As we jump into 2025, it’s time to rethink your social media strategy. What platform shifts are coming in the new year? How will these impact your current approach? It’s not time to panic. Analyzing social media 2025 predictions is just another social media priority to add to your list. We’ll help you out.
Publishers must be more strategic than ever to thrive in these increasingly competitive spaces. This means staying ahead of trends, anticipating platform shifts, and adapting quickly. Here are the key social media shifts we’ve observed going into 2025 and how publishers can leverage them for success.
Trends for publishers on social media in 2025
Emerging competitors: Bluesky vs. Threads
While Facebook and Instagram continue to battle for popularity, two other apps are jumping in to compete against each other: Bluesky and Threads.
Bluesky saw massive user growth by the end of 2024, sparking a notable migration among journalists, publishers, and media sou. Threads is different than Bluesky in many ways. Still, it may not be enough to push audiences to engage with both platforms. Time will tell.
Keep an eye on these two apps this year. Your audience’s actions will determine which app (or both) will work best for your brand. Here are some additional links to help your team plan:
Platform dropoffs
As new platforms rise, old platforms sometimes fall. The short-form video champ TikTok remains on legislative rocky grounds. Currently serving 170 million Americans, the Senate remains undecided on when or if the app will be banned in 2025. This is another story for publishers to watch, especially those involved with TikTok.
X is experiencing its own troubles following it into the new year. Post-election engagement on the platform has continued to decline steadily. In fact, the current trajectory shows X losing millions of possible users in the coming year if no changes arise.
Ephemeral content
Some of the most impactful content in 2025 will be ephemeral posts–content that has a timestamp. Instagram stories, for instance, let publishers post short-lived messages that spike a sense of urgency as they disappear within 24 hours.
When creating ephemeral content, be strategic about what you’re posting. These bits should not be Evergreen stories (we have other ideas for creating these!) or content your audience comes looking for. Highlight time-sensitive content, product and service launches, or personal posts about your brand that users can only find by engaging or checking in often.
Other examples of ephemeral content (all lasting 24 hours) include Instagram notes, Threads disappearing posts, Facebook stories, TikTok stories, and Snapchat posts.
Voice search
We know users are turning to social media platforms like Pinterest and YouTube over traditional search engines. But did you know that voice searches are becoming one of the most popular search methods? What does this mean for publishers?
The rise in voice search makes it more crucial for publishers to optimize their social media and website content, keeping natural language in mind when using keywords and phrases. How would someone verbally inquire about your brand? What type of language would they use? This is the language you should be optimizing with.
Standing trends
Short-form videos have been a growing trend across most platforms, and their dominance will continue into 2025. However, despite some 2024 predictions highlighting a user desire for longer, more in-depth videos, shorter videos are returning to the limelight.
Visually appealing videos that run 30 seconds or less are killing it. Some areas to focus on include behind-the-scenes demos, customer testimonials, and authentic messages directed to connect with your audience empathetically.
Our team has a lot of tips on how publishers can optimize their social media, which can help you determine what areas you need to insert this new language for voice search.
Heavily customized spaces
Users are demanding more control over their online experience in 2025. They’re fed up with feeling bombarded by information they don’t want and content they no longer align with. They also want more privacy without feeling like their personal information is at risk with every click.
For publishers, this comes back to authenticity. Be clear and upfront about your brand, what you provide, and what you don’t. Some platforms offer more customized experiences than others, so these are probably where your audience will gravitate this year. If you can’t be everything, focus on these first.
More AI tools
AI has changed the landscape of social media for consumers and publishers. This means we’re likely to see more AI tools roll out in 2025 and the integration of more accurate algorithms curating content. Personalization is still everything; the more customized these apps can make the user experience, the better, which is where AI thrives.
In short, 2025 is a year for working smarter, not harder. To keep up with the demands of audiences, publishers can utilize their own creative AI tools to streamline how they curate and publish content. True Anthem’s AI-powered tool frees up a lot of time for our customers and accomplishes the consistency social media platforms require to stand out.
Automating content management streamlines repetitive tasks such as scheduling posts, analyzing content performance, highlighting Evergreen potential, and optimizing post times. With all this under control, news teams can do the work they enjoy.
Prioritize authenticity in 2025
Overall, authenticity remains key to long-term success on all social media platforms. Publishers who are honest and show up with valuable content will see more positive results than those who don’t.
Authenticity is the most powerful when brands are consistent, which arguably can be hard to accomplish with the increasing news-publishing demands of 2025. We know your time is precious; you can’t do it all. Let True Anthem help you in areas where you can boost your online presence without sacrificing more time.
Reach out to us for more or request a demo to jump right in.
