Social Media
These Are The Ideal Social Media Post Lengths (According To The Expert)
Who knew?
Social media isn’t what it once was, I think we all know that by now.
Gone are the days when you could post something on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and be pretty much guaranteed the bulk of your followers would see it.
Now, it’s very much a minority figure.
Socials, done right
But social media is still an incredibly powerful tool for promoting your business, if done right.
And a huge part of that “right” approach is down to content structure and posting frequency.
So, how long should your social media posts actually be? And how often should you publish them on the interwebs?
Well, let’s start with the platform most businesses seem to use to promote their services in 2024: Instagram.
The Reel Deal
When publishing reels, the ideal video length is 11 to 17 seconds long, if their focus is entertainment. So if you’re trying to bring a smile to the faces of our followers, keep your clips short and sweet.
If you’re trying to educate them, however, videos clocking in at 38 to 51 seconds long perform better. Bear this in mind when delivering important information, such as the schedule for your next business event, or the amenities your business provides.
Finally, if you’re publishing a carousel on Instagram, 7 to 10 slides works best, but you’ve got to hook your audience on slide 1 and slide 2. A first-slide hook isn’t enough to maintain engagement.
So, that’s the ideal Instagram post length covered. But how often should you actually post on the platform?
Well, according to digital marketing expert Neil Patel, it’s:
Post/Reels — 1 to 2 times a day.
Stories — 2 to 4 a day.
Live — at least once a week… ideally 2 or 3 times.
He also mentions:
“With Instagram, we noticed that if someone posts more than 2 times a day, their reach is affected for the previous content that they published. The last thing you want to do is not give your content a fair chance.”
Neil breaks down the ideal content length and posting frequency for Facebook, X/Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube here. It’s well worth a read.
Keep digging
Social media might feel like a bit of a dead duck sometimes.
But trust me, with a little digging around online, you can find the kind of solid gold educational information that Neil frequently delivers.
Keep optimising your social media content and give yourself the best possible chance of success.
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