The 2025 Guide to Social Media Posts: Sizes, Captions, Tone & Frequency
- Sophie Boulderstone
- 5 days ago
- 7 min read
Keeping track of the ever-changing rules and best practices across social media can feel like a full-time job—especially when you're busy running your own business. We've gathered everything you need into one simple, clear guide, so you can confidently share content in the right format, with the perfect voice, and at just the right frequency.
From Instagram to LinkedIn, Bluesky to Pinterest, we've included optimal image sizes, recommended caption lengths, tone of voice insights, how often you should post, and effective linking strategies for maximum engagement. And, because transparency matters, we'll also explain why we've decided not to support X (formerly Twitter) and suggest better alternatives for your brand.
Consider this your quick-reference cheat sheet to stay visible, relevant, and engaging on social media in 2025—without losing your sanity.
Instagram is still one of the most powerful platforms for visual storytelling — and it’s grown up a lot. With searchable captions now a thing, it’s worth spending a little more time getting your wording right. Hashtags still help, but clear, descriptive captions can actually improve discoverability.
While single-image posts still have a place, Reels and carousels are currently the best way to reach more people — and they tend to keep your audience engaged for longer. That said, don’t neglect your grid. When someone clicks on your profile, those nine little squares do a lot of heavy lifting in terms of brand perception. A consistent look reassures potential clients that you’re established, trustworthy, and invested in what you do.
Image Sizes:
Square: 1080 x 1080 px
Portrait: 1080 x 1350 px (best for feed visibility)
Reels/Stories: 1080 x 1920 px
Caption Length: Caption Length: Aim for the first 150 characters to be attention-grabbing (as this is what’s previewed), but make use of longer, keyword-friendly captions (up to 2,200) where it adds value.
Posting Frequency: 3–5 times a week is plenty
Tone of Voice: Friendly, warm, and human — your audience wants to feel like they know you
Linking Strategy: Instagram now allows up to 5 bio links. Use them strategically or opt for a link service like Linktree for more customisation and tracking.
Facebook Pages
Facebook might not be the shiny new toy anymore, but for small businesses, it still packs a punch — especially for community engagement, local visibility, and events. Your Page serves as a digital shopfront, so even if organic reach is down, it’s often one of the first places a potential customer checks before getting in touch.
Text posts don’t perform particularly well, so always try to include an image or link. Video also works well here — especially native video uploaded directly to Facebook.
Use your About section, pinned posts, and tabs to showcase what you offer. Reviews, services, and FAQs go a long way to building credibility.
Image Sizes:
Landscape: 1200 x 630 px
Stories: 1080 x 1920 px
Caption Length: 40–80 characters tends to perform best for engagement, but longer posts (100–250 words) are great for storytelling or announcements. Break up text with line spacing to avoid the dreaded wall of words.
Posting Frequency: 1–2 posts per day is enough. More than that can feel spammy unless you’re running a campaign or have active engagement.
Tone of Voice: Conversational, community-focused, and clear. Speak as you would to someone at a market stall or local event.
Linking Strategy: Direct linking is allowed and encouraged — especially to blogs, events, and services. Just make sure the thumbnail displays properly, or upload your own image for better control.
LinkedIn (Personal & Company Pages)
LinkedIn is often underused by small businesses, but it can be a goldmine — especially if your work is B2B, service-based, or you’re looking to build trust and authority in your niche.
At the moment, Inkie can post directly to personal LinkedIn profiles, not company pages (yet).
But here’s how both work:
Personal Profiles are where your connections, recommendations, and voice carry the most weight. Think of this as your thought leadership space — it’s where people get to know the human behind the brand.
Company Pages are more formal and represent your business as a whole. You can post updates, showcase services, and build credibility, but engagement tends to be lower unless you’ve got an active follower base.
You can post either regular posts or articles:
Posts (up to 3,000 characters) are great for updates, tips, opinions, or short-form storytelling. These tend to get more visibility in the feed.
Articles are long-form and live in your profile's “Articles” section. These are ideal for deep dives, guides, or thought leadership pieces, and they’re better for searchability both on and off LinkedIn.
Image Sizes:
All posts: 1200 x 627 px
Caption Length:
Posts: Aim for 100–150 words for feed posts, with line breaks to keep it readable.
Articles: Can be much longer (500–1,500 words), but the intro should grab attention — and always add a cover image.
Posting Frequency:
Personal profiles: 2–4 times a week
Company pages: 1–2 times a week (more if you have high engagement or a team to support it)
Tone of Voice:
Personal: Professional but personable — think helpful mentor or grounded expert.
Company: Clear, informative, and aligned with your brand voice — less salesy, more supportive.
Linking Strategy:
Direct links are allowed, but LinkedIn does suppress reach slightly for posts with links. A workaround is to put “link in comments” or use a CTA without hyperlinking every time.
Bluesky
Bluesky is still relatively niche, but it’s steadily building a loyal community — especially among creatives, tech-savvy users, and those looking for a calmer alternative to X (formerly Twitter). It’s decentralised, ad-free (for now), and a bit more conversational.
