Should You Start Posting on Another Platform? 3 Questions to Ask First
So you're feeling that familiar itch again, aren't you?
Maybe you saw a TikTok about how "everyone's moving to Threads now" or some Instagram expert telling you that you're missing out by not being on LinkedIn. And now you're sitting there, cursor hovering over the sign-up button, wondering if this is finally the platform that's going to solve all your content problems.
I'm here to stop you right there.
Before you stretch yourself even thinner when it comes to content creation, I want you to ask yourself three very important questions. Because trust me, I've been exactly where you are. I've felt the FOMO. I've signed up for every new, shiny, interesting, engaging platform, and ended up actually posting nowhere.
This isn't going to be another generic "pick your platforms wisely" blog post. I'm going to walk you through the exact framework I use to decide whether a new platform deserves my time and energy, plus share the real story of why I'm stepping back from podcasting this year using this very system.
The Reality of Platform Overwhelm for Content Creators
Here's what nobody talks about when they're encouraging you to "be everywhere your audience is": every platform requires a different approach, different content types, and different cultural understanding.
You can't just copy and paste the same content across platforms and expect it to perform well. Instagram Reels require shorter, more visually appealing content with strong visual hooks. TikTok thrives on that raw, effortless content where the real engagement happens in the comments. LinkedIn wants thoughtful, professional insights. Threads is all about quick, witty observations.
Each platform has its own algorithm, its own best practices, its own posting schedules, and its own audience behaviors. When you add a new platform without a clear strategy, you're not just adding one more place to post. You're adding research time, content adaptation time, community management time, and the mental load of keeping up with yet another set of platform updates.
And if you're already struggling to show up consistently on one or two platforms? Adding another isn't going to magically fix your content creation problems. It's going to compound them.
Question 1: Do You Have a Content System That's Currently Working?
The first question you need to ask yourself before adding any new platform is brutally honest: do you already have a content creation workflow or system that's working sustainably and strategically?
If you're barely managing one, two, maybe three platforms wherever you're at in terms of content creation, if you're not sustainably managing the process of that one platform, adding another isn't going to automatically fix all your problems. It's actually going to make things worse.
The Time Reality Check Every Business Owner Needs
We need to start thinking in terms of a time reality check when it comes to adding a new platform into your content creation workflow. It's great to sit here and think…
"Oh, I can just jump on TikTok. It's only going to take me a couple minutes to sit down and record a video. I'll post it. There's not a lot of editing required."
But then you start posting on TikTok and realize there's actually so much more involved in creating those videos. Even though it's a seemingly low-lift platform, you have to understand the actual time commitments, not just the ones that people promise you.
Maybe you struggle showing up on camera, or maybe you struggle with coming up with content ideas, or maybe you struggle keeping up with trends. Those are all things that are required of the TikTok platform. And as of this writing, I've noticed that many people on that platform are having to post more frequently, more consistently, multiple times a day just to keep up with their growth.
If that's something you're not interested in adding to your workflow, TikTok as a new platform might not be as quick, easy, fast, and efficient as you've been promised.
My Podcast Reality Check
Let me give you a real example from my own business. When I launched my podcast in 2024, I was a content creation machine. I would create YouTube videos and post one every single week, and I repurposed the hell out of it across all different platforms.
For me, it made sense to add podcasting because I could just take the audio straight from the YouTube video, add an intro, add an outro, and post it as a podcast. Back in 2024, the answer to "do I have a system that works" was yes, and it was very easy for me to add podcasting into my already existing workflow.
Fast forward to today, and I've noticed a lot of friction when it comes to that exact process. I really love creating YouTube videos that require visuals. Sometimes it's a screen grab, sometimes it's an entire screen share tutorial, sometimes it's text or examples. My strength lies in YouTube video content creation over podcast content.
But I started tailoring my YouTube videos away from my strengths. I would come up with a YouTube video content idea and think, "Ugh, I can't create that because extracting that audio for the podcast won't make sense." So I just wouldn't create it.
What I started noticing was a decrease in my YouTube analytics and not enough of an increase in the podcast analytics to justify it. The answer to "do I have a system that works" became no, because I needed to lean into my strengths and my strategy on YouTube specifically, instead of worrying about whether this type of content would also work on a podcast.
