At Monarch Social Media, not a single piece of content is auto-scheduled. Every post is manually published by our community managers, and that’s not an accident. It’s a strategy.
If you want your content to have the best chance of reaching your existing community, your followers, and new audiences, you need to understand how engagement works. Social media isn’t about simply posting at an arbitrary “optimal time.” It’s about relationships, and that’s where most brands go wrong.
Social media algorithms haven’t been chronological since the early 2010s. If someone tells you they’ll post multiple times a day at specific times for “maximum engagement,” run in the other direction. That’s outdated thinking.
Today’s social media feeds are algorithmic, which means they prioritize relationships and engagement. The more your brand actively engages with its community, the more visibility your content gets. It’s not just from existing followers but also from lookalike audiences that the algorithm identifies as potential new followers.
This is why we manually publish content. What happens before and after a post goes live is just as important as the post itself.
Let’s break it down with an example. Imagine you’re a home inspector trying to grow your audience on Instagram. Your ideal audience is realtors because they’re a key referral source.
Here’s what a manual posting strategy looks like before and after your post goes live.
Engage with realtors in your network. Like and comment on their recent posts.
Engage with local realtors. Follow, comment, or reply to their stories.
Engage with past and potential clients. Start real conversations in DMs and comments.
This does two things:
It shows up in their notifications, reminding them that your account exists.
It signals to the algorithm that your account is actively building relationships with realtors.
Take a breath, then engage again.
Engage with people who have posted recent stories. Reply to them.
Engage with new followers and existing audience members. Keep conversations going.
Engage with any comments on your post. The faster you respond, the better.
Why does this work?
It tells the algorithm that real relationships exist between your brand and your audience.
It boosts your post’s visibility in their feeds and in discovery feeds for similar users.
You can measure your success by checking your analytics. If you’re reaching a high number of non-followers, it means your content is being pushed into discovery feeds because of engagement-based visibility.
Consumers in 2025 are savvier than ever. They don’t fall for outdated growth hacks or cheap tricks. They want real connection.
If you want your brand to stand out, you need to be present, engaged, and ready to have real conversations. People want to know there’s a human behind the brand, someone who can answer their questions, engage with them, and offer an experience that feels like good customer service.
That’s why we don’t auto-schedule. And If you’re serious about growing on social media, strategy matters. Sign up for our newsletter to get expert insights delivered straight to your inbox. And if you want actionable tips right now, check out The Do’s and Don’ts of Growing Followers on Social Media for more ways to build an engaged audience.
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