It’s not the place for heavy promotion, but it can be a brilliant space to share ideas, showcase process or behind-the-scenes, and join thoughtful conversations. It rewards authenticity over polish.
Unlike Instagram or Pinterest, Bluesky doesn’t rely on visuals — but including occasional images can help posts stand out in the feed.
Image Sizes:
Posts with images: 1200 x 675 px recommended
Caption Length:
Up to 300 characters
Short, snappy, and natural works best
Posting Frequency:
1–2 posts a day is more than enough
It's less about volume, more about joining or starting the right conversations
Tone of Voice:
Thoughtful, curious, informal
Think "smart friend at the pub" rather than "expert on a stage"
Linking Strategy:
Direct links are supported, but engagement often comes from replies and discussion rather than click-throughs
Great for blog post teasers, event mentions, or reflective questions
Pinterest is often overlooked by service-based businesses, but it shouldn’t be. It’s not just for recipes and weddings — it’s a powerful visual search engine with long content shelf life. Unlike platforms where posts vanish in a day, Pins can drive traffic to your site for months (even years) after posting.
It’s ideal for promoting blog posts, lead magnets, tutorials, infographics, or anything your audience might want to refer back to. And since users are often in research or decision-making mode, Pinterest can be a quiet but steady source of high-quality leads.
Image Sizes:
Ideal pin size: 1000 x 1500 px (2:3 ratio)
Avoid landscape or square — tall pins perform better
Caption Length:
Pinterest uses both titles and descriptions
Keep titles concise and clear; use up to 500 characters in the description for context and keywords
Posting Frequency:
1–5 Pins per day is typical
You can batch schedule using tools or repurpose blog/social content into fresh pins
Tone of Voice:
Informative, helpful, and visually-led
Think how-to, ideas, and inspiration over sales pitches
Linking Strategy:
Every Pin should link somewhere — ideally to your website or a blog post
Use Pinterest’s rich pins if possible for enhanced formatting and metadata
TikTok
TikTok has shifted from being a dance app for teenagers to a full-blown discovery engine. Its algorithm rewards authentic, engaging content — and while trends still matter, consistent posting and clear storytelling tend to outperform gimmicks.
For small businesses, it’s an opportunity to be seen by a much wider audience. Show your process, talk about your mission, share tips, or respond to FAQs. It doesn’t have to be polished — real often works better than perfect.
Video Size:
1080 x 1920 px (vertical full screen)
Caption Length:
Keep it short and punchy — under 100 characters is ideal
Hashtags are still relevant, but not everything. Use a mix of broad and niche ones
Posting Frequency:
1–3 times a day is common, but even 3–4 times a week can build momentum
Tone of Voice:
Casual, relatable, and energetic
Think storytelling, behind-the-scenes, quick insights — whatever feels natural for you
Linking Strategy:
You unlock a clickable bio link after reaching 1,000 followers
Until then, refer to your website or link tool in your video or comments
These work almost like Instagram carousels — users swipe through a series of still images, which can include text overlays, effects, and transitions. You can add music, stickers, and captions just like with video content.
Why use it?
Easier to produce: Great for showcasing products, testimonials, before-and-afters, or step-by-step guides without needing to film or edit video.
Algorithm-friendly: TikTok still pushes photo posts — especially if they’re engaging, well-captioned, and matched with trending sounds.
Good for repurposing: If you’ve already got strong visual assets from Instagram or your website, you can reuse them here.
The Editor:
TikTok’s photo editor allows:
Adjusting brightness/contrast/saturation
Adding filters or overlays
Placing text on individual photos (ideal for narrative flow)
Choosing soundtracks to accompany the photo sequence
Setting timing (you control how long each photo is shown)
Tips:
Use the first image as a hook – make sure it’s eye-catching
Add clear text where needed (e.g. “Before / After”, “3 things you didn’t know…”)
Keep text away from the bottom of the screen — that’s where captions and buttons live
Match your photo style to your brand – keep colours, fonts, and tone consistent
Why We Don’t Currently Support X (Formerly Twitter)
While Twitter (now rebranded as X) was once a vital tool for real-time updates and connection, the platform has changed significantly — and not necessarily in ways that support small businesses.
Recent shifts in its algorithm, reduced visibility for non-paying accounts, unpredictable moderation policies, and the erosion of community trust have made it a far less effective place to build meaningful reach or engagement. For many small brands, the return on effort just isn’t there.
We’re keeping an eye on it, but right now, we’ve chosen to focus our energy on platforms that offer more stability, discoverability, and real relationship-building opportunities for small business owners.
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to social media — each platform has its own strengths, quirks, and audience expectations. But if you understand the format, post with intention, and keep things consistent, your efforts will go further.
Whether you're using Inkie to create and schedule your content, or managing it manually, this guide should help you get the basics right — so you can spend less time guessing, and more time doing what you love.
Want a shortcut? Inkie creates posts, sources images, writes SEO blogs and auto-schedules your content — all based on your brand voice and goals. Check out our 7-day free trial to see how much time it can save you.
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