How Long Dose Your Content Last???

I saw an interesting graphic recently that outlined how long content lasts. It broke down several of the top online marketing avenues: a blog post, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. What did it find? That each of these marketing platforms have a different expiration date for content.

A blog post lasts for two years, a Pinterest post is valid for 4 months, YouTube videos last 20+ days, a LinkedIn post is good for 24 hours, an Instagram post will show up well for 21 hours, you can expect Facebook visibility to be about 5 hours and a tweet on Twitter has a lifespan of roughly 18 minutes.
This is a huge variation in times. This is also a great insight into the frequency you should be posting different types of content and the time you should take developing each type of content. Let’s take a blog post for instance. This content can last for two years. It’s great because it’s reusable content, but if you want to make it valuable content that lasts then you have to put some time and effort into creating it. This is going to be content that you can use for years. It shouldn’t be hastily thrown together. Post blog posts at regular intervals so that you have a stockpile to choose from to keep reposting in different ways. 1-2 blog posts a week is a great way to remain searchable and significant.

Pinterest is another great example. With pins that are continuously recycled, with a shelf life of about 4 months, take time and care in developing pins that will remain relevant. Use eye catching images, highly searchable titles and captions, and be sure that the links you are using are those that will last for more than a few months. YouTube shares a similar sentiment. Choosing captions, descriptions, headlines and tags that are highly searchable will be the key to continued success. Regular posting on your channel (at least one video per week) will help urge people who have watched some of your past videos to follow you so that they can keep up with your most recent content.

LinkedIn and Instagram come in with content lasting between 21-24 hours. This means that you should be posting daily. Many times people are searching through these sites at least once in a 24 hour period. All of these most recent posts, in the last 24 hours, will show up to LinkedIn and Instagram users. Once that 24 hour window passes, so does your opportunity to reach them. You’ll have to post daily, 2-3 times a day would be ideal, to be sure that you’re showing up in searches on a regular basis.

Facebook and Twitter have the shortest shelf life for posts. Facebook posts last 5 hours, while Twitter posts last a mere 18 minutes. There is such a large amount of content being posted on these channels that you’ll have to fight to keep up. This means posting 2-4 times a day on Facebook and anywhere from 3-10 times a day on Twitter. The more interest you want, the more you’ll have to post.

Paying attention to when content expires is a great way to understand how frequently you should be posting in various areas and also how much time you should be reserving to create each of these pieces of content. Don’t spend two hours crafting a tweet that will only be good for 18 minutes. Likewise, spending 20 minutes throwing a blog post together that will last for two years isn’t a great plan either. Pay attention to where and how you should be spending your time for your online marketing to maximize your return. Have questions or thoughts? Comment below!