A social media editorial line is the document that sets out what your business posts, for whom, in what tone and how often. To build one, start from your goals, describe your audiences, pick 3 to 5 recurring themes (your content pillars), define your tone of voice, then choose formats and a posting frequency. Here is the method in 6 steps.
Why you need an editorial line
Without an editorial line, posting depends on inspiration: a promotion one day, nothing the next, then a trend that has nothing to do with the brand. The result is a blurry image and an audience that doesn’t know why it follows you. A clear editorial line helps you:
- stay consistent across networks and from one week to the next;
- save time, because you never start from a blank page;
- delegate more easily, to a colleague or an external provider;
- measure what works, theme by theme.
Step 1: set your goals
Awareness, leads, sales, hiring, loyalty: each goal calls for different content. Pick one or two priorities. An account that tries to do everything at once rarely does anything well.
Step 2: describe your audiences
For each audience, write down what they expect, the questions they ask and the networks where they spend time. A small business owner isn’t in the same place as a student or a parent. This is what tells you whether to focus on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok or Facebook.
Step 3: choose 3 to 5 content pillars
Pillars are the broad themes you’ll cover regularly. For example:
- expertise: tips, answers to frequent questions, mistakes to avoid;
- behind the scenes: the team, your methods, how things are made;
- proof: results, customer reviews, past work;
- news from your industry, when it genuinely matters to your audience;
- your offer: products and services, without letting it take over.
Keep these pillars balanced: a feed that only sells quickly wears people out.
Step 4: define your tone and rules
Formal or casual, humorous or understated, emojis or not: put it in writing, with a few examples of what to say and what not to say. Add the topics you won’t touch and how to reply to comments. A distinctive, consistent tone helps people recognise you. For a video-conferencing company, for instance, FMRS went for humorous meme-style posts, which brought 2,000 new Facebook followers and 1,000 on X in 6 months, organically. These rules also protect you in a crisis, by preventing improvised replies that can backfire.
Step 5: match formats to networks
Each pillar can take several forms: carousel, short video, photo, long text, story. Match each network with the formats that work there: vertical video on Instagram and TikTok, text and documents on LinkedIn. Short video takes the most time, so plan it carefully.
Step 6: set a rhythm you can sustain
Two posts a week for a year beats ten in the first week followed by silence. Set a frequency per network that you can genuinely keep up, then turn it into a monthly content calendar.
Keep your editorial line alive
An editorial line isn’t set in stone. Every three months, look at which pillars and formats get the most engagement, clicks or enquiries, and adjust. Keep the document short, two or three pages, so that people actually use it.
Defining strategy and editorial lines is one of FMRS’s core skills, alongside content creation and community management. You can also browse our work or see how we can work together.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an editorial line and a content calendar?
The editorial line sets the substance: goals, audiences, themes, tone and formats. The content calendar schedules the posts that follow from it.
Do I need a different editorial line for each network?
No. One editorial line is enough, with variations per network: formats, frequency and tone slightly adapted to each platform.
How long does it take to create an editorial line?
For a small business, a few days of work is usually enough: a workshop on goals and audiences, then writing the document and a first set of sample posts.