Meta Provides Guidance for Advertisers Based on Latest Engagement Trends

If you want to know where to focus your social media marketing efforts, sometimes it pays to listen to the platform itself. After all, Meta has a vested interest in steering you toward what's actually working.

Following its Q1 2025 earnings call, Meta has shared five specific recommendations for advertisers based on its internal performance data. The guidance represents both what's currently driving engagement and—just as importantly—what Meta is heavily investing in for the future.

What makes this particular set of recommendations worth noting is the concrete performance data attached to each suggestion. Meta isn't just saying "try these features"—it's showing exactly how these approaches are moving the needle for businesses on its platforms.

AI-Powered Ad Tools Delivering Measurable ROI

Meta's first and most emphatic recommendation focuses on its AI-powered advertising tools, with the company highlighting significant performance improvements driven by its recommendation systems.

According to Meta's data, improvements to these systems have led to:

• 7% increase in time spent on Facebook
• 6% increase on Instagram
• 35% increase on Threads

The company specifically recommends that advertisers leverage its Advantage+ campaigns, which utilize Meta's AI systems to optimize ad performance. The results seem compelling: advertisers using these AI-powered tools reportedly generate $4.52 in revenue for every dollar spent—a 22% increase compared to traditional campaigns.

Meta also highlighted its newer Generative Ads Recommendation (GEM) model, noting that advertisers using GEM on Facebook Reels have seen up to a 5% increase in ad conversions.

This push toward AI-powered advertising aligns with trends we've observed across the digital marketing landscape, particularly in how AI is reshaping SEO and search strategies. As these systems become more sophisticated, the performance gap between AI-optimized and manually created campaigns continues to widen.

Video Consumption Growing by Double-Digits

Video remains Meta's fastest-growing content format, with the company reporting double-digit year-over-year growth in video time spent among US audiences across both Facebook and Instagram.

This isn't just passive consumption—Meta reports that two out of three people say Reels ads have helped them discover new brands, products, or services. The platform is clearly pushing advertisers to incorporate more video content, suggesting it's a priority area for Meta's own algorithms.

For advertisers without extensive video production capabilities, Meta highlights its AI-assisted tools:

• Generative AI Image Animation (converts static images to video)
• Video Expansion (automatically expands aspect ratios in existing videos)

The adoption of these AI creative tools increased by 30% in the last quarter alone, indicating that marketers are already embracing these options to meet the growing demand for video content.

According to recent data from Influencer Marketing Hub, videos on social media generate 1200% more shares than text and image content combined. Meta's focus on video aligns with broader industry trends showing video's dominance in engagement metrics.

Business Messaging: The "Next Pillar" of Meta's Business

Perhaps the most forward-looking recommendation concerns business messaging, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg describing it as "the next pillar of our business" during the earnings call.

The stats supporting this focus are substantial:

• WhatsApp now has over 3 billion monthly active users
• Messenger has more than 1 billion monthly active users
• 80% of people globally message with businesses weekly
• 600 million daily conversations occur across WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram Direct

Meta suggests that businesses should establish a presence across all three messaging platforms (WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram Direct) and experiment with click-to-message ads to drive direct message engagement.

Looking ahead, Zuckerberg noted that in the next few years, he expects businesses to widely adopt AI business agents for customer support and sales. Meta is already testing these capabilities with select brands and has opened a waitlist for early access.

This messaging push aligns with what we've observed in content strategies for reaching mobile users, where direct, conversational engagement is increasingly preferred over traditional website interactions.

Threads Reaches 350 Million Active Users

In a significant milestone, Meta revealed that Threads has now reached 350 million monthly active users, making it a quickly maturing platform for advertisers to consider. The company notes that three out of four Threads users follow at least one business on the platform, indicating strong potential for brand engagement.

Meta has now made Threads ads available globally to all advertisers, with the "Threads feed" placement automatically included by default in new campaigns using Advantage+ and Manual Placements for Reach, Traffic, and Website conversion objectives.

While 350 million users still places Threads well behind Twitter/X (estimated around 550 million as of 2025) and far behind Instagram's 2+ billion, the growth rate suggests Meta is successfully establishing Threads as what Zuckerberg called "our next major social app."

