As we all know, social media never sits still and keeps on evolving everyday
Here are different social media trends to expect in 2025
1. Long-form Content Makes a Comeback
Short-form content has been dominating since TikTok gained popularity back in 2018.
Even other platforms, such as YouTube (YT shorts) and Instagram (Reels), had to adapt to this kind of content.
But now, slowly, long-form content has been making a comeback.
Although people still want quick videos to feel good, they also want long enough, meaningful videos to learn.
This is why creators on YouTube have reported that videos over 10 minutes long have been performing well.
This is good news for millennials, who have reported having a hard time creating and adopting short content.
Keep in mind that short content won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, but it’s now time for brands to not only focus on trends but also focus on creating original content.
Creators and brands are now using longer videos and detailed captions to build deeper connections with their audience.
2. Brands and Creators Embrace AI
AI has played a major role in content creation since 2022, when AI started gaining traction.
Brands and Creators have been using AI to generate ideas, analyze their content, and even write content.
In 2024, we have seen people use AI-created images and graphics.
In 2025 and moving forward, we will see AI play a much bigger role in content creation.
We’re not just talking about things like automatic transcribing, caption generation, and short-form video generation from long videos. AI plays an even bigger role, including AI models and AI influencers.
Brands and creators now use AI models and influencers to advertise their products or generate content with fully AI-generated videos or images.
One of the AI influencers performing really well is Aitana Lopez, a fitness model created by The Clueless. This influencer is reported to be earning over €3,000/month on average and even up to €10,000/month. Currently, the model has over 361K followers on Instagram, and it’s possible to hire her through her agency.
Since then, multiple AI influencers have been created and gained traction.
This trend is only in its infant stage, and we can only expect it to grow from here.
3. Rise of Micro-Communities
Brands and creators are now shifting from mass-targeting everyone to focusing more on deep engagement with smaller and loyal groups within their niche.
The pandemic took a toll on many people, and it made people consider what’s really important. Now, many people crave real, deep, and meaningful connections over quick, surface-level conversations.
This has caused the rise of micro-communities where creators focus more on building long-term loyalty over virality.
The communities bring together groups who share similar interests and get to learn from each other.
And they don’t have to be completely free. Some communities offer paid memberships.
Some of these communities include the Indie Hackers community, which offers both a free and paid membership.
One notable community is the Small Bets community, which was recently sold for $3M by its creator, Daniel Vassallo, to Gumroad, a major company that helps people sell products online.
4. Strategic Product Placement by Influencers
Product placement has been around for a long time. We have seen it in movies, TV shows, and mainstream media.
And now it’s making its way rapidly to Social media.
While it’s not new, and influencers have been using it for a long time, it’s now being used more than ever.
You will find an influencer talking about something on camera while doing her facial routine, talking about everything but the products she’s using.
Scroll to the comments and you will see people asking about the products she’s using.
It’s like seeing James Bond driving an Aston Martin but not talking about it. And if you’re a car buff, you’ll always Google the car to learn about it.
It’s the same with how products are advertised nowadays.
It’s not a bad thing; it’s just that people prefer more authentic content nowadays.
5. Social Media SEO
We all know the role SEO plays in traditional content and websites.
And now, in social media, it’s important to consider the keywords and hashtags you use on your posts.
Social media apps compete for usage time, and they don’t want people to go to other apps, which is why they also focus on SEO.
Social media users, especially Gen Z, now use their favorite social media platforms as search engines.
Want to know about a trending restaurant? Search Instagram.
Need outfit inspiration for the weekend? Search Pinterest.
Looking for honest product reviews? Search TikTok.
So, it’s important to consider the keywords you want to rank for when creating your content and using the right keywords in your captions and hashtags.
6. Gated Content
There’s been a growing shift towards gated content.
There are many reasons for this, but one major reason is that people value free content less than paid-for content.
It’s just basic human psychology.
You can offer a free eBook and advertise it to your followers, and get just a couple of downloads. But if you put it behind a paywall, the same eBook that you used to give away for free will get more downloads than before, and you’ll even receive money for it.
And it’s the same on the consumer’s side. You may download an eBook for free, but it may take you 1 year to finish it or never finish it at all. But you’ll finish the eBook that you paid for very quickly.
This is why there is a rise in gated content. It benefits both sides.
An example of this is a creator on 𝕏/Twitter who created a community and it was open for 5 years but now when it’s invite-only people want to get it more than ever.
and then OF COURSE this happens. The human brain is a misteryhttps://t.co/eodpv1bCxw
— Francesco Ciulla (@FrancescoCiull4) May 5, 2025
7. More Face-to-Face Camera Content
With the rise of authentic content, face-to-camera content is growing more than ever.
Creators on video platforms are now creating content where they are speaking directly into the camera.
This makes the viewers feel that they are being spoken to face-to-face.
You can grab inspiration from creators like Joey Kidney, who excel at this kind of content.
@joeykidneythe lonely version
The best part? You don’t need to look into the camera all the time. You can look down or add B-roll content.
Final Thoughts
All the social media trends of 2025 have a common theme: focusing on what really moves the needle, no matter how others may perceive it.
This can be summarized by focusing on metrics that matter rather than obsessing over vanity metrics.
If you’re looking for a solution that will help create and distribute content at ease, then try Hypefury. It’s a social media tool that makes it easy to create and distribute content across different social media platforms
