What Is A Promotional Post And How You Can Get Yours On The Wiki's Social Media Pages

An essay about promoting your article on social media, including the Wiki's social media pages.

How to create a promotional post
Chapter Guide

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• Introduction
• What is a promotional post?
• Promotional post example
• What does a good promotional post look like?
• Technical requirements
• Important resources
• How to get your promotional post of the Wiki's social media pages
• Frequently asked questions

Introduction

Hello! My name is Sinking_Otterand I'm a member of the Wiki's Internet Outreach¹ team. At the time of writing, the SCP-9000 contest has recently concluded, throughout which I posted around 160 promotional posts for contest entrants on the Wiki's Facebook and Instagram pages. During this process, I became aware that many people didn't know what a promotional post was or what was needed to make one.

I've created this guide as a catch-all to answer any and all questions about promotional posts, from what they are, tips and tricks for making your own promotional post, and how to get your article onto the Wiki's socials outside of official contests and events. I recommend you read the entire guide, especially if you're new to the Wiki or have never created a promotional post before. If you've already read the guide, or know what you're doing, and are instead here to learn about having your work featured on the Wiki's socials, click here or use the chapter guide on desktop.

I'd also like to take a quick moment to thank everyone who allowed me to use their promos in the guide. I greatly appreciate it and encourage everyone to check out their work.

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What is a promotional post?

A promotional post² is a post on social media promoting your work on the Wiki with the goal of getting more people to view, read, vote and comment on whatever you're promoting. Typically, promos will have a piece of media³ accompanied by a small text snippet. This can vary depending on what the various social media platforms allow and who posts the promo.

If you post your own promo, or if a fellow author or friend posts it, make sure the promo follows the rules of the platform and any Wiki rules that may apply. Beyond that, you can do whatever you'd like.

Promos posted by IO on the Wiki's social media pages operate slightly differently, and I'll go over those differences further along in this guide.

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Promotional post example

Now that we've gone over what a promo post is, let's take a look at an example.

An example of a promo post posted on Bluesky

While the above example is far from the best, it does have every basic building block a promo post needs. To further simplify things, I've numbered the three most important parts on the post itself (the numbers in the white circles) and explained them in further detail below.

1. The text snippet: This is the purely text portion of your promo post. It can be a sentence from your article, a custom message or whatever else you can think of. At a minimum, you should always include a link to your work so people can immediately go from your promo to whatever you're promoting. If you don't, you're placing an unnecessary roadblock into your promo that will stop some people from taking the next step and looking at your work. Basically, make it as easy as possible for people to go from promo post to Wiki article because people are lazy.

2. Hashtags: A hashtag is a way to help users find content their interested in. For example, someone interested in SCP-096 might look at content in the #096, #scp096 or #theshyguy hashtags for posts about that topic. These days, the usefulness of hashtags depends on a lot of factors, like the platforms, the specific hashtags used and so much more. I'd say it's still best to use them as even if the benefit is minimal, it's still a benefit. My advice is to stick to 1-5 hashtags that are relevant to your post.

3. The media: This is the most important part of any promo post because it's the thing people are most likely to see first. When scrolling through their feeds, an eye-catching piece of media is more likely to catch people's attention than anything else. What you want your media to be is up to you, but most people use some kind of image.

4. Alternative text: Often referred to as alt text, this is a text-only description of an image⁴. This is added when the post is being made. By including alt text, you're ensuring that people using assistive technology like screen readers are able to know what the image depicts, and it is an essential part of making sure your promo is accessible.

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What does a good promotional post look like?

I really wish I could give an answer that guarantees everyone heaps of views⁵ and interactions⁶ on their promo posts, but unfortunately there is no easy answer. Social media platforms are fickle beasts, and so finding a perfect formula for any kind of post is impossible.

But that doesn't mean all hope is lost. There are strategies that can give your promo post the best possible chance. I'm going to show you some of these strategies using examples from the promos posted during the SCP-9000 contest. I recommend you at least take a look at the promos themselves before moving further into the guide, or if you want something more in-depth reading the analysis accompanying the promo images.

Audience appeal

The promo post for ACID by aismallard

Audience appeal when it comes to promo posts is about creating a promo that draws the interest of a specific audience. It could be baseball fans or Dr. Wettle lovers, a niche audience or a highly populated one. If you're planning to target a specific audience, you'll need to make sure your promo has something that appeals to them.

The image in the example above is taken directly from the article it's promoting and is accompanied by a snippet that includes the article link, author details, some hashtags and a teaser. At face value, it may not be clear to whom this promo is attempting to appeal. But the comments tell the full story.

This promo caught the attention of fans of RAISA⁷ who subsequently interacted with the promo, making it one of the best performing of the SCP-9000 contest. This goes to show that even a seemingly obscure audience can come out en masse to engage with your promo.

