Social Media: What’s In and Out for 2025
I've seen a couple of these lists floating around, but I thought I'd chime in – strictly for fun – on what I think will be “IN” (and “OUT”) for social this year:
IN: Authenticity
OUT: Performance
I know, I know. People always say this when it comes to your social strategy, but what does it ACTUALLY mean? It means showing up as yourself - allll the way. I'm not talking about the super-chipper-overly-hyped-up version of yourself that you might feel the need to present on social OR the version of yourself that has it “all figured out” and shows only the best and most curated moments.
Nope - I'm not talking about that version. I'm talking about showing up authentically as YOU. The real you. Your real voice. Your real face. Your real values. And trust me - I'm not trying to get all elementary school here, but there is simply no one else like you. So use that to your advantage and trust that when you show up in your full authenticity and power your content will perform better.
Also, I'm not saying you can't be curated or polished on social, but remember that when you let people in and show them little bits of your authentic self it resonates and better yet, MAGNETIZES you to the right people.
IN: Connection
OUT: Faceless Marketing
People crave connection and whether or not we want to admit it, social media is one of the most prevalent areas of connection in our life as people spend more time online than with their friends IRL. Ways to foster a connection with your audience and truly connect with them is to SEE and UNDERSTAND them, while also allowing them to SEE and UNDERSTAND you, too!
Some tips: show your face and talk directly to the camera. Use your voice for voiceover content. Allow yourself the humanity to show up imperfectly on stories or in your reels. Real-life, unedited (or lightly edited) B-Roll content is THE thing right now on social media. While there will always be “aesthetic” content - right now it's never been cooler than just to own your real life. If you're intimidated by B-Roll and how to capture content, I have a freebie that you need.
More ways to offer connection: offer a more intimate 1:1 experience by creating a Broadcast channel (on IG), a private Voxer or Telegram group, or a paid subscription that allows access to exclusive content (like Patreon).
IN: Specificity
OUT: Trying To Do It All
Think about some of your favorite content creators (especially on TikTok). Chances are when you think about them, you probably think of them less by name and more like, “The girl who makes sourdough” or “The hoof guy" or “The girl on a no-buy.” What do all of these creators have in common? SPECIFICITY. They're focused in on one topic, niche, or type of content that works well for them and they're leaning all the way into it.
Many creators fear that niching down or getting “too focused” on one area will limit them, but in fact, I think it CAN be the opposite. It can be freeing. How much easier is it to focus on ideas for just one topic vs a dozen? Plus, when you're focused on one topic area or find yourself serving one audience well - you position yourself to become a go-to expert in the space. Yes, please!
IN: Creating a Signature Series
OUT: Selling All The Time
This has been huge on TikTok and I think it's going to continue to dominate in 2025. A signature series allows your followers to get super engaged with whatever your series is about and follow you through a journey (or wax poetic on a topic over and over again). When you find a repeatable formula that works - it helps you streamline your social strategy even more!
Think of a signature series as creating a TV show and each need post or reel is an episode designed to “move the plot along” if you will. Also, when new followers discover your series, they likely will be motivated to go back and “catch up” on previous episodes and seasons.
Again, this makes your content relatable and helps you to avoid hard selling all the time. Creating a series is about building your audience and engagement vs making the sale.
IN: Carousels
OUT: Static posts
Okay, carousels on Instagram never really went away (and I'm not saying you should never post just a static image), but I AM doubling down on carousels in 2025. They're some of the best-performing types of content on IG behind Reels, and they allow you to pack a lot of content into a small space.
However, instead of just an assortment of static images as a carousel - I see carousels being used primarily in these three ways --
To strategically inform (ex: Best B-Roll Tips for 2025)
Storytelling (ex: Here is How I Used B-Roll to Streamline My Strategy)
An artistic (ex: Continuous image or collage) or funny “round-up” of content (ex: 5 memes about shooting B-Roll).
What do you think – do you agree with my list? What did I miss or what do you think is going to be “IN” for 2025?
Also, I'm launching something really fun soon and if you want to get in there like the early bird I know you are - you can sign up here. No strings attached 😉