In a recent in-depth interview, Instagram head Adam Mosseri offered valuable insight into what matters most on Instagram right now and what creators and business owners should prioritize. If you run a horse farm or equine business and rely on Instagram to connect with clients, promote your services, or enhance your brand presence, here are the key takeaways you need to know for 2025.

1. Hashtags Are No Longer a Key Driver of Reach

Hashtags no longer play a significant role in getting your content seen. Instagram has removed features like the “Recent” tab and the ability to follow hashtags, primarily due to safety and spam issues.

While you can still use hashtags for organization or context, they no longer meaningfully increase reach. To grow your audience, focus on content that is highly shareable and easily recommended.

2. Instagram’s Top Priorities for Supporting Creators

Mosseri identified three primary goals for Instagram in 2025, which also benefit small businesses:

• Supporting small creators and helping new accounts break out

   

• Prioritizing and rewarding original content

   

• Improving how quickly trends are discovered and surfaced on the platform

   

For equestrian businesses, this opens the door for more visibility if you’re producing authentic, high-quality content related to your unique niche.

3. The Three Engagement Metrics That Matter Most

Instagram’s algorithm looks at these three performance indicators to determine how widely your content is shown:

• Shares: Content that is sent via DM or shared to Stories has the highest value

   

• Watch time: Total seconds watched is more important than percentage completion

   

• Overall engagement: Includes comments, saves, and profile visits

   

Short-form video content that encourages viewers to engage directly with you or share your post will perform best.

4. Shadowbanning Is Largely a Myth

Instagram has created an Account Status dashboard to show you if your content is not being recommended, and why. Unless your account has violated significant platform rules, your reach is not being secretly limited.

If your reach has dropped, it is likely due to competition, inconsistency, or algorithmic shifts—not a shadowban.

5. DMs and Private Engagement Are the Future

Instagram is shifting toward DMs and private interactions as a core experience. New features like “Blends” allow friends or group chats to discover and discuss Reels together.

This trend suggests that creating content designed to be shared privately—or content that starts a conversation—may perform better than passive content.

6. Search and Discovery Are Evolving

Instagram is investing in both on-platform and off-platform search improvements. This includes recognizing video content, audio, captions, and comments to improve discoverability.

As this evolves, it will become increasingly important to write clear, keyword-rich captions that describe what your content is about and who it’s for.

7. Reach Is Down for Some, But Competition Is Up

Even though Instagram’s reach overall is growing, more creators and businesses are posting than ever before. That means more content is competing for attention, even if user scroll time is flat.

If you’re seeing fewer views or lower engagement, it may not be your content—it may simply be a more competitive environment.

8. Partner Ads May Open New Doors for Smaller Brands

Instagram is expanding the use of Partner Ads, which allow a creator’s organic post to be promoted by a brand as a paid ad. This may help level the playing field by providing better measurement and exposure for small creators and businesses.

For equine professionals, this could mean more strategic sponsorship opportunities and better ROI when working with complementary brands.

Conclusion

Instagram is evolving rapidly, but it’s also becoming a more level playing field for smaller, specialized businesses. If you’re producing original, engaging content that is designed to spark conversation or be shared, there is still plenty of opportunity to grow.

As a horse business, focus on clarity, consistency, originality, and engagement. These are the qualities Instagram will continue to reward in the year ahead.

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