The 10 Social Media Content Types for Effectiveness

Having a content strategy to push your social media success is necessary for the brands. It directly impacts the core perspectives of your target audiences, if done right. Companies can leverage different social media content types to reach their end goals.

However, it is necessary to understand what types of social media content are effective and when to utilize them. From videos to documents, you need to strategize their usage accordingly.

In this post, we will discuss about most effective social media content types and the best ways to utilize them to reach core objectives.

But first, let’s start with some basics:

Simply put, social media content is the content you utilize to post on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), TikTok, etc. The content distribution on these platforms serves several purposes, such as:

Increasing brand awareness
Building trust and credibility
Drive traffic to websites, apps or blogs
Maintain online reputation
Generate potential leads
Increase conversions and ROI
Establish brand-leveraging connections
Achieving business goals

Curating content for social media requires an understanding of the audience, target markets, competition, and trends. Moreover, the focus is to keep it fresh, unique, engaging, and shareable – leading to optimal outcomes for your brand.

Now that you know how important is to utilize different types of social media content, let’s deep dive into knowing them all along with their favorable formats and platforms:

1. Short-form Videos

Undoubtedly, short-form videos are one of the most engaging social media content types that keep users hooked to your information. TikTok is the perfect example of how popular video content is.

According to Statista, online video content generates an audience reach of almost 92% of internet users globally. This significantly increased the usage of video streaming and sharing platforms.

Apart from TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are already experiencing similar boosts in short-form video content engagement.

Depending on your goals and purposes, you can plan short-form videos for each social media platform:

TikTok – With more than 1 billion monthly active users, spending more than 90 minutes per day on average, this social media platform is the best choice for short-form videos.

Instagram – With more than 690,000 reels shared through direct messages, the engagement rate of short-form videos on Instagram is increasing every year. If you create and share them, the Instagram algorithm will benefit your content.

YouTube – YouTube is the second most-visited website and third most-used app by global Android users. Also, YouTube shorts are watched more than Instagram reels and TikTok according to Google. Hence, it is perfect for both long and short-form videos.

Snapchat – Snapchat still has the highest number of Gen Z users – 49.5 million. Creating and sharing snaps as short-form videos might reach your audiences among 530 million monthly active users.

2. User-generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is when the content your consumers, followers, or other users share reviews, feedback, or testimonials, and you repurpose it by sharing them as posts on your social media account.

The utilization of UGC has increased in the past few years as it builds trust and credibility for the brands on social media platforms. This type of social media content generally has personal views, advice, or perspectives about a product or service that encourage other people as well.

The best way to utilize user-generated content are:

Instagram Stories or Reel – You can reshare your customers’ reviews or testimonials from your official account on stories. Or you can collect video feedback to create reels with trending background music.

TikTok Collab – Another great idea is to collaborate with your customers to share their content as a post. It will generate a great response following more customer acquisition.

X (Twitter) – You can also repost this type of social media content by showing gratitude towards their response on X.

3. Humor Posts

Social media content that focuses on entertaining audiences such as memes, GIFs, etc. can create a big impact. It is trending and gets huge responses from people (if they find it relatable).

This is a critical factor for 71% of consumers who now expect brands to deliver content that speaks directly to their experiences and emotions. When individuals encounter content that feels personally relevant, it sparks an immediate desire to engage.

With over one million meme-related posts shared daily on Instagram, the engagement rate peaked for these types of social media content. Shockingly, it also helps in boosting website traffic by 12% if utilized accurately on social media platforms.

The best ways to utilize humorous posts are:

Instagram – Create funny reels over famous movie dialogues that can engage the audience with entertainment. Nowadays, corporate reels are trending with this type of idea as they share videos of their colleagues doing fun activities in offices.

LinkedIn – Stay updated with the latest trends in the market for which content creators can come up with some funny ideas. Also, you can post corporate memes through your official account to create humor among your audience.

X (Twitter) – From the very beginning, Twitter (now X) has been famous for humorous posts such as GIFs, memes, and even short videos. Even top brands have used it to tweet something funny and shareable.

Snapchat – Snapchat is useful to share this type of social media content. You can post stories or share publicly to grab attention from your connections as well as other audiences.

4. Collaborations with Influencers

An influencer is a social media user with a large enough following to INFLUENCE purchase decisions, opinions, ideas, and actions. These personalities have really “taken over” social media by building loyal communities.

Their audiences follow them for entertainment and inspiration, as well as recommendations and advice. Partnering with influencers can boost your brand’s reach and give it exposure in front of an engaged audience.

Collaborating with them can take many forms, but the key to doing it right is to find an authentic and natural connection between the influencer and your brand.

The best ways to utilize this social media content are:

Instagram – The platform offers a versatile canvas for partnerships, allowing for creative formats such as live interviews, engaging Stories, or visually appealing carousels showcasing a creator’s favorite products.

TikTok – As TikTok continues to dominate the social media landscape, brands are increasingly recognizing the platform’s power to reach the coveted Gen Z demographic. Partnering with trending TikTok creators is a strategic move to tap into this young, influential audience and gain significant brand visibility.

YouTube – As TikTok continues to dominate the social media landscape, brands are increasingly recognizing the platform’s power to reach the coveted Gen Z demographic. Partnering with trending TikTok creators is a strategic move to tap into this young, influential audience and gain significant brand visibility.

Twitch – For brands seeking to connect with gamers, partnering with Twitch creators is a strategic approach. Live streaming on Twitch offers real-time engagement, allowing brands to reach their target audience at the most opportune moments.

5. Live Streaming

Live streaming has rapidly evolved into a dominant force in digital media consumption. Its popularity has skyrocketed in recent years, prompting major platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok to dedicate substantial resources to live video features.

This surge in demand has even birthed entirely new platforms centered solely on live-streaming content. For brands, live streams offer an unprecedented opportunity to connect with audiences in real time.

By bypassing the production process, brands can present a more authentic and genuine side of their business. This immediacy fosters deeper engagement and allows for direct interaction with consumers, creating a more personal and memorable brand experience.

Here are the top platforms to utilize this type of social media content:

Facebook Live – Facebook Live is one of the most popular live streaming options due to its early rollout and huge user base. With Facebook Live, you use your equipment to broadcast live on your page’s stream to all your followers.

Instagram Live – Followers who are currently online will receive a notification when you go live. The livestream will appear at the front of the Instagram Stories menu, helping you expand your audience beyond those already aware of your event.

YouTube Live – Because companies on YouTube are usually familiar with video marketing, they’re more likely to have high-end cameras, lighting, and microphones. Hence, the video quality tends to be higher than on other social platforms.

TikTok Live – A unique feature of TikTok’s livestream is that viewers can send “gifts,” digital rewards the streamer can redeem for real money. This function turns out to be an instant revenue-generating event. Live streams are limited to one hour, however, TikTok recommends keeping live streams under 30 minutes for the best impact.

6. Images

Images are still one of the topmost valuable types of social media content. They provide visually presentable messages to the target audience. More than 60% of social media users find images more engaging to interact with in their feeds.

With the advent of mobile technologies, people have become smarter to edit photos and share quality pictures in their feeds. With free editing tools, social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat make it easy for users to utilize several features and engage audiences with high-quality image content.

Here are certain ways to utilize this type of social media content:

Instagram – Instagram, born as an image-sharing platform, still revolves heavily around visuals. 87% of its content is image-based, making it a prime platform for visual storytelling.

Pinterest – Pinterest is a visual search engine where users seek inspiration. With 97% of searches being unbranded, Pinterest offers a unique opportunity to capture audience attention with compelling images.

LinkedIn – While LinkedIn is a professional network, images play a crucial role in humanizing your brand. Sharing photos of company culture, team events, and celebrations can spark interest and build connections.

7. Educational Content

Educational content is designed to equip your audience with the knowledge and tools they need to achieve their goals. Whether it’s an infographic, video, text-based post, or image, the key is to deliver valuable information that solves a problem or fulfills a desire.

Tutorials, how-to guides, and DIY content are popular formats for sharing practical knowledge. From culinary expertise to skill development, these types of content can significantly impact audience engagement and loyalty when executed effectively.

Other major types of social media content in this category are data-driven infographics, textual guides, checklists or cheatsheets, and short videos.