The promo post for Containment Breach: Capacity by Ethagon

This promo is also appealing to an audience, this time fans of the game SCP - Containment Breach, a game that is referenced heavily in the article itself. The title takes centre stage in the image and directly mentions part of the game's name. The accompanying text also mentions D-9341, the main character of the game. These elements clearly telegraph to fans of the game that this article is related to it and draws them in.

Comedy

The promo post for The iForgot by Apple Incorporated by TheTravllr

Comedy can draw a lot of people in, even people who might not usually be interested in the thing the humour is coming from. This promo, for example, is using satire to its advantage, making fun of the iPhone and Apple. It also helps that the subject of the satire is well-known. Many people own or have owned an iPhone at some point, or at the very least know about their existence and their manufacturer, Apple.

The promo post for The Bike That Makes You Racist by mothmanUXO

In contrast, this promo uses surreal humour to spectacular effect. Putting the article's title on full display (accompanied by an excellent pun) was enough to make this the best-performing promo of the SCP-9000 contest. The promo image itself is also very simple, but it still conveys a lot of relevant information. It's a picture of the bike in question and some text that both informs viewers about the article and makes it clear that this article has comedic elements. These elements also help to ease readers in before the article becomes more serious in tone.

While it did perform very well, it's important to recognise that a promo like this will more than likely attract some negative attention. There are people who will interact with a promo in ways that are mildly rude at best, to incredibly disgusting at their worst. On the Wiki's socials, the IO team will moderate as best we can, but if you publish your promo yourself, you may encounter such interactions. In these cases, it's best to utilise block and report features.

Cultural reference

The promo post for Lapupu by sailorenoch

A reference, especially one that is highly relevant and/or recognisable, is an excellent way to draw people in. The above promo references Labubu, a collectible plush toy that rose to prominence online around the time this promo went live. The promo's text makes it clear that this is a reference to them in a playful manner. The image is also direct, depicting Lapupus and their strikingly similar appearance to Labubus with a fantastic 3D render.

While a reference can attract a lot of attention, it's not always positive and people who dislike the reference you're making may express that in the comments or elsewhere.

Custom art

The promo post for PERESTROIKA! by KatyaStrangelove

Art has always been something that's attracted attention, and art included in promos is no different. Creating your own art or commissioning someone to do it for you is a great way to get a powerful piece of media to use as the centrepiece of your promo.

In the above promo, the art catches people's attention while simultaneously providing clues to the story of the article it's promoting. I won't be very specific as I encourage you to read this and all other articles mentioned in this guide for yourself, but depicted in the promo image is the article's main character, accompanied by hints of her struggles and the cause of them.

Little hints and teasers like this can create a sense of mystery and intrigue, which further draw people in and get them to start reading.

Custom poster

The promo post for This Land Was Made For You And Me by Uncle Nicolini

So far, you might be thinking that promos need to be complex with drawn art or custom-made 3D models or something in between. In reality, a promo can be highly effective while also being simple to create. Take this promo, which is at its heart a black and white photo with text on top of it. Most people would be able to create this relatively easily with the numerous free image editing softwares available.

But this image is deceptively simple because it reveals a lot more than it initially appears to. From looking at the promo text and image we learn the work's title, the authors name and that this work will be commenting on the United States, its relationship with immigrants and vice versa. In sum, there is a lot more packed into this promo than you might think, and that's one of the reasons it performed as well as it did.

Evoke discussion

The promo post for "White People" by Intercedent, radian628, and ubergoober

I'm sure I don't need to tell you why this attracted as much attention and evoked as much discussion as it did. This promo demands people pay attention to it by drawing them in using the article's title, the strangely-posed Donald Trump in the background and the text implying white people were created in some fashion. This promo was designed to pull in a crowd, and it did ranking it as the second best performing of all SCP-9000 contest promos.

Of course as I've mentioned previously, this tactic can draw in undesirable reactions, especially with this kind of subject matter. Consider yourself warned once again.

Uncanny image

The promo post for Ersatz by Booblesnoot

Taking something familiar and twisting it into something unfamilar is a great way to catch someone's eye, especially when they're scrolling through posts of a platform like Instagram. Take the image in this promo for instance for example. It's an x-ray with some abnormalities that once you see them make you wonder what they are. One of the comments even mentions that this caught their attention for that very reason, showing this strategy can work.

The promo post for I'm Still Here by local lesbian commie

If you've been on social media long enough, and have even a passing interest in sports, you've likely seen photos of sports team posing together on your feed. The image in this promo takes that concept and runs with it. The image is blurry to a degree it's nearly unrecognisable. And you might not notice it at first, but the faces of the players are missing completely, cementing the uncanniness of the image.

