Have you ever woken up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night? Convinced that the algorithm gods have cursed you? If so, there’s a teensy chance you might be doing social media wrong. The algorithm doesn’t hate you. Likewise, it doesn’t “love” that competing brand with 1 million+ followers. The truth is that even “good” and “pretty” content can be the wrong content if engagement is flat. Instagram Algorithm 2025

So, it’s natural to have a love-hate relationship with social media metrics. But it’s essential to remember that trying to appease the algorithm is ineffective. Because the truth is that the algorithm doesn’t care about you. Only your audience does!

In sum, the algorithm is only a measure of consumer interest. Customer interest is a reflection of your ability to output quality, connection-building content.

In short, there’s good news and bad news.

The good? There isn’t some secret code or riddle that you need to crack for social media glory.

The bad? You’ll need to start learning how to make better, more engaging content.

What the Algorithm Is, Simplified

The algorithm is surprisingly (and refreshingly) simple:

The algorithm is a reflection of what YOUR target audience wants to see online. Instagram Algorithm 2025

It’s not a complex riddle to figure out. Most important: It’s not what an Instagram expert is spouting off.

So, think about it. The longer Instagram can keep users scrolling on the app, the more ads it can show. Hence, the more money it makes. How do you keep your followers scrolling on the app (and seeing your content)? By knowing your audience so well that you can create the very thing they want to see and find entertaining.

So let’s get started. Here’s our guide on how to make content that speaks to your audience (and the algorithm) in 2025.

What the Algorithm Is, Simplified

Remember, it’s not about “how do I hack the algorithm?”. Instead, it’s about “how do I deeply understand my audience?”.

The algorithm likes what your audience likes. So, your job is to uncover what your audience likes. It’s time to make peace with the algorithm.

Instagram Algorithm 2025: It’s not that you don’t know what to post, it’s that you don’t know who you’re posting for

1. Identify Your Target Audience

No, not just their age and location.

Here at Scott Social, part of our intake process is getting to know your clients and customers. One of the first things we want to know is exactly “who” a product is for. Instagram Algorithm 2025

For smaller brands or very new entrepreneurs? The answer sometimes ends up being “everyone”. We’d love for your book, lip stain, or coaching firm to get purchased by every single person. But the truth is that no product on the planet has that kind of power. In short, every brand, author, influencer, guru, or service has a target niche.

Instagram Algorithm 2025: Marketer cringing at a target audience that is all genders and all ages

Meanwhile, you have to think smaller to *go* bigger. Broad posts get lost in the 300 million posts that go live each day on social media.

And the first step in building a steady, high-engagement social media following? It’s identifying your target audience. How do we do this?

Typically, our agency will conduct an audit of your current social media account(s). And also, your customer interactions. We do that so we can come up with up to ten customer or follower profiles. Meanwhile, depending on how a lead interacts with your brand, they tend to fall into one of a few categories. Those are important because each category requires its own “nurture” pattern. The pattern that turns engagement into sales or action.

Instagram Algorithm 2025: If you are trying to speak to everyone, you are actually speaking to no one

Audience Archetypes

In sum, here are some very general archetypes within the average target audience:

The Seeker: They are at the beginning of a journey. They’re motivated to take more control of their life. They want to collect reputable sources. And they also want to begin making different decisions than the ones they’ve been making. Your content should appear as a beacon of light and safety. And gentle authority that invites them into the conversation.

The Informed Customer: This isn’t their first rodeo with this product or niche. They value advanced content with plenty of winks and nods towards people who are already “in the know”. They also value a greater variety of content. Your content should appeal to a desire to “go deeper” or take things up a *notch*.

The Resource Sharer: This archetype loves content that affirms and inspires them. These followers are like natural brand evangelists. They’ll like, engage, and share content that *speaks* to them. Your content should also pose questions or have an interactive slant.

Keep in mind that archetypes are category-dependent. The motivations of someone following a supplement company. They’ll differ from those following a pet-sitting company. In short, it’s necessary to do an intensive audit that covers your account(s) and brand trends.

2. Get To Know Your Target Audience

One mistake that entrepreneurs make? Lumping their target audience in with the algorithm. They create a shadowy, vague entity that they are attempting to reach with their posts. To sum up, pulling back the curtain is a better strategy. So, yes, we’re talking about actually interviewing your target audience. There are a few ways to do this. For example, here are some that we like:

Create a “founder’s circle” for early customers who provide feedback on products. In exchange, offer them a never-expiring 15%, 20%, or 30% discount on all purchases. Instagram Algorithm 2025

Providing free samples or something comparable. Do this for up to 100 customers who sign up to take part in phone interviews or surveys.

Sending out offers for 20% off to any customer who completes and submits a survey.

Outsourcing to paid data-collection companies. They can conduct customer interviews and lead focus groups in your niche.

The point here goes back to surface-level desires. Why do customers buy foam face wash or browse courses from dating coaches? Those are customer needs.

Yet, it’s the “micro” motivations. The ones based on desires and values that shape purchasing decisions. That’s why we ask “why” during different phases of engagement. It creates a long-term content strategy.

Instagram Algorithm 2025: Me trying to understand why the algorithm pushed a blurry meme at 3am but not my best content

3. Audit Content To See Which Messaging Style Works

You’ve already done the work of identifying and understanding your target audience. Last, it’s time to hold your existing content up to the fire. Is it speaking to your actual audience?

If you’re like most entrepreneurs, your top-performing posts may seem like enigmas! When you tried to capture lightning in a bottle a second time by creating a similar post, it fell flat. This scenario is common (and frustrating). Instagram Algorithm 2025

The truth is that you were focusing on recreating the wrong element of that viral post. Firstly, identify your audience. Secondly, figure out what your audience needs. Then, you can now go back and isolate your top-performing posts. Analyze exactly where customer motivations align with your messaging.

You can also audit competitor posts. Reverse engineer how their high-engagement posts match the needs/values of your audience.

Get in the Driver’s Seat of Your Social Media Strategy

Yes, the Instagram algorithm 2025 is strong. Yet, it will never be as powerful as an authentic connection with your target audience. Top-performing, high-engagement social media accounts? They become that way by consistently creating authentic, value-adding content. Content aligns with their audience’s motivations and desires.

At Scott Social, we offer full-service social media consulting services. We help you learn to work with the algorithm instead of pushing against it. We know how to help you create content that speaks to your audience. Stop trying to feed a faceless algorithm that never seems satisfied. Contact us today for your consultation.