How to Do Your Own Time Assessment
Here's what I want you to do right now: the next time you create a piece of content, set up a timer. See exactly how long it takes you to create that one piece of content for whatever platform you're showing up on.
Now double it. Maybe triple it. Because when you're adding a new platform, you're learning new things, testing new things, trying new formats. Everything takes longer when you're starting fresh.
Then, see if you have that time in your calendar. See if that's something you think you can fit into your schedule. And if you think you can fit that time in there, identify exactly where you're going to put it. Whether it's a time block where you're going to sit down and batch content, where are you extracting the time from your day to commit to a new platform?
Make sure you're setting realistic expectations with yourself. Let's say you're very comfortable on Instagram and you want to add TikTok. Yes, maybe you could create specifically for Instagram and simply take the same content and put it on TikTok. Your growth won't be as quick, but the time investment will be much less.
Whereas if you're creating separate content for both platforms, your time might go up significantly, but your growth might also increase. Just make sure you're setting realistic goals and expectations around your time and around the way you're going to be creating that content.
Question 2: Does Your Audience Actually Live on That Platform?
The second question might feel obvious, but I find that a lot of business owners don't ask themselves this before they go and start on a new platform: does your audience actually live there?
Not all platforms are worth your time and energy as a small business owner. Your ideal client might not be doom-scrolling TikTok late at night. Instead, they might be opening LinkedIn first thing in the morning. Your audience might absolutely hate consuming Instagram Reels content, but they love Stories and feed posts.
You want to go where your audience is ready to consume your content and also ready to buy from you, instead of just creating content that looks cool or just because somebody told you to on a specific platform.
Understanding Platform-Specific Audience Behaviors
Just showing up on a platform isn't going to get you the growth and results you hope for. Each platform has its own culture, its own nuances, its own posting formats, and platform-specific audience behaviors. You have to figure out if your ideal audience member, your ideal customer, is even going to consume content there.
If you're a product-based business owner, it might make sense for you to be on TikTok so you can show off your products, get hype around certain launches, and put your stuff on TikTok Shop because people are actively ready to purchase something on TikTok as they're scrolling. We've seen a big boom in TikTok Shop being like the new QVC of our generation.
But it doesn't make sense for you to go on LinkedIn and talk about your products. LinkedIn is typically reserved for B2B businesses where we're talking and networking with other business owners. It doesn't make sense to put your beautiful perfume or candles or body scrubs on LinkedIn. It's simply a waste of time.
Platform Cultural Nuances Matter More Than You Think
Maybe you're currently creating Instagram Reels content and thinking, "If it's performing well over here, it should also perform well on TikTok, right?" There are different cultural nuances of platforms that you have to understand.
Within Instagram Reels specifically, we're seeing shorter videos, more visually appealing content that has some kind of visual identity to hook you in. Whereas on TikTok, lower-lift content that just looks raw and effortless performs better, and the real engagement comes from the comment section.
You could post the same video on both platforms, but because of the cultural nuances of how people consume content there, they're not going to perform the same way.
My Podcast Audience Shift
When I launched my podcast in 2024, it did align with my ideal audience member. I love talking to creative founders and entrepreneurs who don't have a lot of time. My ideal audience used to listen to podcasts in the car, on walks, or at the gym.
But what I've started noticing, at least with my particular audience, is that my podcast analytics have gone down significantly. There's a lot of conversation I'm seeing online with my specific customer base that they're overwhelmed with content.
I also personally notice a shift in the way I consume content. I'm consuming far less podcast content than I used to. My audience has stopped tuning into that type of content and is looking for shorter hits of information instead.
Podcasts tend to be longer, but people are flocking more to my YouTube channel. My YouTube videos were outperforming my podcast significantly because there was a visual aspect to it. I've started to notice that my audience needs that visual impact as well. The answer to "does my audience live there" went from yes in 2024 to no today.
Question 3: Do You Have the Content Available?
Before we get into answering this third question, I need you to hit the big pause button and think about this: if the new platform is requiring a new content type, a new content format, a new voice, or different energy, if it's requiring so much more of you, you really need to think if it's a good fit. What we're looking for in a new platform is content translation, not content reinvention.
Content Translation vs. Content Reinvention
I don't want you to go from writing quick posts on Threads thinking you can create 30-minute vlogs on YouTube. Those are two totally different types of platforms with very different content types, formats, and voices. That's going to send you into a bit of shock, and it's going to be hard for you to maintain consistency.
