Never run out of social media post ideas

Why do good social media posts matter?

Why should you care about creating good social media posts? The answer is simple: quality posts attract the right people to your business. When your content is relevant and valuable, your audience is more likely to engage with it. This builds trust and keeps people coming back for more. Imagine posting regularly but missing the mark—your audience could lose interest quickly.

How can you find that sweet spot? You want to blend what interests your audience with what showcases your expertise. For example, a café might share barista tips (educational), new cake flavours (promotional), fun customer moments (entertaining), and staff highlights (workplace). The key is balance and knowing your audience.

Want to learn more about boosting your social presence? Check out our guides to social media growth.

How can you always have post ideas?

What strategies can you use to keep fresh ideas flowing? Here are six practical methods you can start today. They’re easy, actionable, and tailored for busy businesses.

1. Create a framework for your posts

How does a framework help? By planning recurring themes, you make posting easier. Your audience starts recognising and anticipating your content. Consider these categories:

• Educational: weekly tips, monthly FAQs, or step-by-step guides related to your industry.
• Promotional: feature a product or service, showcase customer success stories, or announce offers.
• Employees & workplace: celebrate team members, behind-the-scenes looks, or company culture.
• Entertaining & inspiring: share funny stories, quotes, or uplifting news.

For example, a local gym might post a “Tip Tuesday” workout, highlight a “Member of the Month”, and share a motivational quote every Friday. This mix keeps the audience informed and engaged.

Do you want to organise your posts? Use the scheduling tool in Willow:

Schedule > Month > Add Task > Pick your category and name your post > Choose weekly or monthly repeats.

2. Use special days to spark ideas

Can holidays and quirky days really help your posts? Yes! Special days grab attention because everyone relates to them – whether it’s Christmas, Valentine’s Day or National Coffee Day. Even unusual days, like Chocolate Soufflé Day or World Book Day, offer fun hooks.

Try this: if you run a bakery, use “National Cake Day” to share a behind-the-scenes video of making your best-selling cake. On “Earth Day”, highlight your eco-friendly packaging. This shows your brand personality and makes your content timely.

3. Repurpose your existing content

Do you think you’ve already used all your content? Think again. Your blogs, videos and podcasts are goldmines. You can create multiple posts from one piece of content.

How to get 5 posts from 1 blog?

1. Quote: Pick a powerful sentence and turn it into a post. For example, a marketing blog’s “Consistency beats perfection” becomes a motivational graphic.
2. Infographic: Turn data or key points into a visual. Canva offers easy templates for this.
3. LinkedIn article: Publish a shortened version as a LinkedIn article from your profile to reach more people.
4. Video: Use tools like Lumen5 to auto-generate engaging videos from your blog text.
5. Carousel post: Break down your blog into 8-9 slides with main points, then share as a carousel on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Remember to link back to the original blog in captions or comments to drive traffic.

What about video content?

Long videos like interviews or talks offer many chances to create posts:

1. Teaser video: Build buzz before releasing the full video.
2. Short clips: Crop 30-second highlights to share key insights.
3. GIFs: Turn fun moments into GIFs using Giphy for casual shares.
4. Quotes: Extract simple quotes and add visuals with Canva.
5. Stories: Use tools like Kapwing to crop vertical videos for Instagram Stories or TikTok.

Bonus: convert your video’s audio into a podcast using tools like Audacity. Or use the transcript to create a blog post. More content means more chances to engage.

4. Ask your audience directly

Why guess what your followers want? Just ask. Your audience usually loves sharing their thoughts. It builds connection and gives you ideas straight from the source.

• Instagram: Use story Stickers like polls, questions or quizzes.
• LinkedIn and Facebook: Post a question graphic and encourage replies.
• Twitter: Host an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session.

For example, a pet shop might ask: “What tricks does your dog know?” and then share user-generated content. It’s a win-win.

5. Explore key questions about your field

What questions do your clients ask the most? Answer these on social media! This positions you as an expert and solves problems at once.

• What is your audience’s biggest struggle?
• What common mistakes do they make?
• How can they save time or money with your help?
• What myths do you want to debunk?
• What interesting facts or numbers can you share?
• What changes are happening in your industry?

Answer these questions with posts or videos. For example, a financial advisor might post about “5 myths about retirement savings” or “How to avoid common tax mistakes”.

6. Stay alert and track your ideas

Where can you find inspiration daily? Everywhere!

• Steal with your eyes: When scrolling social media, ask “Can I add my spin to this?” Follow industry leaders and competitors to stay informed.
• Keep a list: Use tools like OneNote, Trello or Notion to jot down ideas as they come. Review and plan them for your calendar.
• Watch industry news: In Willow, follow topics your audience cares about through the News section to stay current.