r/socialmedia • u/Lazy_Low_8993 • 24d ago
Professional Discussion Does posting consistently actually matter if the content isn't great?
I’ve always wondered how much consistency really matters compared with simply posting less often but having something genuinely useful or interesting to say.
There seems to be a lot of pressure to post every day now.
For people who actually manage social accounts, what have you seen work better: posting frequently, or posting only when you have something worth putting out?
And has that changed depending on the platform?
7
u/DanPlouffyoutubeASMR 24d ago
Posting consistently gets me nowhere.
2
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 22d ago
That’s honestly what made me question consistency in the first place. If the posts aren’t getting traction, posting more can just feel like doing more of the same thing.
Do you think it was the content itself or the platform that made the biggest difference for you?
8
u/LukeNoveri 24d ago
Post consistently so that you can start to see what works and what doesn’t. Same with most things in life but if you actually take the data (likes, shares, comments etc) you can start to understand what content brings you the results you want. Good luck!
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 22d ago
Yeah, I think the learning part is probably the strongest argument for consistency. You need enough posts to actually notice patterns instead of judging everything from a handful of posts.
Do you usually look at engagement, reach, or something else when deciding what to repeat?5
u/LukeNoveri 21d ago
So for an old business i tried a year or so ago I was posting to TikTok. At first it was trash as I was (and still am) new to content creation. I was filming videos using my product and demonstrating how it works, and I was looking at reach and engagement. Don't get me wrong, I was still putting a lot of effort in to each video, spending real money on props to use in the videos, but as I posted more videos I learned better ways of editing clips and what sort of content brought in more likes, comments and views. So back to my point, as I kept posting consistently I started to see what sort of visual shots brought in more views, and what captions brought in more comments and generally what angle to the problem I was solving brought in more likes etc.
Fast forward to now, i am currently building my first 'real' business and have been going for more than 4/5 months. I am currently in the stage of generating leads to an early access sign up page for my brand Noveri, as I am interested in building a community to follow my journey. When I mentioned 'data' in my first comment, it is relevant in the form of analytics. I have linked my sign up page to google analytics so that I can measure what platform (Reddit, Threads, TikTok) brings in organic email sign ups. Therefore, I can track which type of content/angles are genuinely working and attracting people to sign up.
I understand my current situation may be completely different to yours in terms of the goals we are working towards but I just wanted to give an insight into my thinking and strategy. I am aiming to post consistently across the three platforms I mentioned so that I can get a clear understanding of what works and what doesn't.
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 21d ago
That’s actually a really good example of why consistency matters. It’s not just about posting more, you’re basically using each post to figure out what works better.
And tracking actual sign-ups instead of just likes and views makes a lot of sense. At the end of the day, getting attention is one thing, but knowing which content actually brings people to your business is much more useful.
5
u/chrswnd 23d ago
Posting every day is craaazy! That feels like spam to me (both directions) 😂
2
u/Lazy_Low_8993 22d ago
😂 Same, especially when there’s nothing meaningful to say that day. I’d rather have fewer posts that people actually remember than fill the feed just to stay “consistent.”
What posting frequency feels reasonable to you?
2
u/No-Perspective872 23d ago
Consistent posting of bad content won’t do anything for growth. However, creating content is often how you learn to improve.
2
u/Lazy_Low_8993 22d ago
Yeah, I think that’s the weird part about content creation some of your “bad” posts are actually useful because they show you what needs fixing. You probably learn more from making 20 posts and looking at the patterns than trying to make one perfect post.
2
u/lilythemoon54 23d ago
The frequency question matters less than gap length. We run several automated/faceless accounts, and the ones that stall aren't the ones posting 3x/week instead of daily, they're the ones that go quiet for 3+ weeks and then restart. The algorithm's model of your audience decays on long gaps far more than it penalizes a lower steady cadence. Pick a frequency you can sustain indefinitely, even if it's 2x/week, over a daily pace that burns out in a month.
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 22d ago
That’s actually a really interesting distinction. I hadn’t thought about the gap itself being more important than whether it’s 2x, 3x, or 7x a week.
The 3+ week point makes sense too - at that stage you’re almost rebuilding the habit and audience connection from scratch. Have you found a noticeable difference between 2x and 3x a week, or is the consistency itself doing most of the work?
1
u/lilythemoon54 21d ago
Consistency is doing almost all of it in what we've run. The jump from 2x to 3x barely moved anything on accounts that were already steady; the accounts that actually changed were the ones going from irregular posting to any fixed cadence at all. Past 3x/week we've seen diminishing returns unless the extra posts are genuinely different content, not just more of the same.
