PostEaseThe idea in one sentence
The 80/20 rule, applied to social content, is a rough guideline. About 80% of what you post should give the audience something (information, entertainment, a real answer) with no ask attached, and about 20% can directly promote what you sell. It is a ratio to aim near, not a rule to count exactly.
Why an all-promotional feed underperforms
An account that only posts offers trains its audience to skip past its own content, the same way people learn to skip ads. A feed with real value mixed in gives someone a reason to keep following in the gaps between offers. It also makes the offers land better when they do show up, since they are not the only thing being posted.
What counts as the useful 80%
Not every non-promotional post needs to be a tutorial. It can be:
- A genuine tip related to what you do
- Behind-the-scenes of how something gets made
- Commentary or opinion on something relevant to your audience
- A customer or community story that isn’t about your product directly
Treat the ratio as a rough check, not a spreadsheet formula
The number itself is not the point. What matters is noticing when a week's worth of posts skews almost entirely promotional, and correcting for it. Nobody needs to count to the exact percentage; a glance at the last two weeks is usually enough.