What to post on each social media platform: Your guide to content success
Posting the same content everywhere is an outdated strategy.
What works on Instagram might fall flat on LinkedIn. That viral TikTok trend? It could feel completely out of place on X (formerly Twitter).
Each platform has a unique audience, with distinct behaviors and preferences. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are also different content types and algorithms to navigate.
To make the most of each platform, you need to tailor your content. Doing so is the only way to stand out from the competition and drive actual engagement and conversions.
In this post, we’ll show you exactly what to post on each social platform. We’ll also share tips on creating engaging content and how to use data to improve your strategy.
Should you tailor your content for each social media platform?
Absolutely! Optimizing content for each platform can get you significantly better results.
People use social media platforms for different purposes. Matching their intent and expectations can help you drive more engagement on your posts.
For example, Sprout Social’s research shows 60% of social media users rely on Instagram and Facebook for product discovery.
So while showing off your products can get you results on the Meta-owned platforms, posting a lot of promotional content might not be ideal on X (Twitter).
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But does that mean you need to create unique content every single time? Not at all.
Sometimes, cross-posting on multiple platforms can work like a charm.
For example, brands often post the exact same videos on TikTok and Instagram Reels as these two platforms often have overlapping audiences, trends and video size requirements.
In other cases, you can repurpose your content to extend the life of assets you’ve already created instead of starting from scratch.
Repurposing is when you edit your existing content to optimize it for different channels or audiences. For example, you could:
- Crop a long infographic into bite-sized charts to share as a carousel on LinkedIn.
- Trim a 30-minute YouTube tutorial into short “quick tip” Reels to share on Instagram.
- Share individual stats and insights from your research report on X (Twitter).
Repurposing is a great way to boost engagement on multiple platforms and longevity of your existing content without spending extra resources on brand new content.
By understanding what type of content works well on each platform, you can easily find ways to tweak existing content for max engagement.
What type of content to post on each network
If you’re trying to find the best content types for each platform, you don’t have to do it alone.
Luckily, Sprout Social has done the research for you. Below, we’ll share specific findings from our 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report so you know what exactly works on different social media platforms and which formats to steer clear of.
We’ll also share post ideas and examples from real brands (like yours) nailing it on social.
Nearly half of all Facebook users interact with brand content daily. Surprisingly, most of them prefer simple text posts over flashy content types like videos.
Brands doubling down on Facebook marketing will be relieved to know they don’t need to invest heavily for creating engaging content on the platform. On Facebook, less is definitely more.
Facebook is also the go-to platform for customer care, especially among Millennials, Gen X and Boomers. Sharing authentic, conversational content that encourages feedback and discussion can get you great results on the platform.
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Add static images to your posts or share short videos (under 15 seconds) every now and then to keep your content spicy, promote your brand and encourage interaction.
As a visual-first network, Instagram obviously favors images and videos. But the platform has come a long way since it started out as just a photo-sharing app.
Right now, short videos (under 15 seconds) perform the best for Instagram marketing, followed by static images, longer videos (15-60 seconds), influencer content and memes.
So what types of 15-second videos can brands post on Instagram?
Think Reels that offer entertaining content, quick tutorials or behind-the-scenes peeks. Or Instagram Stories with interactive elements like polls or Q&As.
With images, there’s lots of room to get creative. Beyond professional product shots, you can find beautiful text graphics, educational content, carousels, inspirational messages and even screenshots of Tweets from brands all over Instagram.
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Keep up with the latest Instagram trends to create relevant content your audience will definitely want to engage with.
A more professional-oriented network, LinkedIn is great for building yourself up as a thought leader. Text posts and static images perform best for LinkedIn marketing, and video seems to be less important than on other platforms.
But don’t rule video out completely. With LinkedIn’s new vertical video feed, we might see more short-form videos on the platform than ever before.
Also, if you’re just sharing company updates and posting photos of team events, you’re not using LinkedIn to its max potential.
LinkedIn users want to see more educational content, community engagement and customer support from brands, not overly promotional posts.
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Some engaging LinkedIn post ideas include user-generated content, tips and industry insights, like the example from Sprout Social above. Remember to encourage discussion on topics your audience cares deeply about by asking questions and responding thoughtfully to comments.
Because Pinterest is used often as a way to collect ideas, content that is informational, educational or inspirational works well for Pinterest marketing.
In fact, this is exactly why Pinterest is a haven for finding recipes, DIY tutorials, seasonal ideas, style guides, gift guides and similar content.
