Do you know the lifespan of a social media post on each platform in 2022?

The lifespan of a post on social media differs from platform to platform. Within each platform, the different formats you post, can have different lifespans. Knowing how long on average a post stays ‘active’ on each platform is one of the things that can help you create an effective strategy to grow your business on social media.

What does ‘active’ on social media mean?

An active post refers to how long the post will appear in the user’s main feeds or homepages and when you are most likely to get engagement such as likes, comments and shares. Other factors to consider are the time of day that you post and the day that you post. These can also affect how long your post is active and when the majority of your audience will see it.

Instagram Posts

There are 3 different types of posts on Instagram, Grid posts, Story posts and Reels. Each of these post types has its own lifespan so it is important to factor this in when you are considering how often to create each type of post.

Instagram Grid posts = 48hrs

Grid posts refer to any post that goes directly onto your grid such as photos, carousels, 1-minute videos, graphics and animated posts like gifs or memes. On average these will show on your follower’s or potential followers’ home feeds for up to 48hrs. Things that will affect this time include hashtags used

and engagement the post gets such as likes, saves and shares. One way to increase the lifespan of a post is to share it in your stories. Although the active lifespan of a grid post is 48hrs, posts will stay on your profile grid for as long as you have your account.

Instagram Story posts = 24hrs

Instagram stories are 15 seconds long and appear at the top of your Instagram home feed. These posts last for 24 hrs however you can save them to your highlights on your profile and they will stay there till you delete them. Stories are a great way of interacting with your current audience, showing behind the scenes of your business and using interactive stickers such as questions or polls.

Instagram Reels = 24hrs – 14 days

The average reel will typically be active for between 24hrs and 48hrs however if your reel is performing well and getting good reach and engagement it can still be active for 14 days. If your reel goes viral and gets 1000s or millions of views this time can be even longer. The key with reels as with anything on social media is to experiment, reels can differ in length from only a few seconds up to 90 seconds (the latest times at the writing of this post). See which content, format and length of your reels prove the most popular with your audience and make more of those. Don’t forget about trending audio too.

Facebook Post = 5 hrs

The average lifespan of a post on Facebook is now around 5hrs with the most activity happening within the first couple of hours. This time has steadily been declining over the last couple of years as more people come onto Facebook and the competition grows. That is why it is important to check your analytics and see when most of your audience is online to maximise the reach and engagement of your posts.

Pinterest Pin = 6 months – 1 year +

As Pinterest is a search engine rather than social media you may not see instant results from your pins. It takes time for your pins to index on Pinterest and appears up in people’s home feed and searches. However, the advantage of this is that a pin can still be active and get you results 6 months, 1 year, or even longer after you have posted it. That is why it is important to plan your Pinterest content and pin in advance of seasons or events of the year so that your pins can index before that subject becomes popular.

LinkedIn Post = 48hr – 14 days

On average as with an Instagram post a LinkedIn post is active for around 48hrs, however as LinkedIn users statistically arent on the platform as often as on Instagram, a LinkedIn post can still be active for

14 days after posting. This is important to remember when planning your content so you include a mixture of posts relating to current events but also posts that will still be relevant if seen 14 days later.

TikTok Video = few minutes

TikTok is a fast-moving platform with videos appearing in your feed which you can then swipe past and then they are gone. That is why the average TikTok video is only active for a few minutes. Creating a video that is engaging and hooks people in will improve the life of your video and then if it goes viral it can be active for up to a couple of weeks.

Twitter post = 15 minutes

Another fast-moving platform is Twitter, on average a tweet is active for around 15 minutes, because of this to make the most out of Twitter you need to post multiple times a day. The exception, as with all platforms is if your tweet goes viral and then it can have a much longer lifespan

YouTube Video = 30 days +

YouTube as with Pinterest is a search engine rather than social media and so your videos will take time to index and start getting views and engagement. The advantage of this is that they have a much longer life span and can be active for at least 30 days but can still be producing results for you over a year after you have posted them.

Why is it important to know the lifespan of social media posts?

Knowing how long your post will be active on each social media platform is important for creating an effective strategy for your business. For example, a post about a current event or that is a time-limited offer such as a 24 hrs sale would be great to post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc but will not get you many results on Pinterest or YouTube. However an educational video, a post referring to a blog you have written or products you have as main stock would work well on most of the platforms. Different types of posts also work better than others on each platform, the key is to experiment as see which platform, post format and time of day works best for your audience and your business.

If you would like to find out more speak to our friends at Black Square Print Media www.blacksquareprintmedia.co.uk