10 Best Company Instagram Accounts: Learn From the Top Dogs

When you think of the most popular accounts on Instagram, you might picture glamorous celebrities or trendy influencers. But they’re not the only ones making waves on the social media platform; brands can also steal the spotlight. And the best company Instagram accounts don’t just have product promotions. They captivate their audience with engaging content, too.

Need ideas on the type of content that can grab your target market’s attention while keeping your brand center stage? Find some inspo for your social media strategy in this round-up of the most effective brands on Instagram right now. Let’s jump right into it!

What Are the Most Followed Brands on Instagram?

When looking for pages to draw inspiration from, your instinct would be to look at the most-followed companies on Instagram. It’s a terrific idea to look through them and pick up on strategies to grow your own business account. Who better to learn from than the crème de la crème of businesses on Instagram, right?

So, who’s in the Hall of Fame today? First, we have—surprise, surprise—Instagram, which has a whopping 679 million followers on its business page.

Then comes a roster of sports-related brands and football clubs, including Nike, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and the UEFA Champions League. All of these pages have hundreds of millions of followers.

Then, of course, comes informative content from big brand names like National Geographic and NASA. Curious as to why they’re so successful? Stick around to learn more about their awesome strategies later!

Looking for the most followed brands in other niches, from pop culture to fashion? Here are some brand pages that are at the top of their game for their industry:

• Victoria’s Secret
• NBA
• Marvel
• Zara
• Chanel
• Vogue
• Buzzfeed Tasty
• Five-Minute Crafts
• Louis Vuitton
• Disney
• BMW

Top 10 Best Company Instagram Accounts

Sure, many fledgling brands can learn from the most-followed accounts on Instagram. But it’s not always about how many followers you have. Plenty of brands have mastered the art of Instagram, even if they haven’t cracked the top ten most-followed list yet. But there’s still so much other brands can learn from them.

Want to go viral on social media and put your business on the map, too? Learn the best ways to shape your content strategy from these 10 companies that are crushing it on Instagram today.

1. GoPro: Shows What Their Products Can Do

You might expect tech brands to feature their gadgets and devices and highlight their unique selling propositions. While that’s also an awesome way to promote your brand. GoPro has another approach to it.

Instead of posting product-centric content, their feed is filled with breathtaking, high-definition photos and videos shot with GoPro cameras. This is an excellent way for the brand to showcase the high quality and advanced capabilities of its cameras.

Their feed is also geared toward their primary target audience—adventure seekers. They post photos and videos of people swimming underwater, traveling the world, and admiring cityscapes.

While most of their content is evergreen, they also sometimes do a little trendjacking. Just check out this post they had in time for Halloween featuring a woman diving underwater holding a carved pumpkin!

2. Knorr: Helpful Recipes and Kitchen Tips

There’s no denying that people absolutely love sumptuous, mouthwatering food content on Instagram. But Knorr kicks it up a notch by creating more than just #foodporn posts. They also position themselves as the kitchen expert with easy-to-follow recipe videos, cooking tips, and kitchen hacks. And, of course, they always put the brand under the spotlight.

With this social media strategy, the brand transforms itself into a digital “teacher” in cooking. That makes them indispensable to moms, homemakers, and people who love to cook and experiment in the kitchen. It also gets them tons of likes and saves on their content!

3. NatGeo: Informative Content That Piques People’s Curiosity

In the 2000s, people stared at their TV screens as the National Geographic channel aired shows on science and knowledge. Today, NatGeo brings its innate talent of piquing people’s curiosity on the small screen. How? By posting intriguing, informative, science-based stories on Instagram, of course!

Whether it’s about the animal kingdom, debunking urban legends, or traveling to uncharted territories, NatGeo’s Instagram page is on it. They post informative, enriching content that allows you to discover more about the world. It’s the perfect page for self-proclaimed nerds and science lovers, and it’s why they’re one of the most-followed brands online.

4. Fenty Beauty: Inclusivity, Collabs, and UGC

Since its launch in 2017, Fenty Beauty has been about inclusivity, even when the rest of the beauty industry wasn’t. Today, they still put that core value at the heart of their content. They churn out content showcasing the beauty of every skin tone, which garnered millions of followers over the years. Who doesn’t love a brand that’s all about representation?

But they’ve also branched out to content outside of just that advocacy. They’ve also harnessed the power of user-generated content. Fenty Beauty reposts other people’s creative content featuring their products, whether by influencers or ordinary fans. That gives them brownie points for social proof and authenticity!

And that’s not all. The brand is also committed to posting all about their collabs, too. Just take a look at this awesome campaign material featuring the League of Legends-based TV series Arcane. Not only does it tap the unassuming gamer audience, but it also shows representation for light and dark-skinned makeup lovers!

5. NASA: Gorgeous Shots of Outer Space

We know—NASA isn’t exactly a company. It’s more of a government office. But that’s exactly what makes it extraordinary—it’s not your typical government entity on social media. Instead of boring infographics and political material, NASA hinges on one thing for its content. And that’s people’s fascination with outer space.

