How to Automate Your Social Media Posting for the Week in 20 Minutes
Most small business owners know they should be posting on social media consistently. Most of them aren’t. Not because they don’t care, but because sitting down to write five posts for five platforms every week is genuinely tedious work that keeps getting pushed to later.
The fix isn’t a social media manager. It’s a 20-minute weekly process using ChatGPT and Buffer that batches the whole job in one go.
What you need
- ChatGPT (free tier works, Plus is faster), for generating post drafts
- Buffer (free plan covers 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts), for scheduling
- 30 minutes the first time to set it up, 20 minutes each week after that
The weekly process
Step 1, Pick your content themes for the week (2 minutes)
Before you open ChatGPT, decide what you want to post about. Don’t overthink it, three themes is enough for a week. Examples:
- A tip or how-to related to your work
- Something from your week (a job, a client win, a challenge)
- A promotion or offer
Write these down in plain language. “We finished a kitchen reno in St Kilda” or “EOFY deals on all services until June 30.” That’s all you need.
Step 2, Generate a week of posts with ChatGPT (10 minutes)
Paste this prompt into ChatGPT, filling in the brackets:
Prompt to copy:
I run a [type of business] in [city], Australia. Write 5 social media posts for this week based on these themes: [list your 3 themes]. Write one post for LinkedIn (professional, 150 words max), two for Facebook (friendly, conversational, under 100 words each), and two for Instagram (punchy, include 5 relevant hashtags). Use Australian English. Don’t use corporate jargon or generic phrases. Sound like a real person who runs a business.
ChatGPT will give you five draft posts. Read through them quickly. Fix anything that sounds off, a wrong detail, a phrase that doesn’t sound like you, a hashtag that doesn’t fit. This usually takes 3-4 minutes.
Step 3, Schedule everything in Buffer (8 minutes)
Connect your social accounts to Buffer (one-time setup). Then:
- Go to Buffer’s queue
- Paste each post into the relevant channel
- Set the schedule, Buffer can auto-pick optimal times, or you set them manually
- Click “Add to Queue”
Buffer posts automatically at the scheduled times. You don’t need to touch it again until next week.
Setting up Buffer (first time only)
Buffer’s free plan covers three social channels, enough for most small businesses. To connect:
- Go to buffer.com and create an account
- Click “Connect a Channel” and add your Facebook Page, Instagram Business account, and LinkedIn profile
- Set your posting schedule, Buffer suggests times based on when your audience is active
If you want to post to more channels or need more than 10 posts queued at once, Buffer’s Essentials plan is US$6/month per channel.
Improving the output over time
The more context you give ChatGPT, the better the posts get. After a few weeks, build a short “business brief” you paste in with every prompt:
My business: [name], [type], based in [suburb], [city]. My customers are [description]. My tone is [casual/professional/friendly]. Words I never use: [list]. My competitors: [names]. What makes me different: [your differentiator].
Save this as a note or a document and paste it at the start of every session. ChatGPT will produce posts that sound more like you and less like generic marketing copy.
What this doesn’t do
This system handles the drafting and scheduling. It doesn’t handle engagement, replying to comments, responding to DMs, or monitoring mentions. That still needs a human. But it removes the part that most business owners procrastinate on: the blank page.
If you get consistent about posting, the engagement side of things usually becomes easier to manage because there’s more to work with.
The time maths
| Task | Manual | With this system |
|---|---|---|
| Writing 5 posts | 45–60 min | 10 min (prompt + edit) |
| Posting to 3 platforms | 15–20 min | 8 min (Buffer queue) |
| Total per week | 60–80 min | ~20 min |
| Annual saving | – | ~40 hours |
40 hours a year is a full working week. Most businesses spend it staring at a blank “write a post” screen.
Sources:
📋 Want more automation prompts? The 200 AI Prompts for Australian Small Business pack includes ready-to-use prompts for social media, client communications, invoicing, and more. AU$19.
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