Top 50 Ideas to Share on Social Media for 2020

It can be both time-consuming and daunting, trying to figure out what to post on social media. It may seem easy, but once you sit down to create a post, it can feel overwhelming and become quite difficult. Have you ever find yourself struggling with finding inspiration for new ideas of what to post on social media? This list will help you.

Complete with 50 content ideas of what to share on social media, with each idea including examples to help your creative juices to flow, this list is your ultimate guide on what to post on social media. You will no longer have excuses for running out of fresh ideas; they will all be right at your fingertips.

The ideas on this list will work on each of the traditional social media channels; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. If you struggle to figure out which channel of social media best suits your business, it is recommended that you narrow down your options to either LinkedIn or Instagram. It is becoming more challenging to gain new followers or reach your existing followers through organic posts on Facebook or Twitter. The features LinkedIn and Instagram have, allow you to not only make better use of your time but also find and reach your ideal audience.

These post ideas will work for businesses of any kind. You’ll obviously need to customize the content to fit your ideal audience and brand identity, but any business can adapt nearly all of these ideas to best suit them.

50 Social Media Post Ideas

This following list is broken down into multiple categories to make mixing up your content easier.

Want to get action on your posts … use photos or videos. They get more likes, shares, and comments on social media than posts with plain text. BuzzSumo found that posts that include a photo gain 2.3 times more engagement posts that are just text. Instagram doesn’t allow posts that are text-only, meaning that videos are photos that are a must when using it as a channel for your business.

Every post on social media should include a video or photo, and here are seven unique ideas for adding photos or videos that will have you thinking more creatively.

1. Before and After – can be simple, such as cleaning your yard, or elaborate, such as sharing your weight loss journey. Everybody loves a good transformation, regardless if it’s related to your business or personal.

2. Get Handsy – This is not suggesting you take photos of touching strangers, but rather taking a photo of you holding an object in your hand. These photos will work with basically anything. You can use a product you sell or a cup of coffee, but be sure to have a plain background in the photo.

3. Unboxing Video – All the rage on YouTube these days, but works well on other social media channels as well. Videos that show someone unpacking a product, unboxing videos can work for any product, but work best for kids’ toys and electronics.

If you’re selling homemade products and package them with personalized touches, make sure your video highlights that. Another example is if you’re selling starter kits, have your video highlight each item included in the kit.

4. Screenshot – Take a screenshot of the text you want to highlight and post it as an image to social media. A great way to repurpose Twitter text-only posts, but any texts can be screenshot. You could use a DM from Instagram or a comment on Facebook to screenshot to highlight customers raving about your business, products, or services.

5. Go Behind the Scenes – This video or photo could be taken in your office, at a trade show or special event, or on location for a project. It shows you hard at work and lets your audience see what happens behind your business’ closed doors.

6. Changeable Letter Sign – Endless possibilities for creativity. With a changeable letter sign or lightbox that you can find on Amazon, put an inspirational quote or funny saying on the sign and take the photo to post on social media.

7. Sneak Peek – Share a sneak peek of what you’re working on for your audience. It can be a photo of a new craft you’re creating, a short video touring the home you’re about to list, create an Instagram story sharing updates from a conference you’re attending, or a screenshot of your computer to show how you’re updating your website. These sneak peeks create a sense of excitement for what is on the horizon in your business.

People want to follow the social media accounts that provide them with value, which can be achieved by being the expert, sharing advice, and actionable tips. These posts work very well as video content, but if you would rather not be in front of the camera, be sure to include a photo in your posts to obtain more engagement with your audience.

8. Industry Article – Post an informative or educational article related to your niche industry or topic.

9. Answer an FAQ – Share a post that answers a question you get asked quite a lot. If a few people have asked a question, it’s likely there are more members of your audience who will be searching for the answer.

10. Featured Expert – Share a video, podcast, article, industry event, TV show, etc. where you are featured as a speaker or guest expert.

11. How-To Video – Record and post a video listing and detailing the steps on how to do something specific that appeals to your ideal audience. If the video is not your own, ensure you tag the video creator and give proper credit.

12. Live One-on-One Coaching – This idea will generate ultimate posts. Start off with a post offering a free live coaching session to one person who comments on the post. After selecting a person, schedule the broadcast, and make additional posts promoting it and give your audience encouragement to attend the live broadcast. Once the broadcast is live, you will obtain a lot of engagement and your audience tons of free value.

