Social media etiquette is simple. Do not waste a follower’s time, do not post someone else’s life without asking, and do not make a client regret hiring you.
The rules changed with the platforms. Instagram does not need 30 hashtags. LinkedIn video is not new. Snapchat is not a business channel for most small businesses. What still works is a clear line between a personal update and a business post.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Social Media Etiquette Rules That Still Apply
- Reply to comments and DMs. Silence reads as rude, even when you are busy.
- Do not tag people just to borrow their audience.
- Ask before you post a client, a customer, or a family member. Credit other people’s photos and ideas.
- Say when a post is an affiliate link or a paid mention.
- Skip the pile-on. A business profile does not need a fight in the comments.
- Edit AI captions before they go out. A generic post sounds like everyone else, and on LinkedIn readers can flag it.
Politics is your call. On a business profile, it still costs you clients who would have bought but didn’t. If you post it, do it on purpose, not because a thread made you angry.
Personal or Professional: Decide Before You Post
Use one profile for the business and keep the personal one for people who already know you. Instagram Close Friends and a Facebook Page exist for this split.
| Ask this first | Personal | Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Would a client need this? | Rarely | Yes |
| Is it safe to post in public? | Sometimes | Always |
| Does it show how you work? | Sometimes | Yes |
| Would you want a customer to see it? | Maybe | Yes |
That split is social media etiquette in practice. A client does not need the private post.
Keep these off the business feed:
- Family and kids, unless they are the business.
- Live location and travel plans. Post after you are home.
- Client names, pricing, and half-finished work.
- A bad day written like a press release.
A personal story still belongs on a business profile when it teaches something. A rural morning, a dog in the garden, a lesson from a slow week. That is personality. A private argument is not.
Social Media Etiquette By Platform
Facebook Page. Lead with the point, not a link dump. Answer the first comments. Do not post the same update five times in a day.
Instagram. Three to five relevant hashtags are enough. Do not repost someone’s photo or Reel without permission. Family shots belong in Close Friends, not on the business grid.
LinkedIn. Write like a person, not a press release. A pet or a child can appear in a story about work. They should not be the post. Skip the “agree?” bait.
X. Talk, do not only broadcast. Thank people who share your post, including when they did not share yours. Lists still keep the timeline usable.
Pinterest. Link to the original source. Do not dump a day’s pins at once. Spread them out.
YouTube. Honest titles. Clear audio. Music you have the rights to use. Reply to real comments, and disclose a brand deal.
For the posting side, use the 2026 platform guide.
The same social media etiquette applies on every network. Reply, credit, and leave the private stuff off the business profile.
A Short FAQ
More than your audience asked for. Three useful posts a week beat a daily sales pitch. X and Stories can run more often. The feed should not.
Anything a stranger could use, or a client would not want public. Live location, family routines, unfinished client work, and a fight with a customer all qualify.
Use it as a check, not a quota. Most posts should help or show the work. A few can sell. A feed that only sells gets muted.
Yes, if friends and clients are not the same people. Business goes on the Page or the professional profile. Everyone else can stay on the personal one.
👉 Good social media etiquette is a filter, not a script. If a post would embarrass a client, leave it off the business profile.
Disclosure: This Inspire To Thrive blog post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Some sections were drafted with AI tools and carefully reviewed/edited by me. The image of Stella is AI generated for this blog post.
Comments are from previous years; the post was fully updated in October 2026.
- How to Use Video Summaries to Boost Your Blog Posts - October 7, 2026
- Change Your Life’s Daily Habits and Your Business Will Change - October 6, 2026
- Social Media Etiquette for Small Businesses: What to Post, and What to Skip - October 6, 2026
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Hi Lisa,
One of my biggest struggles has been to juggle the different social media and how to work with them in the best way. So this post about different etiquette for different media is a good one to bookmark!
I have realized that from my experience, it’s best to try out different social platforms, see which one works the best for you, and do that really well. Use it to engage, interact, be a part of communities.
Because really mastering the etiquette on each platform takes time. So especially for small businesses, it’s more effective to really focus on the ones that are the best for their relationship-building and long-term growth.
