Listen to ‘The future of Instagram’ on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Your player of choice

In today’s episode, we’re breaking down why social media feels harder than it ever has—and why it’s not just you. From Q4 overwhelm to AI-generated content flooding every platform, we talk honestly about why views, likes, and engagement are down across the board and what creators need to understand heading into 2025.

We dive into how AI is changing the way people consume content, why audiences are craving real human connection more than ever, and why talking content and long-form platforms are becoming increasingly powerful. This episode also explores how to shift your mindset around success metrics, stop comparing your content to past years, and build a strategy that actually works in the evolving social media landscape.

If you’ve been questioning your content performance, feeling discouraged by declining engagement, or wondering how to future-proof your brand, this episode will help you reframe what success looks like and adapt without burning out.

In this episode, I cover:

• Why engagement drops during Q4
• How AI is changing content visibility and trust
• Why human, talking content is gaining power
• How success metrics are shifting heading into 2025
• What content formats are working right now
• The difference between SEO and AEO
• Why long-form, evergreen platforms matter more than ever
• How to adapt your content strategy without burning out

Full transcription of episode:

“Every month inside IG University I do a live Q and A with students and this past month my student Nora asked a really question so I wanted to share that conversation with you in today’s episode. The clip starts off with Nora asking the question and then it dives into my thoughts on her question. Enjoy.

Alright Nora, go ahead.

Cool, thank you. Yeah I think in general I’m kind of, recently I had to scroll through my profile and I feel like I used to post these, I don’t know, kind of almost random reels and they would easily get 2…3…5,000 views and 10,000 views and now I feel like I’m putting actually a lot more effort in it and they’re not getting as much reach, um, as it used to. I know the algorithm has changed, right, so stuff has evolved but in general like engagement seems to be down, people comment less, um, I saw that the overall kind of usage of Instagram is starting to go down for the first time like rather than, it used to always grow, so yeah. I’m just wondering like in the face of all of that, like, if you, if you would kind of you know, boil it down to what you’ve been observing recently still works or, now is working.

Yeah.

Like, what shifts would we need to do.

Yeah, no that’s a really great question. So the first thing right off the bat is right now, this season every year is really hard on social media because everyone is posting 100,000 times more, there’s more paid advertising, 

There’s more paid advertising. You’re just fighting for space basically, because more people are posting since sales are happening. It’s the holidays—Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas. This is when people go crazy with their marketing.

Your content is now competing with people posting exponentially more than they have any other quarter of the year. That’s just something to be aware of, and that’s the case every single year with Q4. There’s no discrepancy there. Social media numbers are always down, usually across the board on any platform in Q4, because there’s just so much content going out, paid advertising happening, and more emails than ever.

That’s actually something funny I realized before I hopped on this call. I got three emails from companies just within the last two days that I didn’t even realize I was subscribed to because they hadn’t emailed me in months. Then suddenly it’s like, “Oh, it’s Black Friday—here we are, here’s a discount.” I just thought that was funny, but it’s definitely a huge factor.

The second factor at play is our favorite topic: AI. There’s more content flooding social media because content is easier to create. A lot of people are running AI-based accounts. I’m sure you’ve seen them—AI reels, AI videos, AI pictures, even AI profile photos. Sometimes it’s not even clear whether it’s supposed to look like the person or if it’s meant to be a faceless account.

Because it’s easier to create content this way, there’s more content being flooded onto platforms. Sometimes it’s obvious something is AI, and other times it’s not. I do think this is starting to affect users across all social platforms. People are subconsciously questioning, “Is this AI? Is this real?” Even if they’re not questioning you directly, it’s something we have to think about as creators.

We need to ask: what can we do to help people recognize that our content is human and not AI? This is a conversation I’ve been having with a lot of people. I posted a talking reel recently, and many people said they’re more drawn to talking reels now because they can see and hear a real person. It creates an instant connection, and talking reels have always been powerful—but I think they’re going to become even more powerful moving forward.

The sooner you start doing that and the sooner people recognize this as a type of content they can expect from you, the more powerful it’s going to be. If you’re not already incorporating talking content, start doing more of it—less produced, more “FaceTiming a friend” vibes. AI content tends to be very high production, so casual, human content becomes a differentiator.

