Instagram in 2025: What Accounting Marketers Need to Know

Instagram is undergoing rapid changes in 2025, and these updates are significant for accounting firms seeking to remain relevant with clients and prospects. From new image sizes to algorithm tweaks, the platform is making content more visual, shareable, and transparent.

Priority Shift

In October 2025, Instagram’s team shared its new priorities. Here’s a comparison of what’s out and what’s in for marketers to prioritize in 2026 as shared by Lucas O’Keefe, a social media marketer:

Why It Matters

These updates point in one direction. Instagram is rewarding useful, shareable, vertical-first content. For accounting marketers, the best path forward is to:

• Create content people will save or share (like checklists and myth-busting posts).
• Use pinned comments for CTAs and clarity.
• Design ads and templates in vertical formats with safe zones.
• Test organic content before scaling into paid ads.
• Explore tools like Edits for efficiency, while keeping compliance top of mind.

Instagram Updates Impacting Your Strategy

Here’s a quick rundown of several key changes and their impact on your marketing strategy.

New Image Formats

Instagram now supports the 3:4 aspect ratio, allowing smartphone images to be uploaded without cropping. This shift moves away from the traditional square, signaling that vertical formats are the future.

According to O’Keefe, there are several Instagram dimensions that can also help your account soar, such as:

• 1080 x 1440 px (3:4) feed posts
• 1080 x 1920 px (9:16) Reels and Stories
• 5120 x 1080 px for Super Long Video (think banner)

In mid-September, he also shared “What to post for every Instagram format.”

Action Item: Accounting marketers should update branded templates to 1080 × 1440 px for clean visuals on feeds and carousels.

Posting Efforts

In the past, posting more than one story per day would have had a detrimental impact on your reach. “No more!” claims Instagram’s leader, Adam Mosseri. It was a software bug that has since been eradicated, and “creators are free to post as many stories as they want.”

You can further increase engagement with several new features and content types. Kristina Gandre, and Instagram marketer, breaks down how often you should post to skyrocket your following.

• Stories: 1 – 5 per day
• Reels: 4 – 6 per week
• Carousels: 2 – 3 per week
• Images: 0 – 1 per week (except an infographic that explains one idea clearly)
• Comments: 15 – 20 per day
• DMs: 10 – 15 per day
• Trial Reels: 1 per day

Also, Instagram expanded the use of polls, questions, and quizzes in Reels. For accounting marketers, this means new ways to drive engagement with content like:

• Quick “Tax Tip Tuesday” polls,
• “Guess the deduction” quizzes, and
• Feedback questions like “What’s your biggest bookkeeping headache?”

Action Item: Review your posting schedule to incorporate a mix of content throughout the day. Additionally, consider increasing the frequency of posts or expanding to more days per week.

Link Building

Finally! The most significant change coming is that links can be inserted into your post copy. Though this feature has not been released en masse, it has been discovered by developers. Currently, link stickers are available in the Stories section. To use that feature, create a story, tap the sticker icon (smiley face), select the “link” sticker, and add your URL.

Action Item: Insert and customize the sticker size, position, and color before posting. Be on the lookout for links in posts.

Algorithm Priorities

Instagram continues to utilize different ranking systems for its Feed, Stories, Reels, and Explore sections. The platform also introduced “Your Algorithm,” which allows users to adjust or reset personalization settings. According to Hootsuite, “Saves, meaningful comments, and shares matter more than likes.”

Action Item: Marketers should focus on content that people want to keep and share, such as tax checklists, deadline reminders, and clear updates on regulatory changes.

Pinned Comments

You can now pin your own comment to the top of your post stream. This small change is powerful because it allows you to highlight a call to action, link to a resource, or correct misinformation right where users first see it. This makes it easier to direct viewers to:

• Blog articles,
• Testimonials and user reviews,
• Downloadable checklists or guides, and
• Consultation booking pages.

Action Item: For marketers, this means pinning CTAs, such as “Download our 2025 Tax Calendar” or “Book a consultation today,” to keep conversions at the forefront.

