Plan polls, questions and interactive posts

Key takeaways

To plan interactive social media posts well, give them a purpose: learn what buyers want, start conversations or test an idea. One poll, question or 'this or that' post a week is enough for most small businesses, ideally in Stories where answering takes a tap. Plan time to reply to everyone who answers, and avoid engagement bait that platforms demote.

• 1 interactive post a week, with a purpose behind it.
• Stories stickers are the easiest for followers to answer.
• Reply to every answer: that is where conversations start.
• Avoid 'comment YES' bait, which Meta demotes.

Why plan interactive posts?

Plan them because they do two jobs at once: they start conversations with followers who rarely comment, and they tell you what buyers want. A poll asking which service people need most this season is content and research in one. Left unplanned, they tend to be random questions with no use.

• How to build a monthly social media content calendar

What kinds of interactive posts work for businesses?

Useful types for small businesses:

• Polls: 'which would you rather we cover next?' or 'which finish do you prefer?'
• Question stickers: 'ask us anything about…' for a monthly Q&A.
• This or that: two designs, products or options.
• Quizzes: a myth-or-fact on a common question in your field.
• Feedback: 'what nearly stopped you booking?' for recent customers.

• Plan Stories as well as feed posts

How do you use the answers?

Reply to every answer, ideally by direct message where a conversation can continue, and add the useful answers to your customer question log. A poll that shows most followers want pricing information is next month's post. Answers that point to a need you can meet are often the start of an enquiry.

• A customer question log that feeds the calendar

What counts as engagement bait?

Engagement bait is a post that asks for likes, comments, shares or tags just to boost reach, such as 'comment YES if you agree' or 'tag a friend'. Meta has said it demotes posts like these. Questions with a genuine purpose are fine; asking people to perform for the algorithm is not.

• Outdated social media tactics small businesses still use

When do interactive posts fall flat?

They fall flat on small accounts with few followers, where a poll with three votes looks empty in the feed, and on LinkedIn for some B2B audiences. Use Stories stickers instead, where low numbers are not public, and grow the audience before relying on public polls.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a weekly 'which do you prefer?' poll with no link to the business, and the answers are never used. Changing it to a question about customers' real choices, and replying to each voter, usually brings direct messages and ideas for next month.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Interactive posts checklist

• Plan one interactive post a week.
• Give each a purpose: learn, start, test.
• Use Stories stickers on small accounts.
• Reply to every answer.
• Avoid like, comment and tag bait.

• Leave room in the calendar for reactive posts
• Rotate your calls to action across the month

Next step

Write down one thing you would like to know about your buyers. That is next week's poll question.