In our latest report on the top 10 fastest-growing food and beverage brands on Instagram, we looked at which brands gained the most followers between March 2024 and March 2025. Red Bull came out on top. The brand added 6 million new followers, growing its audience by 30% year over year – the highest increase across the entire category.
This wasn’t the result of a new product or paid campaign. Red Bull’s growth came from staying consistent with a content strategy that puts lifestyle first. It uses adrenaline-fueled visuals, strong creator relationships, and community-led storytelling to stay relevant and visible. The result is a feed that feels alive and stays active across cultures and subcultures.
An exciting content strategy
Red Bull’s Instagram is fast-moving and visually intense. It reflects what the brand has always stood for: action, energy, and performance. But what makes the feed work isn’t just the pace; it’s the point of view. Almost none of the content is about the drink itself. Instead, it focuses on the lifestyle around it.
Posts highlight sports like BMX, surfing, F1, drifting, and padel. Some come from Red Bull-sponsored teams, others from athletes, events, or creator collectives. But the message stays consistent: Red Bull is part of these cultures, not just funding them from the outside.
This is where the brand’s longevity on Instagram comes from. Red Bull doesn’t just show up once a campaign is planned. It’s already present: behind the scenes at events, on the track, or embedded with athletes during training. That kind of access helps the content feel real, and the consistency builds trust over time.
Partnerships over promotions
Red Bull’s approach to influencer marketing is different from most brands in the category. Instead of focusing on short-term sponsored posts, it builds long-term partnerships, often with athletes, creators, or event organizers who are already part of their world.
These creators aren’t asked to pitch the product. In most cases, they don’t even reference it. What Red Bull does is support the environments in which these creators operate. Whether that’s through sponsoring competitions, providing media support, or including them in branded collectives, the emphasis is on shared activity, not advertising.
That’s why Red Bull’s feed never feels overly promotional. It’s a reflection of the brand’s deep presence in sports and culture, and that shows in the way people engage with the posts.
Global scale, local relevance
Red Bull’s Instagram reach spans multiple continents. In 2025, the brand’s top markets were the United States, Spain, and Brazil, but the themes it focuses on resonate across regions. Instead of adjusting messaging per market, Red Bull leans into formats that travel well: action clips, event highlights, and visual storytelling from within specific subcultures.
That approach allows the brand to scale visibility while still staying focused. It also helps creators in each region represent the brand in ways that feel organic to their audience. A padel clip in Madrid, a surf shot in Florianópolis, or a drift event in Las Vegas; it all fits because the energy and format stay consistent.
Red Bull Instagram performance metrics: March 2024 – March 2025
Based on HypeAuditor data, here’s how Red Bull performed during the reporting period:
Follower growth: +6 million (+30%)
Reach: 2.1 billion
Engagement rate: 7.95%
Influencers activated: 12,904
Posts featured: 25,173
Average views per post: ~33,485
Average likes per post: ~4,692
Average comments per post: ~40
Top markets: United States, Spain, Brazil
Most common content types: Extreme sports footage, branded event highlights, behind-the-scenes training clips, UGC from athlete teams
A 7.95% engagement rate is strong for a global brand of this size, especially given the volume of posts and wide audience. The consistently visual, community-driven format is a key reason that engagement has stayed high.
What other brands can learn from Red Bull
1. Show the world your brand lives in
Red Bull doesn’t promote the drink. It promotes the lifestyle. The brand focuses on showing what the product is part of, not just what it does. That’s what keeps followers engaged and content flowing without needing constant product updates.
2. Invest in communities, not just creators
The brand’s partnerships go beyond individual posts. By supporting sports, events, and collectives directly, Red Bull becomes part of the community it’s trying to reach. That makes all its content feel more relevant — and more welcome in the feed.
3. Let the audience lead the storytelling
Red Bull features a lot of UGC, including content shot by athletes or reposted from creator collectives. The content doesn’t feel like a top-down campaign. It’s varied, local, and creator-led, which helps keep it grounded.
4. Stay consistent with your visual identity
Even across sports and regions, Red Bull’s content feels unified. The pace, tone, and framing are aligned. That consistency helps people immediately recognize a Red Bull post and makes the brand easier to follow.
Final thoughts
Red Bull’s Instagram growth didn’t happen because of one campaign or a viral moment. It’s the result of years of showing up in the right places, partnering with the right people, and building a feed that reflects what the brand already stands for.
It doesn’t need to reinvent itself every year. Instead, it finds new ways to bring energy to the surface, whether that’s through extreme sports, behind-the-scenes clips, or content from creators already embedded in the culture.
The takeaway is simple: if you want to grow, you need to be present. And if you want to stay relevant, you need to be consistent.
Want to see more brand insights like this?
Download the full Top Food & Beverage Brands on Instagram 2025 report to explore all 10 brands and see what’s driving growth on the platform this year.
