In 2025, five Instagram publications dominated the counters, mixing romance, soccer and pop-politics. From Taylor Swift's engagement announcement to a photo of Ronaldo at the White House, these posts show how a celebrity transforms a private moment into a global event.
Liking records don't just happen: they follow precise mechanics of storytellingof timing and communities already structured. An analysis of this Top 5 shows why certain content goes beyond mere news and becomes an emotional event for hundreds of millions of subscribers.
Beyond the numbers, the stakes are strategic: deciphering what's at stake in form (photo, carousel, text), context (nostalgia, announcement, symbol) and distribution (reposts, media, conversations). Visit influencer marketing finds in it an immediately actionable reading grid.
Taylor Swift, Messi, Selena Gomez: when emotion explodes likes on Instagram in 2025
The number one engine in the Top 5 remains theimmediate emotionespecially when it's based on a simple, universal narrative. The announcement of Taylor Swift's engagement to Travis Kelce, published at the end of August, illustrates a formidable recipe: a visual with high symbolic value (ring, romantic atmosphere, "personalized" details) and a short caption, built like a punchline. The result: a massive spike in attention, driven by an already highly mobilized community, capable of transforming a post into a trending topic in a matter of minutes.
In a similar vein, Selena Gomez's wedding to Benny Blanco, shared via a series of photos, activated two levers: the social proof (proximity to guests, "real" moments) and serialization (several images, therefore more playback time). Carousels, in particular, encourage rereading and saving, which supports organic distribution. For a brand, this dynamic can be transposed: launching a capsule collection with "making-of" images can perform better than a single visual that's too promotional, provided the narrative is worked on.
The case of Lionel Messi is different, but just as instructive. His visit to the Camp Nou in the autumn triggered a wave of nostalgia among a worldwide audience. The legend, long and personal, played the role of an open letter: it provides contextIt creates tension (leaving without saying goodbye) and opens up a perspective (returning in a different way). This narrative architecture is very similar to the methods explained in the evolution of influencer marketingwhere high-performance content moves away from the "post-product" to the "moment of life".
To measure these successes without using the wrong indicators, analysis must go beyond the sheer volume of likes. The key point remains the quality of interaction, detailed in the importance of Instagram engagement. One insight stands out: when a post triggers narrative comments ("I remember", "I was there", "congratulations"), it spreads better, because it invites people to respond rather than simply react. The next step is to understand how sport and power amplify this reach.
Ronaldo and Trump: the power of symbols in the most liked celebrity Instagram posts
The post by Cristiano Ronaldo posing with Donald Trump during a visit to Washington, accompanied by a strong institutional symbol (the "key" to the White House), shows a different logic: the audience collision. On the one hand, the global sports audience of Ronaldo, who dominates Instagram in terms of number of followers; on the other, the political and media attention associated with Trump. Even without a lengthy speech, the image triggers an interpretation: support, protocol, prestige storytelling. On Instagram, this type of content works like a "photo-sign": it sums up a situation and prompts people to debate, and thus to relaunch the algorithm.
This mechanism explains why, contrary to popular belief, records don't depend solely on account size, although it does help. Publications that explode often combine three ingredients: a recognizable context, an implicit challenge and immediate legibility on mobile. This is precisely what brands are looking for when they associate ambassadors with a sport or lifestyle universe, as detailed by collaborations between sportswear brands and influencers. Decor, dress codes, iconic locations: everything becomes a signal.
In a campaign, the question of casting remains central. A macro-account brings reach, but a smaller profile can bring community credibility. The trade-offs are well established in micro-influencers vs macro-influencers: advantages and disadvantages. For an operation inspired by the "Ronaldo moment", a brand could, for example, combine a global face (visibility) with a constellation of specialized creators (conversion), in order to transform a media spike into a measurable result.
Politics, on the other hand, acts as a narrative gas pedal. The controversies surrounding retouched images of Taylor Swift, circulating elsewhere than on Instagram, have reminded us that the social ecosystem is interconnected: a controversy born on one platform can fuel curiosity and research on another. The operational point is simple: anticipate "halo effects" and prepare language elements, especially when polarizing figures enter the conversation. The following section will translate these observations into concrete tools: figures, formats and editorial decisions.
Deciphering the Top 5 Instagram 2025: formats, key figures and actionable lessons for brands
To steer a content strategy inspired by the Instagram posts of celebrities who exploded the counters in 2025, we need to turn facts into operational benchmarks. First, an observation: the most successful publications are part of "macro-stories" (love, sporting heritage, institutional prestige) and not technical subjects. Secondly, they focus on strong visual signs: a ring, a mythical stadium, an official photo, a wedding dress, a family moment. These signs can be understood without sound, without context, and in less than a second.
The table below compares the major signals on a consistent basis: event type, format, emotional spring and impact. This is not a "marketing" classification, but a grid for deciding what to reproduce (structure) and what to avoid (literal copy).
| Instagram post (2025) | Central visual signal | Dominant spring | Likes (approx.) | Most likely format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Swift announces her engagement | Retro ring and romantic staging | Surprise + proximity | ~37,6 M | Photo/Carousel + short caption |
| Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou | Iconic location (stadium) and contemplative posture | Nostalgia + personal story | ~35,2 M | Photo + long text |
| Cristiano Ronaldo with Donald Trump | Institutional symbol (White House) | Prestige + debate | ~29,5 M | Event photo |
| Selena Gomez shares her wedding | Ceremonial scenes and intimate details | Celebration + projection | ~24,6 M | Carousel (series) |
| The Rock in a make-up tutorial with his daughters | Contrast (muscular star vs. rhinestone) | Humor + tenderness | ~23,4 M | Short video |
The Kylie Jenner case, with a family make-up tutorial, reminds us of a useful nuance: a more modest volume of likes can still be very profitable if the content supports a brand (Kylie Cosmetics) and nurtures preference. The challenge is not just to reach 20 or 30 million likes, but to generate a logical sequence: clicks, search, purchase intent, subscriptions. On that note, influencer marketing on Instagram underlines the benefits of scripting a product's presence without undermining its perceived authenticity.
Another often underestimated lever is visual consistency. Shades, contrast and mobile legibility influence memorability. A brand that wants to "make an event" can draw inspiration from the approaches detailed in essential color on social networksto build an immediately recognizable code. The common thread then becomes: a clear sign, a dominant emotion, a suitable format. All that remains is to choose the right partners and industrialize execution.
To move from observation to action, ValueYourNetwork provides a reliable framework: expert in influence marketing since 2016the network orchestrated hundreds of successful campaigns on social networks, with a proven method for connecting influencers and brands according to objectives (awareness, consideration, conversion). To build an activation inspired by these record-breaking posts - without copying their surface - the quickest step is to contact us via the dedicated page.