How Small Businesses Can Create Better Social Media Content Without Burning Out

Gregory Thornberry
4 days ago
3 min read

For many small business owners, social media content starts out exciting, and slowly becomes exhausting.

How Small Businesses Can Create Better Social Media Content Without Burning Out

Trust me, I know from personal experience. Thornberry Media is a 90% content-driven business. It's fun, but can burn you out very quickly.

Between trying to post consistently on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, or wherever your customers are, it can feel like content creation turns into another full-time job. The pressure to always have an idea, stay relevant, and beat the algorithm wears people down fast.

The problem usually isn’t motivation. It’s the approach.

Creating better social media content doesn’t mean doing more. It means simplifying how you show up.

Document, Don’t Create (Listen to Gary Vaynerchuk)

One of the biggest causes of social media burnout is believing every post needs to be a new idea, with the ultimate level of curation.

It doesn’t. I just watched a video of a guy showing how to cut an avocado.

It had 1.4 million likes.

He walked in, says "today I'm going to show you how to cut an avocado". He then cut an avocado. No graphics. No masterful editing. Just 60-seconds of a guy cutting an avocado.

Did I mention that it got 1.4 million likes?

This shows that your daily work already contains content. Customer questions, behind-the-scenes moments, problems you solve, lessons you learn, and small wins you experience are exactly what audiences connect with most. When you document instead of create, content stops feeling forced and starts feeling natural.

Also, don't assume something that you do repeatedly every day is something that everyone knows how to do. There are things that you do automatically on repeat that millions of people have no idea how to do. Obviously a significant portion of the population didn't know how to cut an avocado.

If you explained something to a customer or co-worker today, that explanation can become a post tomorrow. Whether it’s a short video on TikTok, a caption on Instagram, or an update on Facebook, your day is the content.

Build a Simple System for Social Media Content Creation

Burnout rarely comes from posting too much. It comes from deciding too much.

What should I post today?

Which platform should I focus on?

Is this good enough?

A simple system removes that pressure. Planning a week ahead, batching content in one sitting, or rotating between a few content types like education, behind-the-scenes, and real experiences is often enough.

When the system exists, social media stops feeling chaotic. Planning ahead removes pressure, and pressure is what drains consistency over time.

Post to Serve, Not to Check a Box

Posting just to stay “consistent” is where social media becomes exhausting.

Audiences can feel obligation, and the low quality of just posting something because you have to. They can also feel value, and the engagement of the poster.

When your goal is to help, explain, or reassure, content becomes easier to create and easier to maintain. One useful post that solves a real problem will outperform multiple rushed posts created just to satisfy an algorithm.

Value feels sustainable. Obligation does not.

Have Fun With It

Running a business is stressful enough. Social media should be the fun part.

It’s one of the few places where you can show personality, share wins, laugh at mistakes, and connect without a sales pitch. When content feels playful instead of pressured, it becomes something you enjoy instead of avoid.

Fun is contagious, and it’s one of the most overlooked advantages small businesses have online.