Your Instagram Playbook for 2025

Super-simple strategies to keep you ahead

Welcome to 2025, where we’re all finally letting go of the idea that every Instagram post has to be perfect. The platform is more fast-moving (and sometimes chaotic) than ever, so it’s all about balancing authenticity with strategy.

Below, I’m sharing the same tips I’m giving all my clients—simple but powerful guidelines to shape your content this year. Think of this as your overarching social strategy: print it out, pin it up, and keep it close as you plan and post, so you can stay focused on what truly matters for your brand.

---

---

1. Post Without Perfection
Relax your standards. Not every post needs magazine-quality photos or a polished script. Show the real you by sharing behind-the-scenes moments and genuine stories that resonate. Why does this matter? Because audiences connect more strongly with brands that feel authentic and human, so don’t worry about being perfect. Focus on realness instead.

2. Experiment with New Formats
Try it all—memes, talk-to-camera reels, stitched videos, and voiceovers. Embrace trial and error, knowing not every experiment will go viral, and that’s completely fine. Each format you explore reveals more about what your audience truly enjoys, helping you refine your approach over time.

3. Tell Specific, Relatable Stories
Avoid generic content. The more detail and personality you include, the easier it is for followers to connect. Know the point you want to make before you post, and remember that specific stories tend to be more memorable, shareable, and emotionally impactful than vague or generic ones.

4. Prioritize Engagement Over Follower Count
Nurture your existing audience by responding to comments and DMs, and don’t forget to thank your loyal fans. Having more followers doesn’t automatically mean more sales or success. A smaller, engaged community often outperforms a huge but indifferent one, so focus on building genuine connections.

5. Reshare Your Content
Recycle your biggest wins. If a post worked well before, feel free to repost or repurpose it. Try refreshing the visuals, tweaking the text, or highlighting a different angle. Your audience isn’t scrutinizing your feed as closely as you are, so it’s okay to bring back the hits for anyone who may have missed them.

6. Have Fun
Keep a light heart. Instead of obsessing over metrics, focus on enjoying the process of creating and connecting. If it becomes overwhelming, take a step back and recharge. A relaxed, positive approach fosters creativity and authenticity, making your content more compelling and true to your brand.

7. Review Your Stats and Learn
Check your analytics to see what resonates best in terms of engagement and reach. Use those insights to refine your content strategy. Remember, social media is always evolving, so stay open to learning, experimenting, and adjusting your approach as trends and audience behaviors shift.

8. Ask for Help When You Need It
Seek support when social media starts to feel like a chore, whether by hiring a manager or consulting a colleague. For example (shameless pitch here), my company operates as an outsourced content creation arm - helping small marketing teams stay consistent but providing weekly video content. Working with others can free you up to focus on what you do best, making your online presence both sustainable and effective.

2025 is the year of keeping it real, mixing up your formats, and focusing on engagement instead of flashy follower counts. By sharing authentic stories, consistently learning from your analytics, and not being afraid to ask for help, you’ll keep your audience invested and your brand on track. After all, social media should be an enjoyable way to express your brand’s personality—so give yourself permission to have some fun with it!

Here’s to a year of growth, experimentation, and genuine connection on Instagram.

Cheers!
Alison

---

Exciting News for 2025: My company (formerly Piepmeyer Co., now &SCENE) is evolving from a solo freelancer setup into a full-fledged social content creation studio. We specialize in delivering effortless, on-trend content so your brand never skips a beat on social media.

Here’s What We Offer:

• Custom, Lifestyle-Focused Videos: UGC-style content tailored to your existing strategy—no forced marketing vibes here.

• Consistent Schedule: Ready-to-post short-form videos so your channels stay fresh and engaging without the extra stress.

• Flexible Formats: Weekly Reels, monthly shoots, and a bank of content at your fingertips, all delivered like clockwork.

This new format works best for brands with an already-developed marketing team and strategy… who just need a little extra help keeping up with the relentless need for video content. You’re running your show—setting the strategy, big-picture goals, and steering your brand’s presence. We’re the extra hands (and cameras) ensuring you always have the content you need. Think of us as your outsourced creative partner, here to lighten your load and keep your social feed humming.

If you’re looking to step up your social media game in 2025 without the chaos of nonstop content demands, check out our new website to see how we can help. Let’s make social content easy, on-trend, and completely stress-free together.

---

THIS WEEK: warming up for the big game, getting into Harvard, and remembering you’re an ‘adult’.

HOP ON THESE TRENDS:

If I was your Instagram strategist, here are 3 Reels I’d encourage you to recreate for your brand: