Facebook, X, TikTok, and even LinkedIn thrive on user engagement, but achieving it is easier said than done. Trends rise in an instant, and customer sentiment can shift in mere hours. However, master social media, and you’ll have access to a near-endless supply of new customers.
While every social media strategy differs according to the target audience, industry, and platform, there’s one key principle that can help users connect with your brand, regardless of the circumstances—the 50-30-20 rule.
What Is the 50-30-20 Rule for Social Media?
Put simply, the 50-30-20 rule refers to the type of content you should publish on social media. More specifically, it’s the ratio of engaging, informative, and promotional posts, respectively. At least 50% of the content should engage and entertain, 30% should educate (e.g. informational blogs or videos highlighting your expertise), and finally, 20% should promote your brand to encourage conversions, sign-ups, or subscriptions.
The focus of the 50-30-20 rule is striking a balance. Dedicate your entire strategy to pushing sales, and customers will quickly lose interest. Conversely, task your social media team with creating an endless supply of shallow memes and gifs, and you risk damaging your credibility and industry expertise. However, create content according to the 50-30-20 rule, and you can supercharge your social media presence and bolster those all-important metrics.
Mastering social media engagement requires balancing different types of content, and the 50-30-20 rule provides a strategic approach. It suggests that 50% of posts should engage, 30% should inform, and 20% should promote, helping brands generate and maintain interest and credibility.
Why Should I Use the 50-30-20 Rule for Social Media?
Adopting a balanced approach to content creation is crucial in keeping social media users engaged. It can also build trust, drive conversions, and scale engagement metrics far beyond an uncoordinated social media strategy.
- Keeps users engaged: While social media is one of the greatest avenues for connecting with users, it’s also incredibly saturated. To keep users interested, you must offer diverse content and avoid posting the same topics. The 50-30-20 rule provides the framework for a content strategy that helps to cut through the noise and keep your posts appealing.
- Encourages conversions: Customers will quickly turn their attention elsewhere if you only post sales-related content. After all, there are only so many times they will be drawn in by a “biggest sale” or “buy now before it’s gone” post. A conservative approach to sales-focused content will make those events more impactful and may drive more conversions.
- Builds trust: While it can be tempting to stick solely to engaging or sales-type content, social media is a fantastic platform for educating users and showcasing your expertise in a given field. However, you’ll need to pick your topics carefully and consider using video content to keep users interested. Still, with a generous mix of informative content, you can really showcase your industry knowledge and increase your credibility.
A balanced social media content strategy is essential for user engagement, trust-building, and driving conversions. By diversifying posts using the 50-30-20 rule, brands can cut through the noise, avoid over-promoting, and build credibility.
How to Apply the 50-30-20 Rule for Social Media
With the benefits of the 50-30-20 rule clear, it’s time to explore how you can implement the strategy. It’s important to remember that user preferences differ significantly. As such, the 50-30-20 rule is a great foundation for your social media strategy, but don’t be afraid to experiment with different ratios and incorporate more niche content types.
We’ll cover some extra tips for implementing the 50-30-20 rule shortly. For now, let’s stick to the core principles and learn how to apply them successfully.
50%: Engaging Content
User engagement should be your primary focus, and the good news is there are dozens of ways to keep users interested in your social media posts. Across all content types, you’ll want to ensure that you represent your company’s core values. What sets you apart from the competition, and how can you leverage that to create content that keeps your target audience interested?
Examples of engaging content include:
- Behind-the-scenes (BTS) photos or videos
- “Meet the team” posts
- Charity events or socially relevant initiatives
- Audience-relevant memes or gifs
- Ask-me-anythings (AMAs)
- Influencer content
30%: Informative Content
While it may be tempting to keep social media content lighthearted and humourous, informative topics such as blog posts, how-tos, and industry news still have their place. The key is keeping posts short, concise, and formatted for mobile. An overwhelming majority of users browse social media on their phones, so your posts need to be easy to read on mobile devices to support key SEO metrics such as time spent on page and bounce rate.
Examples of informative content include:
- Educational blogs or editorials
- How-to videos
- Expert interviews and one-to-ones
- Industry news
- Shared posts from industry authorities or relevant regulatory bodies
20%: Promotional Content
With a near-endless supply of potential customers, social media is ripe for carefully curated sales posts. The key, of course, is a “less is more” approach—hence the 20% allocation to promotional content. By limiting the amount of sales-driven posts, the promotional content you do post will pack more of a punch, driving interest and engagement. Also, don’t forget that promotional content encompasses more than just sales events and exclusive discounts.
Examples of promotional content include:
- New product announcements
- Customer testimonials and reviews
- Exclusive event invitations
- Contests and giveaways
Engaging content focuses on capturing user interest with BTS posts, memes, and AMAs, while informative content, like blog posts and industry news, educates users. Promotional content, including product launches and exclusive deals, is limited to 20% to maintain interest without overwhelming followers.
Final Tips to Implement the 50-30-20 Rule for Social Media
Social media is constantly evolving, so your approach needs to be equally dynamic. Once you’ve mastered the art of the 50-30-20 rule, several other tips can help to supercharge your social strategy.
- Mobile formatting: We’ve mentioned it already, but all of your content must be mobile-friendly. Whether that’s memes, blogs, or expert interviews, all content should be easily readable on mobile, including links, pictures, and videos that work within the aspect ratios of portrait mode. In fact, given the rising trend of mobile users, many companies now create content using a “mobile first” philosophy.
- Experiment with different content types and ratios: Highlighted above are numerous possible content ideas, from AMAs to customer testimonials, but don’t be afraid to branch out even further, diversifying the 50-30-20 rule. It’s possible to break down the three categories (engaging, informative, promotional) into smaller subsets, such as brand information and cheerleading. The former focuses on content that helps you stand out from competitors, while the latter is your chance to highlight corporate awards and notable accolades. It’s up to you how much of this content you publish, but consider adding 5–10% of either to your posting schedule.
- Track your posts: Speaking of posting schedules, your success on social media means little if you aren’t tracking engagement metrics or how often you post the different types of content highlighted above. One handy strategy is assigning a colour code to the three content categories. Then, over any given period, you can quickly assess the frequency of content types and track how closely you follow the 50-30-20 rule.
To maximise the 50-30-20 social media rule, focus on mobile-first content formatting and experiment with diverse content types. Additionally, track your post frequency and engagement using metrics or colour-coded schedules to ensure consistent application.
Make a Difference with the 50-30-20 Rule
Social media may be extremely saturated with business content, but you can still stand out and drive user engagement with a targeted approach to content posting.
While the 50-30-20 rule provides an excellent foundation for a balanced social media strategy, it’s merely a starting point. By understanding each platform and your audience, and tracking engagement metrics, you can fine-tune the ratios to create algorithm-beating content. Above all else, remember that consistency is king, so plan ahead, track your posts, and keep users interested with a breadth of content.