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Pinterest’s default dimensions of vertically long are eye-catching—think infographics, high-quality image covers and mood boards. Overlaying that content with a headline will make your Pin stand out.
TikTok
Bite-size videos rule on TikTok—not surprising since that’s the only content format the platform currently supports. However, the length of your videos matters.
Sprout’s research shows short-form videos between 15-30 seconds get the highest engagement on TikTok, followed by very short videos (under 15 seconds) and then slightly longer videos (31-60 secs).
So, what should you post on TikTok anyway?
Short, snappy videos that either entertain or educate work best – in other words, edutainment content.
The platform is also Gen Z’s favorite destination for catching up on news and finding new products, so consider working with TikTok influencers to show off your product’s best features.
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TikTok’s algorithm rewards creative and engaging content, which gives brands the perfect opportunity to experiment with humor, storytelling and viral trends. Even serious brands can find success by showing their playful side.
Threads
Meta’s newest platform, Threads, is still finding its footing but shows promise with a focus on conversational content. It offers brands a chance to connect more deeply with their audience with entertaining and educational content.
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Right now, text posts get the most engagement on Threads, followed by static images and short-form videos (under 15 seconds).
Interestingly, some users also enjoy watching long-form videos (60+ seconds) on the platform, which offers new possibilities for brands to share powerful, in-depth stories.
X (formerly Twitter)
Despite the rebrand, X remains the go-to platform for news, real-time updates, entertainment and education for its userbase. With nearly half (48%) of social media users with an X profile, men are significantly more likely to have a profile than women.
Text posts (formerly known as “Tweets”) still perform the best on X (Twitter).
But static images and short-form videos follow closely, so don’t be afraid to experiment with supporting visuals on your posts in your X marketing strategy.
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YouTube
When it comes to YouTube marketing, the rules are a bit different.
Here, the longer your content, the more engagement it’s likely to get.
Our Content Strategy Report shows videos longer than 60 seconds perform the best on the platform.
But the success of long-form videos hasn’t stopped YouTube from joining the short-form video club. YouTube Shorts have been around for a while now, and they’re getting more popular.
In fact, that’s probably why the second and third most engaging content types on YouTube are short-form videos between 15 seconds to 3 minutes long.
Here are some types of videos your brand can post on YouTube:
- Case study videos
- Tips and tutorials
- Webinars and video podcasts
- Interviews with clients
- Brand story videos
- Detailed product demos
Here’s how Semrush shares educational SEO content on its YouTube channel.
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Tips for creating engaging content across platforms
Social media users want to see more content from brands, but their standards are higher than ever. You can no longer get away with posting generic, promotional content everywhere.
Each platform demands a unique approach. But at their core, they all share some common principles of effective content creation.
Here’s how to craft engaging content that works across platforms while staying true to each network’s distinct characteristics.
Know your audience
Your audience doesn’t just use different platforms—they use them with different intentions. Understanding these behavior patterns can help you engage them on every platform.
For example, a Millennial lawyer might read industry news on LinkedIn, look for shopping inspiration on Instagram and watch entertaining videos on TikTok. As a brand targeting this audience, you now know what content to post on each channel.
And where would you find this valuable info? Social media analytics, of course.
Study your analytics to find out when your audience is most active and what content drives engagement on each platform. Use these insights to create tailored content that matches their platform-specific habits and expectations.
Use high-quality visuals
While you don’t need professional equipment for every post, you do need to meet basic standards of clarity, composition and lighting. This is especially relevant to image-focused platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.
Posting blurry photos or dark, shaky footage with muffled sound on any platform will not get you engagement. It can actually harm your brand by making you look unprofessional.
Plus, it’s competitive out there. If users have to spend too much time and energy to understand or enjoy your content, they’re just going to watch something else.
At the very least, invest in basic photography skills and simple editing tools. If you’re going to use external assets, pay for higher quality instead of going for the free, low quality version.
Embrace video
If video isn’t already a big part of your social media content strategy, this is your sign to pivot.
According to our 2024 Content Benchmarks Report, short-form video is the #1 content format consumers want brands to focus on in 2024. In fact, video (of varying lengths) takes three of the top five spots in this list!
Remember to tailor your videos to match each platform. While short, vertical videos dominate TikTok and Instagram, you might want to stick to longer videos for YouTube.
Be consistent
If you want to win on any social platform, you need to work with its algorithm. And most (if not all) social media algorithms reward consistency. Posting regularly also keeps your audience engaged and your brand top of mind.
