The debate between scheduling posts vs posting live - which one actually works better for engagement?

I was talking to my buddy Dave who runs a gaming channel last night, and he swears posting live gets him way more comments and shares because it feels more authentic. But I've been scheduling everything for 6 months now using Buffer, and my numbers are pretty consistent around 300 views per video. The thing is, he showed me his analytics and his live posts get like 40% more initial reactions, but then they die off faster. So which side are you guys on? Has anyone actually tested both methods for a solid amount of time and seen a clear winner?

3 comments

3 Comments

christopher_wells425d ago

oh man I totally jumped into this exact same thing last year with my little cooking page and I think you nailed it with that observation. I was scheduling everything for like 8 months straight and it was fine but boring numbers. then I tried posting live for a month and yeah the first few hours were way more active with comments and stuff but after like 4 hours it just totally flatlined. I ended up switching to a mix - I schedule my main posts but then I jump on for like 15 minutes after they go live to reply and engage with people. seems to keep that initial burst going a bit longer without me having to be glued to my phone all day.

the_tessa25d ago

haha @christopher_wells4 you're describing my entire content strategy in a nutshell (which is just a fancy way of saying I have no idea what I'm doing half the time). I tried the "post and pray" method for a solid year and it was, you know, fine - but I was basically shouting into the void. the scheduling then engaging trick is genius though. I might steal that except I'd probably forget to schedule the posts AND miss the engagement window, which would just be a perfect summary of my life tbh.

the_piper21d ago

shouting into the void" is such a perfect way to put it, because that is exactly what it feels like when you just post and hope for the best. I had a friend who tried that whole scheduling thing too and she swore by it until she realized nobody was actually seeing her stuff until like 3 days later. she ended up doing something similar to christopher's mix approach but she'd set a timer on her phone for 20 minutes right when the post went live, reply to everyone who commented, and then peace out. it worked way better for her than the all or nothing thing. I feel like the trick is just having a little structure but not so much that it feels like a second job.