Ads and Placements

Instagram’s video ads are more flexible than ever. Marketers can now use aspect ratios ranging from landscape (1.91:1) to full vertical (9:16), with 4:5 still being the best bet for feed ads. When creating this content, remember the “safe zones,” i.e., leaving 14% at the top and 35% at the bottom of vertical ads free of text to avoid overlap with the platform user interface. Text length remains limited to short captions and headlines.

With more immersive ad options, you can target small business owners with:

• Short testimonial videos from clients,
• Explainers on tax deadlines or compliance changes, and
• Recruitment ads to attract top accounting talent.

Action Item: Accounting marketers, the key is to repurpose strong organic content, such as a Reel explaining the new One Big Beautiful Bill Act changes, into paid campaigns that target business owners or individuals in your niche.

Editing and AI Tools

Instagram also launched Edits, a standalone editing app, to streamline content creation. Alongside this, Meta previewed Vibes, an AI-powered tool for creating short-form videos.

Action Item: While these features lower the barrier to entry, firm marketers should still prioritize compliance and accuracy before publishing.

Measurement & Analytics Updates

Instagram has quietly expanded its Insights dashboard, with deeper metrics for Reels, saves, shares, and retention curves. Marketing professionals need this because the algorithm prioritizes shares per reach and meaningful engagement.

Action Item: If you haven’t been tracking saves, shares, and DM replies as KPIs, now is the time to include them in your reporting.

Collaboration Tools

Instagram is promoting collaboration posts and story co-authoring, enabling two accounts to publish content jointly.

Action Item: For accounting firms that partner with software vendors (such as QuickBooks or Xero) or local chambers of commerce, co-branded posts can double reach and credibility.

Practical Strategies for Accounting Firms

Before you panic, you don’t have to overhaul your entire Instagram strategy overnight. Instead, start with a few small shifts that play into the platform’s new features, such as:

• Create a series that your audience eagerly anticipates. Think “Friday FAQs,” “Tax Tip Tuesdays,” or even a monthly “Myth vs. Fact” post. Consistency builds trust and keeps you top of mind.
• Turn Reels into mini lessons. Short, 30–60 second clips explaining things like “3 common write-offs construction firms miss” or “The deadline every business owner forgets” are more likely to get shared.
• Show your firm’s personality. People want to work with people, not faceless brands. Behind-the-scenes clips, staff highlights, or fun office traditions can make your firm more relatable and engaging.
• Make it easy to go deeper. Use link stickers in Stories to send followers to a blog, downloadable checklist, or consultation page. This bridges the gap between awareness and action.
• Invite conversation, not just likes. Polls and quizzes (“What’s the hardest part of tax season?”) not only boost engagement but also give you valuable insights into your audience’s pain points.

SEO Tips

Keep in mind, Instagram is also a search engine. The right tweaks can help your posts show up in front of the people you want to reach. Here are some simple, practical ways to boost visibility:

• Write captions with keywords in mind. Instead of just saying “Tax time is here,” try “Q4 bookkeeping tips every small business owner should know.” It gives the algorithm (and your readers) more context.
• Don’t skip the alt text. Adding alt text to images makes your posts more accessible and tells Instagram exactly what’s in your content.
• Mix your hashtags. Pair broad tags (#TaxTips) with industry-specific ones (#DentalCPAs, #ConstructionAccounting). This helps you cast a wide net while still reaching your niche audience.
• Be consistent with posting times. Posting when your audience is most active (often lunchtime or early evening) can give your content a quick engagement boost, which improves visibility in feeds.
• Think like your audience. Ask yourself: “What would my clients type into a search engine if they were looking for this tip?” Then use those phrases in your captions.

Strategic Opportunity

Instagram’s latest features are more than cosmetic updates. They’re strategic opportunities. For accounting marketers, the platform now supports lead generation, recruitment, and thought leadership in ways that align with broader marketing goals. By integrating Reels, interactive tools, and SEO-driven captions, you can turn Instagram into a growth channel.

Ready to level up your accounting firm’s social strategy? Start by testing one new Instagram feature this month and track the results. Small experiments can add up to significant visibility.

By Becky Livingston, Penheel Marketing