Many people wonder about the ideal length for social media posts. Should they be short? Long? Does it depend on the platform? These are all great questions, and the answer is – it’s all about balance.
Balance and consistency are two of the most important factors when it comes to the ideal length for social media posts.
Here are a few other factors to keep in mind.
Know your goals and your audience
This is always our first recommendation when thinking about the best way to do anything. Your goals and your audience will and should influence what you do.
For example, if your primary goal for social media is a basic presence, shorter is fine. If you really want to connect with your customers and build significant trust over time, you might need to go a little longer with some posts. If you want to have a little bit of everything in your strategy, throw in some shorter and some longer posts throughout the month to keep it interesting.
Check your metrics
Take a look at your own social media metrics. Are there identifiable trends regarding engagement on shorter or longer posts? What else can your metrics tell you? Facebook and Instagram both have their own insight tools that can tell you which types of posts are getting more views and engagement to help you identify what’s working best for your audience.
Evaluate your time
Of course, your time and energy play a part in deciding the ideal length for social media posts for your business. Do you have the time for longer content on social media? Or the budget to outsource it? Longer content takes more time and can cost more when outsourcing, but it is worth considering.
Look at industry metrics
Another piece of the puzzle is what industry metrics say. For example, research says to use shorter length posts for better engagement on Facebook and X for better engagement, while LinkedIn gives users a great opportunity for longer posts. For Facebook, the ideal length is only 40 characters (yes, only 40), while the ideal length for X is 240-259 characters. (Source: HubSpot) For Instagram, the image or reel take center stage, but your caption length still matters. Industry stats say ideal caption length is around 125 characters, but you may want a longer caption if you have a super short reel or if your audience, goals, or metrics say longer is better.
The ideal length for social media posts is really a balance of all these things. Yes, you could focus solely on what the industry metrics say will work best for the algorithm, but you may find yourself chasing the algorithm instead of authentically connecting with your audience. As always, balance and consistency are key!
If you need help developing the right social media strategy for your business, reach out to the StoryPath team to schedule an intro call.