TL;DR

Multi-platform presence drives 3.2× more leads than single-platform focus, but attempting all platforms equally burns teams out -focus on 2 primary platforms (80% effort) + 3 secondary (20% effort via repurposing).
Platform priority framework: X (real-time engagement), LinkedIn (B2B leads), YouTube (SEO + authority), Newsletter (owned audience), TikTok/IG (brand awareness).
Content repurposing system: Create pillar content once, adapt to 5+ platforms in 90 minutes using templates and AI tools.

Multi-Platform Community Building: The 80/20 Approach for Lean Teams

The problem: Your audience isn't on one platform -they're everywhere. But creating unique content for X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and newsletter burns you out in 6 weeks.

The solution: The 80/20 approach. Focus 80% of effort on 2 primary platforms where your ICP congregates. Repurpose to 3–5 secondary platforms with 20% effort.

The Platform Priority Framework

Tier 1: Primary platforms (80% effort, original content)

Choose 2 based on your ICP:

B2B SaaS:

X (Twitter): Real-time engagement, founder brand
LinkedIn: Lead generation, thought leadership

Developer tools:

X (Twitter): Dev community, technical discussions
YouTube: Tutorials, demos, in-depth content

Consumer apps:

TikTok/Instagram: Brand awareness, viral growth
YouTube: Tutorials, reviews

Tier 2: Secondary platforms (20% effort, repurposed content)

Repurpose pillar content to:

Newsletter (weekly digest)
Medium/blog (SEO content)
Reddit (community engagement)
Discord/Slack (community nurturing)

Content Repurposing System

Master content format

Create one pillar piece weekly:

Long-form blog post (1,500–2,000 words)
Video tutorial (10–15 minutes)
Podcast episode (20–30 minutes)
Case study/data analysis

Repurposing workflow (90 minutes)

From blog post → 5+ platforms:

X thread (15 min): Extract 8–10 key points, format as tweet thread
LinkedIn post (10 min): Shorten to 600 words, add professional framing
Newsletter snippet (10 min): 200-word summary + CTA to full post
YouTube short (20 min): Record 60-second video summarising key insight
Instagram carousel (20 min): Turn key points into 8-slide visual carousel
Reddit post (15 min): Reframe as "what I learned" for relevant subreddits

Tools:

Repurpose.io: Auto-distribute video across platforms
Buffer/Hootsuite: Schedule social posts
Canva: Quick carousel/graphic creation
AI assistants: Draft platform-specific adaptations

Platform-Specific Best Practices

X (Twitter)

Focus: Real-time engagement, founder brand Cadence: 2–3 posts/day + 10–15 replies Content mix:

60% Value (insights, data, how-tos)
30% Engagement (replies, RTs)
10% Product updates

Repurposing: Turn blog posts into 8–12 tweet threads

Focus: B2B leads, thought leadership Cadence: 3–4 posts/week Content mix:

50% Tactical deep-dives
30% Case studies/data
20% Personal stories with lessons

Repurposing: Adapt blog posts to 600–800 word LinkedIn articles

YouTube

Focus: SEO, long-form authority Cadence: 1 video/week Content mix:

Tutorials (50%)
Product demos (30%)
Thought leadership (20%)

Repurposing: Turn blog post outlines into video scripts

Focus: Owned audience, direct communication Cadence: Weekly Content mix:

Curated insights (40%)
Original analysis (40%)
Community updates (20%)

Repurposing: Aggregate week's best content + exclusive insights

The 4-Week Implementation Plan

Week 1: Platform audit

Track time spent per platform
Measure engagement rate per platform
Identify top 2 performers (ROI + engagement)
These become your primary platforms

Week 2: Set up repurposing system

Create content templates for each secondary platform
Set up scheduling tools (Buffer, Hootsuite)
Build 2-week content bank (4 pillar pieces)

Week 3: Implement repurposing workflow

Create 1 pillar piece
Repurpose to 5+ platforms using system
Track time spent (target: <2 hours total)

Week 4: Optimise and scale

Analyse performance across platforms
Double down on what works
Cut or automate what doesn't

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Spreading too thin

Attempting 6+ platforms equally
Fix: Focus on 2 primary, repurpose to rest

Pitfall 2: Copy-paste repurposing

Same content, same format across platforms
Fix: Adapt to platform norms (threads for X, long-form for LinkedIn)

Pitfall 3: No primary platform

Equal effort everywhere = strong nowhere
Fix: Choose 2 platforms for original content, rest is repurposing

Real Case Study: 2-person team, 7 platforms

Startup: B2B SaaS, 12-person company Team: 1 content lead + 1 designer Goal: Build presence on X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Newsletter, Reddit, Medium, Instagram

Implementation:

Primary platforms: X (daily original content) + LinkedIn (3× weekly)
Secondary platforms: YouTube (repurposed blog tutorials), Newsletter (weekly digest), Reddit (repurposed tactical posts), Medium (republished blog posts), Instagram (carousel graphics from blog)

Results (6 months):

Time investment: 12 hrs/week (vs 30+ hrs attempting all platforms equally)
Reach: 180K monthly impressions across all platforms
Leads: 240 qualified leads (40/month avg)
Top performers: X (60% of leads), LinkedIn (30%), YouTube (8%), Others (2%)

Key insight: "We stopped trying to 'win' every platform and focused on winning X and LinkedIn. Everything else is just bonus distribution for the same content."

Next Steps

This week: Choose your 2 primary platforms

Review where your ICP spends time
Audit your current engagement rates
Commit to 2 platforms for original content

Next week: Build repurposing templates

Create platform-specific templates for each secondary platform
Set up scheduling tools
Batch-create 2 weeks of content

Month 2: Launch multi-platform presence

Publish pillar content on primary platforms
Repurpose to secondary platforms within 24 hours
Track performance, optimise based on data

Multi-platform presence doesn't mean equal effort everywhere. Master 2 platforms, repurpose to the rest, and watch your reach 10× without burning out.