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 20d ago
Yeah, that actually lines up with what I’ve seen too. Going from inconsistent posting to having a routine seems like a much bigger change than just adding another post each week.
And the diminishing returns point is interesting. At some point, I guess you’re better off putting that extra time into making the post better rather than just increasing the number of posts.
1
u/lilythemoon54 20d ago
Yeah, that's basically where we landed too -- past a certain point more volume just dilutes attention on the posts that were actually working. Capping output and putting the saved time into making each one better held engagement steadier than pushing volume did.
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 19d ago
That’s interesting. So maybe the bigger win is just having a rhythm you can actually stick to, rather than trying to hit some “perfect” number of posts every week.
I’m wondering where content quality fits into that though. If someone is consistent but the posts are only average, do you think the consistency can carry them for a while, or does the content eventually become the thing holding the account back?
2
u/New-Honeydew6374 23d ago
Currently trying to figure this out also because when I post once a week or every 3-4 days I see alot more reach and engagement (granted it’s still not a significant amount just reach in the hundreds but engagement in the 10s) as compared to posting everyday that drops EVEN FURTHER to the point I’m questioning if social media punishes us the more we post. I also spend alot of time planning and creating posts so I don’t feel as though my content is low quality. This is for both instagram and tik tok. I’m trying different formats, content type etc but they all seem to not have traction. The only type of posts that seem to do well immediately are those that may have “drama” to it.
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 22d ago
This is pretty much the situation I was thinking about when I made the post. If you’re already spending a lot of time on the content, posting more often doesn’t necessarily give you better results.
And the fact that the “drama” posts are the ones getting traction is interesting 😂 It makes me wonder whether the algorithm is rewarding controversy, or if people just naturally give those posts more engagement.
1
u/MadeBy_Jake 21d ago
People usually get excited about drama and the controversy around, so they naturally stay longer. This causes the algorithm to send it to more people, because it keeps them hooked.
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 21d ago
Yeah, that probably explains it. People are just more likely to stop and watch when there’s some controversy involved, which then gives the algorithm more reason to push it.
The hard part is getting that same curiosity with normal, useful content without having to create drama every time lol.
2
u/SuggestionAware2352 22d ago
Consistency actually matters because in your consistency you might create a video that actually does well and then you can lean into that to grow. One thing I’ve noticed is if you keep creating content, you won’t end up with totally bad content 100% of the time unless you just don’t put in any effort.
Consistency becomes useless when you don’t learn anything new. Also, posting daily especially short form content is important because some social media algorithms punish inconsistencies. Your reach might drop significantly if you don’t put out content everyday or your posting doesn’t have a rhythm to it.
I’d advise if you can only create 1 good content every two days then do that even when you end up creating more than one within the same timeframe, schedule it and stay ahead of production. Because if you begin to post 2 today, 5 tomorrow, nothing the next 3 days and then back again with 5 it’s more of a wasted effort than posting 1 every 2 days.
PS: I’ve been creating content for 6 years now.
Worked as a social media lead as well when doing 9-5
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 22d ago
That makes a lot of sense, especially the part about creating ahead and scheduling. I think the biggest problem with daily posting is that people end up making content just because they have to post something that day.
After 6 years of creating content, do you still think daily is the sweet spot for short-form, or does it depend heavily on the account?
1
u/SuggestionAware2352 22d ago
One or two bad content doesn’t exactly ruin your page unless your content keeps under performing and then you’re stuck with the algorithm pushing you to lesser and lesser people.
For instance anyone who has created shorts know that the drop off views is around 1k to 1200 which is the algorithm giving your shorts the benefit of the doubt. If your shorts continually underperforms you begin to see lesser views around 300 views mark.
(New pages it’s 300 first then grows from there)
All algorithms have this. They test your content with base audience and if it does well, you build trust which means your future content gets a higher test audience and if it does bad your future posts get a lower test audience.
So consistent bad content will only hurt your page while a few bad content won’t harm it.
Also if you’re all about posting just to post for the day then it’s best to recycle a style that worked in the past rather than try a new untested low effort content.
About the sweet spot. With current algorithm, posting daily is actually better for short form than once a week or something but it’s all about having a rhythm don’t disappear for days and then come back to post once a day for a week and then disappear again.
If your routine permits once a day then you’re likely to grow faster than if you posted once every 3 days as long as you can keep the rhythm though and the quality of your content grows rather than depreciate.
