Billions of people<\/a> worldwide participate in social media content creation, but here\u2019s a hot take: not everyone is good at it. It seems like some people have a knack for creating social media posts that are engaging, interesting, funny or useful, and some people are destined to be cringe.<\/p>\n Not you, of course. You stay up-to-date on the latest trends, tools and tips that top digital marketing blogs have to offer. And when it comes to building a brand, captivating an audience and setting yourself apart, you know that it\u2019s all about strategy.<\/p>\n So the content<\/em> of this post, then, is exactly what you need. You\u2019re welcome.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Bonus: Download our free, customizable social media calendar template<\/span><\/strong> to easily plan and schedule all your content in advance.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Social media content creation is the process of producing written content, photography, videos, or graphics for various social media platforms (think Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X, and more).<\/p>\n When you scroll through social media, the content is what you see and hear. It\u2019s what users like, comment on and send to each other.<\/p>\n Yup, even this \u201cnot content\u201d Reel, is content.<\/p>\n Content creation is really at the core of all social platforms, but each platform requires different content styles, character counts<\/a>, image sizes<\/a> and video lengths<\/a>.<\/p>\n The main kinds of social media content are:<\/p>\n Social media managers are hired by businesses and brands to plan, create and post content for them.<\/p>\n Well-resourced brands who make social presence a priority often have social media teams, with many people working together to reach the company\u2019s digital and content marketing goals. Smaller brands may have just one (usually very caffeinated) individual handling all social media duties.<\/p>\n In general, the term content creator<\/a> applies to anyone who creates a piece of content\u2014yes, that includes influencers\u2014 but in this case, we mean individuals who put serious strategy behind their social media<\/p>\n Many influential social users prefer \u201ccontent creator\u201d or \u201ccreator\u201d over influencer, as the title of influencer doesn\u2019t have a great reputation<\/a>. <\/p>\n But make no mistake, it isn\u2019t an easy gig: content creators are a powerful presence on the internet, with a knack for selling a product or service. And many turn their aptitude for marketing and ability to build an audience into a career.<\/p>\n Brands may choose to outsource their social media content creation; they\u2019ll hire an individual to handle their social content. Freelancers are usually contractors, working on specific projects for specific time frames.<\/p>\n A freelance content creator generally has more than one client at a time, so they\u2019ll make effective content for multiple brands on a day-to-day basis.<\/p>\n Agencies also generate content, sometimes collaborating with influencers or content creators. A business might outsource its social media to an agency if it doesn\u2019t have an internal marketing team or have the capacity for a high volume of deliverables.<\/p>\n Agencies are generally made up of industry experts who keep up with current social media trends and technology. Plus, they can also help connect brands to creators and facilitate the content creation process when it comes to partnerships.<\/p>\n Who are you creating your content for? Knowing your target market<\/a> is the first step to any great social media strategy.<\/strong> At a minimum, audience research will tell you which social platforms to focus on.<\/p>\n\n If your target audience is American women in their 20s, for example, Pinterest may be the way to go<\/a>. If your customer base is made up of teenagers, do some digging on Tiktok<\/a> and Youtube<\/a>.<\/p>\n Psstt: <\/strong>For all the deep data on social media demographics, look over these 109 stats<\/a>.<\/p>\n There may be a finite number of types of content\u2014photo, text, video, audio\u2014but the potential for your brand\u2019s content is only limited by your imagination.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to get bogged down in the possibilities, and determining what kinds of content you want to focus on will help you stay on track.<\/p>\n Take Instagram, for example. You can post Reels, giveaways, a case study , long form tutorials, behind-the-scenes content, and so much more<\/a>. Deciding which sorts of content are best for your brand\u2019s needs is essential.<\/p>\n Some content can be made just for fun, but most of your brand\u2019s social media presence should be geared towards engaging an audience, building community, or making money<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n If your goal is to increase your follower count, try hosting a contest or giveaway. If you want to expand your TikTok reach, maybe it\u2019s time to hop on a trend<\/a>.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve determined the goals for your content, you\u2019ll have a central idea to create around.<\/p>\n This one\u2019s fun. Your company may already have a standard brand colour palette, font, and general vibe, but if not, now is the time to make some artistic decisions.<\/p>\n Furniture and home decor company West Elm has a really beautiful (and consistent!) social media aesthetic.<\/p>\n Source: <\/em>Instagram<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n A consistent aesthetic<\/a> isn\u2019t essential, but it makes the content you create look more visually pleasing and professional. It signals to your audience that you know your niche, and helps with brand recognition.