Hi Poulomi. Oh yes, it can be challenging for sure. My favorites are Twitter, LinkedIn, and Gab. I find those the most engaging platforms for me. And I’m not so sure about LinkedIn of late. I just learned how to use campaign URLs to track my alternative social media networks and it’s a great way for me to see who is reading my content now. As far as etiquette it’s basically the same on all networks as it is in real life. Manners matter. Thanks for coming by on this one and have a wonderful day Poulomi.
Thanks for this. I find LinkedIn frustrating at times. As a business owner, I keep being targeted by sales and marketing
Hi Pasquale, welcome to Inspire To Thrive. Oh yes, that can happen. Just be careful who you allow connecting with on LinkedIn. Hopefully, that will cut down on those sale pitches. Although I get them too from those that have a premium account and can message anyone they target.Thanks for coming by on this one Pasquale. Have a great day.
All good points on social media eticate. I am a blind computer user, and I would love it if people would add captions or descriptions to all their photos and video links. This would especially be helpful for the many blind people using Pinterest, Instagram, Flicker, etc. And also be sure to add the alt tag to your images on your bwebsites and blogs. Thanking you in advance, Max
Hi Maxwell, nice to have you back here. Great info to share with us about that Maxwell, thank you. It is also good for SEO – maybe that will encourage more people to add those descriptions to those photos and videos. I do use the alt tags but not always the descriptions. I will start to do that. Thanks for that addition to this post Maxwell. Have a great day!
Hey Lisa,
I’m going to have to take some time and go through this infographic to see what’s correct and what’s not these days.
I will admit that I have a few friends on Facebook that share so much stuff I’m really getting tired of it. Granted it’s all positive and uplifting but it’s also hard to keep up and because they do share so much I’m missing a lot of my other friends stuff. I can’t keep up all the time.
As you know though I’m all about sharing other people’s stuff and it’s worked to my benefit after all these years. As I’ve been told many times in the past, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Thanks for sharing this one Lisa and I’ll be back later to go over it more.
Happy 4th of July and I hope you really enjoy your weekend.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, please do take your time. I think that is the biggest mistake on Facebook – posting too often. People will put you as an “acquaintance” instead of friend so they can not see every post you make. Love to know when you do get back to it later. So far it’s been a good weekend and 1 rainy day was nice to relax and the grass really needed it! Thanks for coming by and I hope you had a great 4th of July. Talk soon!
Awesome infographics and I really loved the ideas shared above. I believe all these top social media are really essential for easy promotion of our stuff.
Getting in touch with other is another cool benefit of social media.
Thank you Dave. Welcome to Inspire to Thrive. I’m glad you loved the ideas in the infographic. Are you all on these networks or just a few? Hope to see you back again.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks a lot for sharing such type of post which encourage people like me to be polite.:)
You have mentioned all the aspects regarding Google+, Twitter and all other social networks. I really like the infographic you have shown above. It shows every single detail.
You are right to be in touch or to connect with anyone we should all the polite ways as to respond to every single comment so that people don’t feel offended and feel like we are responsive towards their input.
Thanks to you for reminding me all the things to do.
I hope you are good in this weekend.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi, you are welcome. Some people still don’t get it on the social networks and only talk about themselves or their brand. It’s more than that – it’s engagement and being polite is certainly part of that. Thanks for coming by and for taking the time to comment. It’s been a good weekend and I’m off from my day job this week – maybe I can get caught up here and online. Enjoy the new week ahead!
Lisa great post. I totally agree with your 80:20 sharing formula.
As for instagram, am not yet on the platform because there are just many social sites out there and as they say time is money.
Hence, am working toward focusing on the network am presently on at the moment.
Have a wonderful week
Hi Peter, thank you. That’s my favorite formula for almost anything in life. I do use Instagram but more for fun. That will change soon. You are wise not to jump on too many networks at once. You too, enjoy the upcoming week Peter and thanks for coming by.
Hi,
Well, I knew few of them, but not the last one. I often share my post more frequently. As of now, I have few following, so I guess there isn’t much of a problem.
