A mockup social media post is a visual representation or prototype of what a post on a social media platform would look like before it is published. Mockups allow you to plan the content, layout, visuals, and formatting of a post without actually posting it live.
Why create mockup social media posts?
There are several key reasons why creating mockup versions can be beneficial:
- Allows you to perfect the design and messaging before publicly posting.
- Let’s you experiment with different options and get feedback.
- Helps ensure brand consistency across channels.
- Creates an easy approval process for teams and clients.
- Saves time over creating posts directly in platforms.
- Allows you to have posts ready to go for future scheduling.
By taking the time to mock up social media posts, you can create higher quality content that aligns with your brand strategy. The upfront investment of time pays off through more engagement and conversion from your followers.
What should you include in a mockup?
An effective mockup will mimic the major visual elements of a social media platform while allowing you to customize the actual content. Mockups typically include:
- Platform template or layout
- Account username and profile image
- Post text, captions, hashtags
- Calls-to-action
- Images, graphics, or videos
- Tagging other accounts
- Engagement icons (likes, shares, comments)
- Link previews
The level of detail can range from a quick sketch to a fully designed visual mockup. But the goal is to incorporate all the key elements of the post for review.
Tools for creating mockup social media posts
You have several options for creating mockup social media posts, both free and paid tools.
Graphic design software
Programs like Photoshop, Canva, Illustrator, InDesign, or GIMP allow you to layout visual posts precisely with full control over design elements.
Mockup templates
Pre-made mockup templates provide social media platform designs that you can easily customize. Sites like Placeit, Mockup World, or Creative Market have templates for apps like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more.
Social media schedulers
Tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Buffer integrate mockup functionality directly into their social media managers. You can create draft posts in the platform templates.
Mockup generators
Some tools like Mockupbird and Socialsuperhero are designed specifically for quickly generating mockup posts in different social formats.
The right option depends on your design needs and budget. Using social media schedulers or mockup generators lets you easily produce mocks without advanced design skills.
How to create a mockup step-by-step
Here is an example process for mocking up a post for Instagram using Photoshop:
- Select an Instagram post template or layout
- Add branding elements like logos and colors
- Place profile photo and username
- Compose text including hashtags
- Design any graphics or arrange images
- Add engagement icons and other elements
- Preview mockup on different device screens
- Annotate with review notes or approvals
- Export final mockup image
The same general steps apply across other software tools or templates. Building up the mockup layer by layer allows refinements until it is ready for scheduling.
Examples of social media mockups
Here are examples of mockup posts on the most popular social platforms:
Facebook mockups will contain the status update text, images, captions, call-to-action buttons, tags, and reactions.
Instagram mockups showcase the photo or video post, effects filters, captions, hashtags, and engagement icons.
Twitter mockups focus on the tweet content, quoted tweets, images, hashtags, tags, and retweet/like icons.
LinkedIn mockups contain the post text, images, links, hashtags, tags, comments, and reactions.
YouTube
YouTube mockups showcase the video thumbnail, title, descriptions, tags, view count, and comments.
Pinterest mockups highlight the pinned images, descriptions, board titles, account names, and engagement numbers.
These examples demonstrate how mockups focus on replicating the core post content along with the surrounding platform elements. This allows review and feedback on the messaging and visual design.
Tips for creating effective mockups
Follow these tips for making social media mockups that generate positive results:
- Maintain brand consistency in colors, fonts, tone, etc.
- Ensure readability for text-heavy posts
- Check that key information is visible if posts are truncated
- Use relevant hashtags and tags
- Show engagement icons in expected ratios
- Highlight any clickable elements like links or buttons
- Add annotations during review processes
- Optimize imagery for size and aspect ratio
Keeping these guidelines in mind as you construct mockups will help align them with your social strategy and audience.
Benefits of mockup social media posts
Investing time in mockups provides many advantages:
- Ensure posts achieve marketing objectives
- On-brand messaging and visuals
- Consistency across multiple channels
- Catch errors before publishing live
- Collaborate and get approvals from stakeholders
- Plan and schedule content ahead of time
- Improve engagement rates and conversions
Social media managers can gain confidence knowing mockup posts have gone through reviews first. This process improves quality control for published content.
Conclusion
Mockup posts allow social media marketing teams to optimize content before it reaches a live audience. Visually designing mockups makes it easy to experiment, provide feedback, maintain consistency, and schedule polished content that represents your brand well.
The upfront effort in mocking up social posts pays dividends in higher engagement and conversion later. Platform mockup templates provide an efficient way to produce mocked up content for approval at scale across all your key social channels.