Post Types
There are many types of posts: short-form video, text-only, image + text, and long-form video, just to name a few. There are pros and cons to each, and some platforms are built to accommodate certain types of posts more than others. Here is a quick breakdown:
Short-Form Videos
Short videos (generally < 1 minute) include Instagram Reels and TikTok. These super-short videos are engaging, entertaining, and usually comprised of several short videos stitched together with text, special effects, and music. They are easy to swipe through if the first few seconds don’t catch a viewer’s attention, but because they are super short it’s easy to get more views and engagement than longer videos. Short-form videos do best when they’re focused on one super-specific topic.
Examples:
Sale reminder
How to style your earrings day-to-night
Choreographed dance with all your employees (wearing your products!)
Long-Form Videos
Longer videos are primarily hosted on Youtube and can help you go in-depth on topics. They take much more effort and equipment to make, but you can pack a lot more information into them. Long-form videos require a viewer to make a time commitment to your content, but the viewers who do engage with your content are usually more invested in what you have to say and therefore more likely to engage with your website, store, and products.
Examples:
Reviews of a new product line
In-depth overview of the custom jewelry process
Interview with your bench jeweler
Short-Form Text
Short-form text is mostly just Twitterand Facebookposts without photos or graphics. They’re only a few sentences and get straight to the point. Short text is easy to produce and consume, but it’s not generally the type of thing that attracts new followers or has much interaction.
Examples:
Sale reminder
Holiday hours reminder
Long-Form Text
Longer text is usually for emails and blogs, so it’s less used on true social media platforms. Like long-form videos, your text can cover a wide range of things. It can go very in-depth on a particular topic, or it might cover a wide variety of related topics. It does require your audience to commit to interacting with you for longer, but those longer interaction times can create a sense of loyalty and better understanding of you as a brand.
Examples:
Educational blog posts
Monthly newsletters
Articles about your store in a local magazine
Image + Caption
A lot of social media falls into this category: an image or series of images is accompanied by a short or long caption. Instagramand Pinterestare examples of image-first content, where the photo or graphic is what entices users to read the caption or interact with the post. An image doesn’t have to be a photograph; many creators are now using colorful graphics and text to convey their message (we really like user-friendly Canva to create these!).
Captions are important though: without the caption, users might not know what you’re trying to emphasize in the photo, and it makes searching for your posts harder. Even if you only write one sentence to accompany the image, providing context is valuable for your audience.
Examples:
Photo series of new products accompanied by a brief description of the product line
Photo of a sales associate on their birthday and a caption telling everyone to wish them a happy 30th!
Photo series of a model wearing products in different contexts and a description of how you chose to style the model