The social media audit checklist.
This is the same review we run for clients, the parts that actually move the numbers. Most accounts get judged on followers and likes. We look at whether people stop scrolling, stay, finish, come back and act. Work top to bottom and be honest about what is missing.
Positioning & niche
If you can't say who it's for and why it exists, neither can your audience.
- You can say in one line who the content is for and what they get
- The account delivers on the promise its name and bio make
- You own one clear lane, not a little of everything
- Your point of view is distinct from competitors, not interchangeable
- You're not propped up by a single creator, trend or format that could vanish
- Goals tie to the business, not just followers and likes
Profiles & foundations
The basics that decide whether a new visitor stays or bounces.
- Handles, names and bios are consistent across every platform
- Profile and cover images are on-brand and sized right for each platform
- The link in your bio points somewhere current and useful
- A clear way to contact or buy is one tap away
- Your pinned or featured post actually earns that spot
Packaging: thumbnails & titles
Packaging decides who clicks. It's the highest-leverage thing most accounts ignore.
- Your thumbnail or cover matches what the first few seconds actually show, with no bait and switch
- Titles are specific and spark curiosity without overpromising
- The strongest element leads: the name, the outcome, the sensory hook
- No emoji spam, vague phrasing or clickbait the post can't pay off
- You test two or three thumbnail and title variants instead of guessing
- Fonts, colours and layout stay consistent, so your posts are recognisable at a glance
The hook & first few seconds
People decide whether to stay in the first two or three seconds. Most drop-off is lost right here.
- The opening delivers on the thumbnail and title immediately
- Your strongest moment is front-loaded, not buried in the middle
- No slow intros, logo stings or "today we’re talking about" build-ups
- Weaker or filler moments are pushed to the end, not the start
- You know your early drop-off rate and treat a high one as a packaging problem, not bad luck
Content & formats
Native, focused and useful beats polished but generic.
- Each post is one clear idea, not a mixed bag of unrelated clips
- Each platform gets native formats, not the same post copy-pasted everywhere
- Most posts give value; selling is the minority, not the default
- Accessibility is handled: captions on video, alt text on images
- You repurpose proven winners by re-editing them, not reposting the same file
Cadence & workflow
A rhythm you can keep, that bends to what the data is telling you.
- Your posting rhythm is one you can actually sustain
- Cadence responds to performance: test more when it stalls, protect reach when something pops
- There is a content calendar the team genuinely uses
- Ownership is clear: who creates, who approves, who publishes
- Approvals protect the brand without becoming a bottleneck
- For timely or news-led content, you can post within hours, not days
Engagement & community
Reach is rented. A community is owned.
- Comments and DMs get answered in good time
- You engage outward, not just broadcast
- There is a plan for negative or sensitive comments before they happen
- You build relationships with creators and fans, not just chase reach
- Community is managed on purpose, not whenever someone remembers
Analytics & what to measure
Views tell you who showed up. Retention tells you whether it worked.
- You judge posts by watch time and retention, not just views and likes
- You read the retention curve to see exactly where people drop off
- You track the few metrics that map to your goals: reach, watch time, click-through, follower growth, and revenue where it applies
- You compare your top 10% and bottom 10% of posts to find the pattern
- Reviews lead to decisions: double down on what works, drop what doesn't
- You keep your own record of results, not just whatever the platform shows this week
Competitors & the gap
Study the field to find the angle nobody owns yet.
- You know who you are really competing with for attention
- You have noted what they do well and the themes they all share
- You have found a gap or angle you can own, not copy
- You have a rough sense of your share of voice
- You scan the feed regularly to spot winning formats early
- You have a short list of things to test, not imitate
What good actually looks like.
A checklist tells you what to look at. These are two of the benchmarks we actually hold client work to. They are blunt on purpose: they turn "it feels fine" into a number you can act on.
The revenue lens
Where money is on the line, we do not score gross views. We look at revenue per thousand views and what is left after the platform takes its cut, because a smaller audience that finishes can out-earn a big one that bounces. A handful of breakout posts matter more than lots of mid-tier ones, and we forecast from the numbers and the trend, not from how good the creative feels.