89: The Instagram Growth Shift: Why Personal Content Wins in 2025 and Beyond
If your content isn’t converting, it’s not your strategy, it’s your messaging.
In this Strut It episode, I’m breaking down one of the biggest shifts we’re seeing on Instagram right now: moving from generic to personal and specific content. The truth is, broad, how-to posts like “5 Ways to Grow Your Instagram” no longer perform. What’s working now are personalized, story-driven posts that speak directly to your ideal clients.
I share examples of real hooks that perform, how to use lived experiences to make your content feel human and relatable, and why the content that scares you a little is usually the content that connects the most.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[01:06] The biggest content shift happening on Instagram right now
[03:56] Why specific, story-driven hooks outperform generic how-tos
[05:44] The end of the “five tips” era and what to do instead
[08:08] A real example from my business: how I grew 20,000 followers in 30 days
[09:34] What Adam Mosseri says about shareable content and DMs
[11:53] How to write posts that get shared—and why people share them
[13:44] Coaching example: rewriting a burnout coach’s hook for clarity and impact
[15:40] How to transform a generic idea into a personal, scroll-stopping hook
[18:59] The difference between “I/me” hooks and “you” hooks (and how to use both)
[20:53] A simple storytelling prompt to create relatable, magnetic content
[22:20] How to get feedback and mentorship inside my Hot Reels content lab
Key Takeaways:
Generic hooks are out, personalized, story-driven content is in.
People share content that makes them feel seen and understood.
Speak in your audience’s language; your words build the bridge.
Specific details make your stories, and your brand, more memorable.
The content that feels vulnerable to post is often what connects most.
Your stories aren’t about you; they’re about your audience’s experience through your lens.
This Week’s Challenge
Create one piece of content that feels personal and specific. It could be a Reel, carousel, or post that shares a true story or insight from your journey.
Use the prompt: “What I wish I knew before…” and fill in the blank with a meaningful moment or decision from your business or life.
Then tag me @elizabethmarberry on Instagram. I’d love to see it and cheer you on.
Links Mentioned:
Join the Hot Reels Waitlist: elizabethmarberry.com/hot. Get early access and bonuses when doors open in December.
A Truth You Need to Hear:
“The content that scares you a little bit to post is usually the content that connects the most.”
S3 Ep89 Transcript: The Instagram Growth Shift: Why Personal Content Wins in 2025 and Beyond
00:00
Today we're talking about how to make your content feel personal, specific, and magnetic so it actually activates your ideal client or customer. Because generic hooks are out, and I'm breaking down exactly how you can write posts that stand out, feel relatable, and attract the people who are ready to buy. I hope you're excited. Let's go.
00:27
Welcome to Strut It, a podcast about creating bold visibility on social media with zero apologies. I'm Elizabeth Marberry, your host and Instagram marketing coach. I help small business owners get seen on Instagram and monetize their offers so they can make more money doing their sole led work. If you're tired of spinning your wheels on Instagram and you're seeking simple, proven Instagram marketing strategies that actually work, you're in the right place.
00:56
Let's dive in.
01:06
Welcome back to the show. I'm so thrilled that you have joined me for another episode of Strut It. Every week we break down exactly what's working and what's not working for businesses and brands on Instagram. I hope you were able to listen to last week's interview with Heidi Thompson because we really went deep on messaging and how imperative it is that in your marketing, whether that's on Instagram,
01:33
your website, your blog, your emails, that we are using the words of our ideal clients or customers. And last week, Heidi really broke down how to do target market research. So you're not just guessing or throwing spaghetti at the wall, but you're looking at actual data. So if you haven't listened to that episode, go check it out. It's what I like to call unsexy pre-work to marketing.
01:59
It will make all of your efforts on Instagram so much more effective. Last week's episode really tees up the topic that I wanted to bring to you today, which is a shift in what is really performing well on Instagram as we head into the end of 2025 and we're looking at 2026 marketing trends. And that is specific content versus general content on Instagram.
