Trend 1: Brands will go after hyper-niche audiences.

Bigger brands have been using this strategy for years.

But 2025 will be the year smaller brands will start tapping into niche communities, too.

Wait, what do we mean by niche audiences?

Well, look at Nike.

They have separate channels for different audiences, like @nikebasketball and @nikerunning. This means they can target those niche groups with content specifically geared toward their interests.

Red Bull's another brand that's been doing this for a long time.

They've gone after sports with niche fanbases, like skydiving, mountain biking, and climbing. Each of those sports have different audiences, but the one thing they have in common is they all have a dedicated fanbase.

In the last few years, we've already seen brands get involved with local groups like run clubs. And why not, right? You have a group of young people who are all interested in the same thing. It's the perfect opportunity for brands to capitalise on that attention.

This year, we believe more brands of all sizes will start sponsoring micro-communities like this.

So, what should you do right now?

The old adage, "if you speak to everyone, you speak to no one" only applies if you're just on one channel. You can target multiple audiences as long as your messaging is specific to them.

So think about the niche communities your audience belongs to. Then, start asking yourself how your brand can capture the attention that's already there.

Trend 2: Lo-fi short-form videos will give way to high-production content.

Since the advent of TikTok, lo-fi short-form video has taken over our feeds.

And many creators and brands have relied on trend-based videos to build their audiences.

But in 2025, these videos will begin to be replaced by higher quality content.

We’ve seen this happening on YouTube already. Big creators are investing a ton into high-production content because they know their audiences love watching it. And this year, we'll start seeing more of this on short-form platforms as well.

But this trend isn’t just about high production. We'll also see more brands begin serialising their content.

In other words, instead of using trends or one-off videos, brands will begin looking at their content as a series with many episodes.

Trend content doesn't give audiences much incentive to follow an account. But a show with recurring storylines and characters is much more likely to attract followers who want to keep coming back to see what happens next.

So, what should you do right now?

Stop relying on lo-fi content! Instead, start thinking of your short-form video content as a serialised show rather than a bunch of one-off pieces.

We've actually written a whole article on how to create a social show for your brand, which you can check out here.

Trend 3: YouTube will become the new Netflix.

This year, we'll start seeing more brands creating premium content on YouTube.

And, as that happens, YouTube will become the go-to platform for long-form entertainment.

We've already seen creators build massive audiences through their YouTube content, and now more brands will begin wondering how they can do the same.

It makes sense, right? Creating a tv show actually isn't out of reach for most brands. Yes, coming up with a good concept sounds daunting. But creating a YouTube show is something you learn how to do as you go.

We've spent the last year developing our own show, The Dating Void. While we're well aware it will take a few years to be profitable, we also know it will pay off in the long run.

So, what should you do right now?

Think about whether creating a tv show for your brand makes sense. Sure, it's an investment. And yes, it will take a good bit of stamina to push through the 2–3 years it will take to see the results.

But look at the brands that saw the opportunity on TikTok 5 years ago. Everyone thought they were crazy at first, but now those brands are reaping the rewards.

If you start working on a show now, that could be you in a few years.

Trend 4: Short-form video will take over LinkedIn.

This has already started. But in 2025, you'll see more videos on text-based platforms than ever before.

Right now, the LinkedIn video algorithm is in its early days. It's still figuring out what content to show to whom, so it's mostly showing videos to people based on who they know.

But the algo will only get better as time goes on, making it easier and easier to reach new audiences using video content.

So far, we've seen that videos that work well on TikTok and Instagram also perform on LinkedIn. And, even though some people want LinkedIn to stay serious and business-y, we think funny videos will go over really well on the platform.

We haven't seen any LinkedIn videos go super viral yet, but it's only a matter of time.

So, what should we do right now?

The video tab is still a relatively new feature on LinkedIn and the algorithm is still learning. This means there's so much opportunity to start experimenting with putting videos on the platform.

The best way to find out what works is to just try stuff. So if you want to get in while it's still just ramping up, start posting lots of video content and see what works!

But, even if you aren't ready to put your own videos on LinkedIn, you should definitely begin checking out what others are doing.

Keep an eye on this trend as we know it's going to be big.

Trend 5: When it comes to paid media, brands will need to spend smarter.

In 2025, media buying structures on major ad platforms are simpler than ever.

This means everyone is using the same "best practice" setups. At the same time, more and more brands are using AI to create and optimise their ads. So the only way to stand out will be to create ads your audience actually wants to engage with.

This year, more than ever, building your brand will be essential for seeing your ads perform in the long term. Using organic social to increase brand awareness will mean you can rely less on paid media over time.

So, what should we do right now?

Focus on creating ads people want to watch. This means ads that engage, entertain, or educate in a way that feels native to the platform.

Be prepared to create a higher volume of ad creative so you can test different visuals, hooks, and storytelling tactics to see what works

If you want to increase your ad performance, you'll have to increase the amount of ad creative you're testing. So try out new ad creative as organic posts, then put spend behind the ones that perform well.

- Charlotte, Editor ♡