But consistency isn’t just about posting frequency. It’s also about maintaining your brand voice and content quality, regardless of where you post or how often.
Rather than trying to share 10 posts daily everywhere, choose a realistic schedule you can stick to. It’s better to share one high-quality post per day than multiple half-hearted ones.
Use storytelling techniques
Every piece of content should tell a story, even a simple product photo.
Stories work because they create emotional connections. They help people see themselves in your content, whether you’re solving a problem or sharing a journey.
Each platform offers unique ways for your brand to tell these stories. On LinkedIn, this might mean sharing your client’s success story with your brand. On Instagram and TikTok, it could be a 15-second video showing the before and after of your product in use.
Storytelling adds more depth to your content. When you build a strong narrative that resonates deeply with your target audience, engagement naturally follows.
Engage authentically
Your audience can spot fake engagement from a mile away. If you want to build trust and loyalty, you need to put in the effort to genuinely connect with your audience.
Respond to comments, questions and messages quickly and thoughtfully. Join relevant discussions and add real value instead of just promoting your brand.
Authenticity also means adapting your tone to each platform’s culture while staying true to your brand values. For example, look at how Duolingo maintains its playful voice across TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube.
How to use data to drive your content strategy for each network
Okay, so now that you know you should change your content based on audience and network, what do you do next?
Start by looking at your analytics and reports for each channel. This data will uncover which content and post types are successful in your brand’s content strategy.
While each platform natively offers some basic analytics, using a third-party tool like Sprout Social can help you dig deeper, analyze cross-platform metrics, pick up on trends and apply those insights to grow your engagement.
Let’s look at how Sprout can help you use data to drive your content strategy across different social media platforms.
Monitor cross-platform analytics and performance
Sprout provides detailed metrics on impressions, reach, engagement and audience demographics for each platform. This helps your business understand what’s resonating with your audience and create tailored content to match those needs.
But you don’t have to jump between individual platform analytics for this data. Our Post Performance Report brings all your data into one centralized dashboard to give you a clear picture of your performance on multiple channels.
You can dig deeper by filtering through video, text, photo and link posts, and sort them by impressions, engagement and clicks.
Identify top-performing content
Sprout’s Post Performance Report isn’t just great for consolidating your data in one place. It also makes it easy to spot your best content across platforms, especially when you sort your posts by reach or engagement.
You can also create network-specific reports to identify your top content on each channel, such as Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn. Which videos get viewed the most? Which posts received the highest number of likes and comments?
Beyond noting the type of content, also look to see if there are any similar features of the top content: dimensions, voice, style, graphics, type of filter, photo composition, etc. Repeat this for each network and see where the differences are.
Discover trending tags
Want to stay ahead of the conversation? Sprout’s listening tools show you exactly what your audience is talking about right now. Pick up on trending topics, hashtags and mentions to join the conversation and create timely, relevant content for each platform.
For example, a skincare brand on Instagram might discover that #skintok posts surge on Sunday nights during skincare routines.
Then dive deeper into your own content performance with our Tag Performance Report.
Tag your posts by campaign, theme or content type across all networks, and spot exactly what works where. For example, tagging “Holiday Campaign” posts might reveal spikes in engagement for specific visuals or copy.
Connect the dots between trending conversations and your best-performing content, and use these insights to optimize your strategy for each platform.
Use AI and data-driven recommendations
Sprout goes beyond just reporting by offering AI-powered recommendations for what to post and when to post it so your content gets max engagement.
Use our Generate Posts by AI Assist feature to quickly create tailored content. It can analyze your top-performing posts to generate fresh ideas that match your brand voice.
If you like an idea, send it to Compose to edit and schedule. Then use our Enhance by AI Assist tool to brainstorm engaging caption ideas to go with your post.
It gets better.
If you’re scheduling content on any platform and aren’t sure about the best times to post, you can see suggestions for Optimal Send Times based on historical data.
Have audiences in different time zones? Hand over your final drafts to our ViralPost technology, which will automatically publish your queued posts at peak engagement times.
Unlock the power of platform-specific content
Tailoring content to each social media platform is not an option—your audience demands it. People use social platforms differently, and brands need to adapt if they want to maximize engagement and ROI across all channels.
The guide above will help you understand what types of content work best on each social platform. Remember, not every content format (or platform) will work for you, but you’ll never know if you don’t try.
Experiment with different types of content and continuously track performance to learn and improve your strategy. If you need help, use our free assessment tool to determine the best social media content mix for your brand.
The post What to post on each social media platform: Your guide to content success appeared first on Sprout Social.
