How to Batch Content for Social Media
If youāve been needing a sign to start batching your content in advance, this is the post for you. Weāre breaking down exactly how to batch content for social media to save you time (and so much stress!!).Ā
Posted 3 weeks ago
Written by
Mackenzie TaylorPosted 3 weeks ago
Content batching is a game-changer for busy marketers. By creating a stockpile of social media content ahead of time, you can free up valuable time, ensure consistent posting, and avoid the dreaded last-minute scramble.
But how do you actually do content batching? Weāre breaking down the process step-by-step, with helpful tips and insights to help you streamline your social media strategy.
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What is content batching?
First things first, what in the world even is content batching? Itās a process where you create all of your content (like captions, imagery, hashtags, etc) during a certain time. So instead of spending hours over just ONE post, youāll spend those hours creating an entire week or monthās worth of content.
I know, I know. It sounds a lot harder and more daunting than it actually is. I promise! With this process, youāll be able to quickly plan out what you want to talk about and itāll help you create a more concise plan on how to approach your social media content.
Itās almost like ā¦ a social media strategy. š
Ready to plan and schedule your Instagram posts? Schedule all of your content with Flick!
How to batch content for social media
Now that you know what content batching is, itās time to start actually, you know, content batching.
1. What are your main focuses (i.e. content pillars)
Okay, so what in the world do you want to talk about? What are your main focuses for content in the coming week?
If youāre finding this a hard thing to think of, think about your brand as a whole. What are some keywords that reflect your brand? What are your themes? Write them down!
Once you have an overall idea of who and what your brand is, the easier it is to make and create content around those ideas.
A great example of a brand using its theme and focusing correctly is Reformation. They are all about sustainability and as you can see from their content, they focus a lot of their messaging around this idea:
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Knowing your exact topics to talk about when it comes to creating content for Instagram will help guide you in the right direction for content creation and miiiiight even help you avoid making those last-minute, panic-inducing posts.
2. Analyze past content
One of the biggest pieces of advice that we can give you is to go through your feed and analyze the content. Give it a good olā review.
Whatās working? Whatās not working? What content got you the most engagement? What times work best for you? Do you use a call-to-action? Do any of them work? What format (video, carousel, still image) works best for you?
Note down all of these answers and start building a plan around the results.
We recommend using Flick to analyze all of your Instagram content to really nail down your marketing strategy.
š” Flickās tip: Unlock the power of AI-powered content repurposing with Flickās new Iris tool! Simply enter the URL of a past blog post, video, or social media post, and Iris will automatically create fresh and engaging content variations. Try it today with a free 7-day trial!
3. Brainstorm content ideas
Now that you have all of your content analyzed and your overall themes are written down, itās time to actually start coming up with the content ideas.
Deep breaths.
Take note of the upcoming days in the month. Are there any events you need to highlight as a brand? Any launches that will be happening soon? Are there any national/international holidays that you can highlight?
Note all of the upcoming events, launches, and holidays and plan to make content around them.
Next, start adding ideas around repurposed content. What content in the past has done well for you? Is there a way for you to do that content again ā¦ but tweaked?
Then, we recommend going through DMs and comments from your followers and taking notes on questions that keep getting asked over and over (and over x3) again. You can start creating content around those questions and start pointing in the direction of that specific post when it gets asked once more (like you know it will!).
š” Flickās Tip: Stuck trying to come up with content ideas for the month ahead? Weāve got you! Test out our AI Social Media Assistant to brainstorm content ideas in seconds along with the best on-brand captions for your social media posts. Click the banner below to get started with a 7-day free trial of Flick!
4. Craft engaging captions
Oh boy, our absolute favorite part of creating content. No, that wasnāt sarcasm!
ā¦ not too much, at least.
Writing captions for your content can be daunting and, honestly, might make you go: āNOPE! I am NOT batching! This is too much!ā We get it! But letās break it down for you to make it as easy as possible by breaking down what makes a good caption. Think of it as making a really delicious sandwich: You need the base, the meat, the various toppings (for flavor!), and the final slice of bread to pull it all together.
- The base: A good opening line
- The meat: Descriptive caption and on-brand voice
- The toppings: Emojis and hashtags
- The final slice of bread: Call-to-action
If you need help with writing your captions, we recommend giving our Instagram Caption Course a try. Youāll get all the information you need to create incredible captions that are engaging and will get you the impressions and reach youāre wanting.
5. Create your content
Now the actual fun part! Creating content! Are you going to take videos? Images? Create a Reel? Think of the various ways you want to actually engage your audience.
Go back through your content and see what your audience engages with the most. Once you have that figured out, start making content that is similar as you already know your audience likes it!
One of our top tips currently is to make Instagram Reels. Right now, Instagram is pushing HARD on Instagram Reels and video content in general (have you noticed people creating static images into videos currently?), so hopping on the Instagram Reels trend is a must. Here are our top tips on creating engaging and interesting Instagram Reels.
6. Schedule your content
Now that you have all of your content written and produced, itās time to start scheduling! Because why spend all that time on your content only to manually post it? Sounds boring.
We highly recommend scheduling your posts with Flick. You can preview what your feed is going to look like before selecting āauto-publishā and move anything around that might not look quite right.
Click here to see our guide on how to schedule all of your content in advance with Flick.
By scheduling your content, you can make sure all of your content is being published at the correct time, tag everyone that needs to be tagged in advance, and not have to worry because you forgot to postāitās already scheduled for you.
How can I ensure my batched content stays fresh and relevant?
Focus on evergreen content that holds value over time. You can also schedule in time to refresh captions or visuals to keep them timely.
Can I batch content for trending topics?
While some batching is possible for trending topics (e.g., prepping visuals), itās best to leave room for creating content that directly addresses the trend in real-time.
What are some best practices for scheduling batched content?
- Stagger your posts: Donāt overwhelm your audience with a flood of content at once. Space out your posts throughout the day or week.
- Consider platform algorithms: Each platform prioritizes content differently. Research best practices for scheduling on each platform you use.
- Be flexible: Be prepared to adjust your schedule if needed to address current events or capitalize on a trending topic.
We know that content batching can be scary and feel time-consuming at first, but once youāve started, we promise it gets easier and faster over time.
Ready to put your new content strategy to the test? Sign up for a FREE 7-day trial with Flick today to start planning and scheduling your content.
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