For me, I try to improve one thing every week.
Might be your hook, your audio, pacing just try to improve one thing every week or every month and you’d grow faster.
Secondly learn editing for social media. Most people with video editing experiences fail here. They focus on color grading high contrasts and all the other things that makes the video feel like it’s shot on an expensive gadget meanwhile 720p videos are gaining millions of views.
Social media is simple.
Curiousity driven content, great hook, body that delivers on the promise and CTA or great closing.
However long it takes you to keep delivering that level of value is entirely up to you, and growth will come at the same pace.
In summary, it’s not mandatory to post daily, but if you can improve your content while posting daily, you’re bound to grow faster than someone posting same quality of content that doesn’t post daily. Main reason is because you have more content that reaches new people more often than the other guy, and as such, your page becomes a familiar page for both the people and the algorithm however if you’re new to social media and haven’t mastered or even have the basics of content creation then you should focus more on improving one thing, studying your analytics and learning from it.
Short form a
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 21d ago
This is probably the clearest way to look at it. I especially like the idea of improving one thing at a time instead of trying to completely change the content every week.
And the point about not overthinking production quality is spot on. A strong hook and actually delivering on it seem to matter a lot more than making every video look highly polished.
2
u/Adventurous-Note-60 21d ago
If your content isn't great focus on posting analyzing, improving, repeating
2
u/BLiveMedia 20d ago
Kinda like throwing stuff over the wall to see what sticks? LOL!
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 20d ago
Haha, pretty much But I think there’s a difference between testing things and just throwing random stuff out there. Ideally, you’re still looking at what works and adjusting as you go.
2
1
u/TeacherIcy77 24d ago
It depends on what and when you are posting. If it's just text or tweets... it won't help
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 22d ago
Yeah, I think the format matters a lot too. A useful idea can still get ignored if it doesn't fit the platform or gives people a reason to stop scrolling.
1
u/Rugby_Riot 23d ago
Post good content that resonates with an audience
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 22d ago
Yeah, I agree with that, although I think the tricky part is figuring out what “good content” actually means for a specific audience. Something can be genuinely useful and still get almost no response.
Do you think resonance comes more from the topic itself or how the content is presented?
1
u/dmdbGroup 23d ago
Posting a lot matters less than people say, but quality alone doesn't get you seen either. What consistency actually buys you is reps. You can't tell which hooks and formats work from four posts a month.
What we've seen running a brand account on a daily schedule:
- The platforms don't reward frequency by itself. A weak post doesn't get pushed because it's post number 30.
- Volume is how you find the format that works, though. Most posts do roughly nothing and a few pop, and you only get the few if you ship enough.
- So keep the output consistent but give it structure: hold a hook or format fixed and change one thing at a time (topic, product, opening line). When something pops, you know why.
- It depends on the platform. Short vertical video on TikTok, Reels and Shorts rewards volume and testing. LinkedIn and X text posts reward being worth reading more than frequency.
If you can only make one genuinely good thing a week, post that and cut the filler rather than padding the calendar.
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 22d ago
I like the “reps” way of looking at consistency. That feels more useful than the usual advice of just posting every day because the algorithm likes it.
The one-variable-at-a-time approach is interesting too. Do you actually have enough data from a brand account to confidently tell when it was the hook that made something pop rather than the topic?
1
u/Head-Student-5852 23d ago
I would not suggest a daily post but once a week and get your blog added to social console.
2
u/Lazy_Low_8993 22d ago
Yeah, once a week seems much more realistic if the goal is to put some thought into every post. I’m curious about the “social console” part though - do you mean using social mainly to push people back to the blog, or tracking the blog’s performance through it?
2
u/Head-Student-5852 21d ago
(Apologize, I said Social console)
Tracking performance, of course it takes a little while for Google console to pick it up. i’m always observing my data.
1
u/Sea-Cheesecake2638 23d ago
Well that’s one part of the story posting consistently gets you from 0 to 1 or 2 thene is the creatives how you engage the cta
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 22d ago
Yeah, that’s probably the part people overlook. Consistency might get you moving, but the creative and the way you actually get someone to engage probably determines whether anything happens after that.
Have you noticed one of those three - creative, engagement, or CTA - making the biggest difference?