Once I get more followers, I need to give them the best of content from the internet. The 80/20 rule was something new to me, well noted.
Instagram is very popular, but as of now I still don’t have an account. I fail to manage all of them. Need to sort it out with some help.
Informative post. Keep it up!
Hi Rohan, To get more followers try to share others info too. That may help you out getting more. It’s best to get proficient at one before jumping to another. I use Instagram for fun but will work on it for blogging info more and do a post once I feel I have learned it well to share with you. Thanks for coming by and let me know if you need more info on Twitter.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for sharing this infographic. The one thing I have problems with is using up all 140 characters in my tweets. I have to learn how to use less but I love to talk :).
I installed Rite Tag and it sure does help. This post made me go back and use up the five free tweets we get after fixing the hashtags and I like that it works with HootSuite.
I agree with Mi Muba. All Social networks are different. Great post Lisa! Definitely passing this along.
Hope you’re having a great week!
Hi Corina, You are welcome. Those that know me well no I’m not wordy with my emails or phone calls most of the time so Twitter is perfect for me. I like to get to the point, LOL. I use Rite Tag as well from time to time. It’s a great tool. Yes, they really are. Each have their unique ways of communicating. Thanks and I hope you are enjoying the long weekend there.
I have been a long time believer in sharing more of other people’s content (good content) with my followers so yes the 80/20 ratio is a good one in my book. I like to remind people that social media is a 24/7 party or social gathering and that you need to behave the same way on social media as you would any gathering. Keep the conversation light, interesting and try not to talk only about yourself.
Hi Steve, welcome to Inspire to Thrive, I love that ratio for most things in life too Steve. Yes, it’s like being at a networking event at times on social media. You need to ask questions too. Thanks for coming by and enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Hi Lisa
You mentioned the top 5 social media here. They all cover more than eight per cent online marketing field. It is good to remain selective and don’t run after number. If someone stick to them consistently he can bring desired results quite easily.
The infographics is wonderful and communicates each point so well.
One thing is to be remembered that audience at each of them have different vision of social media and their objective to join them is also different. Bloggers sometime commit a mistake and treat all of the in same way and that is why lose a huge number of them because they don’t get the help which they are seeking online. So we need to be so focused while serving our social media audience.
Thanks a lot for sharing another wonderful post that do worth bookmarking for further reference.
Hi Mi, Yes it’s not a numbers game either. Staying focused is a great tip too – and each niche is different too. You are welcome and glad you found it worth bookmarking Mi. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Thanks for coming by with your input too.
Hi Lisa,
There are popular social networking sites out there, where you can easily find your targeted audience. Your aim should be to build your trust first and promotion later. Social media marketing is not about always talking about yourself alone. Instead share some interested and useful content to build engagement, then get the benefit of that buzz and promote your stuff.
Hi Pankaj, that is so true. You must be useful and engaging to others on social media. You can then do a little self promotion after that. Luckily I don’t see as many who talking about themselves only anymore. I used to see more of that years ago. Thanks for coming by and have a great rest of the weekend there.
Thanks for sharing these beautiful stats Lisa!
I just want to say something about the 80/20 rule people don’t get. I have been trying this and it’s crazy effective and brings me more real followers on Twitter than ever before.
If I post 10 posts on Twitter a day, I make sure 7 – 8 are not about me. But here is the point – in each post that mentions someone else, I append via @enstinemuki enstinemuki.com. For the most part, the people I mention end up following me and visiting my site.
The idea is not just to promote others more but to let them know you did. As a matter of fact, most of those that share my post on Twitter, I end up creating a relationship with them.
It really works and that’s what I love about it
Thanks for the engagement over on my blog earlier Lisa. Hope you are having a beautiful week
Hi Enstine, you are welcome. Nice to see you back here. That’s interesting Enstine but isn’t it deceiving and not giving them credit or am I misunderstanding you? I don’t believe I’ve heard of that one before. So I share others and they know because I have the via @theirusername – isn’t that the same? Thanks Enstine, hope to better understand this one. Thank you!