For context, Threads reached this milestone significantly faster than Twitter did in its early days. According to research from Sensor Tower, Threads became the fastest-growing app in history, reaching 100 million users in just five days after launch.

Creator Partnerships Driving Consumer Decisions

Meta's final recommendation focuses on creator partnerships, with the company noting that 40% of Instagram users rely on creator recommendations when making shopping decisions.

The platform is heavily investing in creator tools and partnerships, positioning its Creator Marketplace as a way for brands to connect with relevant influencers. Meta specifically suggests that advertisers:

1. Discover and connect with creators through Instagram's Creator Marketplace
2. Run partnership ads, which allow advertisers to create ads featuring creator content

One case study highlighted by Meta showed that men's clothing retailer boohooMAN achieved a 35% increase in new customers by adding creator-led partnership ads to its existing content strategy.

This focus on creator-driven commerce mirrors trends we've observed in social media marketing strategies, where authentic recommendations from trusted voices often outperform traditional brand messaging.

Reading Between the Lines: What Meta's Guidance Really Tells Us

While Meta's recommendations are explicitly designed to help advertisers improve performance, they also reveal Meta's own strategic priorities and how it's allocating its resources:

1. AI is the central focus. Meta is betting big on AI across all aspects of its business, from content recommendations to ad optimization to creator tools. The company is clearly prioritizing AI-powered features in its algorithms.
2. Video growth remains unstoppable. Despite years of emphasis on video, consumption continues to grow rapidly. Meta is still pushing resources toward expanding video engagement.
3. Messaging is the future frontier. With the consumer social space relatively mature, Meta sees business messaging as its next major growth area.
4. Threads is a strategic priority. The rapid inclusion of advertising on Threads signals Meta's commitment to monetizing and growing the platform quickly.
5. Creator economy is key to commerce. Meta is positioning itself as the bridge between creators and brands, recognizing the power of creator recommendations in purchasing decisions.

These priorities provide a roadmap not just for immediate ad strategies, but for understanding where social media marketing is likely heading over the next 12-24 months.

Practical Applications: Turning Insights Into Action

For marketers looking to apply Meta's recommendations to their own strategies, here are specific actions to consider:

1. Experiment with Advantage+ campaigns. These AI-optimized campaigns appear to be consistently outperforming traditional approaches. Test them against your current campaigns with a portion of your budget.
2. Review your opportunity score. Meta has introduced this metric to help advertisers understand how optimized their campaigns are. According to Meta, advertisers who adopt these recommendations saw a 5% median decrease in cost per result.
3. Incorporate video in all campaigns. If you're still primarily using static images, prioritize adding video assets. Use Meta's AI tools to convert existing images if resource constraints are an issue.
4. Establish messaging presence. Set up business profiles across WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram Direct, and experiment with click-to-message ads to build familiarity with these channels before they become even more central to Meta's ecosystem.
5. Add Threads to your platform mix. With 350 million users and growing, Threads represents a significant opportunity, particularly for brands already successful on Instagram. The automatic inclusion in placements makes this a low-effort addition to your strategy.
6. Identify creator partnership opportunities. Use Instagram's Creator Marketplace to find relevant creators aligned with your brand values and audience. Start with small collaborations to test effectiveness before scaling.

Future-Proofing Your Meta Strategy

Meta's recommendations reveal a platform undergoing significant transformation, with AI capabilities reshaping every aspect of the user and advertiser experience. Brands that align their strategies with these emerging priorities are likely to gain advantages as these features become increasingly central to Meta's ecosystem.

The most forward-thinking marketers will recognize that these aren't just tactical tips—they're indicators of fundamental shifts in how social media platforms function and how consumers engage with content and brands online.

At Hire a Writer, we help brands develop content strategies that leverage these emerging platform trends while maintaining authentic connections with audiences. Our team stays ahead of platform changes to ensure your social content performs whether it's appearing in feeds, Reels, Threads, or direct messages.

Ready to align your content strategy with Meta's latest priorities? Contact our social media specialists today to develop an approach that makes the most of these emerging engagement trends.