How often should you post on social media — and what to actually post?

This is the question we get more than any other, usually phrased as a confession: "I know I should be posting more." So let's settle it. The honest answer is that posting frequency matters far less than most people fear — and far less than the apps want you to believe.

A small South African food or FMCG brand does not need to post every day. It needs to post consistently and have something worth saying when it does.

The frequency that actually works

For most product brands, three quality posts a week to your feed is the sweet spot — say Monday, Wednesday and Friday. That's frequent enough to stay in front of people, infrequent enough that you can keep the quality up and not run dry by week two. Add Stories on the days in between if you have the energy; they're lower-stakes and disappear in 24 hours, so they don't need to be polished.

One genuinely good post a week beats five rushed ones. The algorithm rewards posts that people stop on, save and share. It quietly punishes a feed of filler that nobody engages with. Three is the target; if life gets in the way, protect quality over quantity every single time.

What to actually post: the four pillars

The reason most people run out of ideas is that they treat every post as a fresh blank page. Don't. Work from a small set of content pillars — recurring themes you rotate through — and the "what do I post?" panic disappears. For a food or FMCG brand, these four cover almost everything:

• The product, shown well. Your hero shots — the jar, the loaf, the bottle, in good light. Close-ups, the texture, someone actually using or eating it. This is your bread and butter, but it shouldn't be every post.
• Behind the scenes. How it's made, the early-morning prep, the people, the packing. South Africans buy from brands they feel they know. This is the cheapest trust you'll ever earn.
• Useful or fun. A recipe using your product, a serving suggestion, a quick tip, a pairing. Content people might save or send to a friend — which is exactly what the algorithm pushes wider.
• Proof and people. A customer review, a repost of someone enjoying your product, the stockist who just took you on. Other people vouching for you is worth more than anything you can say about yourself.

Rotate those four and a week fills itself: Monday a product shot, Wednesday a recipe, Friday a customer repost. No blank page, ever.

A few honest don'ts

Don't post just to hit a number — an empty "Happy Monday!" graphic does nothing for anyone. Don't disappear for three weeks and then apologise in a post; just start again quietly. And don't chase every trend that lands on your feed. A trend only works if it fits your brand and you can do it well; a forced one does more harm than a quiet week.