Why One-Size-Fits-All Doesn’t Fit When It Comes to Social Media Content (And How to Fix It)

Keep reading to see how to create the right social media content for your consumers by knowing which type of content works for which social media platform.

Picture this: you’ve created a stand-out image and post copy for your social media. You’re convinced it’s going to be a hit.

You hit publish and your handiwork is simultaneously splashed across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X.

Job done. You’re chuffed to bits, and you think, “I’ll see how it’s doing tomorrow.”

24 hours later…

You sit down, half hoping you’re a viral hit.

In reality, you have a few hundred impressions. Your engagement is non-existent. Worst of all, your well-thought-out call to action got no action.

Where did it all go wrong?

Honestly, it went wrong when you splashed your copy and image across all your social media profiles.

When developing a marketing strategy, you shouldn’t plan to post the same content across the different channels or mediums.

It’s like trying to use the same static advert you would put in a newspaper and then replicating it for a 30-second TV campaign, and the visual impact of a product placement in a hit TV show could never be recreated in a radio advert.

The same applies to social media. Just because one type of content works on one platform, it doesn’t mean it will work as well on another.

Here’s how to up your social media content game

Know who it is you’re talking to, where they hang out, and what they like to see there

The purpose of social platforms is consistent across the board: to share content, engage with others, learn real-time information, and make connections.

But each social media platform and its users has their own preference on the content they want to consume.

For instance, YouTube is long-form video-focused, while TikTok is founded on snappy, seconds-long short-form video.

Despite their recently introduced reels tab, LinkedIn sees text-based posts with a single image continue to dominate. Text also remains the flavour of the month (or decade) over on X.

In terms of users, research shows that Gen Z and Millennials are keen on video-heavy content, primarily jumping on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat.

On the other hand, Gen X leans more into traditionally text-led platforms, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

You want your next social post to be a big hit?

Know what format is best for presenting the content your users and target customers love.

Don’t waste your time shouting into the void: focus on the platforms where your target audience or customers actually lurk.

The power of visuals: A chance to bring your brand to life

In the land of social, there’s no denying that visual content is king. While 45% percent of consumers report video to be the most engaging marketing format, static imagery isn’t far behind: 350 million images are uploaded to Facebook alone each day.

But the use and appeal of visuals is nuanced.

Video content

Users’ thoughts on acceptable video length varies between platforms.

On YouTube (ok, it’s not a social media platform), the average video length is 10 minutes, with gaming videos clocking in at almost half an hour. Even YouTube Shorts – which pull in a mind-boggling 70 billion views a day –  sees viewers sticking with the theme. While the average Shorts video is 20-40 seconds, those over 50 seconds boast longer viewing durations.

Elsewhere, attention spans are generally shorter. According to HootSuite, a video on:

• X should be no longer than 44 seconds
• 7-15 seconds on TikTok
• 20 seconds on Facebook
• 15-60 seconds on Instagram
• 6-15 seconds on Pinterest

Therefore, that 50-second video you’ve crafted for Instagram is likely to lose viewers pretty quickly if posted on TikTok and get lost in the algorithm black hole.

Consumers also want different things from their videos, depending on the platform.

For example, a study by the Pew Research Center revealed that 51% of YouTube users watch video to learn, while data shows that Instagram users prefer to have their funny bones tickled.

Some brands have understood this well and nailed the assignment.

McDonald’s know how to do video content

A scroll through McDonalds’ Instagram reels shows short clips of Happy Meal toy unboxings or an off-the-cuff analysis of McNugget shapes. But, on YouTube, things take a more serious tone: alongside product updates are informative videos on their scholarship initiatives and life-lesson discussions led by different families.

While McDonalds’ YouTube channel isn’t as popular as their Instagram (726k subscribers vs 5 million followers, respectively), the company effectively harnesses each platform to showcase different sides to their business.

Imagery

From text overlay and memes to single images or carousels, preferences for photo-based posts once again fluctuate depending on the platform.

On Instagram, reels obtain the greatest reach. But carousel posts – now allowing up to 20 images – are best for engagement. This is great news for brands that want to simultaneously showcase new offerings and allow users to click directly through to purchase.

Data reveals that Instagram carousels garner an engagement rate of 1.92% per post, compared to 1.45% for video. Add 10 or more images to your post, and that rate leaps to over 2%. A merry-go-round, indeed!

Over on Facebook, photo also remains the top dog, with image-led posts achieving an engagement rate of 0.10% compared to 0.08% for video. When advertising, it’s worth paying for that carousel ride: Facebook states this approach can lead to a 30-50% decrease in cost-per-conversion.

However, on LinkedIn, less is sometimes more. Analysis reveals that each additional image in a post can encourage an increase in reach of up to 5%. But anything extra, and there’s no benefit – so save that content for a later date.

Across platforms, the type of image you post can also have varying impact.

Got a new team photo you’d like to show off? It’ll go down well on LinkedIn, with people-led images garnering up to 50% additional engagement.

But, if you’re keen to share some fancy new product imagery, consider moseying over to Pinterest: images without human faces obtain 23% more saves.

Before you next post an image (or five), consider where it’s most likely to lead to highest engagement, and the most appropriate display format. It will make a difference.

Text

Text isn’t dead!

OK, we’ve made a pretty strong case for using videos and photos in your social content. But, on some platforms, text-based content continues to be a mainstay – and a necessity.

For years, Twitter (now X) allowed text-only posts. But this did nothing to deter users, with the platform gaining 100 million active users before introducing photo uploads in 2011.

Today, text remains crucial to X’s success. Longer tweets attain greater engagement levels, and 82% of posts on the site are replies or retweets. The text-based nature of the platform also encourages quick and frequent interactions with consumers, which they highly value.

Plus, X actively encourages more frequent posting, allowing brands to really drive messaging and make their presence known.

On image-led Instagram, a maximum of 1-2 posts per day is deemed acceptable; but, on X, posting 15 times a day earns optimal engagement. This automatically necessitates a different content strategy for the two platforms!

LinkedIn is another social platform where text-only content remains highly popular, accounting for 16% of all posts on the site. Similar to X, longer is better: LinkedIn posts drop off in reach by one-quarter when under 1,000 characters.

But, if you’re considering copying and pasting your LinkedIn copy into a Facebook post, think again. Shorter posts perform best here, achieving 27% higher-than-average interaction.

Just like video, length matters – and adapting your copy appropriately can lead to big results.

We get it: creating different content for various platforms takes more time and effort. But, in the long run, your endeavours will pay off – with better engagement, reach, and brand awareness. And who doesn’t want that?

Want to work out what social media content (and which channel) will work for you?

Let’s chat! Reach out to me on tom@tjcreative.co.uk.

Two minds are better than one. We can put our heads together and come up with a social media content strategy to help you achieve your business & marketing goals!