02:29
Now, I do want to highlight that this is not a new thing, but I have seen it slowly expand and progress into more and more specific and personalized content really in the last 12 months. I would say this has been happening and shifting since the end of 2022 into 23, 24, and 25. So like I said, it's not a totally new thing. But with that being said,
02:58
It's imperative that you are aware of this shift because if you are still posting to your feed like you did in 2022, you're probably feeling really frustrated. And we're going to get into exactly what I mean in terms of general and specific content. And I have a lot of examples for you. So you can start to take that target market research that you did last week, those words of your ideal clients or customers, how they describe their problem.
03:28
how they describe the struggles or what keeps them up at night and really what they want and what they desire and how your product or service is the solution to what they need. And really, truly, that is one of the main keys to standing out on Instagram is, yes, do you need to have killer video content? Absolutely, you do. And the words that you choose to put on the screen for your hooks.
03:56
the words that you choose to put in your captions or your bio, the words you choose are really how you are going to build that bridge and connect with your ideal client and becoming masterful at the words that you choose to put on the screen will pay off in dividends because when you speak your ideal client's language and you speak directly to them where they say, my gosh, I see myself in your content, you're gonna build that
04:25
And consumers these days are very wary, right? They're wary of lies, of clickbait. In this day and age of being a consumer, we are all much more aware of the brands we're buying from. We want to know who we're buying from. And Instagram and social media and video is such a beautiful way of building trust and authentic connection with our audience. And so,
04:55
It's never been more important to add in that personalized, really specific, really relatable content. So that way we can build those bridges of connection with our people so they can find us, follow us, so our content can activate them, meaning move people into action. uh
05:17
And then when you have a customer journey set up or your Instagram sales funnel, that's when Instagram starts to feel like magic because it is working for your business, whether you're on the platform or not, because you are so strategic in how you're positioning your content. So there has been this massive shift in what kind of content actually connects with people.
05:44
And the era of the generalized hooks like, tips to grow your Instagram are officially over. I wanna put this little caveat in this episode, which is that I don't believe in black and white rules. I've seen a lot of Instagram coaches on the platform going full bore into stop saying you and only say I or me.
06:10
Like you can't say you in your hooks anymore because you have to personalize everything in your language in terms of using I and me. I get why they're saying that. They're trying to make a point, but it's never black and white. Okay, so full permission to not be boxed in. I don't know about you, but when someone tells me you can't do this, you can only do this, I wanna do the opposite. I love to feel creative freedom.
06:39
And if I follow too many rules, it shuts down my creativity. So I wanted to say that here. Always in these episodes, I am bringing you a teaching that you can go and run with. I practice zero gatekeeping. You can hire me or not. I want you to be successful, right? And the most important thing is that what I share resonates with you and your brand and your business. And it makes sense for you. If I ever share
07:08
something that doesn't align or doesn't make sense for you and your brand, please don't do it. And that is true of anything that you're consuming, right? For your content to be effective, you have to be 100 % behind it. So my goal for today is that you understand the shift that is happening and you find a way to apply it to your business so you can start activating your ideal clients or customers on Instagram so they can find you.
07:39
and buy from you, that is my goal. Here is the shift from generic to personal. So let's go back to 2022 for a second. That's when posts like five ways to grow your Instagram were absolutely killing it. Generic how-to content was the name of the game. Fast forward to 2025, 2026, that same headline would probably get you crickets. Now, if I was gonna share something like that, like,
08:08
here's how to grow your Instagram account. I would change the messaging on the screen to be much more specific. So I'm going to use an example for myself because this actually happened to me. So here's how I gained 20,000 followers in 30 days without posting every day. Okay, I actually did have a month on Instagram where this happened. But do you hear how much more specific that hook is? Then here's five ways to grow your Instagram.