It's going to take you a lot of time to build up to that new platform, and that's okay if you're intentional about it. But if you can't copy, paste, tweak, or repurpose existing content that you're already creating for this new platform, it might not be time for that platform yet.
The Power of Sister Platforms
This is where the concept of sister platforms comes into play. A sister platform is just two platforms that play really nicely with each other in terms of content types and formats.
For instance, if you're already comfortable writing quick posts on Threads, can you expand on them just a little bit for LinkedIn? Or maybe expand them even further for an email newsletter?
If you're already creating Instagram Reels content that relies on trends, is there a way you could adapt them for TikTok and create more casual, laid-back talking-to-camera videos? Same message, slightly different content type. Even though it's still video, it might require a little more effort, but you can use the same messaging across platforms.
If you're considering adding a new platform, consider ones that allow you to create the same kind of content so you can easily repurpose or sometimes even copy and paste just to get started.
Expanding Within Your Current Platforms
One alternative is to start thinking about different content types you can create within the same platform. A great example is Instagram. You can create so many different types of content inside the Instagram platform itself.
Maybe it's not another platform you need to try, it's just another content format within a platform you're already creating on.
Maybe you're already super comfortable creating Reels inside Instagram. Now try consistently creating Stories. If you're great at consistently creating Reels and Stories, maybe add in live videos once a week.
If you're already consistent at creating in those three places, maybe you can take some quotes you've said or thoughts you've had in any of those pieces of content and repurpose them for quote posts for the feed, or create more dynamic, engaging carousels.
You have the option of expanding within the platforms you're already creating on before jumping to something completely new.
My Podcast Content Reality
Bringing it back to my podcast scenario: do I have the content for it? Technically yes, I did have the content when I first launched in 2024. But what I've noticed is that content is no longer performing.
A lot of times, ripping the audio straight from my YouTube video meant the podcast episodes were around 15 minutes or less. They were solo episodes, and I think they suffered because they didn't have that visual element.
I personally do not have the capacity for one YouTube video each week AND one separate podcast each week. I've also noticed a shift in podcast content consumption – people are consuming a lot more episodes where there are multiple speakers, guest podcasting. I don't have the time to manage or host guests on my podcast.
So now, no, technically I do not have the content for podcasting in a way that serves my audience effectively.
Making the Decision: When to Say No to New Platforms
If you answered no to any of those three questions, you might want to consider not adding a new platform into your strategy just yet.
There's always time to experiment and test new things, new formats, different types of content. But if you're already struggling with one or two platforms, it might not be helpful to add another one. Adding a platform that creates stress in your life isn't going to help your content creation workflow, it's only going to make things worse.
The FOMO Factor in Platform Selection
I get it. The fear of missing out is real when you see other creators thriving on platforms you're not on. But here's what I've learned: success on social media isn't about being everywhere. It's about being strategic about where you show up and how you show up.
Every platform expert is going to tell you their platform is the most important one. TikTok experts will tell you TikTok is where all the growth is happening. LinkedIn experts will tell you LinkedIn is where all the money is. Instagram experts will tell you Instagram is still king.
They're all right for their specific audiences and business models. But that doesn't mean they're all right for you.
Building a Sustainable Content Strategy
The goal isn't to be on every platform. The goal is to build a sustainable content creation system that supports your business goals without burning you out.
Sometimes that means doubling down on one platform where you're already seeing results.
Sometimes it means mastering two platforms really well instead of being mediocre on five.
Sometimes it means saying no to the shiny new thing because you know it won't serve your audience or your business.
Your content strategy should feel sustainable, not overwhelming. It should energize your business, not drain it. And it should serve your audience where they already are, not where you think they should be.
Moving Forward With Intention
Before you download that next app or sign up for that new platform, pause and run through these three questions:
Do you have a system that's currently working?
Does your audience actually live there?
Do you have the content available?
Be honest with your answers. If you get three yeses, then maybe it's time to test that new platform strategically. If you get even one no, consider focusing on optimizing what you're already doing before adding something new to your plate.
Remember, there's no prize for being on the most platforms. There's only the satisfaction of building a content strategy that works for your business, serves your audience, and doesn't leave you feeling overwhelmed and burnt out.
Your future self will thank you for being selective about where you spend your time and energy. Trust me on this one.