I was recently scrolling LinkedIN and came across a personal post by someone I follow on Facebook. I immediately became uncomfortable as I knew this person likely didn’t mean to share something so private on LinkedIN.

So how did it happen? I’m guessing they use a scheduling tool vs creating posts unique to the platform. The giveaway – seeing hashtags on their Facebook post. 

While it may seem easier to create one post and have it appear on all your social networks, it’s actually an ineffective use of your time. Why? Because each social media channel has unique audiences, and purposes. 

1. Know your channels

    Here’s a very high-level overview of the channels. 

    • X (formerly Twitter) – what’s happening right now, information platform  
    • Facebook – sharing with friends, family, about me and my life
    • LinkedIN – professional, business-to-business, growing your career, profile and business
    • Instagram – pretty photos, highlighting your brand, scrolling friendly
    • TikTok – short, sweet, entertaining 

    While I recognize this is a very simplistic overview, you get the idea. Just as each channel is unique, so should your content. And since you likely have people who follow you on more than one channel, repeating the same post is a great way to get unfollowed. 

    2. Avoid being too personal

    The reason I cringed when seeing the personal post on LinkedIN is I’m guessing the person didn’t mean to share it (and likely doesn’t even know it was shared). This is a big pitfall of scheduling one post across all your channels. 

    You’re not thinking of the audience, the purpose of the post and how it will be viewed when you’re creating your post. This is how you end up sharing a private post in a public forum. 

    Think about your personal Facebook page. You likely limit your followers to friends and family, not accepting requests from random people (or at least I hope you don’t). Whereas your LinkedIN followers are likely people you work with, have met at conferences or through networking. You probably don’t have a deep personal relationship with most of your LinkedIN followers. And to be honest – they’re likely not overly interested in your private life. 

    3. Audience specific

    Which leads me into my third point – know your audience and write content for them. 

    While I might write about the same topic on four different channels, my content is written for the specific audience. 

    For example – if I’m sharing a blog post on my personal Facebook page, I might relate the post to something that has happened to me. But when I’m posting that same blog on LinkedIN, I will highlight how it’s relevant to business professionals. On X, I’m using hashtags and tagging organizations to attract people who are interested in the subject. And I’ll likely pass on posting on Instagram as it’s hard to get people to read a blog as they scroll through photos.   

    4. Use your time wisely

    I get that posting on social media is a necessary evil for many. But if you’re going to take the time to create a post, why not make sure that it’s actually read?

    It honestly takes me an additional 5 minutes to create customized posts for each of my social channels. I haven’t even finished my coffee by the time the posts go live. 

    Taking shortcuts rarely pays off. 

    Going back to the private post going out on LinkedIN, how much time do you think the individual has spent answering awkward questions or responding to are you okay inquiries? 

    I encourage you to take the time to understand the social media channels you’re using both personally and professionally. Do you have a content strategy specific to each channel? It doesn’t need to be formal or in-depth (although if you’re posting for your business/organization it should be thorough).

    Rather, it’s about knowing who your audience is, why they would be interested in your post, what they care about and how best to engage them. 

    If this seems overwhelming, then focus your energy on one or two social media channels. Take the time to build and engage your audience with posts they’ll actually read. From there, you can decide if you want to focus your time on these channels or if you’re ready to add a channel. 

    The main thing is to post with purpose. 

    As for the person who shared the private post. I truly feel for them. It’s a tough lesson to learn that I hope others can avoid.  

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *