6 Best Practices for Cross-Posting on Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – oh my! And that’s not even cracking into the surface (*cough* TikTok *cough*). It’s easy to see why so many of us are feeling overwhelmed juggling multiple social channels on top of our business websites, too – and, you know, actually running the business itself.

Creating a stream of content for each channel individually is near-impossible and would take an army, which is totally fine and doable if you’re a giant company. But for small and medium-sized companies, it’s not necessarily a walk in the park.

Not to mention just how demanding content creation is on our resources, money, and time. At a certain point, it becomes a matter of diminishing returns, and it’s why even a lot of larger corporations won’t invest in completely discrete content creation for each channel. It’s simply not efficient.

This is why many brands choose to work smarter, not harder, by cross-posting on social media. 

What is Cross-Posting? 

Cross-posting is when you post the same social content across different platforms. Sometimes this is done simultaneously, sometimes this is spaced apart. For instance, you might post a testimonial from a customer on Twitter, and then repurpose it for an Instagram post later on in the week. 

Is Cross-Posting on Social Media Acceptable? 

The idea here is that most customers will have one leading social media platform that they use and engage with frequently, and thus, one social media account of your company that they actively follow. 

They may be heavy Twitter users and follow your company on Twitter but rarely log into Instagram so won’t follow your brand there. This means that the likelihood of them being exposed to the same content multiple times as a result of cross-posting is lower than you may initially think.

In light of all this, you very well might be thinking “ok, cross-posting, sign me up!” If repeating posts is acceptable now, obviously, that’s a shortcut we’d all want to take. 

Tips for Cross-Posting on Social Media

While it’s true that users have over time become desensitised over cross-posting, and it’s now become more accepted that brands will do this in today’s social media, you didn’t think it was going to be that easy, did you?! Because there are some tips around the practice, and it all begins with a slight tweak across platforms.

1. Change the Captions

Avoid making it obvious that you’re cross-posting on social media by changing the caption slightly depending on the platform. It’s also the best rule of thumb to ensure that the copy you write for each platform is in line with that platform’s constraints, culture, community, and standards. 

This will ensure your posts land authentically with viewers, and audiences will see your post as belonging to their chosen platform natively. Otherwise, this is where your brand may risk looking lazy rather than efficient. 

These alterations could be something as simple as reducing the length of a caption to fit within Twitter’s character limit or altering the accounts tagged to ensure you are tagging the correct account on each platform. 

2. Suit the Hashtags

Hashtags will change between platforms as well – everything from hashtag limits to hashtag popularity. For instance, #FYP will have a different effect on Instagram as opposed to TikTok.

3. Match the Formats

Shorter captions on TikTok tend to suffice, letting the video tell the story; while Instagram, over the last few years, has increasingly been used to tell stories, and captions have begun to be used in longer-form ways like micro-blogging. 

Twitter has seen something similar with the rise of “threads”. Sometimes, changing your copy even comes down to the popular vernacular recognisable on different platforms; for instance, referencing a famous TikTok quote on Facebook might not garner the same response as it would on TikTok itself. Above all, it’s essential to consider the audience you’re speaking to.

4. Fit the Ratio

Different platforms will have different aspect ratios for images, so ensure graphics are designed to make sense within different sizing constraints, and not all mediums are accepted on all platforms either. Videos are likely your best content for cross-posting as they are accepted across all major platforms, and most algorithms will prioritise them on the feed as well.

5. Schedule the Uploads

Schedule posts in advance to save time. You can use scheduling tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, Pallyy, or Later; which allow you to simultaneously schedule posts across platforms and then individually customise each caption from the same screen.

6. Don’t be Repetitive

Ensure you’re not engaging in spammy behaviour on your socials. Repeating captions, messages, and even hashtags can lead to your account being flagged for spam and picked up by automated bots that will catch you on and strike down your account. 

While it’s wise to repurpose content and cross-post on social media, it’s critical to remember the difference between repurposing and blatantly reusing. Aside from the spam-flagging risk, repeating content can also result in less engaged followers and lower brand trust. 

Don’t risk getting your account suspended, or worse, losing your customer’s trust! Always prioritise authentic, original content first! So you can ensure you always give the best value content to your audience, whichever the platform would be. It’s the fundamental key, whether you focus on a single platform, or do cross-posting on social media.

Although cross-posting sounds simple, the truth is it can still be overwhelming and exhausting most of the time, especially if you have to deal with other stuff in the business. That’s why…

When you need technical and creative assistance to create batches of content for all of your different platforms, don’t forget to give us a holler ASAP.