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Social cheat sheet

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Cheat sheet

Social Media Marketing on one page

Bad Design Academy by Bad Design
baddesign.io/academy/

1080 x 1350Instagram feed (4:5)

1080 x 1920Reels, Stories, TikTok (9:16)

3:4Instagram grid preview

2,200Instagram and TikTok caption limit

~125Instagram caption chars shown

3,000LinkedIn post limit

~210LinkedIn chars before 'see more'

280X post limit (free)

500Threads post limit

Eng / reach x 100Engagement rate by reach

Goals and KPIs: Set a clear goal first, then pick metrics that prove progress toward it.
Audience and platform fit: Be where your audience already spends attention, in the format that platform rewards.
Content pillars: 3 to 5 recurring themes keep your content focused and recognisable.
Consistency: A steady, sustainable cadence beats occasional bursts.

Hooks: The first line or first seconds decide whether people keep watching or reading.
Platform sizes: Use each platform's recommended sizes so content fills the screen and isn't cropped.
Captions: Captions can be long, but only the first line or two is visible, so front-load the value.
Carousels: Carousels tell a short story slide by slide and invite saves.

Ranking signals: Recommendations lean on real interest: watch time, sends per reach and likes per reach.
Originality: Platforms favour original content over reposts.
Social search: People search on social apps, so keywords in captions and on-screen text matter.
Posting time: Your own audience data beats generic 'best time' charts.

Engagement rate: Engagement rate compares interactions to reach or followers; state which one you use.
Community management: Reply quickly and helpfully; public responses shape brand trust.
Creators and UGC: Creators and customer content build trust, and paid partnerships must be disclosed.
Lead capture: Turn attention into leads with useful freebies and simple opt-in flows.

Meaningful metrics: Focus on metrics that change decisions, like saves, clicks and cost per lead.
Paid social basics: Choose the right objective, audience and creative, then optimise.
Creative testing: Test one variable at a time to learn what works.
Reporting: Reports should explain what happened, why, and what you'll do next.