How do I decide what to post on social media?
It’s been a few days (okay, a few weeks) since you posted anything, and you know you need to. You open Instagram. You scroll through your camera roll for anything remotely relevant. You manage to choose one, but a caption escapes you. You close the app and realize you spent an entire hour accomplishing exactly nothing.
Sound familiar??
If you run a small business, a nonprofit, or a one-person operation, figuring out what to post can feel like a second job you never signed up for. The good news: you don't need a viral idea every day. You need a simple system you can repeat.
Here at Kinroot, we use four building blocks to plan social media for our clients. You can use the same four to plan your own feed, starting this week:
Choose topics people are already searching for
Mix posts that introduce, connect, and invite
Show the real people behind your business
Turn what you already have into posts
Let's walk through each one.
1. Start with topics people are already searching for
The easiest way to decide what to post is to answer the questions your customers/audiencve are already asking. People type those questions into Google every day. More and more, they type them into Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube search bars as well.
When your posts use the same words your customers use, two things happen: Your content shows up when someone searches for help, and your audience feels like you understand exactly what they need.
How to find your topics:
Write down the questions you hear most. What do customers ask on the phone, in your inbox, or at the register? Each question is a post.
Use Google's autocomplete. Type the start of a question about your industry ("how often should I..." or "best time to visit...") and see what Google suggests. Those suggestions come from real searches.
Check "People also ask." Search a topic and scroll to that box in the results. Congrats, you now have a free list of related questions.
Add your location. If you serve a specific area, people search with place names. "Wedding venues in Chelan" or "realtor in Wenatchee" is a topic and a keyword at the same time.
How to use them in your posts:
Put your main keyword in the first line of your caption and in any text on your image or video. Say the keyword out loud in Reels, since platforms can read the audio. Keep it natural. If it sounds awkward when you read it out loud, rewrite it.
Try this: Make a list of 10 customer questions. That is 10 posts you don't have to brainstorm later!
2. Try a mix of posts that introduce, connect, and invite
Some businesses only post promotions, and followers tune out. Others only post pretty photos and wonder why nobody books, buys, or donates. A healthy feed mixes three kinds of posts, and each one has a different job.
“Introduce” posts help new people find you. These are shareable, searchable, and useful to someone who has never heard of you. Think quick tips, local guides, myth-busters, and short Reels that answer a common question.
“Connect” posts build trust with the people who already follow you. These give your current audience a reason to stick around. Client stories, answers to common questions, and your take on news in your industry all belong here.
“Invite” posts ask people to take the next step. Book a call. Reserve a table. Register for the event. Donate. Sign up for the newsletter. These land best after your other posts have built some trust.
Save room for posts that are just for fun.
Not every post needs a lesson or a sales pitch. A trending audio with your team, a funny moment from the shop, a "this or that" poll, or a seasonal meme gives people a reason to look forward to seeing you in their feed. Fun posts often do double duty: they work as introduce posts when people share them, and as connect posts when your regulars laugh along with you.
A note on going viral.
A post with thousands of views is exciting, and it can bring new followers your way. But remember that views and paying customers are two different things. Viral posts often reach people who live far away, aren't a fit for what you offer, or scroll past and never think of you again. A post that reaches 300 people in your town who need what you sell is worth more than one that reaches 300,000 people who don't. Aim for the right people, and treat the occasional viral hit as a bonus.
Try this: Look at your last 10 posts and label each one introduce, connect, or invite. Whatever is missing is what you post next.
3. Show the real people behind your business
People follow people! Posts that show the humans behind your business tend to get the most comments, shares, and messages. They are also some of the easiest to make, because they’re probably already in your photo library.
Behind-the-scenes post ideas:
A day in the life: Opening the shop, prepping for an event, loading the truck. Ordinary moments are interesting to people who never get to see them.
Meet the team: One person per post: what they do, how long they've been with you, and something they love outside of work.
Works in progress: Show the messy middle of a project, a recipe, a remodel, or a campaign before the finished version goes live.
Your why: Share how you got started, a turning point, or the reason you still love this work.
Real moments, good and bad: The delivery that showed up late, the rain-soaked event that still came together, the lesson you learned the hard way. Owning the small stumbles makes you relatable.
Your community: Give a shout-out to a neighboring business, a local event, or a cause you support.
Let your captions sound like you
Write the way you talk, use "I" and "we," and add real details. "We planted 40 new vines on the north slope this week" beats "Exciting things happening at the vineyard!" If you use AI to help draft, treat it as a starting point and add your own words before you publish.
Try this: Keep your phone handy for one week and snap five photos or short clips of your normal workday. That's five behind-the-scenes posts ready to go.
4. Turn what you already have into posts
You’re probably sitting on a pile of post ideas without realizing it. Your website, your emails, and your customers have already done a lot of the work. Marketing works best when every piece supports the next, so let your social media borrow from the rest of the ecosystem you’ve built.
Places to look for post ideas:
Your blog or website: Break one blog post into a carousel of tips, a short Reel, and a quote graphic. Link back to the full post so followers land on your website.
Your newsletter: Turn the main tip or story from this month's email into a post, and invite followers to sign up for the next one.
Reviews and thank-you notes: Share what customers say about you! A real review from a real person does more than any sales pitch.
Questions in your inbox: Every email or DM that asks "do you...?" or "how do I...?" is a post. Answer it once publicly and you help everyone else who was wondering.
Your best past posts: Check your insights for posts that did well and share them again with a fresh photo or a new first line. Most of your followers missed them the first time.
The local calendar: Seasons, holidays, festivals, and community events give you timely topics all year. Plan around them so you're never scrambling.
Try this: Pick one thing you've already created, like a blog post, an email, or a review, and turn it into three posts.
Great thanks for all of the ideas…now when am I supposed to get all of this done?
If you take all of the advice on this post, you’ll have enough content ideas to last you at least a year! But I know coming up with ideas isn’t always the problem — it’s actually having the time to implement them. Between researching topics, writing captions, scrounging up some relevant media, and doing it all over and over again every month, burnout is always nipping at your heels.
We designed our social media retainer to take all of the above completely off your shoulders.We research the topics your customers are searching for, plan a balanced calendar, post on a steady schedule, and write every caption in your voice. You get your time back, and your feed keeps working for you while you run your business.
