Things I’ve Learned ABout Social Media in 2025
by Ashley Graham-Wilcox
I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to do engagement well on social media in 2025. The messages about what works are so mixed — as is my motivation to do so. Between working on The Narthex and getting ready for the next phase of New Tracts, I’ve been deep in the weeds of social media best practices—especially Meta’s platforms and YouTube. After our recent Caffeinated Church session with Ryan Panzer about moving beyond traditional platforms, I felt a push to really dig into what’s working right now. If I’m going to stay on social media, I want to do it well, with strategy and intention.
So, I went down the rabbit hole of social media trends, benchmarks, best practices, algorithm changes, and ad strategies. Here is what I’ve learned so far. A lot has been bookmarked, so maybe this will be a series.
Facebook: Still Relevant, But You Have to Work for Engagement
Yes, Facebook is still the most-used social media platform, and surprise—it’s not just Boomers keeping it alive! I was surprised to see that my target “young family” audiences are still truly active in Meta, and not only in Instagram. But engagement is low.
Here’s what works:
Reels, albums, and Groups. Regular text and link posts consistently perform the worst 🤢 Figure out a way to engage relevantly on Marketplace, and all of our churches will be golden.
Post 8-10 times per week. Yep, per Hootsuite, that’s the magic number, as is posting between 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time. (Hey, I’m just happy to have some data and will gladly try these things out.)
And here’s what doesn’t work anymore:
Posting links alone. Facebook’s algorithm heavily favors native content—so not only is text- and photo-only content isn’t working, neither is posting through third party apps. Double 🤢.
Relying on organic reach. If your church or non-profit wants more than a handful of likes and shares, some paid promotion is going to be necessary. This appears to be true only on Facebook, and only for static content (i.e.: Not video).
YouTube remains the second most-visited website in the world. Certainly we can do something with this!
YouTube Shorts (which launched as 30 second clips in 2020 — to try to compete with TikTok — but are now allowed to be up to 3-minutes) are exploding with over 100 billion daily views. Tips for us:
Prioritize short-form content. Viewers are spending more time watching more videos, but for shorter periods. Think concise, engaging, and high-impact.
Optimize titles, captions, and thumbnails. YouTube recommends videos based on what people are clicking on. A compelling title and a strong thumbnail will increase click-through rates (CTR).
The algorithm favors engagement. Comments, likes, and shares matter—so ask questions, spark discussion, and create content that encourages interaction.
Running Ads: A Few Rules of Thumb
If you’re putting money behind your content (what a luxury!), here’s what to keep in mind:
Social media ads should run for two weeks max. This keeps the content fresh and prevents ad fatigue.
Create 1-3 versions of the same ad. Small tweaks in visuals or copy can make a big difference.
What this Means for Us:
At the end of the day, people engage with what feels meaningful to them. Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube all prioritize content that is:
Conversational (sparks engagement)
Relevant (aligned with what users already like and interact with)
Informative (valuable, helpful, or thought-provoking)
That means, instead of just pushing out announcements, think about what people—your audience—actually want to engage with. Can you create content that makes them feel a part of something bigger? Can you make them think, reflect, or take action?
Want to Dig Deeper? Join Us for These Upcoming Workshops
If you want to talk about these ideas and workshop some real strategies, join us for these upcoming Caffeinated Church sessions:
📅 March 13 @ 10am PT – What Would You Do with 5 Extra Hours and $5,000?
A fun, practical thought experiment on maximizing church communications with limited resources.
📅 March 20 @ 10am PT – Handling Negativity on Social Media
Church Collaboration session with Brother Andrew Morehead on how to respond to criticism and conflict online.
Or, if you’re ready to opt-out of Social Media for the month, join us for:
📅 March 31 @ Time TBA – Effective Church Website Design
Expert-led session with Elizabeth Simpson, covering how to make church websites welcoming, accessible, and easy to navigate, plus breakout groups for WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix users.
What are you seeing on social media right now? What’s working for your church or religious non-profit? Let’s keep the conversation going—drop a comment, or join the discussion on Facebook. We’ve also just joined Instagram AND Bluesky, because, yes, it turns out we believe this social media thing is here to stay, Talk to us there!
