Follower counts, long considered the gold standard of social media success, are losing relevance as shareability and reach emerge as more important indicators of brand impact in 2025, according to new research from Dash Social. The company’s latest trends report identifies a significant shift in how brands need to measure success and approach their digital presence across platforms.
The research indicates monthly follower growth has decreased 27% on TikTok and 14% on Instagram compared to the previous year. Simultaneously, content shares have increased quarterly by 60% on TikTok and 10% on Instagram Reels.
“Many brands are seeing follower growth plateau as audiences engage with content and participate in communities without the need to follow,” the report explains.
Taco Bell, which maintains a 1.5% share rate compared to the 0.3% industry average on Instagram, has adapted its strategy accordingly. Christina Massari, Brand Social Lead at Taco Bell, notes in the report: “We design our content using our comment section as the brief so that our community feels seen and enticed to share something hyper relevant and reflective of them.”
ONE/SIZE cosmetics reports a 6.8% share rate on Instagram, significantly above industry averages. The company’s Social Media Director, Julia Cornell, explains that they now view shareability as “our leading indicator of emotional impact,” while acknowledging that “follower growth still matters.”
NYC Ferry, with a 1.1% share rate on Instagram, follows a similar approach. Franky Ponce, Sr. Creative Strategist & Social Media Manager, states that “shares are the starting point towards moving your other metrics upward — because more shares mean more reach, channel growth and broadened awareness.”
Entertainment Value Drives Exponential Reach
High-entertainment content significantly outperforms less engaging posts across major platforms, the report finds. Posts scoring 7.5 or higher on Dash Social’s proprietary Entertainment Score reach 4.5 times more people on TikTok and 13 times more on Instagram compared to lower-scoring content.
“Posting for the sake of posting is over. To stand out, content needs to captivate quickly and hold attention long enough to spark shares, saves, and repeat views,” the report states.
This emphasis on entertainment value is exemplified by brands like Rhode, which maintains an Entertainment Score of 8.2 on Instagram compared to the industry average of 4.5. Rhode’s approach to content creation, which focuses on aligning with user browsing and sharing behaviors, contributed to its acquisition by e.l.f. Beauty in a deal valued at up to $1 billion in May 2025.
Similarly, Bubble Skincare maintains a 6.5 Entertainment Score on TikTok against an industry average of 2.6, demonstrating the growing importance of creating content specifically designed for algorithm success.
Direct Messages Emerge as Trust-Building Channel
The report identifies direct messages as “the front line of brand trust,” with significantly higher reply rates than public comments. Facebook and Instagram DMs have reply rates of 83% and 41% respectively, compared to comment reply rates of 1% and 1.3%.
Loop Earplugs, which replies to 95% of DMs on Instagram, exemplifies this trend. Monica Ho, Senior Social Media Specialist at Loop Earplugs, explains: “For many people, DM’ing feels more natural than sending an email. The back-end is just as important as our feed. We know this is where trust is built and where we can win hearts and fix problems at the same time.”
Creator Partnerships Drive Higher Engagement
Creator-generated content significantly outperforms brand-produced content across platforms. On Instagram, creator content drives 6 times higher engagement rates, 4 times more likes per post, and 3 times more comments per post compared to brand content. On TikTok, creators generate 7 times more likes per post, 6 times more shares, and 3 times more video views.
The data shows a clear inverse relationship between creator size and engagement rates. Nano-creators (1,000-10,000 followers) on TikTok achieve a 12.5% engagement rate compared to just 2.7% for mega-creators (1M+ followers). However, reach and Earned Media Value (EMV) scale exponentially with creator size, with mega-creators on TikTok generating an average EMV of $288,800 per post versus $1,100 for nano-creators.
Breeze Airways reports significant results from its creator strategy, with a 96% increase in TikTok reach and a 162% rise in Instagram impressions. James Belyeu, Partnerships and Content Senior Manager, describes creators as “an essential extension of our marketing strategy” who “showcase our premium experience in ways that are authentic.”
Predictive AI Enhances Content Performance
The research shows AI-ranked content consistently outperforms lower-ranked content, with significant performance increases across key metrics. Top-predicted content by Dash Social’s Vision AI shows a 74% higher engagement rate, 66% more shares for Reels, 38% greater reach, and 35% more video views compared to low-predicted content.
