What’s Working on Instagram in 2025 (And What Isn’t)
Instagram is constantly shifting.
While some might categorize this as the algorithm being moody or working against them, we've been in the social media game for long enough to know that Instagram grows, just like any person, platform, and company. It has to evolve to stay relevant and interesting. This is why it has remained one of the top downloaded apps.
2025 specifically has been a unique year for Instagram. They have made a lot of key changes that can leave many business owners like yourself thinking, 'What should I actually be posting right now?'
Here is what we recommend, as a marketing agency that is chronically online and has seen the results behind it all.
What’s Working on Instagram in 2025 (And What Isn’t)
Let's start with what we should all throw out the window...
What’s Not Working Anymore
Relying on a Trending Audio
If you are constantly jumping on every trend or trending audio waiting for it to take off, without any strategy or purpose behind it, this could be hurting rather than helping. We don't actually need to go viral. Instead, we want to find our niche. We want to dive deep and create personal connections with people who are actually our audience, who will be customers one day.
Over-Branding Everything
Stop slapping your logo on everything. Stop using every Reel as a sales pitch. Your audience wants the real, the raw, and the fluff-cut. They don't just want to see your logo, they want to see the who, what, and why behind your brand. It doesn't need to be perfect; it just needs to resonate.
Posting to Post
Those quotes, those faceless reels....they aren't generating sales for you. In fact, they are turning away your audience more than anything. If you are constantly scrambling to put together a post, just to post, it's not going to work in the long run. You need strategy, careful research on optimized times, and curated copywriting that speaks to your audience.
Ignoring Your Audience
If your audience is taking the effort to DM, comment, and like, or even ask questions and suggest new things, you to give them the effort back to create a connection. We see so many accounts that go without interacting with their customers in the comment section, and that's the first thing we do when we clock into your account. We want our audience to feel like they are part of the brand, because they are!
Let's shift gears and talk about what you should be doing on Instagram in 2025.
What’s Working on Instagram in 2025
Carousels with Storytelling
Swipeable content is still winning. Consider a carousel a mini storybook, each page should build on one another and come together to create a book people want to turn the page of (or swipe in this case!) Get them hooked from the first slide, add value, and end with a high note.
Founder Content
We've talked about it on our podcast for marketers, our guests on the podcast have brought it up for almost three straight episodes in fact, we've preached about it on our own Instagram, and we are telling you right now, people are LOVING founder content.
Keyword-Optimized Captions (and Alt Text)
Searchability is a big deal now. Users are treating Instagram like a mini-Google, so writing captions with searchable terms is key.
Community-First Engagement
Think of your social media less like a billboard and more like a group chat. That means, replying to comments, responding to DMs, sharing UGC, posting and sharing polls, etc.. It not only makes your content and interactions more fun, but it's a great way to get to know your audience and become friends with them. That means building more relationships, more trust, and more brand loyalty.
Tired of trying to keep up with all the platform shifts, algorithm changes, and trends? Let us come in and do it for you.
Hire the marketing team that makes it happen. Oh hey, that’s us 😉
