# FAQ post ideas: answer customer questions before they ask [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/faq-post) If you answer the same message five times a week, it is a post. FAQ posts turn your inbox into content that saves you time and makes buying easier. ## The short version - The best FAQ post ideas come from questions customers already ask in messages, reviews, comments and on the phone. - An FAQ post can be a single question and answer card, a carousel of several questions, or a set of stories saved as a highlight. - The question should be written in the customer's own words, and the answer should be short, specific and complete. - A pinned FAQ carousel or an FAQ story highlight lets new visitors find answers on your profile without sending a message. - FAQ posts that share one design read as a series, so customers learn to recognise them as the place to look for answers. The best **FAQ post ideas** are sitting in your inbox. Every question a customer asks more than once, about prices, opening hours, delivery, parking, how long something takes, is a post that answers it for everyone at once. Write the question in the customer's own words, answer it in one or two sentences, and design it as a card, a carousel or a story you save to a highlight. The result is fewer repeat messages and fewer people quietly leaving because they couldn't find an answer. ## Where to find the questions Don't guess what people want to know. For one week, write down every question you are asked, word for word, wherever it comes from. Then sort them by how often they appear. - **Direct messages and comments:** the obvious source, and already in customers' own words. - **Reviews:** "I wish I'd known..." lines are FAQs in disguise. - **The phone and the counter:** ask whoever takes bookings what they hear every day. - **Search suggestions:** type your type of business and town into a search engine and read what it suggests. - **Your booking or checkout:** where people abandon a form often shows what is unclear. - **Your own hesitations:** what would you want to know before buying from you for the first time? ## FAQ post ideas by type of business | Business | Questions worth a post | | --- | --- | | Café or restaurant | Do you take bookings? Are dogs allowed? Do you have vegan options? Is there step free access? | | Salon or barber | How long does a colour take? Do I need a patch test? What is your cancellation policy? | | Online shop | How long is delivery? Do you ship abroad? How do returns work? What size should I order? | | Gym or studio | Can I try a class first? What should I bring? Is it suitable for beginners? | | Dentist or clinic | Are you taking new patients? What happens at a first visit? What do I do in an emergency? | | Accountant or consultant | What do you need from me? When is the deadline? How do you charge? | | Wedding or event supplier | How far ahead should I book? Do you travel? What is included? | Start with the question you are asked most often. That single post will save you the most replies. ## Three formats for FAQ posts Each format suits a different job. A single card is quick to make and easy to share. A carousel gathers several answers into one post worth saving. Stories, saved as a highlight, sit permanently at the top of your profile where new visitors look first. Portrait FAQ card asking Can I bring my dog, with the answer yes inside and out underneath A single card: the question large, the answer in one line underneath. Carousel cover titled Your delivery questions listing the topics covered on the following slides A carousel cover that lists what is inside, so people know whether to swipe. 1. **Single card** One question, one answer, 1080×1350. Good for the most common question, or a timely one like holiday opening hours. 2. **Carousel** A cover plus one question per slide, five to eight slides. Pin it to your profile. [Tips carousels](https://gradiently.design/guide/tips-carousel) uses the same structure. 3. **Story highlight** Post each question as a 1080×1920 story, then save them to a highlight called FAQ. Give it a cover in your style; see [Instagram highlight covers](https://gradiently.design/guide/instagram-highlight-covers). 4. **Question sticker round** Invite questions with a story sticker, then answer the best ones with designed story frames. It produces next month's FAQ list for free. ## How to write the questions and answers Use the customer's wording for the question, even if it is informal. "Can I bring my dog?" is what people type and say; "Pet policy" is what a company writes. The answer should start with yes, no or the key fact, then add only what is needed to act on it. ### Avoid - "Pet policy" as the question - "It depends" with no further detail - A paragraph of conditions on the image - Answers that change without updating the post - Defensive replies to complaints dressed as FAQs ### Do - "Can I bring my dog?" - "Usually 3 to 5 working days in the UK" - The key fact on the image, details in the caption - Dates or seasons where answers change - A calm, factual answer and a way to ask more > **Keep answers true** FAQ posts get saved and screenshotted, so outdated answers keep circulating. When a policy, price or opening time changes, update or archive the old post the same day. ## Design FAQ posts as a recognisable series Give every FAQ post the same look: one background, the question always in the same place and size, the answer always below it. After two or three, followers recognise an FAQ before they read it, and they start to trust your profile as the place where answers live. [Text layout for social media posts](https://gradiently.design/guide/text-hierarchy-social) helps with the sizing, and [content pillars](https://gradiently.design/guide/content-pillars) shows how FAQs fit into a weekly mix. - Feed card 1080×1350: 1080 × 1350 - Story 1080×1920: 1080 × 1920 - Google Business 1200×900: 1200 × 900 - Facebook post 1200×1200: 1200 × 1200 The same FAQ in four formats. Google Business posts are worth it for local questions like parking and opening hours. FAQ posts pair naturally with [engagement posts](https://gradiently.design/guide/poll-post-design) that invite questions in the first place. In Gradiently, you can build the question card once on your Mark, duplicate pages for each new question, and the Mark keeps a calm area behind the words so every answer reads. Pro can also bulk create a whole set from a spreadsheet with a question column and an answer column. ## FAQ ### What is an FAQ post? A social media post that answers a question customers often ask, shown as a question and answer card, a carousel of several questions or a set of stories. ### How do I find FAQ post ideas? Write down every question customers ask for a week, from messages, comments, reviews, the phone and the counter, then post the most frequent ones first. ### Should FAQs be a carousel or separate posts? Use a carousel for a group of related questions you want people to save, and single cards for the most common or timely question. ### How do I make an FAQ highlight on Instagram? Post each question and answer as a 1080×1920 story, then add them to a highlight called FAQ with a cover that matches your style. ### How long should an FAQ answer be on a post? One or two sentences on the image, starting with yes, no or the key fact. Put conditions and details in the caption.