The Do's, Don't's, & How's of Content Creation

It's 4 p.m., you haven't posted in three days, and the content calendar you swore you'd stick to? Collecting digital dust. Classic. How do we fix this common issue amongst social media managers and marketers wearing way too many damn hats?

First step: Understanding your audience and platform. You can’t create engaging content if you don’t know who you’re talking to or why they should care.

Each social media platform has a loyal audience base, understanding who is key to content creation and storytelling.

Common Social Platforms & General Audiences

Facebook (3.1B users) – Adults 25-34. Great for brand awareness, targeted ads, and community building.
YouTube (2.5B users) – Wide-ranging but 18-34 dominates. Educational content, tutorials, and product demos shine here.
Instagram (2B users) – Primarily 18-34 with a slight female majority. Perfect for visual storytelling and influencer collabs.
TikTok (1.6B users) – Gen Z & Millennials living for short-form, viral content. Great for trend-jacking.
Snapchat (800M users) – Teens & young adults. Real-time engagement and AR filters galore.
X (formerly Twitter) (619M users) – News, thought leadership, and witty one-liners for the 25-34 crowd.
Pinterest (482M users) – Female-dominated, 25-34. Visual discovery, DIY inspo, and product showcasing.
Reddit (430M users) – Niche forums, male-skewed 18-29. Ideal for authentic engagement and topic-based marketing.
LinkedIn (310M users) – Professionals, mostly 25-34. B2B marketing, networking, and humble flexing.

If you’re on all these platforms and you’re not a global brand, you’re probably wasting your time. Pick your top 2-4 where your audience actually hangs out and go all in.

Avoid Posting-Panic... The Content Calendar

Yes, you’ve heard it a million times — make a content calendar. But most fail because they’re either too complex or completely ignored. Build one that works for you and your style.

Here’s what works:

Start with a Yearly Overview: Add key holidays and industry events that are relevant to your business and you actually care about.
Monthly Planning: Build posts for the next month before you’re scrambling last-minute.
Check Before Posting: Scheduling six months in advance is great…until something major happens and your post feels tone-deaf. Review your posts the weeks they go out and stay on top of audience response.

What the Heck Do You Post? Brainstorming Made Easy.

Not every post needs to reinvent the internet. Here are a few topics to start with:

Customer FAQs: If people keep asking, post the answer. Assume they don’t know.
Behind-the-Scenes: Show off your team, workspace, and even the coffee-fueled chaos. People love authenticity.
User-Generated Content (UGC): Got fans posting about you? Share it (with credit, obviously). It builds community!
Hot Takes & Industry Opinions: Share industry thoughts. It’s spicy. It sparks convo — be wise with controversy.
Quick Tips & How-To's: People want fast, easy value. Think “5 Ways to Avoid Burnout in Marketing.” Give them the TLDR.
Throwbacks & Milestones: Celebrate anniversaries and growth, and reflect on the glow-up.

I personally recommend batch brainstorming 20-30 ideas monthly and dump them in your project management tool or notes app. Even better if you get your entire team involved in the idea process. No more last-minute “What do I post today?” stress.

Balance is 🔑 — Mix Up Your Content

If your feed feels repetitive, your audience will check out faster than me at a 2-hour meeting with no snacks.

Here’s the breakdown:

50% Value: Tips, hacks, education. Be helpful.
20% Engagement Boosters: Polls, questions, memes — posts designed to spark convos or shares. Keep it light and easy.
20% Promotional: Yes, you can sell! Just don’t be that brand with constant “BUY NOW” energy.
10% Personal & BTS: Humanize the brand. People want real.

Think of your content like a dinner party with friends. You wouldn’t spend the whole night talking about yourself, right?

Best Practices to Avoid Social Media Flops

Consistency > Quantity: Post regularly but with purpose. A steady 3x a week beats 7 random posts followed by radio silence.
Quality > Clutter: If the post feels “meh,” skip it.
Stop Hashtag Vomiting: #HustleGrind #Blessed #IDKAnymore. Keep from 0-10 solid, relevant hashtags per post.
Hook in Your Captions: If your first line doesn’t grab attention, they're scrolling.
Engage Back: It’s social media. Reply to comments. Stop ghosting your audience.
Analytics Matter: Check your metrics. Learn from them. Optimize based on your data, not generic "best posting times."
Add links: I see so many brands posting great content that I want to take action on with no link in sight. My interest is lost and l’m scrolling. (Not every post needs a link or an action!)
(Note: Instagram doesn’t allow for clickable links so if you’re cross posting, make sure to remove the url from Insta.)

Real-Time Posting vs. Scheduling? Hint: BOTH!

Scheduling: Saves your sanity. Plan ahead, stay consistent.
Real-Time Posting: Stay flexible for trends and major moments.

👉 The Move: Pre-schedule the bulk of your content but leave room for spontaneous, real-time content when opportunities arise.

You Don’t Need to Be Everywhere (Seriously)

Unless you’ve got a massive team, stop trying to dominate every platform. Pick the few where your audience thrives and shows up well.

Recommended Tools That Actually Save You Time

Scheduling & Analytics: Hootsuite, Later, Buffer
Design & Content Creation: Canva, Adobe Suite, VistaCreate
Video Editing: CapCut, InShot, Descript
Caption & Copy Tools: ChatGPT, Copy.ai, Jasper
Stock Images & Video: Unsplash, Pexels, Envato Elements
Inspiration & Planning: Pinterest, Behance, AnswerThePublic
SEO & Hashtag Tools: Ubersuggest, Hashtagify, Flick, Google Trends
Royalty-Free Music: Epidemic Sound, Artlist

Final Takeaway: Social Media Should Work for You — Not Stress You Out.

Marketing doesn't have to be a chaotic, over-scheduled mess. Focus on intentional posts, balance your content, and actually have fun with it.

Now, go schedule the posts you’ve been procrastinating on. 😉

Grace's Place Passion Project