAPTER FOUR
Content: All Killer, No Filler!

As the age-old saying goes, content is king — and that’s never been
more relevant than in 2019.
But what content is trending right now? From augmented reality

filters to shelfie sharing — here are all the creative content trends
worth knowing!

Experiment with AR Filters
It goes without saying that AR effects have been huge on Instagram,

Snapchat, and Facebook in 2019.
From Snapchat’s gender swap filter to Instagram’s futuristic

mask filters, AR filters are rapidly becoming part of our everyday
experience on social.
As we explain in our Ultimate Guide to Spark AR Studio, AR on

Instagram has enormous potential as a marketing tool — but it’s
still massively underused.
At the moment, only a select number of approved Instagram users

can share their Spark AR-built filters with other users on Instagram,
but apparently that’s all due to change late this summer!
ICYMI: Spark AR Studio is an augmented reality platform for Mac &

Windows that allows you to create AR effects for mobile cameras.
Think of it like Photoshop, but for augmented reality.
It still isn’t confirmed when Facebook will open up their beta

program to the masses — but we do know that this is one trend
that’s worth watching!

Turn Back Time with Nostalgia Moments
As we mentioned earlier, “old” is definitely the new black.
Alongside vintage filters, we’re seeing a ton of “old school”

application graphics popping up on social, from 90s inspired
application windows...
...to dated messenger chat box windows.

And it’s not just nostalgia-inspiring applications that are making a

comeback on social feeds everywhere.
Iconic pop culture flashbacks are proving popular on social too,

with brands sharing stills from TV shows, movies, and magazines.
If you’re looking to style this trend, opt for nostalgia moments that
resonate with your audience and are in-sync with your brand values.
Take note of how Nasty Gal share pop culture moments that are
targeted to a young female audience and reflect their rebellious
brand DNA:
Sharing the right moment can both elevate your brand values and
build a deeper emotional connection with your audience!

Share Viral Tweet Pics
One of the biggest design crazes to hit social this year is sharing
screenshots of viral Tweets.
Meme accounts like @daquan and @thefatjewish have been doing

it for years, but the big surprise is that brands are now jumping on
the trend.
Seriously! There are so many examples of businesses sharing

screenshots of Tweets to their social channels.
And it’s not brands reposting their own Tweets on

Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest — they’re finding
Tweets from their community that reflects their brand
style, attitude and messaging, so it appeals to their
followers too.
Of course, whereas meme accounts are happy to share screenshots

as is (aesthetics don’t matter quite as much in comedy), businesses
and influencers are taking it a step further and adding on-brand
backgrounds to their posts.
Check out how Later did it with a simple ocean scene as a backdrop
to keep up our aesthetic:
The viral Tweet trend is gaining huge momentum across every

social platform — so if you haven’t already, now is the time to
get involved!

Share The Spotlight With Like-Minded
Brands
The days of a brand only featuring their products on social are

officially a thing of the past.
In 2019, collaboration is key, and we’re seeing more brands than

ever sharing their spotlight with other like-minded brands.
By associating with brands that capture a similar target

audience, you can benefit from a shared promotional moment,
but also provide a contextual “lifestyle” that your followers can
associate with.
Glossier, Summer Fridays, and Ouai all regularly share images that
feature each one another’s products.
If you want to tap into this trend, think about brands with a similar
target audience and complementary aesthetic — and consider the
likelihood that your target audience would use their product and
yours alongside each other.
Alternatively, you could always ask your audience to share their

“shelfies” for some crowd-sourced inspiration — and a fresh batch
of UGC too!
CHAPTER FIVE
Aesthetic
Appeal
CHAPTER FIVE: AESTHETIC APPEAL 55
CHAPTER FIVE
Aesthetic Appeal
Your brand personality and style is important, and the biggest
aesthetic trends we’ve spotted in 2019 are on Instagram — where
your aesthetic is everything!
And this year, we’re seeing more aesthetic trends than ever before!
From micro-color blocking to alternate grid planning, here’s our
rundown of the top trends to watch out for.

Share Quotes in Your Aesthetic
Quote posts have been popular on social media since, well, the
start of social media. But in 2019, we’re seeing a ton of quotes that
are specifically designed to fit a brand’s aesthetic.
From font choices…

To color palettes…
Whatever quote you’re sharing on social, it’s worth making it

on-brand!

Put Your Color Palette Front and Center
When it comes to brand aesthetic, color is one of the strongest

tools you can use to leave a lasting impression on your audience.
In 2019, we’re seeing brands fully embrace their brand color palette
on social — going way beyond their logo design to create a fully
immersive brand experience.
For example, Faithfull the Brand uses their brand color palette in
their Instagram Stories Highlights cover photos.
And it doesn’t stop there. Brands and influencers alike are using
their defined color palettes to determine what content makes the
cut on their social channels.
At Later, we only share images that are in-keeping with our bright
pastel swatch:
While influencer Courtney Halveston, from Pretty Little Fawn,

sticks to a muted palette with golden tones — creating a romantic,
vintage aesthetic.
Regardless of the color palette you choose, consistency is key!

Thankfully, you can use a social media planner, like Later, to help
you nail your dream aesthetic.
Looking to level-up your Instagram aesthetic?

