Last updated November 5, 2019: Apparently their Affiliate program is on hold until 2020. ALSO, they now have it set to default that you post articles as links instead of automatically as a photo. Thank gawwwd.
Last updated March 28, 2019: I’ve been finding that a lot of the quotes that Post Planner pre-writes for you to get engagement are geared towards Facebook and some are out of date. There was even a quote asking if your audience is on Vine?! Vine was like a zillion years ago, homie. Also, you’ll still find references to Google+.
Another thing to note, Post Planner must have their evergreen posts being shared automatically, BUT a lot of the posts are older and reference things that no longer work or are defunct. Not sure how this would tie into your decision, but worth a mention. I also did a walk through video to help you make a decision.
Post Planner has been on my radar for a couple years now. I see a lot of influential social media marketers reviewing the tool or recommending it. I had always passed over it as something that maybe people were pushing, because, yes, there’s a chance to be involved in their affiliate program and make some cash from new registered users.
A month or so ago, I finally gave in and signed up to test it out. Claims post planner makes:
Find the best social media content easily.
Curate content for your specific industry without having to troll the web for good quality articles.
Take the guesswork out of knowing if your social media posts will generate engagement or not.
Post Planner says they have custom algorithms that measure the past performance of the content and is “100% scientifically guaranteed to perform”.
Social media post planning made easier.
Set your desired schedule and easily plug in content to fill those times/dates. Their algorithm is supposed to calculate optimal times for sharing content.
Does Post Planner Actually Work?
As a previous ambassador for a content curation app, I was looking to replace that service with something that performed well, has street cred and had quality content that I would want my followers to check out and engage with. So, here are my honest thoughts about Post Planner and some screenshots so you can actually see wtf I’m talking about.
The Post Planner Dashboard
This is the Post Planner Dashboard aka the main page when you log into your account. It’s pretty straightforward to use, which makes it easy to navigate. Along the left-hand side, you can sort by popular topics and see what articles or statuses Post Planner recommends. The dashboard is user-friendly, easy to navigate and unless you’ve traveled in time from the 1990s, I don’t expect there needs to be any training on how to use the dashboard.
Finding Curated Content for Your Social Media Accounts
Of the Popular categories on the left-hand side, the main two I personally use are Marketing, Technology, and Random. You’re also able to look at content that’s organized by industry if that works better for you, the industries include everything from food and beverage to small businesses. In the Marketing category, you can choose from marketing related articles/blog posts that are curated from social media and digital marketing influencers. There’s even a button that allows you to see who originally shared it, what their engagement was like on their post and allows you the option to directly re-share/retweet from the source.
I’ve always been really iffy when it comes to choosing links to share. Tools say they will have the best content or most valuable and engaging, but it has been disappointing in the past. The ability in automation and scheduling apps to add RSS feeds is great, but I needed something more. With other tools, I added my favorite blogs, but even then, the internet is full of articles about social media, and I still felt like I was missing out. The content recommended by Post Planner is actually legit. I guess I should have done my homework first, but I was surprised when I realized that the links were already vetted by industry people. So not only does it help me build my social media content but also my brain! Yup, I actually read posts before I share them, is this a rarity? Apparently, some people don’t. But like, wtf, how can you recommend a post to read if you haven’t read it yourself? Also, learning! Social media is constantly changing and to keep up you HAVE to be reading about what’s happening.
There ARE some hiccups to having a computer pull in recommended content though. Sometimes in Post Planners recommendations, there’s duplicate content in the feed, and non-English links.
Social Media Status Updates That are Engaging
Because posting links can make for a pretty boring feed, I tested out some of their recommended, pre-written status updates. The status updates are text only, no media or links. Some of them are random AF. I tested out some of the random ones, ones that don’t really “sound like me”. This was the top performing one out of the tests.
What’s the first famous CEO that pops in your head?
— Beverley Theresa ? (@hellobeverley) October 2, 2017
But some of them are actually worth sharing… And surprisingly, some of them sound like I wrote them ha! I SO wish I could take credit for these two:
Liking your own status is like, calling your cell phone from your house phone to talk to yourself.
— Beverley Theresa ? (@hellobeverley) October 11, 2017
I like seeing birthday reminders on Facebook because they remind me of the friends I need to delete.
— Beverley Theresa ? (@hellobeverley) October 3, 2017
The engagement on the above posts are pretty good. I can see how, if you’re at a loss for content, some of the status updates will help step up your game. BUT not all of the status updates will drive your social media strategy.
Planning The Best Times to Post on Social Media
This is where you can plan what times your posts go out. Like other automation tools, Post Planner will automatically give you “optimal times” to post, during which you should receive good engagement. I was excited when I saw this page though because to the right of the optimal posting times, there are three icons. So you can choose exactly what time of content is posted at that time slot. For example, at 7am I have selected media, links and status updates are allowed in that time slot.
I would recommend testing out the optimal times, but testing is the keyword. You should always look at your post analytics/insights to see when your audience is online or what times you’ve received the most engagement in the past. BUT it can’t hurt trying out different times, just make sure you’re measuring to ensure you’re maximizing reach.
In Post Planner you can also see the previous updates you’ve published through Post Planner. Here’s an example from October 24th.
There’s also the option to re-post and re-plan the post. The idea is that you got such great engagement you want to post the same thing again later.
While I do like the added features, I wish there were a drag and drop calendar. I think I’ve been so spoiled by Buffer that I just expect all social media tools to have this.
Is Post Planner Worth It?
I haven’t used Post Planner for any of my clients and I’m not sure if I ever will, BUT for me, personally, I do like the curated content and I like being able to read what influential social media marketers are sharing. It’s super easy to click, read, then share. AND I like that I can click on the link and see the original post, whoever posted the link and what they had to say about it. So, FOR ME, I do think it’s worth it.
Here’s a look at their plans and pricing (in USD). There’s also an Agency Plan ($99) and a Custom Plan option.
Canceling Your Post Planner Subscription
I tested out the Love Plan, but found that it wasn’t for me. I had to email them to be able to downgrade to the Starter Plan. Which leads me to one of my issues with Post Planner: If you ever want to cancel your account, you have to email them. There’s no “Delete Account” or “Unsubscribe” which I really hate and I think is unfair. People should be able to self-serve when it comes to paid services. For $3 a month on the Starter Plan, it’s literally affordable and for the amount of education you get from looking at curated content, it’s worth it to me.
Here’s the disclaimer that’s always popular with affiliate marketing: While I am part of Post Planner’s affiliate plan, meaning I get a % if someone signs up, I honestly wouldn’t be an affiliate or recommend anything to you unless I really liked it. SO, if you want to test out Post Planner for yourself (I’d recommend starting with the Starter Plan then upgrading if you like it), you can use my affiliate link to sign up. I’d appreciate it! But if you don’t want to, then fine. Bye.
>> Check Out Post Planner For Yourself <<
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