Guide to social media platforms

Social media platforms have become a major part of how people interact with each other and share content. For creators, this provides a viable way to get the word out for their work.

But social media platforms come and go. What was widely used before may not be now. And what’s widely used now, may not be in the future. And this matters because a social media platform is dependent on its level of activity. Your goal should be to build relationships with your audience that go beyond any individual social media platform.

What to look for

Here are some things to consider when evaluating whether to use a social media platform. Or multiple platforms.

Does the platform align with your values? X, formerly Twitter, is an example of where people have chosen to leave the platform because of its questionable actions under its new management.
Just like with creator platforms, you should understand the nuances of each platform and if it makes sense to the audience you would like to interact with. Mastodon for example, tends to draw more technical users.
A lot of times, a platform may have a wide range of audiences. Look for a community/communities that you can participate in on the platform.

Types of social media platforms

Classic social media
Bluesky (the new old Twitter), X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook are traditional social media platforms.

Content platforms
Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, etc, can be good ways to gain audiences using their content formats.

Niche platforms
Tumblr, Discord, Reddit, Slack, and Pinterest have specific audiences and are worth looking into.

Effectively connect to your audience

Because of how social media platforms come and go, you should ensure you have ways your audience can follow you directly, beyond social media platforms. Start an email list you can send updates too. Start a blog (and offer an RSS option). This is a way to build your own platform that you have full control over.

Illustration of magnifying glass over a globe.

Your own platform

Learn why you should have your own domain, hosting, and email address, and how to set it all up.

Read the guide

Building your audience

The hard part of any social media platform is that you have to build up an audience on each new one that you sign up for. Having a base audience that you’re directly connected to allows you to point them to your profile on a new social media platform instead of starting from scratch as your audience would likely be trying out different platforms themselves.

Tip: Use hashtags to look for communities to participate in, and have people find your content by including them in your posts.

Tip: See who people that are a part of your community are following to find additional people to connect with!

Tip: Point your audience from one platform to another when it looks like people are considering alternatives.

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