13. Common Mistakes – Share a mistake you often see made by your competitors or customers and provide tips on how it can be avoided.

14. Industry Fact – Share a fun fact regarding your niche or industry. Even if you use something as simple as a quote from a great article, be sure to have the link included in the post.

A great way to increase engagement on your social media accounts is asking questions. Here are a few suggested types of questions you can ask.

15. Take a Poll – Posting a poll can help you test new ideas with your audience. Instagram has a polling feature within Stories, and Facebook has a polling feature one can use when creating a status update.

16. Request Feedback – If you’re unsure which direction to take with your product development or content creation, ask for feedback from your audience. It is an amazing way to obtain valuable insight on not only which products, services, or content to create next, but also what improvements to make.

17. Ask for Predictions – Ask your followers to give their predictions about a current event or a trend within your industry.

Those who follow you on social media want to know you on a deeper, personal level. They want a taste of your personality, as well as a glimpse into your personal life. It is best to get personal on Facebook and Instagram. LinkedIn may be becoming more personal, it remains a professional network, so be cautious and mindful when sharing different levels and types of personal information.

When using LinkedIn, you should instead focus on sharing company information that is “personal,” such as a photo of employees enjoying a company event or a fun fact about the company’s history.

18. Hobby or Passion – Post a video or photo of you enjoying one of your favourite activities or hobbies. If it is a business page, share a photo of employees having fun together or engaging in retreat surrounding a common interest or hobby.

19. Family Time – Your family is more than likely the most important part of your life, so sharing that with your audience will show them not only where you come from, but those who mean the most to you. Remember to be cautious when posting photos, ensuring you avoid showing the name your kids’ school or street signs, as they could give clues to where you are or where you live.

20. Cute Kids or Pets – You will be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t laugh at a funny cat video or crack a smile at a photo of a cute baby. Brighten up the day for your followers by sharing a video or photo of something funny or cute that your pet or kids have recently done.

21. Book You’re Reading – Show your audience what you’re learning or reading during your free time.

22. Challenge – Let your audience in on a challenge you’re currently facing, either professionally or personally. Shining a light on your struggles builds a deeper connection with your audience and cultivates trust between you and them.

Scheduling in advance and automating timely topics can be more difficult. Recurring annual events and holidays can be planned for, but viral videos, trending topics, or significant news events can’t be scheduled for. Ensure that you’re leaving room to post about events as they occur and unforeseen news when you plan your social media content.

23. Federal or Religious Holiday – Be mindful of your audience when posting about holidays. Stick with holidays that are celebrated in the country that the majority of your audience comes from. You can quickly search on Google to direct you to resources with the dates of holidays recognized by your religion or country, which will allow you to plan for them in advance.

24. National Day / Week / Month – There a many days, weeks, and months throughout the year that celebrates various things. Everything from crayons, donuts, and pirates to nurses, personal chef, and various types of cancers have their own time of year to celebrate and raise awareness.

Click here for a complete listing of all weird days, holidays and observances for 2020.

25. Special Event – If you’re hosting a special event or competing in your first-ever marathon, create a post about it. Tag the event and, if it’s possible, the location, to get more followers and engagement.

26. Industry News or Update – If something new is happening in your industry, offer your opinion or share an article to keep your followers in the loop.

27. Trending Topic or News Event – Post your thoughts on a major news event that everyone is talking about, or share an article with an interesting perspective on the topic. Be cautious when posting about news events unrelated to your niche, such as political or religious news.

Stick to topics that are trending, but not polarizing, such as the white and gold or black and blue dress debate. Take advantage of whatever is trending to grow your audience in a creative manner.

There is a large amount of negativity across all channels of social media these days. Between the arguments, degrading comments and hate speech, it is difficult to find something positive through it all. Thankfully, you can be part of that positivity and give your audience a sense of joy with your posts.

28. Inspirational Quote – This is an old trick but you can get a lot of shares and likes on social media when posting inspiring quotes. If you don’t have Photoshop just go to Canva.com, you can create beautifully styled quotes, or you can purchase pre-designed image templates and save yourself hours of time.