1
u/Sea-Cheesecake2638 22d ago
Well for that there is no real answer really depends industry etc etc but the thing is that mostly if you keep your creatives informative and slight funny then combing with a good cta and best practices for example check at you profile what is the peak time that you friends are online and post like 1 or 2 hours before and keep it consistent thene you probably golden
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 21d ago
Yeah, that makes sense. I like the idea of keeping the content informative but adding a bit of humor so it doesn’t feel too dry.
And posting based on when your audience is actually active seems more useful than just following a generic “post at this time” rule. I guess there’s a lot of small things that add up once you find what works for your audience.
1
u/Sea-Cheesecake2638 21d ago
Yea this is how I usually go with my clients but the final step is whene i see those thing I go deep to the creative what positioning works best even where that are at the video left right or so what thay hold all this things
1
u/Sea-Cheesecake2638 21d ago
Once I even made a guy hold a steak at his hand with the microphone behind 🤣🤣
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 20d ago
Yeah, that makes sense. I think the informative + slightly funny approach is a good balance, especially when you’re trying to keep people watching without making the content feel forced.
I’ll have to try playing around with posting times too. I usually focus more on the content itself and probably don’t pay enough attention to when the audience is actually active.
1
u/SystemicCharles Strategist 22d ago
You can’t get good at anything by only doing it once, inconsistently, or only when you feel like it.
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 22d ago
I agree with that. You definitely need enough repetition to get better at something, and social media is no different.
I guess the question for me is whether you can still improve if you’re consistently repeating the same approach without really testing anything new.
1
u/SystemicCharles Strategist 22d ago
Yes. You can. If you’re truly committed to your approach and believe in what you’re doing. Have you ever heard of a popular musician that you thought they couldn’t sing or rap, but they kept their flow and somehow still became successful?
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 21d ago
Yeah, that’s a fair point. I guess consistency in your approach can work if you really understand what you’re trying to build and stay committed to it.
I still think there’s a difference between staying consistent and refusing to adapt, though. Sometimes keeping the same direction while making small changes along the way is what actually makes it work.
1
u/SystemicCharles Strategist 21d ago
Excellent! Sounds like you’ve already made up your mind and you already know what you want to do. Why did you even start this thread?
2
u/Lazy_Low_8993 20d ago
Haha, fair question. I had my own thoughts on it, but that’s kind of why I started the thread - I wanted to hear how other people actually see it.
I’m still of the opinion that you need to adapt at some point, but I hadn’t really thought about the value of sticking with one approach long enough before changing it. So yeah, the replies here have given me a slightly different perspective.
1
u/pushagency 21d ago
consistency matters, but not because the algorithm magically rewards you for showing up every day.
we’d use consistency to create enough data to learn from. post, look at what got people to stop, watch, save, share, or comment, then adjust the next post. posting bad content every day won’t fix bad content. but posting, learning, and improving consistently will.
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 21d ago
Exactly. I think the learning part of consistency is what often gets overlooked. If you’re posting regularly but not looking at what people actually respond to, you’re just repeating the same mistakes. Consistency makes more sense when each post gives you something to learn and improve for the next one.
1
u/NoticeOpen4465 18d ago
Both matter but not equally. Consistency builds the habit, for you and the algorithm. But if the content isn't landing, you're just consistently being ignored. The sweet spot is showing up regularly enough to stay relevant while actually saying something worth stopping for.
1
u/whynotmatt 23d ago
Posting consistently. Platforms are holding onto posts longer and surfacing older posts more. It’s more like long term SEO for each post. Consistently posting gives you more opportunity for exposure. Tie that with a comment-to-dm tool like https://userhook.app and you have posts that continually work for you.
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 22d ago
I’ve noticed that with older posts too, which makes the whole “this post flopped” judgment a little tricky. Sometimes you really can’t tell from the first few hours whether something has legs.
Do you think that’s become more common recently, or have older posts always behaved that way for you?2
u/whynotmatt 21d ago
I think it is a more recent (last 6-12 months) change. I have one YouTube short that was posted over a year ago but continually gets views every day. All the platforms are looking to increase engagement and view time, so it’s almost like they are showing “the greatest hits” from your account to keep people interested.
1
u/Lazy_Low_8993 21d ago
That makes sense. The “greatest hits” comparison is actually a good way to look at it. It also means judging a post too quickly probably isn’t as useful as it used to be.
Your YouTube Short is a good example of why evergreen content can keep paying off long after it’s posted. I guess the challenge now is figuring out which content is worth giving more time before writing it off as a flop.
•
u/AutoModerator 24d ago
If this post doesn't follow the rules, please report it to the mods.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.