Those are the two biggest factors: Q4 and AI. The third thing—and I’m not totally sure if it’s caused by the first two—is that across the board, views and engagement are down. I have friends with large followings who are all saying the same thing. Especially likes. That part is really interesting.

I think we’re going to have to shift how we view success. I’m starting to see it as Instagram before 2025 and Instagram after 2025. That’s not meant to scare you—it’s just the evolution of social media. If you’ve been on Instagram for a while, you won’t be able to compare performance the same way you did in 2024. Success metrics are changing.

My own baseline for what I consider “good performance” has changed. Everyone’s baseline will be different, but it’s going to shift if it hasn’t already. I’d encourage you to stop comparing this year to last year and instead create a new 2025 baseline for success.

Something interesting I’ve noticed is that my carousel posts are performing better than my reels lately. I don’t know the exact reason, and I know not everyone is experiencing this, but I’ve heard it from others too. That’s something worth experimenting with alongside talking reels.

I was on a call with Jenna Kutcher recently, and she talked about how AI is changing everything—not just Instagram, but blogging, YouTube, and all platforms. She introduced the concept of AEO: AI Engine Optimization. SEO still exists, but now optimizing for AI matters too, because platforms like ChatGPT recommend blog posts.

Someone else on the call shared that they’ve gotten clients who found them through ChatGPT. They track where people come from, and ChatGPT showed up as a source. I’ve heard that from other creators too, which is really interesting.

All of this is to say: AI is affecting everything. We have to be willing to adapt and be more human. That’s the real question—how can we be more human?

Because of this, evergreen platforms are going to be more important than ever. When I say evergreen, I mean long-form content: blogs, YouTube, podcasts. If you’re new to Instagram, don’t let that overwhelm you—focus on where you are. But even something like guest podcasting once a month is a great way to get into spaces where content lasts longer and allows you to show your humanity.

I saw a post recently where someone said podcasts are a safe space because people don’t want to listen to AI-based podcasts. You want to hear the human experience. The same applies to YouTube. These platforms allow us to best showcase our humanity.

That’s why communities and connection-based spaces are going to matter more. With AI creating confusion about what’s real, people will crave human connection even more. It can feel disorienting trying to tell what’s AI and what’s not.

So to sum it up: time of year matters, AI is affecting everything, and there’s a clear shift happening around 2025. Strategically, putting yourself in long-form, evergreen spaces is one of the best moves you can make.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how to shift my Instagram strategy so Instagram isn’t the main place I create content—but instead a place where I repurpose content from podcasts or other long-form platforms. I’m still showing up, just creating differently.

Jenna also mentioned that conversions on short-form platforms like Instagram and TikTok are lower than she’s seen in ten years. She said if you’re not creating for evergreen platforms, you risk getting left behind. Those were her words, not mine—but I thought it was really interesting given her experience.

That was a long answer, but those are my thoughts. None of this is hard fact—it’s just what I’m observing in the industry and how I’m thinking about my own strategy.”

Resources & Links:

• Join Scalability
• 30 free selling on stories prompts
• Scaling Unlocked Mastermind Application
• Kajabi 30-day free trial + 2 bonuses
• Manychat
• IG University

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Connect with Mya:

• Follow on Instagram @myanichol 
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More about the Radical Disruption podcast: 

Are you wanting to make waves in your industry, push the envelope, and change the way things are done in a radical way? Are you looking for tangible, tactical, and actionable steps that will help you build a sustainable business that stands out? You’re in the right place!

Radical Disruption is home to the disrupters. Here, you’ll learn how to take your business to the next level, break the status quo, and build a disruptive business.

Nursing student turned business and social media expert and host Mya Nichol (hey, that’s me!) shares the real and raw of the crazy journey of entrepreneurship and building a multi-six-figure business.

Through solo episodes and special guest interviews, you can expect honest conversations about throwing out the traditional way of business, scaling in a sustainable way, and becoming the go-to expert in your industry. It’s time to build a disruptive business. See you on Tuesdays!

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