The PlayStation Controller Reel and 4 More Instagram Trends (Trends for August: Week 1)
I hand animated a cursor this week. A tiny mouse cursor that clicks once, then twice, then three times, at exactly the right second, over and over until it matched the video underneath it perfectly. My dog barked halfway through recording the demo. That is the level of detail sitting inside one of these five templates, and you get to skip all of it and just drag your photos in.
Here is how Trend Drops works, same as always. I watch what is actually taking off on Instagram, I build the template before everyone else catches on, and every Monday it lands inside Your Template Club so you can post it that same day. No filming for an hour. No sitting in Canva at 9pm trying to reverse engineer something you saw on your feed.
This pack has one time consuming trend and four that take minutes, and I did that on purpose. The PlayStation one is so early I want you posting it this week before it gets crowded. The calendar one is the fancy one. And the other three are the kind you can knock out while your coffee is still hot. Let's go through all five.
Want to try a FREE Trending Canva template?
Grab the latest Canva Template from inside of Your Template Club “Trend Drops” so you can test out one or two of out these timely, viral, trend templates for your business!
Trend One: Playstation Controller Reel
This is the one I want you to post first, and I mean it. It is very early, people are pulling millions of views on it, and early is the whole game with a trend like this. The idea is that your audience becomes the controller and you become the gameplay. Long press so I do this faster. Tap twice to say you got this.
It works because it uses the actual Instagram controls people already have their thumbs on. When someone long presses your Reel, it speeds up. When they tap twice, they like it. When they press and hold, they pause you. So the text on screen tells them what to do, and Instagram does the rest. It is a real life game of PlayStation and you are the character.
All you need is one B-roll clip of yourself doing something. That is it. But pay attention to this part, because it is the one thing people get wrong. It needs action. If you are filming yourself working, actually type, actually move, pick up a paper, reach for something. If you are exercising, even better. A clip of you sitting still staring at a laptop is not going to land, because the whole joke is that people are speeding you up and pausing you.
Film one clip doing what you do for work, drop it in, swap the text, and post it. This is the fastest win in the entire pack.
Trend Two: Animated Calendar
This is the aesthetic one. The animated calendar where your little photos pop onto the dates and it opens up into your day, video by video. It looks like you have serious editing skills, and your comments are going to be full of people asking how you made it. This is also the only template this week that takes real time, so let me walk you through it properly.
When you open it in Canva, click duration at the bottom. That gives you a timeline, kind of like CapCut or any video editor you have used. That timeline is what makes the elements come in and out as the background video plays. You need to be able to see it to customize this one, so click that first.
Now, the background. You can use any video you want, but it has to be trimmed to nine seconds. Not nine minutes, nine seconds. Everything in this template is timed to that, so if the length changes, it all falls apart. I like a clean background here because there is already a lot happening on screen. The sky works. Ocean works. A soft shadow works. You can also play with the transparency and the background color if you want it more on brand for you.
If you are newer to editing video in Canva, skip this one and come back to it when you have time. There are four other trends in this pack that take minutes. Canva's video editor keeps getting better and this template is a really good way to learn it.
Trend Three: Kinda Chic Carousel
This is the cool girl trend everyone is posting right now. Kinda chic to get through the hard thing and come out stronger. Kinda chic to build a business that does the thing only you do. The coaching and expert side of Instagram picked it up hard on Thursday and Friday, which means we are right on time.
I built three versions in three different light colors that pop on the feed. You can use the same photo in the background of all three or three different photos, totally your call. I also wrote the exact text prompts into the template, so you are not staring at a blank line trying to figure out what to say. I gave you a mix too, some about your business and some about you as a person, because this trend works best when it feels a little personal. This is a quick one. Pick your version, swap the photo, fill in the prompts, done.
Trend Four: Important Historic Inventions
Important historic inventions. The light bulb. The internet. And then whatever you sell. It is the emoji meme that quietly puts your offer next to two of the biggest things that ever happened, and it is funny because you are the one saying it with a straight face. History, but make it a plug.
The build could not be simpler. You change the background, you change two elements, and you put your handle at the bottom. That is the whole thing.
The last slot is where you make it yours. It could be the course you sell. It could be your service. Social media management with your little face in it. A product you make. It could even be something you just love, if you want to keep it light. Whatever goes in that third spot is the joke, so pick the thing your people already associate with you.
Trend Five: Off & On
This one looks expensive and it is not. It is the toggle trend, a before and after of your audience's life. One thing off, one thing better on. Hustle off, vacation on. Commuting off, working from anywhere on. It is a strong visual and it gets even stronger when you use it to talk about what you actually sell.
I have used this one on my own account and I love how it looks every time.
You are dropping in one photo on each side. You can use video, but if you are posting it as a feed post you would need to make it a two page carousel, so just go with photos if you are short on time. One post like this looks perfect on its own.
Here is my one styling note, and it makes a big difference. Use photos that are blown up and close in, not busy wide shots. Instead of a whole beach with people all over it, use a tight shot of one wave. Instead of a full room, get close on the thing. Big and simple reads better on a small screen.
If you sell a transformation, this is where you show it. Say you have a clothing boutique. Pile of clothes on the floor with nothing to wear off, then you in the dress with get ready with me on. Same structure, your product in the middle of it.
One more thing. The icon in the design is grouped and it has a shadow behind it, so ungroup it first if you want to swap it. Put in whatever icon fits what you do, or use your logo. Just double check that people can still read the text once you are done.
Which Trend Should You Post First
You do not need to post all five this week. Pick what fits where you are right now.
If you only do one thing, do the Playstation Controller Reel. It is early, it is performing, and all it costs you is one clip of yourself moving around. Early is the whole advantage and it will not stay early for long.
If you want a second fast one, go with the Kinda Chic Carousel or Important Historic Inventions. Both take minutes, both have the copy prompts built in, and both work whether you feel like being personal or being funny about your offer.
If you want something that looks polished without a photographer, Off & On is your pick. Tight photos, clear message, done in one sitting.
And the Animated Calendar is your project for when you have a quiet hour. It is the most impressive thing in this pack and it is worth the time, but it is not the one to attempt at 11pm on a Sunday.
If you are already inside Your Template Club, log in and grab this pack. If you have been thinking about joining, this week is a great time to see exactly what you get with every Trend Drop.
Trending Templates Released as Instagram Trends Emerge
When you join Your Template Club, you get access to Trend Drops — short, timely template packs inspired by the latest viral Instagram trends, so you can jump on trends early without spending hours figuring it out. We do the research, design, and strategy for you.
Photo: KVC Photography
About Manu Muraro
Manu Muraro is the founder of Your Social Team, a content marketing brand helping small business owners grow through strategic email marketing and Instagram content.
She’s the creator of Your Template Club, one of the first Canva template subscriptions designed for Instagram, and the founder of Your Inbox Team, a weekly email marketing membership that helps entrepreneurs send consistent, high-converting emails in under 15 minutes.
Manu is also the creator of The Reelies Awards, the first award show celebrating Small Business Owners and Creators’ creativity and originality in Instagram Reels.
A former creative strategist at Cartoon Network, Manu brings award-winning experience to everything she creates — from viral Reels to done-for-you content that saves time and drives results.
👉 Follow Manu at Your Social Team on Instagram