08:37
It's still educational, but now it's personal because it's coming from my lived experience, my brand and business experience. And it's more story-driven. And that's because social media is social, right? People are coming on the platform to unplug. People are very stressed. They're very busy. They don't need a dissertation. They don't want to get their MBA when they come onto Instagram.
09:06
They just want to unplug, laugh, have their eyes open to something they had never thought about. It's not that you can't do the educational content. It's that it's all about the positioning of how you do it and being really specific so you stand out in a crowded marketplace. And it's awesome. Instagram has over three billion monthly active users. Adam Ozari.
09:34
The CEO of Instagram recently announced that they hit three billion monthly users. And oh my gosh, I mean, that is bananas, right? And with millions more people creating reels every single day, the bar for attention and connection is so much higher, right? So you can't just teach anymore. You have to relate. You have to be highly empathetic with your ideal client.
10:03
Adam Ozari also said that there's more content being shared in the DMs every single day than there is content being posted to feeds. So think about that for a second. People are sending posts back and forth to their friends more than they're actually posting. So this means that your goal with almost every post you make should be creating content that is worthy of being sent from one person.
10:33
to another, right? And I want you to pause for a minute, because a lot of times we kind of think like, oh my gosh, I don't even know what kind of content that is. Just go look in your DMs. Like my husband and I send each other stuff every day, right? Sometimes it's really funny, humorous stuff. Like he'll send me some really hysterical dog videos, like we love dog videos.
10:58
I will send him stuff on ADHD. Both of our kids have ADHD. I have ADHD. I will send him humor on perimenopause. I'm in my mid-40s. I'm going through perimenopause. Like, you can think about the stuff that you send to your partner or your girlfriend or your colleague, right? What kind of content are you sharing? What kind of content makes you think, oh my gosh, Sarah needs to see this?
11:25
or this is exactly what I was just talking about with my friend. So those generic like five tips content, it's really not shareable in that way, is it? But personal stories or specific struggles or like real moments, those get shared like crazy because they make people feel seen and understood. So let me give you some examples so you can start to kind of wrap your brain around this and how you could apply this to your business.
11:53
One of my private clients right now, she is a burnout and stress recovery coach for veterinary professionals because if you are a vet, you know that you work exceptionally long hours and it's a very, very demanding, high stress, high stakes job. And I've learned a lot about it from my client because I'm not a veterinarian, right? But
12:18
She was working on a hook the other day and I wanted to share this with you as an example of where she started and where we went to. She created this really incredible educational carousel post that essentially is saying the key to healing long-term from burnout and stress and really getting off the stress spin cycle is rewiring your subconscious mind.
12:48
So you can actually break free from these patterns that you have probably lived in for decades, right? It's easy to think that when you're in a really stressed out, toxic work environment, oh, if I just get a different job, I'm gonna feel better. But the truth is, if you don't go deep and you work on healing those conscious and subconscious layers that are present, you will just repeat the same pattern in a different workplace.
13:16
So this was a really powerful carousel post that she was putting together. And as you know from listening to this podcast, and of course, you know a thing or two about Instagram if you're still with me here listening to me, the first slide of your carousel is a hook, right? Like you have to hook people on that first slide. Those first couple of slides are so important. So when she first was putting this carousel post together, her first slide was...
13:44
what your therapist won't tell you about healing from burnout. Well, I understood where she was going with this and she then full support of therapy for her clients. She's not a therapist, she's a coach. But you can tell from that hook, like the messaging was not directed at her ideal clients, which are veterinary professionals. And it also wasn't personal, was it? It's
14:12
what your therapist won't tell you about healing from burnout, right? And kind of a general hook. There's a couple examples that I gave her that would be much more specific hooks. So instead of what your therapist won't tell you about healing from burnout, I said, what if you said something like, I thought burnout was just part of being a vet until I realized what was really going on. Do you hear how that hook
14:41
calls out her ideal client and what does it do? It peaks curiosity. When people are curious, they want to read more. So you're like, wait, what was going on? I want to keep swiping through these slides. Another example I gave her was, I thought burnout was just part of being a veterinarian until I landed in the hospital and realized what was really going on. So with that hook, I added the piece about landing in the hospital because she did, that was part of her story.