Once again, this image connects back to the article itself, specifically to the anomaly being explored within it.

Unsettling/spooky

The promo post for A Brooding Taste For Violence by Dr Balthazaar. Art by Valdevia and Luxaiko

Abandoned structures (or structures with such an appearance) are a favourite when it comes to horror and evoking fear. The gorgeous art commissioned for this promo presents viewers with a massive, highly damaged underwater structure that can barely be seen in the darkness. It asks those viewing it to explore what this structure is by reading the article, with the promo's text snippet posing a further mystery of who Dr Brynner is, and his relationship with the wider structure and the fight to save humanity.

The promo post for The Swollen Head of Johann Froben by jtdn

Imagine you're scrolling through your feed late at night and you see this image. You might not notice the strange creature staring at you through the doorway, but once you do, you can't unnotice it. It's a subtle kind of scare that works great to get people interested in what's being shown to them. And once again, as a viewer, we can guess that whatever was awoken in the lost Foundation facility is likely the creature itself, connecting the promo to the article's story.

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Technical requirements

Now that you have an idea of what a good promo post looks like, it's time to get technical. Each platform has its own requirements for posts, though there is crossover between them. Since most of you are unlikely to want all the technical details for every platform, I've put my recommendations for images and video below. Use those and your promo should work across all platforms. If it doesn't, message me as this will need updating.

Otter's recommended image sizing and post character limit

Image size: Square (1:1): 1080 x 1080 pixels
File type: PNG or JPG
Maximum file size: 4mb
Character limit: 280

Otter's recommended video sizing and post character limit

Video size: Vertical (9:16): 1080 × 1920 pixels
File type: MP4
Video length: 6-12 seconds
Maximum file size: 100mb
Character limit: 280

For those of you who want the full technical requirements for one or all of the platforms, I've also included them below. Feel free to skip this section if my recommendations above are all you need.

Facebook

Images

Image sizing options:
Square (1:1): 1080 x 1080 pixels
Vertical (4:5): 1080 x 1359 pixels
Landscape (1.91:1): 1080 x 566 pixels

File type options:
PNG or JPG

Maximum file size:
8mb

Video

Video sizing options:
Vertical (9:16): 1080 × 1920 pixels

File type options:
MP4

Maximum video length:
90 seconds

Maximum file size:
10gb

Instagram

Images

Image sizing options:
Square (1:1): 1080 x 1080 pixels
Vertical (4:5): 1080 x 1359 pixels
Landscape (1.91:1): 1080 x 566 pixels

File type options:
PNG or JPG

Maximum file size:
8mb

Video

Video sizing options:
Vertical (9:16): 1080 × 1920 pixels

File type options:
MP4

Maximum video length:
180 seconds

Maximum file size:
4gb

Twitter

Images

Image sizing options:
Square (1:1): 720 x 720 pixels
Vertical (9:16): 720 x 1280 pixels
Landscape (16:9): 1280 x 720 pixels

File type options:
PNG or JPG

Maximum file size:
5mb

Character Limit:
280

Video

Video sizing options:
Square (1:1): 720 x 720 pixels
Vertical (9:16): 720 x 1280 pixels
Landscape (16:9): 1280 x 720 pixels

File type options:
MP4

Maximum video length:
140 seconds

Maximum file size:
512mb

Bluesky

Images

Image sizing options:
Square (1:1): 1080 x 1080 pixels
Portrait (0.52:1): 627 x 1200 pixels
Landscape (1.91:1): 1200 x 627 pixels

File type options:
PNG or JPG

Maximum file size:
5mb

Character Limit:
300

Video

Video sizing options:
Square (1:1): 720 x 720 pixels
Vertical (9:16): 720 x 1280 pixels
Landscape (16:9): 1280 x 720 pixels

File type options:
MP4

Maximum video length:
60 seconds

Maximum file size:
100mb

TikTok

Video

Video sizing options:
Vertical (9:16): 1080 x 1920 pixels

File type options:
MP4

Maximum video length:
600 seconds

Maximum file size:
30gb

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Important resources for promo media

Knowing the technical details is all well and good, but none of it matters if you can't make one for yourself. This is dedicated to providing you with resources you can use to make your promo images. If you think something is missing from the list, let me know, and I'll add it in.

Where can I get media?

I recommend using the whitelist in the Wiki's Image Use Policy. It's a great whitelist and has many websites that you can take advantage of. Beyond that, anything that is CC-Compliant⁸ is ok. You can also use your own media, such as a photo of a tree or a video of your cat.

Commissions are also ok, so long as they're CC-Compliant.

What programs or websites can I use to create or edit my media?

I've listed a bunch of options below. Some are free, some are paid-only, and some offer both free and paid options.