The best ways to utilize this type of social media content are:

Instagram – Sharing recipes, how-to videos, and tutorials in the form of reels will escalate your views and engagement on the content. Moreover, you can add trending music or songs behind the reels to maximize the efforts.

Facebook – This platform works the same as Instagram, and you can utilize the same content on Facebook stories and integrated reel feature to share the same content.

YouTube – YouTube is the best platform to share how-to videos, tutorials, and DIY tips. Education content on YouTube is often seen at least 10 times a week.

TikTok – TikTok is the world of creators for these videos, and with increasing engagement, you can also utilize this social media content type with the ease of personalization.

8. Opinionated Content

Opiniated content, like Instagram Stories that vanish after 24 hours, creates a sense of urgency. Given its fleeting nature, this content format has gained significant traction, with 47% of brands planning to increase their investment in it.

Leveraging quizzes and polls within Stories is a prime example of ephemeral content’s power. The time-limited aspect encourages immediate participation, generating excitement and anticipation. This format also drives repeat visits as users return to see the poll results or quiz outcomes.

Here are the best platforms when it comes to utilizing this type of social media content:

Instagram – Instagram stories offer specific tools for creating both polls and questions. You can post an image with a question and encourage users to answer in the comments.

LinkedIn – LinkedIn Polls has a dedicated feature for creating polls. The platform is suitable for open-ended questions where users can share their experiences or opinions.

X (Twitter) – X Polls provide a built-in poll feature with text-based questions. This platform’s nature as a text-based platform makes it ideal for asking various types of questions.

Facebook – Facebook Groups allow for creating polls within groups to engage every type of audience. You can ask questions directly in your Facebook posts

Reddit – Reddit Polls also has this feature to engage with interesting questionnaires. If your brand is active on Reddit, you can directly ask questions within relevant subreddits.

9. Textual Posts

While visual content often takes center stage, text-based posts remain a potent tool for engaging audiences. In fact, 32% of consumers find text-based content highly engaging.

Crafting compelling written content requires the same attention to detail as visual content. Developing a distinct brand voice that complements your visual identity is crucial for standing out in the crowded social media landscape.

Ultimately, 34% of consumers follow brands to connect with their personality. Text-based posts offer a direct channel to showcase your brand’s character and build authentic relationships with your audience.

Here are the top ways to utilize this type of social media content:

Twitter – As the pioneer of short-form text, Twitter is the ideal platform for sharing concise and impactful messages. Its character limit encourages brevity, making it perfect for delivering quick updates, news, and engaging thoughts.

Reddit – Reddit’s community-driven nature makes it an excellent platform for engaging in conversations and building relationships with your audience. Q&A sessions and open discussions can foster a sense of community and loyalty.

LinkedIn – As a professional networking site, LinkedIn is the go-to platform for sharing industry insights, thought leadership, and articles. It’s where you can position your brand as an authority in your field and connect with like-minded professionals.

10. Audio Content

Social audio harnesses the power of the human voice to connect with audiences. By sharing thoughts, experiences, or insights through spoken word, creators can foster a more intimate and engaging connection.

The popularity of podcasts, with 32% of global users listening to these audios while driving, highlights the demand for audio content. It offers a convenient way to consume information without visual distractions.

While podcasts often involve structured planning, the authenticity of the spoken word shines through.

The most preferred ways to utilize audio content on social media platforms are:

TikTok and YouTube are great platforms for utilizing audio content as they can play long audio recordings, just like they do with video.
You need to add an image or film the recording of your podcast to share as YouTube shorts as well to maximize engagement and views.

The landscape of social media is constantly evolving, offering an array of content formats to captivate audiences. From visually stunning images and engaging videos to interactive polls and informative text-based posts, the possibilities are endless.

Understanding the nuances of each type of social media content and aligning them with your brand’s objectives is crucial for success. At eSearch Logix, we understand the complexities of navigating the ever-changing social media landscape. Our team of experts can help you:

Identify your target audience and tailor content accordingly
Develop a comprehensive social media strategy aligned with your business goals
Create high-quality, engaging content across various formats
Optimize your content for maximum reach and engagement
Measure and analyze performance to refine your strategy

By partnering with eSearch Logix, you can unlock the full potential of social media and achieve your marketing objectives.

10 Most Effective Types of Social Media Content