January 29, 2025
From Instagram’s Trial Reels to the rise of nano-influencers and the dominance of short-form video, staying ahead in 2025 is all about adapting fast.
Instagram’s next evolution
Instagram is making bold moves to keep creators and marketers hooked, and Reels are at the centre of its strategy.
First up, Trial Reels now let you test Reels on non-followers before releasing them to your main audience (Kapwing). This is a game-changer for experimenting with new content formats and messaging, offering low-risk A/B testing.
The platform has also extended Reels to three minutes, giving brands more room for in-depth storytelling. Use it for tutorials, product demos, or behind-the-scenes content that captures attention (Hootsuite). Short-form videos generate 2.5x more engagement than longer content, making this extension even more impactful (Immediate Future)
Meanwhile, the Edits app streamlines content creation, making it easier to produce polished, visually engaging posts (Kapwing).
And there’s more: Instagram’s shift to a rectangular profile grid mimics TikTok’s aesthetics, prioritising vertical-first content. There’s been a mad dash to sort out grid views this last week.
Combine this with the new Views metric, which unifies performance tracking across content types, and it’s clear Instagram is pushing marketers to take data more seriously (Embedsocial).
Instagram is also rolling out tools inspired by Facebook Groups, enhancing community-building features (Loomly).
Our advice
- Test and refine with Trial Reels
Experiment with hooks, captions, or visuals to optimise before a major launch.
- Tell richer stories
Use the extra time on three-minute Reels to share value-packed content. Break them into shorter clips for wider distribution.
- Shift to vertical-first visuals
Prioritise visually compelling content that aligns with the new grid layout.
The rise of creators and micro-trends
Creators are shaping the social landscape in 2025, with over 50% of brands increasing budgets for influencer marketing, especially for nano-influencers (The Motherhood).
These smaller creators bring big benefits: higher trust, stronger engagement, and niche audience connections.
On top of this, micro-virality is a rising trend. Brands are using social listening to spot and jump on niche moments before they explode (Hootsuite). Quality is also trumping quantity, with algorithms rewarding content that sparks saves, shares, and conversations (Vistasocial). With 73% of consumers preferring short-form videos to search for products or services, aligning your strategy with these preferences is critical (Yaguara).
Our advice
- Build lasting influencer partnerships. Work with nano-influencers who align with your brand values. Long-term collaborations deliver sustained value.
- Use social listening tools to spot trends early to create timely, relevant content. We love tools like Brandwatch for this.
- Focus on high-quality content that sparks authentic interactions.
The longer term trends
AI is no longer optional in social media strategies. Platforms like Instagram are integrating generative AI tools to make content creation and personalisation faster (Creative Salon). This is driving hyper-personalisation, with tailored ads, recommendations, and posts increasing engagement.
Video is still king, with social video ad spend surpassing linear TV by $10 billion this year (Price Weber). Platforms like TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts are also rolling out shoppable video features, merging entertainment with commerce (Creative Salon).
TikTok users spend an average of 56 minutes per day, closely followed by Instagram Reels users at 53 minutes (Immediate Future).
Our advice
- Use AI tools for tailored messaging and dynamic ad creatives that resonate with individual users.
- Make short-form video the core of your content strategy. It’s where attention lives.
Social media is a constant experiment in 2025. Winning brands will test, iterate, and adapt to new features and micro-trends while staying laser-focused on quality and authenticity. AI tools, creators, and short-form video are your best allies—if you know how to use them.