The 80/20 rule (also called the Pareto Principle applied to social media) is a content strategy guideline that says:
- 80% of your posts should educate, entertain, inform, or add value to your audience
- 20% of your posts should be promotional — selling, pitching, or pushing your products/services
What?!?!?!
How can that ever work??! Why?!?!? How will they KNOW how to BUY from me?
1. People don’t go to social media to be sold to. Period! Social media is fundamentally a social space. Users scroll to connect, be entertained, learn, or laugh — not to browse a catalogue. If your feed feels like a billboard, people tune out or unfollow.
2. Algorithms punish pure promotional content. Ouch! Platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook actively deprioritize overtly salesy posts because they generate low engagement. Low engagement means less reach, meaning fewer people even see your content.
3. Trust is built before the sale. Yes! Buyers today research heavily before purchasing. If your content consistently teaches them something useful or resonates with them emotionally, you become the trusted authority in their mind — so when they’re ready to buy, they come to you first.
4. Constant promotion creates “ad blindness”. Yep! When every post is a pitch, your audience psychologically starts filtering you out — the same way people ignore banner ads. The 80% value content keeps them engaged so the 20% promotional content actually lands.
5. The value content does the selling anyway. Truth! A behind-the-scenes post, a how-to tutorial, or a customer success story builds desire for your product without being a direct pitch. This is often more persuasive than a “Buy Now” post.
The Core Principle Behind It
The 80/20 rule works because it builds relationship equity.
Is this a shock to you?!?!?
Every valuable post is a deposit into your audience’s trust bank. By the time you make a
promotional post — a withdrawal — you’ve earned enough goodwill that people are receptive rather than resistant.
Brands that flip this ratio (more selling than giving) come across as desperate, spammy, and self-serving.
Brands that respect it become followed, shared, and trusted — which is the most powerful sales engine social media can provide.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree or do you think this is a shocking revelation?
Do you need help creating content? I love to write and I’d be glad to help build out your social media content. Feel free to check out my Portfolio page for examples of what I’ve created before.
Or let’s chat if you need any support!