When Performing a Social Media Content Audit Begin by Looking at Your Posting History

When performing a social media content audit begin by looking at content already posted on each platform, usually from a defined recent period. That review sets up the rest of the audit, since later steps depend on what it reveals about frequency, topics, and visual performance.

When Performing a Social Media Content Audit Begin by Looking at the Review Period

The starting point of a social media content audit is a review of a set stretch of past posts. Available course and study materials do not agree on the exact length of that stretch, so this section lays out what each source states rather than presenting a single fixed answer as if it were settled.

When Performing a Social Media Content Audit Begin by Looking at Two Common Timeframes

Two different answers show up across the sources reviewed for this article, and neither comes with a citation or stated methodology.

The 90 Day Answer

One frequently cited answer, sourced from a digital marketing course flashcard set, gives the review period as 90 days. No reasoning or source is attached to this figure in the material reviewed.

The Six Month to One Year Answer

Two separate study answer platforms, referencing the same or a similar course question, give a longer period of six months to a year. As with the 90 day figure, no reasoning or source is attached.

In practice, teams that run content audits tend to pick a period that matches how often they publish and how quickly their goals or campaigns change. A brand posting daily may find usable patterns within 90 days, since enough posts accumulate quickly to spot trends. A brand posting only a few times a month often needs six months or more before the data shows anything meaningful.

According to Sprout Social, running a full audit on a quarterly cadence is a common approach, with a lighter monthly check in layered on top for teams that publish at high volume. The gap between the two commonly cited quiz answers is consistent with this kind of practical variation across posting schedules, though this reasoning is not confirmed as the basis for either specific figure in the sources reviewed.

What a Social Media Content Audit Covers

Beyond the review period itself, the sources describe several areas that a content audit typically examines once the relevant posts have been gathered. These points are drawn from explanatory material that accompanies the fill in the blank question, rather than from the flashcard answer alone.

Reviewing Follower Growth

An audit generally includes a look at follower counts on each platform and how those numbers changed over the review period. Teams commonly use this step to see whether growth has been steady, has stalled, or tracks closely with specific posts, campaigns, or seasonal activity.

Reviewing Post Frequency

Counting total posts and calculating an average per week is a common part of the process. In practice, this step often surfaces gaps that are easy to miss otherwise, such as stretches where posting slowed or stopped without a documented reason, which only becomes visible once the numbers are tallied directly rather than judged from memory. As reported by Hootsuite, running a full audit quarterly at minimum, with monthly check ins for high volume accounts, is a commonly cited best practice for keeping this kind of gap from going unnoticed.

Reviewing Topics and Themes

Sources describe identifying which subjects or issues came up most often across the reviewed posts. This is typically used to check whether the content that was actually published lines up with the topics a brand or organization originally intended to focus on, and where the two have drifted apart over time.

Reviewing Visual Content Performance

The audit process also covers the types of visuals used, including graphics, memes, and infographics, along with how each type performed. Teams that track this over time often find that certain visual formats perform more consistently than others, though the sources reviewed here do not specify particular metrics or benchmarks for measuring that performance.

Confirmed Information Versus General Practice

Some parts of this topic are consistently stated across sources, while others are described only in general terms without a single confirmed detail attached.

What Is Consistently Stated

Every source agrees that a social media content audit starts with reviewing a defined period of already posted content rather than starting with new content or a strategy document. There is also agreement that the audit covers more than post volume alone, extending to follower trends, topic patterns, and visual content types. Data from HubSpot describes a similar structure at a general level, framing a social media audit as a review of past performance used to compare the current period against prior stretches of time before deciding what to change.

What Is Not Clearly Defined

No source reviewed here specifies an exact method for judging whether a post or a visual format performed well, beyond general references to engagement. Likewise, no single confirmed number exists for the length of the review period, since the stated answer differs depending on which course material or study platform is consulted. In practice, organizations that run their own audits commonly set their own criteria for what counts as strong performance, since no single standard is presented across the sources reviewed here.

Why This Phrase Appears as a Fill in the Blank Question

Common Course and Quiz Origin

The exact wording reviewed for this article traces back to a digital marketing course question, repeated across flashcard sets and homework answer platforms under different subject categories. This pattern, where the same fill in the blank sentence appears on multiple study sites with differing stated answers, is common for course material that gets copied and re-posted without a consistent source citation attached to it.

Given this spread, learners working through the same course are better served by checking their own course material or instructor guidance directly, rather than relying on a single study platform to confirm the expected answer.

Conclusion

When performing a social media content audit begin by looking at previously posted content over a defined period, though available sources differ on whether that period is 90 days or six months to a year. Checking course material directly resolves the discrepancy where an exact answer is required.

FAQ

What is the first step in a social media content audit?

The first step is reviewing content already posted on each platform over a defined past period, then examining follower trends, post frequency, topics, and visual performance from that same stretch of time.

How far back should a social media content audit look?

Sources differ. One gives 90 days, while two others give six months to a year. No single confirmed figure applies across all course material or study platforms reviewed.

Why do different sources give different timeframes for this audit step?

The discrepancy likely comes from different course versions or instructors using different figures in their materials. None of the sources reviewed cite a shared original source for the number they give.

What else does a social media content audit typically include?

Beyond the review period, audits commonly cover follower growth, posting frequency, recurring topics or themes, and the performance of visual content types such as graphics and infographics.

Is there one correct answer to this quiz question?

Not based on the sources reviewed here. The two commonly cited answers, 90 days and six months to a year, come from different study platforms without shared sourcing, so checking specific course material remains the most reliable way to confirm the expected answer.