Let’s talk about planning posts for social media. My goal in this blog post is to simplify the process for you so it’s not so intimidating. Wherever you are at in life, you have learned lessons up to this moment in time that other people haven’t learned yet. You’ve gone through things that no one else has. What sets you apart IS YOU. People DO care about what you have to say and more people are listening than you think. Before creating anything for social media, I want you to truly believe deep down that your voice matters. Your brand’s voice matters and people ARE watching.
Simon Sinek has a great quote, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” Ask yourself, why are you on Facebook? Why are you on Instagram? What’s the goal you’re trying to achieve here? When you know why you're doing something, putting in the work doesn't seem as bad because you're doing it for a bigger reason! Let's get started!

Photo Source: Unsplash
Step 1: Choose 5 Categories
With that in mind, let’s talk about your brand’s voice. What you talk about on social media is important, but what you CONSISTENTLY talk about is more important. The first step to planning out your posts is figuring out the main 5 things you’re going to talk about and try to stick to those five things. Open the notes app on your phone and type up 5 different topics you want to talk about.
Here’s a template if you need some ideas:
-Promotional/Sales/Sevices
-How To’s/Blog Posts
-Quotes that line up with your mission/Reviews
-Behind the Scenes/Lifestyle
-Friday Introduction/Flashback Friday

Step 2: Attach a category to each day this week
In the same notes section you typed up the categories, below that type up each day of the week and the category you’re going to talk about that day. I've added some post ideas for each category as well!
Mon., - Tip
-Answer a frequently asked question you get
-Is there a common objection you receive - address it creatively
-Is there an app or something you use every day that you could highlight?
-Promoting Clothing? Give styling ideas - 5 ways to wear black skinny jeans
-Breeder? Share the “why” behind how you got started and why you’re passionate
-Realtor? Share 5 steps to prepping your house to put it on the market
-Designer? Share recent projects you’ve finished that you’re proud of for inspiration
-Blogger? Find out what your audience values and talk about that
Tues., - Behind the Scenes
-Share a picture of your work space
-Share a picture of your store front
-Hop on Instagram Stories and do a tour of your shop
-Shout out an employee of the month
-Share a family story
-Share a picture of your pet and ask who else has pets
Wed., - Review
-Share a pretty pic and put the review in the description
-Create a graphic with a review on it and talk about how thankful you are for your customers/clients in the description
-Ask a happy client to create a video talking about how much they enjoy working with you - post it!
Thurs., - Quote
-Find some quotes that align with your mission and create a graphic with your logo on it and the quote
-Share a beautiful photo and put the quote in the caption
Fri., - Friday Introduction / Flashback Friday
-Shout out a business owner your audience could benefit from
Ex. if you’re in real estate is there a handy man you would recommend
-Flashback Friday - showcase a before and after or a picture of a past project you’re proud of

Photo Source: Unsplash
Step 3: Choose Pictures
Now that you know what category you’re going to focus on for each day, choose a photo to go along with it. A great resource for finding uncopywritten beautiful photos is @unsplash. Another resource for creating quotes or graphics for a review or tip is @wordswag and @canva .
If you want to get fancy and plan out how your photos a presented on your grid, use UNUM or Preview to upload your pictures to a practice grid. You may decide to rearrange posts after uploading, but this is a great way to get your Instagram feed looking BEAUTIFUL!

Photo Source: Unsplash
Step 4: Write the Captions
So you’ve got the categories, the pictures, now it’s time to write! In the same notes section you listed your categories, now type in your descriptions. This way when you’re ready to post you can go over to your notes, copy and paste the description, upload the picture and then hit post! I use to set a 9am timer every day to remember to post! It’s so satisfying having everything planned out and posting when the alarm goes off!
I can’t wait to hear how this goes for you! I do offer social media strategy calls as well as social media management so if you need help, please don't hesitate to reach out! If you're interested in working together request a quote here!
BONUS TIP:
Why does Instagram put everything I type up into a solid paragraph form?
When typing up your caption, Instagram doesn't pick up on line breaks or spacing between sentences and paragraphs. Here's a hack to fixing that! Just copy and paste your caption into this website then click "convert and copy to clipboard" and when you head back to Instagram and paste your caption in, the line breaks will actually show up!
I see other people using different fonts in their caption, how can I do this?
This is a fun way to make certain sections of your text stand out! Here's the website I've used for this technique. It's simple, type in what you're wanting to say and it will give you a list of fonts you can copy and paste into your caption. *Note: If you want to use the line break website and the font website type up your caption in your notes on your phone, swap out the sections you want in a different font, and then use the line breaker website right before you post!