2025 Instagram Best Practices: What used to work, no longer does
I am about to you hours of your life right now. You know that mile-long Instagram checklist you've been religiously following? The one that has you counting hashtags at 2 AM and obsessing over whether Tuesday at 2 PM is really better than Wednesday at 3 PM? Yeah, you can throw those "Instagram best practices" in the trash.
I've been posting on Instagram long enough to watch every single "must-do" best practice crash and burn, and let me tell you, it's actually the best thing that could have happened for your social media strategy as a small business owner. Think about it: if all those "foolproof" tactics actually worked, wouldn't everyone be going viral?
Let's talk about what really matters on Instagram in 2025, and spoiler alert: it's way simpler than you think.
The Evolution of Instagram Strategy
Remember when posting on Instagram felt like following a complex recipe? You needed the perfect hashtag list, strategic tagging, optimal posting times, and location settings just to get your content seen. As someone who has posted and managed multiple Instagram accounts for years, I've watched these "essential" best practices become increasingly irrelevant.
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Old Instagram Best Practices That No Longer Work
Remember all those Instagram "rules" we used to follow religiously? The ones that had us counting hashtags like we were counting calories, and tagging random accounts like we were playing Instagram bingo?
Well, grab your coffee because we need to talk about why these old-school Instagram tactics aren't just outdated, they're actually holding you back. Let's break down these supposedly sacred best practices and why you can finally stop stressing about them. Trust me, your social media anxiety is about to drop faster than Instagram's organic reach in 2016.
#️⃣ The Death of Strategic Hashtags and Endless Hashtag Lists
Once considered the holy grail of Instagram reach, hashtag strategy has lost its power. While including a few relevant hashtags might help categorize your content, spending hours researching and curating the perfect hashtag list is now wasted time. The platform's algorithm has evolved beyond simple hashtag discovery, focusing instead on content quality and user behavior.
Will Hashtags Hurt Your Content?
No, using hashtags won't negatively impact your content's performance. They simply don't provide the reach boost they once did. The real harm comes from spending valuable time researching and managing hashtag strategies instead of focusing on content creation and business development.
Transitioning Away from Hashtags
If you're using saved hashtag lists that take one click to add, there's no harm in continuing. However, I recommend gradually phasing them out and redirecting that energy toward content creation and engagement. Many social media experts predict Instagram may eventually remove the hashtags tab from searches entirely.
🏷️ Why Tag-for-Share Tactics Are Actually Hurting You
The practice of tagging accounts in hopes of a repost was always questionable, but now it's officially considered spam. This approach not only wastes time but can actually damage your account's reputation. Instagram's algorithm is increasingly sophisticated at detecting spam-like behavior, making this old "growth hack" more harmful than helpful.
📍 Location Tags Have A New Purpose
Unless you're running a local brick-and-mortar business, location tagging has minimal impact on your content's performance. Here's why:
Some content now includes music, which replaces the location tag position
Users rarely browse location pages anymore
The algorithm prioritizes other factors for content discovery
How to Approach Location Tagging
For most small business owners, location tags have become optional. However, having your location in your profile bio remains crucial for businesses. It's become surprisingly difficult to determine where businesses are based, making this simple addition to your bio more valuable than ever.
⏰ The Myth of Perfect Posting Times
Perhaps the most liberating shift in Instagram best practices is the death of "optimal posting times." I recently posted content at 11:11 PM – far from my audience's supposed peak activity time, and achieved 4,600 shares and 10,000 saves. This success proved what many social media managers have suspected: quality content performs regardless of posting time.
The New Instagram Foundations for Success in 2025
Alright, let's get real about what actually moves the needle on Instagram in 2025. No more chasing algorithm ghosts or doing Instagram busywork that doesn't lead anywhere. If you're nodding your head thinking about all the time you've wasted on "hacks" and "secret strategies," I get it.
But after managing Instagram accounts and testing literally everything under the social media sun, I've boiled it down to what truly matters. These aren't just random tips I'm throwing at you; these are the core foundations that consistently drive results.
And the best part? They're actually simpler than all that technical optimization nonsense we used to obsess over. Let's break down what really works now.
Content Quality: Focus on creating valuable, engaging content that resonates with your audience
Consistency: Regular posting matters more than perfect timing
Authenticity: Real, relatable content outperforms overly polished posts
Business Focus: Align your content strategy with your business goals
Time Management: Spend time on activities that directly impact your business growth
If you're used to following the old Instagram playbook, here's how to adapt:
Audit your current process and eliminate time-consuming optimization tasks
Redirect your energy toward content creation and audience engagement
Focus on measuring business results rather than vanity metrics
Test different posting times and approaches without fear
Prioritize creating content that serves your audience and business goals
👀 The Only Instagram Best Practice That Really Matters
After years of testing and analyzing Instagram performance, I've discovered that the single most important best practice is simply this: actually posting content. The perfect post at the "wrong" time will always outperform the never-published post you're endlessly tweaking.
Oh, and make sure you are up to date on Instagram's new post sizes for 2025! The only best practice you need to worry about is creating content in the right size, so it is perfectly optimized for your audience to follow!
The simplification of Instagram best practices is good news for businesses and content creators. Instead of managing complex posting checklists, you can focus on what truly matters: creating valuable content that serves your audience and drives business results.
The most successful Instagram strategies aren't the most complicated – they're the ones you can consistently execute while running your business effectively.
want to try out some templates that can boost your engagement?
To help you get started, I've created 10 free, customizable templates for feed posts. These templates are perfect for those days when you need to post but don't have fresh content ready. Save them on your phone and use them whenever needed – and yes, you can absolutely reuse them!
Manu Muraro is the founder of Your Social Team, an Instagram training membership and content shop to help social media managers and Instagram savvy women entrepreneurs to beat the algorithm and grow their organic engagement (yes, even in 2021).
This year she also launched Your Template Club, a Canva Template subscription to provide social media managers and Instagram savvy business owners with content templates designed for engagement in their inbox.
Born and raised in Brazil, Manu moved to the U.S. in 2000 right out of college to work for Cartoon Network, where she made an award winning career in creative and strategy. In 2017, Manu started Your Social Team with the mission of helping women entrepreneurs and social media managers grow engagement and sales through Instagram without the overwhelm.