29. Motivating Mantra – Share affirmations or a mantra that keeps you motivated to accomplish your goals with your audience. Share the company values if you’re posting on behalf of a company.

30. Helpful Routines – Share a nightly routine or morning ritual that helps you stay focused, healthy, positive or energized. People are always seeking ideas on making small life improvements.

31. Spread Joy – Share a funny joke, story, or meme to break through the negative posts and news that fills social media.

32, Favourite Book – If you have a favourite book related to your niche or industry, share it with your audience and include a few lessons you learned from it and post a link that allows your audience to access or buy it.

33. Favourite Podcast – Share your favourite niche-related podcast with a link, letting your audience know what you love about the host or episodes.

34. Favourite YouTube Channel – Give your audience insight on your favourite niche or industry-related YouTube Channel. Provide a link so your audience can access the channel, and possibly subscribe themselves.

35. Favourite Tool or Resource – Share with your audience your favourite tool or resource that is essential to your job or running your business. Be sure to check if there is affiliate cash you can earn by sharing the tool or resource.

36. Favourite Product or Service – If there is a service or product that you love and will benefit your audience, share it with them. Remember when posting that this service or product is not your own.

37. Favourite Influencer – If there is someone who not only motivates and inspires you but is your go-to source for information, shares it with your audience, because more than likely, they will love them as well. Post why your audience should follow them and state what drives you to turn to them for motivation and inspiration. Don’t forget to tag the influencer in the post.

38. Favourite Guilty Pleasure – Do you enjoy doing something that may be seen as unhealthy or indulgent? Regardless of what it may be, chances are, your audience has a similar or the same guilty pleasure, so share it with them. It will not only give your audience get to know you better on a more personal level but also show that you are comfortable enough to share them something that you may not normally tell anyone.

They may have started on Twitter, but hashtags have grown to be used across all channels of social media. An amazing to give your posts more exposure and expand your audience, if the hashtags are used correctly.

Daily hashtags have become extremely popular, as they spark new ideas for content each day they’re used. Be sure to use the hashtags appropriately. The hashtag #SundayFunday should not be used on a post published on a Monday. When scheduling your posts in advance, this tip is very important to remember.

39. #SundayFunday – If you’re enjoying your Sunday, show your audience and encourage them to enjoy theirs using the hashtag #SundayFunday.

40. #MotivationMonday – In a status update scheduled for a Monday, use the hashtag #MotivationMonday with a motivational story, quote or video.

41. #TuesdayVibes – This hashtag can be applied to basically anything on a Tuesday post. Take photos and share it with #TuesdayVibes, regardless of what you’re doing.

42. #WednesdayWisdom – Using the hashtag #WednesdayWisdom, share some light-hearted wisdom through a story, quote, or even a funny anecdote.

43. #TBT (Throwback Thursday) – The first daily hashtag, used the most widely. Share a photo from the past, add a short story about that time in your life, and tag any other people in the photo, if applicable.

44. #FridayNight – Friday nights are not only for relaxing and kicking back, but also for fun. Use the hashtag #FridayNight and share a photo of how you’re winding down during the evening.

45. #SaturdayMorning – Share a video or photo using the hashtag #SaturdayMorning to give your audience a glimpse at how you’re kick-starting your weekend.

DON’T FORGET TO PROMOTE YOURSELF

Promoting your business on social media is important, but if it takes up your entire feed, you will be unfollowed very quickly. It is recommended you follow the 80/20 rule, meaning you should only use 20% of your posts to promote your own products, services, and content.

46. New Content – Give your audience a sneak peek of what they will learn by sharing your latest podcast, video, or blog post. Share a new product if you don’t create new content.

47. Repurpose Old Content – Share an old blog post with an updated headline and images with your audience as a way to keep your frequency consistent.

48. New Service or Product – When sharing a new service or product, tell your audience how it will save time, save them money, and how it solves a problem. Be sure to include links landing pages that are conversion-optimized where your customers can purchase of service or product.

49. Popular Product or Service – Give your audience a refresher on your best-selling service or product. Share what makes it the best product on the market and customer comments on the product or service.

50. Share a Case Study / Testimonial – Share a satisfied customer’s quote, video, or case study, which will help provide your audience with social proof to what you’re trying to sell and build credibility.

If you want to learn how to create 8 pieces of content for social media in 18 minutes, click here!