Social media glossary

Plain-English definitions of the social media and content terms worth knowing: what they mean, why they matter, and an example for each.

B

Brand voiceAlso: Tone of voiceThe consistent personality and tone your brand uses across everything it writes.

C

Carousel postAlso: Swipe postA multi-image or multi-slide post people swipe through, common on Instagram and LinkedIn.Content calendarAlso: Social media calendar, Editorial calendarA schedule that maps what you'll post, where, and when — across your social platforms.Content pillarAlso: Content themeA recurring theme or topic bucket that your social content keeps coming back to.

E

Engagement rateThe share of people who interact with a post — likes, comments, shares, saves — relative to its reach or your following.

H

HookAlso: Opening lineThe first line of a post, designed to stop the scroll and pull people in.

S

Social media schedulingPreparing posts in advance and setting them to publish automatically at chosen times.

U

User-generated contentAlso: UGCContent about your brand created by customers or fans rather than the brand itself.

Put the terms to work.

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