I publish WordPress content every week. Without a social media checklist, half of those posts get zero traction because I skipped a step: wrong image ratio, missing OG tags, no call to action. CoSchedule found that marketers who document their process are 414% more likely to report success. A checklist is the simplest form of documentation.
Here are nine items I run through before every post goes live on social.
The 9-Point Social Media Checklist
1. Set Your Open Graph Preview
Install Yoast SEO or RankMath and fill in the Social tab for every post. Facebook, LinkedIn, and X all pull the og:title, og:description, and og:image tags from your page. If you leave them blank, platforms auto-generate a preview that looks broken. I check every post with the Facebook Sharing Debugger before publishing.
2. Use a 1200×630 Featured Image
Social platforms crop images that don’t match their preferred ratio. A 1200x630px image works on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X without any cropping. Set your WordPress featured image to this size and your OG image will pull it automatically.
3. Write the Post Copy Before You Publish
I draft social copy in the WordPress editor itself using the Excerpt field or a custom meta box. That way the copy ships with the content, not as an afterthought. Strong headlines drive 80% of the click-through, so I spend real time on the first line.
4. Include One Clear CTA
Every social post needs one action: read, sign up, download, reply. Posts with a single CTA get 371% more clicks than posts with competing links (WordStream data). I pick one and make it obvious.
5. Schedule Posts Across Three Platforms Minimum
Buffer and CoSchedule both have WordPress plugins that let you schedule social shares directly from the post editor. I queue posts for X, LinkedIn, and Facebook at minimum. Sprout Social data shows that posting between 9-11 AM on weekdays gets the highest engagement across platforms.
6. Add 3-5 Relevant Hashtags
On LinkedIn and Instagram, hashtags still drive discovery. I use 3-5 per post, mixing broad terms (#WordPress, #ContentMarketing) with niche tags (#SacramentoSmallBiz). On X, one or two hashtags is the sweet spot.
7. Tag People and Brands You Mentioned
If your blog post references a tool, a person, or a local business, tag them. Tagged posts get 56% more engagement than untagged ones (Mention.com data). This is free distribution.
8. Repurpose Into a Short Video or Carousel
Turn your blog post into a 30-second video or a carousel of key points. Video posts on LinkedIn get 5x the engagement of text posts. I covered the full process in my social media video guide.
9. Reshare at 7, 30, and 90 Days
One share is not enough. I reshare every post at 7, 30, and 90 days with fresh copy each time. This is part of a broader content promotion strategy that compounds traffic over months instead of spiking once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a WordPress plugin to share on social media?
No, but plugins like CoSchedule or Jepack Social save time by letting you schedule shares from the post editor. Without a plugin, you copy-paste links into each platform manually.
How many social platforms should I post to?
Three minimum. Facebook, LinkedIn, and X cover the widest professional audience. Add Instagram or Threads if your content is visual or your audience skews younger.
What is the best time to post on social media?
Sprout Social’s 2024 data points to weekday mornings between 9 and 11 AM local time for the highest engagement on most platforms. Test your own analytics after 30 days and adjust.
Stop guessing which steps you forgot. Print this checklist, tape it next to your monitor, and run through it every time you hit publish. If you want help building a content promotion system for your WordPress site, get in touch.