Social media post checklist: ten checks before you publish

Key takeaways

A social media post checklist catches the faults that stop a post attracting the right customer. Ten checks cover aim, proof, clarity, accessibility and compliance. They take under three minutes once familiar, and they matter most for posts made by someone other than the person who knows the customer.

• 10 checks, under 3 minutes per post.
• 5 checks cover aim. 5 cover quality and compliance.
• The first line and the last line get the closest look.
• A second reader catches what the writer cannot.

Why use a checklist at all?

Use a checklist because the same few faults recur: no clear audience, no next step, an unchecked fact, a missing caption. A checklist turns good intentions into a routine and makes quality independent of who happens to be posting that day.

• How to create social media content that attracts the right customers
• Social media consistency checklist for small businesses

Which five checks cover aim?

The five aim checks follow the GBL Right-Customer Content Scorecard. Is it clear who the post is for? Does it open with their situation? Is there proof? Is there a signal of scale, price or fit? Is there exactly one next step? A post that passes all five is aimed at a buyer.

• 1. Person: the buyer is named or obvious.
• 2. Problem: the first line is their situation.
• 3. Proof: a job, figure or customer's words.
• 4. Price signal: scale, range or who it suits.
• 5. Path: one clear next step.

• The right-customer content scorecard for social media
• Social media calls to action that get enquiries

Which five checks cover quality and compliance?

The other five checks protect the post and the business. Are the facts correct? Is it in plain English? Is it accessible? Do you have the right to use everything in it? Does it comply with advertising and data rules? These take seconds and prevent the mistakes that are hardest to undo.

• 6. Facts: figures, names, dates and prices are right.
• 7. Clarity: plain words, short sentences, no typos.
• 8. Access: alt text, captions and readable contrast.
• 9. Rights: images, music and people are cleared.
• 10. Rules: claims are true and adverts are labelled.

• Plain English on social media: drop the jargon, win buyers
• Accessible social media content: alt text and captions
• ASA rules for social media advertising in the UK

How do you fit ten checks into three minutes?

Read the first line, the last line and the image, in that order. Those three places answer checks one, two, five and eight. Then read the body once for facts and clarity. Keep the list beside your scheduling tool. After a fortnight it becomes a habit.

• Social media scheduling tools for UK small businesses
• A social media approval workflow that does not slow you down

Who should run the checks?

Ideally someone other than the writer. A second reader spots unclear wording and missing context at once. In a one-person business, write the post, leave it for an hour and check it fresh. For regulated firms, the compliance check needs a named, qualified person.

• Social media policy for UK small businesses

When should you relax the checklist?

Relax the aim checks for posts whose job is warmth: a thank you, a team milestone, a community event. They need not carry proof or price. Never relax the checks for facts, rights and rules. A friendly post with an uncleared photo is still a problem.

• Behind-the-scenes content that builds buyer confidence

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see with UK small businesses that adopt a pre-publish checklist: the check most often failed in the first month is the last line. Posts simply end. Fixing that one habit is usually the quickest visible gain.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

The ten checks in one list

Copy this beside your scheduler.

• Who is it for?
• Does it open with their situation?
• Is there proof?
• Is there a signal of scale, price or fit?
• Is there one next step?
• Are the facts right?
• Is it in plain English?
• Is it accessible?
• Do we have the rights?
• Does it follow the rules?

Next step

Run the ten checks on the next post in your queue before it goes out. Note which check it failed, and watch for that one next time.