What should I post on social media?
A complete guide on what to post on social media: content ideas, structures, types of posts, and how to plan your content strategy.
The team behind Polimake. We explore the intersection of technology, creativity, and automation.
" Deciding what to post on social media can be tricky. The best approach is to spend a few weeks watching / "consuming content" and bringing those themes into your industry. Ask yourself the following questions as you observe: Content planning should be integrated into your marketing plan and be part of your content strategy to improve engagement and communication with your target audience. You can complement this with your social media plan for a more complete strategy.
- What does your business do?
- Who is your audience?
- Which social networks would you like to be on?
- The best content you can make—where would it be?
- What capacity do we have?
- Can you take advantage of files from other places?
Based on that, and a mix of content ideas you like, that work, and that catch your attention: make a list.
The list can be a title or, ideally, a "content run" or nearly finished ideas. What you post on social media often changes over time; it isn't always yes or no.
Content structure ideas for social media
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Virals / Hero Intents | A video or short format with the potential to go viral but that may not stay relevant over time. |
| Quizzes / AMA | Questions and Answers, AMA, questions to the audience |
| Contests | Giving away products or services to promote the profile (heavily overused by brands) |
| Branded Videos | "Hub" category videos, or "brand basics" (recipes in food, for example) |
| Show reel | Summary content of seasons, events, or moments. (Our year in review) |
| Widgets / App | You can create content in apps based on content |
| Articles | Distributed in blogs, as copy in social media... |
| Infographics | Common on Pinterest and, although heavily overused, very key |
| Guides | In video, as a carousel, or as an article |
| Trend Reports | Current-affairs reports, "hero" events |
| Press releases | An opportunity to raise the brand's standing with documentable releases |
| Ebooks | A longer book as a digital download in .pdf/.epub format |
| Demo Video | If we have a product or service, let's do a demonstration of what it's like on video |
| Report / Whitepaper | A technical document that explains what something is and how to do it |
| News / Releases | Like a release or mixed with current events |
| Events | Document events that have exponential virality, moments before the peak |
| Forums | A place to generate and share content among users |
| Webinar | Educate your audience through video, an indexable and embeddable format |
| Portfolio / case studies | A showreel of cases, a highlight reel of the best moments, like a trailer |
| Checklist | A to-do list or things to do to finish something |
| Product Statistics | More technical insights for those most demanding about data, analytics, and objectivity |
| Comments / Reviews | Use your own community to generate content that gets shared on the brand |
| Mentions / KOL | A connection with influencers, people of authority, can elevate and position the brand |
How to choose what to post based on your strategy
To avoid getting stuck with just a list of formats, it helps to connect these ideas with your strategy:
- Define your goals. Do you want visibility, interaction, leads, sales, brand positioning…?
- Connect each format to a goal. For example, viral content can serve reach, while guides or checklists help more with conversion or customer education.
- Balance content types. Mix short, light pieces with deeper, more educational ones.
- Adapt the format to each network. The same topic can be a carousel on Instagram, a thread on X/Twitter, and an article on the blog.
If you want to go deeper on the strategy side, you can link these ideas with blog articles on content marketing or on the importance of marketing and communication.
Quick FAQ on what to post on social media
Is it better to post a lot of content or a little?
Consistency and quality matter more than raw quantity. It's better to post fewer well-thought-out pieces than to flood feeds with irrelevant content.
Should I be on every social network?
Not necessarily. It's better to prioritize the platforms where your audience actually is, as explained in the guide on which social networks my brand should be on.
What do I do if I run out of content ideas?
Go back to observing your audience, review frequently asked questions, comments, and recurring concerns. You can also recycle and update old content that's still relevant.
Post with intention, not out of obligation
Knowing what to post on social media isn't just about having an endless list of ideas, but about connecting them with your goals and with what your audience truly values.
With good initial observation, a clear list of structures, and a defined content strategy, you'll be able to maintain a more coherent and effective presence on your networks.