15:11
of being a veterinarian for 16 years and going into severe burnout? Do you hear how that personal aspect would kind of stop your scroll? If you are a veterinary professional, you would see that and be like, oh my gosh, what? And you would see yourself in that hook. So that's what I mean about getting more specific. I'm going to give you a couple other examples. So let's say you are a service provider and your hook is
15:40
How to price your services, way too general, right? What if instead of that you said, I undercharged for three years until one client said this to me and it changed everything about my business? Do you hear how much more specific that is? I'm telling you the story of I undercharged and then I had this aha moment and it changed everything. And you're like, well, what was the aha moment, right? Curiosity.
16:10
Another great example of this came up on my feed and this is the handle BrowseXAnalysia. It's a note that she wrote in her notes app on her phone. And the hook she has on the screen is, since you have time to scroll, you definitely have plenty of time to get your browse done. That's a great example of attraction style content that's still promoting her paid offer, right?
16:39
because she could have said something very generic, like three reasons why you wanna get your brows done. But instead of saying that, because that wouldn't have stopped the scroll, since you have time to scroll, you definitely have plenty of time to get your brows done. How creative is that? And this post got over 306 reposts. Think about that, 306 people saw that and reposted that message.
17:06
because it's hysterical, right? It makes you laugh and it reminds you, oh wait, I do need to get my brows done or I love how she did that formula. I'm gonna use that same formula for my business, right? Like you could take that formula. Since you have time to scroll, you definitely have plenty of time to blank, right? Looking at my Instagram right now, here's another example of a phenomenal hook that just popped up and this one has over.
17:34
6,000 likes over 9,000 shares. And this one is also a carousel. And the first slide says, things to say to your spouse in front of your kids, if you want them to know what healthy conflict sounds like. That is very specific. Like when I read that to you, it's a very clear picture in your mind versus saying something general, how to teach your kids about
18:04
conflict in your home. Things to say to your spouse in front of your kids if you want them to know what healthy conflict sounds like. This is where Instagram is and where it's going to continue to go as we move into 2026 is personalized content. And if you're getting a little in your head about this, you can think about using I or me. Like I said, you can use the word you. Don't overthink this.
18:32
And what I've learned about working with hundreds of clients on their messaging and their hooks, because this is a skill, it takes time, and truly the best way that you're gonna learn this is by doing. So don't just listen to this episode and be like, okay, I'll figure it out someday. Just go and post a reel or a carousel today and use I or me. You could even start with writing the hook in a general way like you normally would just to get it out there.
18:59
and then look at it and say, okay, how could I refine this so it's more of a personal story kind of vibe or a personal voice? And that's where you can use the language I and me. And your audience doesn't actually care about you as the creator until much later in their journey, right? So when you think about creating a reel, we're creating reels for people who don't even know we exist yet. They don't really care about you.
19:28
care about themselves and their problems, right? So when you share personal stories, you're not really sharing about you. You're sharing about them and their struggles, but through your lens, okay? So when I shared my showgirl story a few weeks ago, my life as an actual showgirl, and I was definitely playing into the trend of Taylor Swift's new album coming out.
19:58
No one really cares about the details of my life living on a cruise ship and dancing on a stage. I mean, maybe some of you do, but what they cared about in that post was a sense of resonance with there had been many times in my life where it looked like I had it all together, but inside I was really struggling, right? Or I was hiding a part of who I am.
