Direct Answer
3-5 times per week per platform. For local businesses with under 1,000 followers, 3 high-quality posts per week outperform daily generic content. Consistency matters more than volume.
Why This Matters
Posting frequency advice usually comes from enterprise marketing playbooks. When Nike posts 3 times per day, they have a 20-person content team and millions of followers generating organic engagement. A local plumber has neither. For small businesses, the algorithm rewards consistency (posting on a predictable schedule) more than frequency (posting as often as possible). Three posts per week, every week, for 6 months builds more authority and engagement than 14 posts per week for 3 weeks followed by radio silence.
Real-World Example
A solo realtor tested two approaches over 90 days. Month one: posted 7 times per week using quick phone photos and one-liner captions. Month two and three: posted 3 times per week with professional photos, detailed neighborhood insights, and market commentary. Her engagement rate doubled during months two and three despite posting less than half as often. Her followers grew 40% faster in the lower-frequency months.
What Most People Get Wrong
"Post every day" is advice designed for influencers and media companies. For a local business, an empty Tuesday post that says "Happy Tuesday!" does more harm than skipping a day. It trains your audience to ignore you.
Related reading:
- Posting Frequency for Local Business
- Minimum Posting Frequency for Business Growth
- Cost of Not Posting on Social Media
- Real Cost of Inconsistent Social Media Posting
→ See what consistent posting looks like for your business
