Not all social media platforms are exactly the same! Knowing their similarities and differences helps you to use Social Posts to create content for each platform, or content that performs well on multiple social platforms.
General best practices
There are some similarities for creating and sharing posts on different social media platforms.
- Know your audience - When you know the kind of content your audience likes and when they are more likely to engage with your content, you're going to be more successful when you post. It may be tempting to try and get as many new followers as possible with a single post, but a better strategy is to cultivate an audience of engaged followers because they're more likely to share and keep coming back for more content. Over time you may notice trends for your specific audience that you can work from.
- Keep it short and specific - Social posts get more engagement when they're short. If you have lots to say, break it into pieces and spread it out over time so that each post has a clear goal for engagement. You can really get creative when your posts come in a well-planned series.
- When in doubt, ask - To build a loyal following, you have to constantly connect with your audience. Including a call-to-action that invites your audience to engage can open the door for likes and comments. Ask a question, use a fill-in-the-blank statement, invite feedback, or ask for your followers to share your post with someone they think might enjoy it.
- Occasionally incorporate emoji - Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn allow for emoji in post bodies and comments. They're eye-catching, especially if they aren't overused.
Best practices for Facebook
Facebook is a connection-based social network where you build a network of friends that share information with each other. Facebook has the largest audience and a more global reach than other platforms. Facebook users are looking for facts about your organization, but it's acceptable to share curated content from other sources. Information shared on Facebook changes rapidly.
- Facebook images - Original images do well on Facebook, but you also have more freedom to share charts, infographics, and images from other sources. (Text appears above an image because the text is the main focus of the post.)
- Stick to the facts - By curating the information you share on your business page, you can take advantage of the nice things others say about you to enhance what you say about yourself. Did someone write about you in the local paper? Share the article. Do you have news about your organization? Share an update. Did someone post a nice message about your organization to their news feed and tag you in it? Share it to your business page and respond to it.
- Post length - Stick to fewer than 250 characters. A "see more" link appears when you reach 477 characters.
- Best time to post - In general, Facebook usage increases around mid-day during the mid-week, so plan your posts for when your audience is most likely to be online.
| Social Post on Facebook (desktop view) | Social Post on Facebook (mobile view) |
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For more information about creating posts for Facebook, please see Facebook's Support.
Best practices for Instagram
Instagram is an open social network where everyone can see and search for everything. Instagram users are younger and tend to have higher engagement, partly because Instagram is designed to keep users from leaving the app. They want to be wowed by your organization and prefer original and inspirational content. Information shared on Instagram changes rapidly.
- Instagram images - Instagram is a visual platform that helps you capture a moment, so the images you share are key! Images should be original, high-quality, and tell a story. You could just share an image of your product, but an image of someone actually using it is even better for driving a point across with much less text. (Text appears below an image because the image is the main focus of the post.)
- Instagram hashtags - Hashtags are how your post gets seen outside of your immediate audience. Create your own brand hashtag and always include it in your posts, then include related industry hashtags that are currently trending to make sure your post gets seen. Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags, but don't go overboard with them! Too many hashtags looks spammy, especially if they aren't related to your content or brand.
- Mix up your messages - If you're always promoting your organization, you're going to lose some of your audience. Instagram users love inspirational and emotional content that evokes their passions. Spend time showing your audience how you fit into their ideal lifestyle and make them feel like they're a part of that lifestyle. A great way to do this is to ask your audience for pictures of themselves using your products or services and then share them back out to your audience.
- Post length - Stick to fewer than 138 characters and let your images do most of the work to tell your story. A "read more" link appears after you reach 125 characters.
- Best time to post - In general, Instagram usage increases on weekend evenings, so plan your posts for when your audience is most likely to be online.
| Social Post on Instagram (desktop view) | Social Post on Instagram (mobile view) |
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For more information about creating posts for Instagram, please see Instagram's Support.
Best practices for LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a connection-based social network designed for business professionals and freelancers to network, share industry information and expertise, post job listings and share resumes, and for advertising. LinkedIn users are much less likely to check their feed multiple times a day, like Facebook, or Instagram users do, and are more likely to visit daily, weekly, or just a couple of times per week. Information shared on LinkedIn changes more slowly. Since the volume of posts are also less, your post stays visible for longer.
- LinkedIn images - Images on LinkedIn should be professional and related to your business in some way. Posts that include an image are more eye-catching and get more interest.
- LinkedIn hashtags - Hashtags are how your post gets seen outside of your immediate audience. Create your own brand hashtag and always include it in your posts, then include related industry hashtags that are currently trending to make sure your post gets seen. LinkedIn doesn't restrict the number of hashtags you can share in a post, but its algorithm can treat a post with too many hashtags as spam; sticking to under five is best.
- Get down to business - The information you share on LinkedIn should be related to your organization, industry, or community in some way. LinkedIn users are busy professionals who are looking for the solutions your organization can provide, how you're tackling an industry-wide challenge, or to grow their network, so your post content should offer value.
- Post length - LinkedIn gives you 700 characters for posts from a company page. A "see more" link appears when your post is longer than three lines of text.
- Best time to post - In general, LinkedIn usage is heaviest towards the end of the week and in the morning. Sundays are the slowest days for usage. Plan your posts for during your normal business hours, when you're available for customer service, and check on your posts regularly.
| Social Post on LinkedIn (desktop view) | Social Post on LinkedIn (mobile view) |
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For more information about creating posts for LinkedIn, please see LinkedIn's support.
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