50 FREE Content Ideas for Any Social Media Platform

When I first started working with small businesses, coming up with new content ideas felt like a never-ending to-do list. I’d allocate myself a planning day where I would set myself a task to fill out next months content calendar on CoScehdule, but would usually just end up staring at an empty calendar for hours.

The good news is that social media doesn’t have to be stressful. With the right ideas, you can show up consistently, engage your audience, and build brand awareness, without spending a penny! Whether you’re just starting out or looking for fresh inspiration, these 50 free content ideas will help you stay visible and connect with your dream customers.

These ideas can be used and adapted to all social media platforms. However make sure you know your audience and where they typically hang out!

Brand & Business Content

Your Brand Story - Share why you started your business. Visit this article to learn how to tell your brand story!
Behind the Scenes - Show your workspace, packaging process, or daily routine. This can be a series of images or a short video.
Meet the Team - Introduce yourself or your team members. Perhaps record a short video and share something interesting about the person.
Your Mission and Values - What does your business stand for? An instagram carousel would work well here.
A Day in Your Life - Take followers through your typical workday.
How It Started vs. How It’s Going - Show your progress and growth, but don't leave out the challenges!
Your Business Name’s Meaning - Share why you chose your business name. What does it mean to you?
Throwback Post - Highlight an old project, design, or product.
What Inspires You - Share the books, podcasts, or mentors that motivate you.
Your Biggest Business Lesson - Help others avoid mistakes you’ve made. A short informal video would work well.

Educational Content

How-To Guide - Teach something related to your niche to demonstrate your expertise. This can be written as a blog article and broken down into bite size chunks for social media.
Industry Myth-Busting - Clear up common misconceptions and offer your opinion!
Step-by-Step Tutorial - Share a short step-by-step process that can make your audience's life easier!
Mini FAQ - Answer your most common customer questions. If you haven't received any questions, search for relevant topics on google and scroll down to 'people also ask' and answer these.
Tools You Love - Share free resources or apps you use and honest reviews of them.
Common Mistakes to Avoid - Help your audience learn from your experience, but be sure to add a number here e.g. '5 common mistakes to avoid'. This typically attracts more readers.
Quick Tips and Tricks - Bite-sized advice that your audience can use right away.
Dos and Don’ts - Break down best practices in your industry to demonstrate your expertise.
Case Study or Success Story Show a real-life example of your work for credibility. If it's your first one, say this! You instantly become relatable and trustworthy.
Definitions and Explanations - Simplify industry terminology for your audience.

Engagement And Interactive Content

Polls & Quizzes - Use Instagram Stories or LinkedIn polls to ask questions. This is entertaining and useful data!
Ask Me Anything (AMA) - Encourage followers to drop their questions. An excellent way to engage your audience, but also to inspire future blog posts.
This or That? - Post two options and ask followers to vote.
Caption This - Share a fun photo and ask followers to create a caption.
Guess the Product - Post a zoomed-in image and let followers guess.
Would You Rather? - Give your audience two choices and let them decide. You can learn something about your audience here.
Fill in the Blank - Post a sentence with a missing word and ask followers to complete it.
Story Time - Ask your audience to share their experiences in the comments. See if you can identify pain points to address in future content.
Tag a Friend - Encourage followers to tag someone who needs to see your post.
User-Generated Content - Share content from happy customers or followers.

Promotional Content (Without Being Too Salesy!)

Before and After - Show transformations of your product or service.
Customer Testimonials - Share a review or positive feedback.
Limited-Time Offers - Promote discounts, freebies, or exclusive deals.
Sneak Peek - Give a preview of an upcoming product or launch.
Best Sellers or Favourites - Highlight your most popular product or service and discuss why its loved!
How to Use Your Product - Show your product in action, even if it seems super simple!
Behind-the-Scenes of a Product Launch - For transparency, take your followers through the process.
What Makes Your Brand Unique - Explain your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). Why should customers choose you?
Your Brand Promise - What can customers expect when they buy from you? Quality?
Social Proof - Share how many people have bought or loved your product. Even if its just one review for now!

Fun & Relatable Content

Funny Meme or GIF - Post something lighthearted that your audience can relate to. Most suited to instagram.
Your Morning Routine - Share how you start your day as a business owner. Your audience wants to see the human behind the business!
Your Business Mood Board - Showcase your brand’s aesthetic.
What’s on Your Desk? - Share a simple snapshot of your workspace. (Even if it's messy!)
Throwback Trends - Post an old trend and ask followers if they remember it.
Celebrations - Celebrate your business milestones, however small. Suitable as a Linkedin post, but make sure you start with a hook!
Your Favourite Productivity Hack - Share a tip that helps you stay focused and encourage others to share.
Your Weekend Plans - Get personal and share what you’re up to.
Daily Motivation or Quote - Inspire your audience with an uplifting message.
Repost Viral Trends - Use trending sounds or challenges to reach new people, but make sure its relevant.

Ready to Take Action?

The key to social media success isn’t about posting the “perfect” content, you just have to make sure it has value!

Valuable content + Consistency = Engaged Audience

Pick a few ideas from this list and start posting today! You can use this FREE graphic design tool to start making your posts!

Have fun!