20:24
That's why that post resonated. It wasn't about, oh, look at me, I'm on a stage, I'm a showgirl. I connected my story in a way that made you care about it and made you see yourself in my story. To close out, I'm going to give you one prompt because I know sometimes we just need a little bit of a framework to get us going. So the prompt is very simple and it is this. What I wish I knew before, and then the blank is,
20:53
a major business decision or milestone, something connected to your brand or your brand story. So an example would be if you are a leadership coach and you're helping people to build better cultures in their organizations, you could say, what I wish I knew before I hired my first employee. One of my clients is developing a new program for moms of elementary school kids who feel like they've lost their identity and they want to rediscover
21:23
who they are in this season of life. And so maybe one of her prompts would be, what I wish I knew before I had kids. Wouldn't you be curious what she would say? This is just a framework to get you started. Obviously, the more specific you can be, the better. The more you can tie it into your product or service, the better. But I'm excited to see you run with this. Don't be afraid to test and try out new things. Remember, you can use trial reels. You can post.
21:51
the same video with three different hooks to test out which messaging is gonna resonate with your ideal clients. A couple of weeks ago, I shared my trial reel strategy with you, so you can go listen to that if you wanna learn more about that. And I'm just excited for you to explore this and have some fun with this. This shift from generic to personal, it's not just a trend, it is the new reality of social media. And the accounts and brands that figure this out are the ones that are gonna thrive in 2025 and beyond.
22:20
So if you are listening to this and you're like, okay, I am ready to make my content work for me to find my voice. And I would love to get feedback on what's actually resonating and finally create reels that are going to move the needle for my business and drive actual leads and sales. You want to get on the Hot Reels wait list. Hot Reels is my 12 month Instagram content lab where we practice exactly what I talked about today.
22:50
you'll learn how to turn your personal experiences into magnetic content that activates and attracts your dream clients or customers. And what I love about this program is that it's an intimate group of other business owners who are working toward the same goal of Instagram business growth. And I am in it with you as you're implementing this. So it's like you're coming to the trainings, you're asking me questions.
23:17
I give you personalized coaching on your business and then you also get to have my eyes on your content. I review up to two pieces of content every week for you in our private group. So you get to stop feeling so stressed about every piece of content and just start posting consistently, refining as you go and having a mentor, me by your side as you are growing your business. Our community is so special.
23:47
And I am going to be opening up the doors again in December and there are only five spots available. Right now the investment is only $444 a month for a 12 month commitment or I have a pay in full savings. My private clients pay me upwards of $3,000 a month. So if you want my eyes on your content, if you want my marketing brain in your business, you can drive more leads and sales. You definitely want to.
24:15
be on the wait list so you can know when the doors officially open. And we open them early to wait-listers only. And like I said, there's only five spots available. So to join the wait list, you can either DM me the keyword hot, H-O-T, on Instagram. Make sure you're following me over there at Elizabeth Marberry, M-A-R-B-E-R-R-Y, and send me the keyword hot, H-O-T. Or you can head over to elizabethmarbury.com slash
24:44
hot, that's Elizabeth Marberry, M-A-R-B-E-R-R-Y dot com slash hot to grab your spot on the VIP wait list. It will take you less than 30 seconds. It's literally just put your name, your email, you're on the list. That way you can make the best decision for yourself when it comes time and you can get all the program deets. I would love to support you and your bold vision for your life and your business in that container.
25:10
All right, my beloved listener, go make something personal this week. Remember, the content that scares you a little bit to post is usually the content that is gonna connect the most. So be brave, be bold, and show up for your people. And I cannot wait to strut it with you next week. Thank you for listening to Strut It. If you're ready to start leveraging Instagram to grow your business, then you're gonna wanna grab my free monetize your IG guide.
25:39
where you'll learn seven simple and proven ways to finally make money on Instagram. You can grab your guide at ElizabethMarbury.com slash freebies. That's ElizabethMarberry.com slash freebies to get my monetize your IG guide. If you got some incredible value from today's episode, be sure to leave a review and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.
26:06
and I cannot wait to start it with you again next week.