Discover How to Create a Cohesive Instagram
Aesthetic in this blog post!

Micro-Color Block Your Feed
Some brands and influencers are taking a consistent color palette

one step further — and micro-color blocking their feeds!
At Later, we used our bright pastel color palette to inspire our

micro-color blocking — creating a fun and eye-catching effect that
was still totally on-brand.
[IMAGE 57]
And this trend goes further still, as some brands, like Billabong
Womens Australia, are color-blocking specific sections of an image
in their feed.
[IMAGE 58]
A trend within a trend? It’s like social media Inception! But we’re
expecting to see a lot more of this on our feeds.

Plan Your Grid With Alternating Posts!
A cohesive, well-planned Instagram grid is a powerful “at-a-glance”

business card for your brand!
Which is why many brands and influencers are now “alternating”

their posts to create a high-impact profile page aesthetic.
Take a look at how Summer Fridays strategically plan their grid to

only feature people in every other picture.
While influencer @ginagoesto posts her iconic tablescapes on an

alternate basis to make for a visually striking feed.
Although this may seem like extra effort, an impressive feed

aesthetic can determine whether someone taps “follow” or not on
your profile — so it’s definitely worth it in the long run.
One of the easiest ways to create an “alternating” grid is by planning

your content in advance with Later’s Visual Instagram Planner!
Just drag and drop your photos onto the visual planner, rearrange
them to see how they’ll look in your Instagram feed, and then save
to schedule them!
Conclusion
CONCLUSION 66
Conclusion
Keeping up with the latest social styling trends is
a sure-fire way to make your brand stand out from
the crowd.
Whether that’s color blocking your feed,

or experimenting with stop-motion graphic and
quirky video edits, getting onboard with a new social
trend will level-up your strategy and grow your
following.
But remember — it’s important to maintain your

overall brand values and aesthetic.
So, if a trend isn’t a good fit for your brand, it’s worth
letting that trend pass right on by!
With Later, you can plan, curate, manage, and

preview your visual content — so your brand’s social
media strategy is always on point!
Put Your Social
Media Plan
into Action
Join Later to start planning and scheduling
your social media posts today.
Sign Up Now!

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TREND REPORT

Chapter 1 – The Video Takeover 6

Chapter 2 – Say It With Stories! 19

Chapter 3 – Next-Level Editing Trends 25

Chapter 4 – Content: All Killer, No Filler! 43

Chapter 5 – Aesthetic Appeal 54

The modern way

Visually plan, schedule, and analyze all your social

Try Later for Free!

From scroll-stopping edits to standout filters,

Plus, we’re sharing the best apps and hacks to

The Video Takeover

With this in mind, having an effective video strategy is now

In fact, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are actively encouraging

For example, Instagram now favors video content in Explore page,

Alongside this, Instagram has also introduced an IGTV tab alongside

On Facebook, video is bigger than ever. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has

Facebook Watch displays a whole stream of suggested videos to

Even Pinterest — despite traditionally being an image-centric

Creative Social Media Trend #1:

Collages, video layering, text animations, and playful transitions

While TikTok, which is exclusively dedicated to short-form video

TikTok has a huge range of built-in features that encourage creators

Most viral TikTok videos usually include special effects, such as

We’re seeing a shift to shorter, effect-filled videos with instant

And there are lots of new apps popping up to help your

Creative Social Media Trend #2:

According to data collected by Statista, more than 50%

As a result, we’ve seen a huge rise in vertical, short-form video ads

Even on YouTube — where most videos are still uploaded in the

This vertical Instagram Stories advert for Converse is packed

INSTAGRAM STORIES ADVERT FOR CONVERSE BY CREATOR JONA GREY

Hyper-engaging short-form videos are perfect for capturing the

Creative Social Media Trend #3:

For a more traditional route, you can manually add subtitles to

Creative Social Media Trend #4:

Stop motion animations are growing in popularity across social,

And thanks to custom made apps — such as Life Lapse and

Check out our Ultimate Guide to Instagram Video:

Say It With Stories!

And stories aren’t just making waves on Instagram and Facebook.

Stories provide the perfect opportunity to share authentic content

So if you’re not up to speed on stories, now’s the time to jump

Creative Social Media Trend #5:

In fact, we’re seeing more customized, creative stories templates

And with pre-designed stories templates apps such as StoryLuxe

While Anthropologie uses different template designs for each new

Although the template designs change between campaigns,

And we’re even seeing brands collaborating with design apps to

Ready to get creative with your stories?

Creative Social Media Trend #6:

At Later, we use Mojo and InStories to create our animated stories.

All you have to do is upload your static content, choose your

Adding simple animations — like scrolling text or moving images —

Next-Level Editing Trends

So you don’t need to be a Photoshop wiz or have a graphic design

Creative Social Media Trend #7:

Originally gaining popularity on Instagram Stories, we’re now

Whereas StoryLuxe, Unfold, and Over all have pre-designed

Looking to level-up your collages?

Creative Social Media Trend #8:

Forward-thinking brands are getting involved in the hype too,

Creative Social Media Trend #9:

Brands are capitalizing on this trend too, creating memorable