The report indicates this predictive capability allows brands to identify higher-performing content before publication, potentially reducing creative waste. Case studies include Kendra Scott, where Vision AI’s top-predicted content earned 85% more shares, and Cotton:On, where AI-identified content achieved 51% higher reach.
Brand Digital Footprint Extends Beyond Feed
The report emphasizes that social media now represents a brand’s entire digital footprint rather than just a content feed. Cyntia Leo, Head of Brand Marketing and Communications at Urban Outfitters, summarizes this shift: “The era of the follower is dead, right now — we are living in the time of the algorithm. Creators help us be in the algorithm, not just in the platform.”
The research suggests successful brands need to be “omnipresent” across platforms, formats, creator partnerships, and even comment sections. This approach requires brands to adapt to an “emerging attention economy” where visibility depends on shareability and entertainment value rather than follower count.
“Today’s most successful brands aren’t just posting; they are omnipresent,” the report states. “Brands need to show up everywhere their audience spends time, across platforms, formats, creators, and comment sections to remain top-of-mind.”
New Measurement Framework Required
The findings indicate brands need to develop new measurement frameworks that prioritize engagement, entertainment value, shares, and reach over traditional metrics like follower growth.
EatingWell’s TikTok strategy exemplifies this responsive approach. Sophie Johnson, Associate Social Media Director, explains that instead of planning content months ahead, they take “a responsive, audience-driven approach — developing ideas weekly based on what’s trending and performing well.”
The report suggests that this real-time, data-driven strategy is increasingly necessary, as algorithms favor content that generates high engagement, regardless of follower count or brand size.
Dash Social concludes that brands need to adapt to these shifts by prioritizing entertainment value, shareability, creator partnerships, direct messaging, and AI-based content optimization to remain competitive on social media.
“The playbook has changed,” the report states. “Social isn’t just a feed. It’s your brand’s digital footprint.”
All images are credited to Dash Social. The full report is available here.
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
Follower counts, long considered the gold standard of social media success, are losing relevance as shareability and reach emerge as more important indicators of brand impact in 2025, according to new research from Dash Social. The company’s latest trends report identifies a significant shift in how brands need to measure success and approach their digital presence across platforms.
The research indicates monthly follower growth has decreased 27% on TikTok and 14% on Instagram compared to the previous year. Simultaneously, content shares have increased quarterly by 60% on TikTok and 10% on Instagram Reels.
“Many brands are seeing follower growth plateau as audiences engage with content and participate in communities without the need to follow,” the report explains.
Taco Bell, which maintains a 1.5% share rate compared to the 0.3% industry average on Instagram, has adapted its strategy accordingly. Christina Massari, Brand Social Lead at Taco Bell, notes in the report: “We design our content using our comment section as the brief so that our community feels seen and enticed to share something hyper relevant and reflective of them.”
ONE/SIZE cosmetics reports a 6.8% share rate on Instagram, significantly above industry averages. The company’s Social Media Director, Julia Cornell, explains that they now view shareability as “our leading indicator of emotional impact,” while acknowledging that “follower growth still matters.”
NYC Ferry, with a 1.1% share rate on Instagram, follows a similar approach. Franky Ponce, Sr. Creative Strategist & Social Media Manager, states that “shares are the starting point towards moving your other metrics upward — because more shares mean more reach, channel growth and broadened awareness.”
Entertainment Value Drives Exponential Reach
High-entertainment content significantly outperforms less engaging posts across major platforms, the report finds. Posts scoring 7.5 or higher on Dash Social’s proprietary Entertainment Score reach 4.5 times more people on TikTok and 13 times more on Instagram compared to lower-scoring content.
“Posting for the sake of posting is over. To stand out, content needs to captivate quickly and hold attention long enough to spark shares, saves, and repeat views,” the report states.
This emphasis on entertainment value is exemplified by brands like Rhode, which maintains an Entertainment Score of 8.2 on Instagram compared to the industry average of 4.5. Rhode’s approach to content creation, which focuses on aligning with user browsing and sharing behaviors, contributed to its acquisition by e.l.f. Beauty in a deal valued at up to $1 billion in May 2025.
