Instagram trends 2025 – what you need to know

In 2025, less is more than ever. Long and extensive texts lose their impact - short, concise stories gain. The message must come across clearly and excitingly in just a few seconds. Combine visually appealing images or videos with snappy texts that evoke emotions and capture the attention of your target group.

Reels will continue to be the top format on Instagram in 2025. With creative new features such as  collaborative reels  or improved tools for using trending sounds, Instagram remains innovative. Organic reach may have decreased, but reels still offer enormous potential for telling brand stories emotionally and effectively. Our tip: regularly produce  1-2 reels per week  and supplement them with targeted ads if necessary.

One of the biggest changes concerns the new feed view:  square content is no longer needed , the feed has been completely converted to the vertical 4:5 format. Companies should make sure that their images and videos are created in this format in order to appear professional and contemporary. This update not only makes the feed more modern, but also offers more space for creative staging.

BUT: If your feed now looks messed up, you can change this view for each motif. To do this, go to the respective image, then to "edit" and then to "adjust preview". The selected motif will now be visible again as a square in the feed.

Meta won't do things by halves in 2025 either: Organic reach is severely limited, and ads are the key to increased visibility. Whether for interactions, clicks on your website or new followers - targeted ads help you achieve your social media goals. Use your budget wisely to sustainably increase both reach and engagement.

After the boom in performance marketing, the importance of a strong brand identity is once again coming to the fore. A consistent and (even more importantly) authentic brand presence is the basis for success in the social media cosmos. Campaigns should once again be more focused on the goal of branding/brand awareness or the transfer of brand values ​​and less on purely measurable performance. Brands that clearly communicate their values ​​and visions create trust and a strong bond with the community. Brands form the strong basis on which sales campaigns can then be built.

 Not “every” post has to describe the values ​​of a brand. These posts should be part of the content mix, but not determine it. If a brand talks too often about the great values ​​it stands for, users quickly get bored and the whole thing seems artificial and inauthentic.

Social selling on Instagram is becoming increasingly important

The trend towards social selling continues to gain momentum. Instagram is increasingly becoming a sales platform where products are presented directly in the feed or in reels. Visual pre-sales, spontaneous purchase impulses and clever product staging are the key to using social selling effectively. Companies should present their products in such a way that they appear as part of the experience in users' daily social media use.

Trend sounds are still essential for successful content. They attract users' attention and make reels emotional and entertaining. However, make sure to only use royalty-free or authorized sounds to avoid legal problems. Creative use of music makes your content unique and increases watch time.

Influencers will continue to play a central role in social media marketing in 2025, especially on Instagram, YouTube or TikTok. Influencers or content creators create (mostly and at best) credibility and reach target groups that brands often cannot reach on their own. Authentic collaborations and partnerships with influencers can be crucial to further expanding your reach and brand awareness. It is important to select influencers who fit your brand and appear authentic. And who have not already worked for other brands in an inflationary manner. Long-term collaborations are important instead of short-term flights.

Here, too, it is important to look closely at the media sets (i.e. the KPI portfolio) of the potential influencers and match them with other offers. An observation phase is also important before the first contact is made in order to be able to better assess and compare the performance and suitability of the influencer content.

A picture is worth a thousand words - for Reels and TikToks, the old creative wisdom applies even more strongly. Strong images and expressive videos are more than ever a must for better performance values ​​and strong brand branding (like this!) on Instagram. Independent image ideas and unusual stagings are more effective than the - ostensibly - cheap use of repeatedly used stock photos for a few euros.

Unfortunately, you can usually only create high-quality, independent and technically flawless photos, graphics or videos with professional support and using appropriate image processing or editing programs. Shootings are more complex, but they offer the advantage of implementing independent and brand-related ideas. Shootings are no longer nearly as complex as they were in analogue times. You can find out more about shooting here .

Instagram remains an indispensable player in social media marketing. With the right mix of vertical content, reels and trend sounds as well as a flexible strategy, you can successfully position your brand. Make sure you always stay on par with the developments on the platform - this way your social media strategy will remain future-proof and effective.