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to start with a blank slate\u2014no matter your industry or what social media platform you\u2019re using; there are brands with kickass strategies that you can learn from.<\/p>\n Completing a competitor analysis<\/a> (finding your competitors through search engines and gathering intel on their success) is an inspiration hack.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t want to copy <\/em>other brands, of course, but you can use their content to guide your content creation.<\/p>\n If you use Facebook, Instagram, or X, Hootsuite can do a competitor analysis for you<\/a>. Keep your friends close, and your competitors close. Why not partner with the pros? Influencers and content creators know what it takes to build engaged, active social followings, and working with them can help bring your online presence to the next level.<\/p>\n When collaborating with an influencer or a content creator, it\u2019s important to choose wisely and make sure their goals and values align with yours. Take this example from clothing brand Marimekko and a pair of stylish senior creators.<\/p>\n Or check out this collab between Olympian Suni Lee and a dry shampoo brand.<\/p>\n Pro tip: <\/strong>For more follow-worthy advice on working with influencers, read our step-by-step guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Almost all social platforms have native photo and video editing tools\u2026 but that doesn\u2019t mean you need<\/em> to use them.<\/p>\n The editing ability within the apps themselves is usually limited, and it\u2019s often hard to save your work (and losing a video you\u2019ve been painstakingly captioning is heartbreaking, we\u2019ve all been there).<\/p>\n If your content requires more complicated editing than filters or cropping (like the cool video above from triathlete, Leoni Perio), you\u2019ll likely want to use a photo<\/a> or video editing app<\/a> to get the job done.<\/p>\n Artificial intelligence is a handy tool for brainstorming content ideas, generating text and coming up with hashtags. If you\u2019re feeling stuck, use AI tools like Hootsuite\u2019s Owlywriter<\/a> to combat the creator\u2019s block.<\/p>\n Keep in mind, robots haven\u2019t fully taken over the world (yet) and can\u2019t be relied upon to create flawlessly. So make sure you give anything AI-generated<\/a> a good read, a good edit and then another good read\u2026 you don\u2019t want a social media crisis<\/a> on your hands.<\/p>\n Ready to take Hootsuite\u2019s Owlywriter out for a spin?<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t OwlyWriter AI instantly generates captions and content ideas for every social media network. It\u2019s seriously easy.<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart free 30-day trial<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Not every social media user experiences a platform in the same way, and making your content as accessible as possible will help you reach the maximum number of people. <\/p>\n We\u2019ve created a list of inclusive design tips<\/a> to improve your brand\u2019s accessibility, but we\u2019ll go over a few key elements here.<\/p>\n Psst, you don\u2019t have to create all of your content yourself.<\/p>\n Thanks to features like sharing, retweeting, stitching and reposting, you can present content that other creators or brands have made while still giving credit to the original poster.<\/p>\n This is called content curation<\/a>\u2014like a museum or art gallery curator, you\u2019re picking the very best of the best from the internet and showcasingit to your followers.<\/p>\n\n Accounts like Instagram\u2019s @Veryasian.co consist almost entirely of curated content. They gather news, ideas, and stories relevant to their audience and repost them.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s not required, asking permission before you share is best practice when it comes to curated content (especially if you\u2019re a larger brand sharing the work of a smaller creator).<\/p>\n Just like influencer partnerships, it\u2019s best to do some digging on the original creator before sharing their content. You\u2019ll want to make sure you\u2019re not accidentally amplifying a message or person who doesn\u2019t align with your brand.<\/p>\n The digital world moves fast, and it can be very hard to keep up with trends. To make sure that you\u2019re creating content that is timely (and valuable) to your audience<\/a>, be sure to look ahead in the calendar and work backwards.<\/p>\n For example, if you need an Instagram Reel to advertise a Black Friday sale,you\u2019ll want to plan, create, and edit your content well before that day.<\/p>\n Scheduling your social media content will help you stay organized (and, frankly, sane).<\/p>\n Publishing is the last step in content creation, but it still requires strategy: on every platform, there are ideal days and times to post for maximum engagement<\/a>.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t want all your hard work to go to waste, and a scheduling app like Hootsuite will tell you the optimal time to post according to your specific goals.<\/p>\n Batch-scheduling content ahead of time will also allow you to designate a chunk of time to post and better manage those precious content creation hours. Win-win!<\/p>\n Did we say publishing was the last step in content creation? Oops. Everybody makes mistakes. What\u2019s important is that we learn from them. Not unlike you can learn from your social media analytics (see what we did there?).<\/p>\n Your post\u2019s analytics will tell you how successful the content you created was: how many views, likes, comments, and shares it collected and how many people followed you after seeing it.