Key takeaways
- A social media audit has two halves: your own account health (profiles, cadence, engagement) and a competitor comparison — most teams only do one.
- Audit against the same checklist every quarter so results are comparable over time, not a one-off snapshot that gets filed away.
- Track no more than 3-5 direct competitors — auditing a long list dilutes the analysis and rarely gets repeated next quarter.
Social media audit template: part 1 — your own account audit
- Profile completeness — bio, profile photo, link in bio and pinned content current on every platform
- Posting cadence — actual posts per week per platform versus your planned cadence
- Engagement rate — by platform, using a consistent formula (see the engagement rate calculator)
- Top and bottom content — your 3 best- and 3 worst-performing posts from the period, and why
- Broken links or outdated info — bio links, pinned posts and contact details that need updating
Part 2 — competitor comparison
Pick 3-5 direct competitors — accounts genuinely competing for the same audience’s attention, not just the biggest names in your industry. For each one, track posting cadence, follower growth over the period, and which content format (Reel, carousel, article) seems to be working best for them, based on their own visible engagement.
Turning the audit into action
An audit that does not change anything is just a report. Pull 2-3 specific changes out of each audit round — a content pillar to try, a cadence adjustment, a platform to deprioritize — and carry them into the next content calendar rather than starting the next quarter from scratch.
auditcompetitor analysistemplate
FAQ
- What should a social media audit include?
- Profile completeness, posting cadence versus plan, engagement rate by platform, your top and bottom performing content, and a check for broken links or outdated bio information.
- How often should I run a social media audit?
- Quarterly is a common cadence — frequent enough to catch a drifting cadence or a stale bio, infrequent enough that each audit is worth doing properly.
- How many competitors should I track?
- Three to five direct competitors — accounts genuinely competing for your audience’s attention — is usually enough; a longer list dilutes the analysis.
- What should I compare against competitors?
- Posting cadence, follower growth over the same period, and which content formats appear to be driving their engagement, based on what is publicly visible.
- How do I calculate engagement rate for the audit?
- Use a consistent formula every time — the engagement rate calculator uses (likes + comments + shares) divided by (followers × posts), which is the same method used throughout this audit.
- Does this template store or send my data anywhere?
- No — it is a checklist you fill in yourself using your own analytics and public competitor profiles; nothing here connects to any account.