Create Different Social Media Content for Each Platform

Do you need to create different content for each of your social media platforms? This is a common question I get and I have to say, my answer to this question is yes-ish!

Okay, let’s talk about the “yes” part first. Your content should 100% be tailored to suit the various audiences you’re trying to engage with. Since those audiences are different on every platform (check out last week’s post to hear more about that), your content should also be slightly different on every platform. 

For example, if you were trying to connect with middle-aged moms on Facebook, should you post the same content that you just used to connect with Gen Z on Instagram? Of course not. Gen Z and Gen X literally speak two different languages.

Plus, let’s remember many people are on multiple platforms for different reasons. Think about the social media accounts you have. Chances are you don’t get on Twitter to see beautiful imagery. You might get on Facebook to connect with family and friends and Pinterest to find that next delicious recipe you want to try. 

So, if we are using these platforms for different purposes, we absolutely need to be creating content with that in mind. 

But remember, I said yes-ish.

The “ish” is there because it would be a waste of your time to reinvent the wheel every time you switched between social media platforms. Something as small as a new caption or a slightly revised image could make the same post appeal to an entirely different audience. 

We do this all the time with our social media management clients here at Rosebud Social.  Take a Holiday - like Easter - we posted about it for our clients on the platforms where they are active, but the image and the caption changed according to the audience and the message we wanted to convey.

Take a look at an upcoming social media post (or a recent one if you haven’t scheduled anything). What small changes could make that post appeal to as many different audiences as possible?

It doesn’t have to be dramatic, but it absolutely should be targeted. 

One Caveat: If you are mainly on one platform and using the other one as a kind of placeholder for when you have the time/talent to post more strategically there, you absolutely can share the same thing. The best is the enemy of the good. So sometimes you have to start somewhere. 

For instance, I do this on Facebook for Rosebud Social. It isn’t my main focus at the moment, but I want to have some content there in case I want to pivot there or to capture people who are not also on Instagram.