The NASA Instagram page has stunning, mind-blowing photos of the galaxies, planets, and stars in outer space. They also typically share an educational caption telling the story of these heavenly bodies. They even use their Instagram Stories Highlights to share wallpapers, info on NASA’s latest missions, and more.

This shows people why NASA employees do what they do and makes their office more interesting to the masses. Sure, it’s a government agency. However, with the help of this social media strategy, NASA has cemented its place as a well-loved brand.

6. Nike: Inspirational Content Showcasing Admirable Athletes

Nike is the most followed sports-related brand for a reason. Sure, the company makes awesome sneakers and fitness apparel. But on social media, they’re even more interesting. They take poignant stories and newsworthy sports moments and turn them into an homage to honor the world’s athletes.

This Instagram strategy brings back the heart in all things sports. It’s an awesome way for the brand to connect not just with its target audience but also with every sports lover.

7. Oreo: Hilarious Memes and Gen Z Slang

Oreo used to be a family-centered brand, but on Instagram today, it hinges on Gen Z humor and slang. The brand speaks the language of its younger target market by posting the silliest memes and leveraging hilarious trends. They even make the latest pop culture references only a true Gen Z would catch! This creates the illusion that the brand is one of their friends instead of just a big company.

Oreo’s content is fresh, relatable, and oh-so-shareable. No wonder the iconic cookie brand has amassed 3.7 million followers today!

8. Tiffany: Mobile-Optimized Close-Up Jewelry Shots

According to Statista, 95.9% of people access the internet with their phones. That’s why it’s important to optimize content for mobile. Tiffany and Co does exactly that on Instagram.

When you scroll through social media with a phone, the screen is super small. So, to make a lasting impression, close-up shots that show your audience the details of your products are key.

That’s what Tiffany and Co. does when they post product-centric content. They have mega close-up shots of their sparkling jewelry, making them extra tempting for the high-end shopper. It’s fantastic for luring in potential customers!

9. Shopify: B2B Content Helping Entrepreneurs Achieve Their Dreams

Shopify is an e-commerce platform that’s all about empowering entrepreneurs. So, it’s only fitting that their Instagram content is focused on teaching people how to grow their businesses. They post helpful small biz content and even encourage user-generated content from their followers to showcase their business strategies. If you want to grow your business on Instagram and e-commerce websites, this is the page for you.

10. Duolingo: A Whole Lotta Mascot Love

Mascots aren’t just for kids. They’re also for brands with a vibrant, youthful personality, like Duolingo! Everyone on the language learning app loves Duo, the green bird that guides every lesson. So, the social media team decided to leverage that with Instagram content all about Duo.

Duo comes to life on their page through animated graphics, photos of plushies, and even life-size mascots in funny Reels. With the help of this well-loved character, Duolingo connects deeper with its followers on social media.

Key Takeaways From the Best Business Instagram Accounts

Done creating your business account on Instagram and ready to join the ranks of the elite? Here are some of the key takeaways from the best-performing company Instagram accounts to incorporate into your own strategy:

• Humor sells: Making people laugh is a foolproof strategy for grabbing their attention. Everyone loves a brand that can make them giggle from time to time. This allows you to show off your brand’s young, carefree personality, which can boost your following. Brands like Oreo and Duolingo have taught us that.

• Show off what your products can do: It’s one thing to tell people straight-up what your products can do and another to show them. GoPro does this creatively by filling their feed with stunning videos and photos shot with their cameras.

• Aesthetic is king: Because Instagram is a visual platform, people naturally gravitate to a feed full of beautiful visual content. So, nailing your aesthetic is key to captivate the attention of your target audience. That’s why brands like NASA and Tiffany and Co. are so successful.

• Informative content adds value to people’s lives: Instagram users look for reliable sources on the social media platform, whether for cooking tips or fun facts about science. Enrich your followers’ lives with educational content the way NASA, Knorr, and NatGeo do.

• Leverage influencer content and UGC: There’s nothing like word-of-mouth marketing to get people to trust your brand. Highlight testimonials, collabs, and user-generated content, the way brands like Fenty Beauty and Shopify do.

Grow Your IG Business Page With the Help of Path Social

Feeling inspired yet? Jot down these learnings and apply the same strategies to your social media marketing strategies! Inject youthful humor into your posts and feature your products in creative ways. Who knows—maybe one day, it’s your brand that appears on a list of the best company Instagram accounts!

Want a leg up for when you start your Instagram business page? Path Social can jumpstart your success. Our effective promotional strategies help your content reach your brand’s target audience, boosting your following fast. That way, you can start building an online community that will see and appreciate your cool, creative business content.

Not convinced of our prowess in Instagram promotion? Just check out the Beauty of Baking, which garnered 19,000 followers and a 107% sales increase with our guidance. Start building your company page and gain more fans and potential customers with Path Social!

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