# Channel Selection — focus, don't spread

The central decision in any social strategy. Most brands fail here by trying to be everywhere and
being mediocre everywhere. The fix is a real framework and the discipline to say no.

> The principle: it is better to dominate **one** platform than to be forgettable on five. Most
> brands should start with **one primary channel** (maybe one secondary), nail it, and only then
> expand.

## The four-dimension fit test

Score each candidate platform on all four. A channel earns a place only if it's strong on all of
them — especially the first two.

1. **Audience presence** — Is the target audience actually active and reachable here? Pull this
   straight from `audience.md` ("where they are"). If they're not here, nothing else matters.
2. **Format fit** — Does the brand's natural content strength suit the platform? A team that
   won't or can't make video shouldn't lead with TikTok; a visual product shines on
   Instagram/Pinterest; a written-insight brand shines on LinkedIn/X. Strategy must match the
   content the brand can actually sustain.
3. **Goal fit** — Does the platform serve the objective? (Leads → LinkedIn; evergreen traffic →
   Pinterest/YouTube; awareness → TikTok/IG; real-time community → X.)
4. **Capacity fit** — Can the brand sustain quality here? Every platform is a standing commitment,
   not a free checkbox.

Pick the **1–3** that win across all four. Then explicitly **name what you're dropping** — or
demote it to "repurpose-only maintenance" (a light presence fed by `cross-platform-repurposing`,
not a focus).

## Platform strengths — what each is best for

Use as a starting map; the audience and goal decide, not the platform's hype.

- **Instagram** — visual brand-building, lifestyle, community; broad reach via Reels.
- **TikTok** — discovery/awareness through short video and trends; fast culture; broadening
  demographics. Demands video.
- **LinkedIn** — B2B authority, leads, personal/founder brand; professional audience; rewards
  insight and dwell.
- **X / Twitter** — real-time conversation, thought leadership, tech/media/niche communities.
- **YouTube** — long-form authority + *searchable evergreen*; Shorts for reach. High production
  commitment.
- **Pinterest** — evergreen search and traffic; visual discovery; strong for commerce, design,
  food, DIY, home, weddings.
- **Facebook** — older audience, local/community, Groups; still huge for local businesses.
- **Threads** — casual, conversational, IG-adjacent; lighter commitment.
- **Bluesky** — smaller but engaged text-first communities (tech, media, academia); usually a
  secondary/repurpose channel, not a primary.

## When to add or drop a channel

- **Add** only after the primary channel is working *and* there's capacity — never to "have a
  presence."
- **Drop / demote** when the audience isn't there, the format doesn't fit the brand, or quality
  can't be sustained. A dead or sloppy account is worse than no account.
- **Reassess** when the audience or goal shifts (e.g., moving from awareness to leads may change
  the channel mix).

## The subtraction strategy

For a brand already spread thin across many platforms, the strategy is often **removal**:
consolidate to the 1–2 that actually work, kill or put the rest on maintenance, and pour the
freed-up effort into winning where it counts. Saying no to four platforms is a legitimate — often
the best — strategic move.


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资料：Frank Heijdenrijk / pavelhov/social-media-skills

原始版本：https://github.com/pavelhov/social-media-skills/blob/1680b37bf0dc32b52da247a8196ef27a6cd47bd4/skills/social-strategy/references/channel-selection.md

许可：MIT。目录与内部链接已经整理，未收录图片已省略。

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