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t go back in time and change the post in order to make it perform better, but you can<\/em> use the analytics from your past posts<\/a> to help you know what kinds of content to create in the future.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Beautiful reports. Clear data. Actionable insights to help you grow faster.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart free 30-day trial<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Bookmark this image, print it out and stick it on your fridge. Because even though it\u2019s not technically a template, knowing the proper specs for your social media <\/strong><\/a>images is essential for content creation.<\/strong><\/p>\n Save yourself from disappointment by reviewing the proper sizes and dimensions for each app. Half a billion people<\/a> worldwide watch Instagram stories daily, so while they may only last 24 hours (unless you turn them into highlights<\/a>) you shouldn\u2019t leave them out of your content creation plans.<\/p>\n These 72 free Instagram story templates<\/a> can help get you started.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to be a video pro to make a beautiful, engaging Reel or TikTok\u2014you just need one of these four video templates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thanks to Hootsuite\u2019s Canva integration<\/a>, modifying these videos with your own clips is a breeze. Psstt: <\/strong>If you\u2019re scrolling through the \u2018gram and see a Reel you\u2019d like to recreate, Instagram offers video templates within the app<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n If your brand\u2019s budget allows, you can invest in Instagram Ads<\/a> to target specific audiences.<\/p>\n In need of some marketing inspo? Here are 15 Instagram ad templates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Standing out from the crowd is extra important on Pinterest, as users will be able to see your Pins at the same time as a collection of others.<\/p>\n Set your brand apart by using one of these five Pinterest post templates<\/a> (and edit them to your heart\u2019s desire). Posts, stories, and videos aren\u2019t the only content formats that needs to be created: profile pictures, banners, highlight covers, and other graphics that represent your brand are also in the mix.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re using YouTube, eye-catching banner templates are a must\u2014take a look at these 5 unique templates ready to be customized<\/a>.<\/p>\nWhat is content creation?<\/span><\/h2>\n
What is social media content creation?<\/h3>\n
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Who does social media content creation?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Social media managers<\/h3>\n
Content creators<\/h3>\n
Freelancers<\/h3>\n
Agencies<\/h3>\n
13 tips for a smart content creation strategy<\/span><\/h2>\n
1. Start with audience research<\/h3>\n
2. Determine your content mix<\/h3>\n
3. Set goals<\/h3>\n
4. Choose your aesthetic<\/h3>\n
![\"West](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-2024-07-17-at-8.46.53-AM.png?resize=542%2C838&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n5. See what the competition is doing<\/h3>\n
![\"Hootsuite](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Competitive-analysis-2-768x504-1-620x407.jpg?resize=620%2C407&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n6. Work with influencers and content creators<\/h3>\n
7. Use photo and video editing apps<\/h3>\n
8. Experiment with AI<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/OwlyWriter-AI-blog-CTA-box.png?ssl=1\"\/)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCraft perfect posts in seconds\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n9. Use accessibility features<\/h3>\n
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10. Include curated content in your strategy<\/h3>\n
11. Look ahead and plan proactively<\/h3>\n
12. Schedule your content<\/h3>\n
![\"hootsuite](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/content-creation-22-620x364.png?resize=620%2C364&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n13. Study your analytics<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/HS_ProductImage-Analytics-1.png?ssl=1\"\/)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t#1 Analytics Tool for Growth\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n6 free social media content creation templates<\/span><\/h2>\n
1. Social media image sizes<\/h3>\n
![\"Social](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2024-social-media-image-sizes-620x310.jpg?resize=620%2C310&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n2. Instagram Story templates<\/h3>\n
![\"Hootsuite](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Instagram-Stories-Templates-620x412.png?resize=620%2C412&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n3. TikTok and Instagram Reel templates<\/h3>\n
![\"Hootsuite](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Instagram-Reels-Templates-620x306.png?resize=620%2C306&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n4. Instagram Ad templates<\/h3>\n
![\"Spring](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Instagram-ad-template-620x654.png?resize=620%2C654&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n5. Pinterest templates<\/h3>\n
![\"Pinterest](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Pinterest-Template-Preview-620x180.png?resize=620%2C180&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n6. Youtube Banner templates<\/h3>\n
![\"YouTube](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Youtube-banner-templates-620x304.png?resize=620%2C304&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n