- Canva
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Aseprite
- GIMP
- Photopea
- Clip Studio Art
- Blender
- Maya
- ZBrush
- Krita
- Procreate
- Paint
- Capcut
- DaVinci Resolve

No matter what program, website, etc you use, please keep the Wiki's AI rules in mind.

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How to get your promotional post on the Wiki's social media pages

Uploading your promo to your own social media pages, or having a friend or fellow author do it for you, are two options, but another is having your work posted on the Wiki's socials by the IO team. This can happen during two different scenarios.

During an official contest or event

When official contests or events are happening, IO will typically post promos. These promos may be made by the IO team themselves, or you may be asked to provide promo material. The platform may be different for each contest/event, depending on who is posting the promos. Please keep in mind that the IO team may not be able to post promos for various reasons. We endeavour to do promo for official contests and events as much as we can, but sometimes other things come up that take priority.

Requesting a promo post

If you're reading this section, then you can apply to have your promo posted on the Wiki's socials. I'm currently running a trial to determine if this is viable in the long term. If you're seeing this, it means either the trial is ongoing or it has been concluded and kept open. Either way, let's get into specifics.

Below are the rules for requesting a promo, the platforms currently open and who to contact to request a promo. Please read everything thoroughly.

Promo request rules

1. The following must be provided with all promo requests:
- A promotional image⁹. The image must be sent via the Wiki or Discord.
- A text snippet of no more than 280 characters.
- The names of any co-authors, co-artists or others you'd like to credit who were involved with the work.
- Your work's title and URL.
- Alt text (optional).

2. All promo materials must be SFW¹⁰. If the work you're requesting promo for contains NSFW elements, that's fine and doesn't restrict you from making a promo request. It's just the promo materials themselves that must be SFW.

3. All works being promoted must have a rating of 10+ for at least 24 hours to be eligible.

4. All media must follow the sizing, file type, etc, listed in the technical requirements section of this guide for the platform the promo will be posted on. If you don't, you'll be required to adjust it before the promo can be posted.

5. You can request one promo per month.

6. All co-authors or co-artists must agree to the promo being posted and must all approve of its contents.

7. You can only promote the same article/artwork once every six months.

8. You cannot request a specific time or day for your promo to be posted. All promos will be posted at a time set by the IO team.

9. Official contests and events take priority over requested promo posts. To avoid a blacklog, promo requests will be paused two weeks before and after a contest or event.

10. AI cannot be used in any part of your promo.

11. Your promo image must be released under the CC-BY-SA license. You can read more about the specifics of that license in the Wiki's Licensing Guide.

12. IO can deny any promo request. A reason will be given as to why a promo has been denied.

13. Failure to follow the above rules can result in a ban from requesting promos, so please follow them.

Which platforms are accepting promos?

Facebook/Instagram: Open
Twitter/Bluesky: Open
TikTok: Closed

Note: Platforms listed together will have promos go out on both.

Who to send promo requests to

Sinking_Otter- Wikidot PMs or Discord
pr0m37h3um - Discord only

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Frequently asked questions

This final part of the guide is dedicated to any questions not answered in the previous sections. I'll try to keep this updated with any new questions that come up. If something isn't answered here or elsewhere in the guide, feel free to message me .

Q: What is the best platform to post a promo post?
A: Whatever platforms you can post on, ideally, bigger ones like Instagram. But in the end, it's better to post a promo post than not to post one.

Q: My promo on the Wiki's social pages didn't perform as well as I thought it would. Can I ask for it to be reposted?
A: No. While the IO team will do everything we can on our end to give your promo the best chance, at the end of the day, we cannot guarantee it will perform well.

Q: I requested a promo post, but I've changed my mind. Can I have the promo stopped/deleted?
A: Yes, if the promo hasn't gone out, you can ask for it not to be posted. If it's already been posted, message us and we'll take care of it.

Q: Can I make a change to my promo?
A: Yes, let us know, and we'll make the changes. Keep in mind that if it's already posted, some elements might not be changeable.

Q: Do I need to send hashtags over with my promo post?
A: No, we'll add those in for you.

Q: I'm running an unofficial contest or event. Can I get promo for that?
A: Message me or pr0m37h3um and we'll discuss it with the rest of the IO team.

Footnotes

1. Commonly referred to as IO.

2. Hereby referred to as a promo or promo post.

3. Image, GIF or video.

4. You don't need alt text for videos or gifs.

5. The number of times a post is seen. Views aren't unique, and if a person sees a post multiple times, it will count as multiple views.

6. The number of times a post is interacted with via likes, shares, comments or reactions.

7. Recordkeeping and Information Security Administration.

8. A list of approved licenses can be found in the Image Use Policy.

9. The trial will be image only for the time being.

10. Safe for work.