Similarly, Bubble Skincare maintains a 6.5 Entertainment Score on TikTok against an industry average of 2.6, demonstrating the growing importance of creating content specifically designed for algorithm success.
Direct Messages Emerge as Trust-Building Channel
The report identifies direct messages as “the front line of brand trust,” with significantly higher reply rates than public comments. Facebook and Instagram DMs have reply rates of 83% and 41% respectively, compared to comment reply rates of 1% and 1.3%.
Loop Earplugs, which replies to 95% of DMs on Instagram, exemplifies this trend. Monica Ho, Senior Social Media Specialist at Loop Earplugs, explains: “For many people, DM’ing feels more natural than sending an email. The back-end is just as important as our feed. We know this is where trust is built and where we can win hearts and fix problems at the same time.”
Creator Partnerships Drive Higher Engagement
Creator-generated content significantly outperforms brand-produced content across platforms. On Instagram, creator content drives 6 times higher engagement rates, 4 times more likes per post, and 3 times more comments per post compared to brand content. On TikTok, creators generate 7 times more likes per post, 6 times more shares, and 3 times more video views.
The data shows a clear inverse relationship between creator size and engagement rates. Nano-creators (1,000-10,000 followers) on TikTok achieve a 12.5% engagement rate compared to just 2.7% for mega-creators (1M+ followers). However, reach and Earned Media Value (EMV) scale exponentially with creator size, with mega-creators on TikTok generating an average EMV of $288,800 per post versus $1,100 for nano-creators.
Breeze Airways reports significant results from its creator strategy, with a 96% increase in TikTok reach and a 162% rise in Instagram impressions. James Belyeu, Partnerships and Content Senior Manager, describes creators as “an essential extension of our marketing strategy” who “showcase our premium experience in ways that are authentic.”
Predictive AI Enhances Content Performance
The research shows AI-ranked content consistently outperforms lower-ranked content, with significant performance increases across key metrics. Top-predicted content by Dash Social’s Vision AI shows a 74% higher engagement rate, 66% more shares for Reels, 38% greater reach, and 35% more video views compared to low-predicted content.
The report indicates this predictive capability allows brands to identify higher-performing content before publication, potentially reducing creative waste. Case studies include Kendra Scott, where Vision AI’s top-predicted content earned 85% more shares, and Cotton:On, where AI-identified content achieved 51% higher reach.
Brand Digital Footprint Extends Beyond Feed
The report emphasizes that social media now represents a brand’s entire digital footprint rather than just a content feed. Cyntia Leo, Head of Brand Marketing and Communications at Urban Outfitters, summarizes this shift: “The era of the follower is dead, right now — we are living in the time of the algorithm. Creators help us be in the algorithm, not just in the platform.”
The research suggests successful brands need to be “omnipresent” across platforms, formats, creator partnerships, and even comment sections. This approach requires brands to adapt to an “emerging attention economy” where visibility depends on shareability and entertainment value rather than follower count.
“Today’s most successful brands aren’t just posting; they are omnipresent,” the report states. “Brands need to show up everywhere their audience spends time, across platforms, formats, creators, and comment sections to remain top-of-mind.”
New Measurement Framework Required
The findings indicate brands need to develop new measurement frameworks that prioritize engagement, entertainment value, shares, and reach over traditional metrics like follower growth.
EatingWell’s TikTok strategy exemplifies this responsive approach. Sophie Johnson, Associate Social Media Director, explains that instead of planning content months ahead, they take “a responsive, audience-driven approach — developing ideas weekly based on what’s trending and performing well.”
The report suggests that this real-time, data-driven strategy is increasingly necessary, as algorithms favor content that generates high engagement, regardless of follower count or brand size.
Dash Social concludes that brands need to adapt to these shifts by prioritizing entertainment value, shareability, creator partnerships, direct messaging, and AI-based content optimization to remain competitive on social media.
“The playbook has changed,” the report states. “Social isn’t just a feed. It’s your brand’s digital footprint.”
All images are credited to Dash Social.
The full report is available here.
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