Reaching Gen Z on Social Media: A Marketer’s Guide

One of the biggest challenges that markers face in 2025 is engaging Generation Z on social media. This is a generation that grew up with social media, are highly savvy, and drivers of many online trends. As such, this can be a challenging group to engage and many struggle to find success, which could even end up harming your brand’s reputation online. So, what can marketers do to reach Gen Z on social media? This post will explore a few strategies that will help your brand stand out to this generation and enhance your credibility.

Who Are Gen Z?

First, it is helpful to define Gen Z. The Pew Research Center defines this generation as those born between 1997 and 2012. Also known as “Zoomers,” this is the first group to grow up in the digital age, with Millennials experiencing the transition to digital. This means that this group grew up with social media, smartphones, and online connectivity.

Statistics show that over 98% of Gen Z own a smartphone, and they spend, on average, over 4 hours per day online on their smartphone. Additionally, this group is known for having a short attention span but also being socially conscious and will seek out brands that support their values. This is all important information to keep in mind when it comes to developing marketing campaigns and social media usage.

What Platforms Do Gen Z Use?

It is also important to be aware of the social media platforms that this generation uses. Of course, this will depend on demographics and preferences, so you should consider this with your target audience. However, The 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report found that 91% of Gen Z are on Instagram and another 68% are on TikTok. Youtube, Snapchat, and Twitter/X are also popular, but the popularity of Facebook is declining with this generation.

So, what does this mean for engaging Gen Z on social media? Here are the most effective strategies that should deliver results.

Prioritise Short-Form Video Marketing

One of the best ways to engage Gen Z on social media is with the use of short-form video marketing. As mentioned before, this generation is known for having a short attention span, and platforms like Snapchat and TikTok have emerged as effective ways to captivate this group. Just be sure to create videos with high production standards to stand out and hold the attention of your target market.

Partner With An Influencer

In 2025, Gen Z relies heavily on social media influencers to inform their purchasing decisions. Influencer marketing can be a fantastic way to quickly reach a much larger audience while leveraging the credibility of the influencer. The key is to find an influencer that is popular and trusted by your target audience and has a following of engaged followers. Micro-influencers have emerged as the most effective group in recent times, so you want to focus on those with a following of between 10,000 and 100,000 followers.

Be Authentic

Gen Z are savvy and can see through corporate marketing from a mile away. Therefore, you must make sure that all of your messaging is authentic and not too polished. One of the best ways to do this is to humanise your brand by showing “behind the scenes” content, such as interviews with employees or real customers, instead of using trained actors.

Support Social Movements & Be Sustainable

Similarly, Gen Z is also passionate about social and environmental issues. Therefore, it is a good idea to support the social movements that your target audience is interested in, but again, make sure that this is authentic and not just to boost your own reputation. Additionally, demonstrate the ways that your brand is minimising its impact on the environment. Gen Z is the most passionate about climate change and many will only support brands that are taking strong measures to protect the planet. This can involve installing solar panels, using green materials, remote work, and recycling schemes, just as a few examples. Of course, there are environmental benefits to this while also improving your reputation, so it is a win-win and something that all brands should be looking to do in 2025.

Create Valuable Content For Your Target Market

Content remains king, and Gen Z consumes an enormous amount of content on a daily basis. In order to stand out from the crowd and appeal to this younger generation, you need to create valuable content that this group will find interesting, useful, and engaging. This can be challenging and time-consuming, which is why it is a smart idea to outsource to a content marketing agency. They will know how to create content that will appeal to this group and paint your brand in a positive light.

Optimise For Mobile

As established earlier, Gen Z spends an enormous amount of time growing the web on their smartphones, and much more than any other type of device. Therefore, it is critical that you optimise your website for mobile. This means making sure that your landing pages load in under three seconds, having a website that is easy to navigate on mobile, and using vertical videos for TikTok, Instagram Reels, etc.

Use Memes Carefully

It is very easy to say that memes are an effective way to engage Gen Z on social media, but you must be careful. While this can be an effective strategy, you must make sure that you have a strong understanding of the latest memes and know how to use them effectively - there is nothing worse than a brand using memes incorrectly or outdated memes, which could end up doing more harm than good. If you are ever unsure, it is best to avoid!

Hopefully, this post will give you a few ideas for ways that you can engage Gen Z on social media. This can be a tricky generation as one that was brought up on social media and often the driver of online trends, so you need to be sharp and on your social media game to appeal to this group and stand out from the crowd.