Social media playbook for nail salons
Nails are made for close-up photos and satisfying process videos. People screenshot sets and bring them to their appointment. A nail salon's feed should be a gallery of what you can do, kept fresh with every season.
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What social media is for, for a nail salon
Be the salon people screenshot from, and make the booking one tap away.
Where to post
Best first. You don't need every app; these earn their time.
Instagram
The gallery. Close-ups, reels of the process, seasonal sets.
TikTok
Process videos of designs being built are very watchable.
Pinterest
Nail ideas are among the most saved looks; a pin keeps sending people to you.
What to post
Four kinds of post, with ideas you could make this week.
Sets
Close, sharp, natural light, and the same background so the feed looks tidy.
- This week's favourite set
- Chrome vs matte, same design
- Short nails, big design
Process
From bare nail to finished set. Speed it up.
- Building a French tip in 15 seconds
- Hand-painted detail, close up
- Removal done right
Seasons
Holiday, wedding, summer and autumn colours.
- Autumn colour board
- Wedding nails that go with anything
- Holiday sets this year
Booking
Gaps, new techs, prices.
- Two slots tomorrow
- Price list for this season
- Meet our newest tech
A simple week
One post a day. Share each one to the other platforms above.
- MondaySet of the week
- TuesdayProcess reel
- WednesdayColour inspiration
- ThursdayNail care tip
- FridayWeekend openings
- SaturdaySaturday sets
- SundayClient favourite
Opening lines that work
The first line of a reel or caption decides if people keep watching. Make them your own.
- Screenshot this for your next appointment.
- Watch this design come together.
- Short nails can do this too.
- The colour everyone's asking for.
- Before you pick at your gel, watch this.
Mistakes to skip
- Blurry or yellow-lit photos.
- Not showing prices or how to book.
- Posting the same style over and over.
How to tell it's working
- Bookings that bring a screenshot of your work.
- Saves on sets.
- Messages asking for a design or price.
Run this playbook without the daily work
- Makes reels, carousels and posts in your salon's style from your website and services.
- Turns phone clips of a set into finished reels on Growth and Pro.
- Answers 'how much for this set?' in comments on Growth and Pro, and DMs on Pro.
- You approve each post with a tap, or switch on autopilot on Growth and Pro.
Questions people ask
Where should a nail salon post?
Instagram first, then TikTok for process videos and Pinterest for designs people save.
How do I photograph nails well?
Natural light, a plain background, the hand in the same pose each time, and no filter that changes the colour.
See your own posts first.
Paste your nail salon's website and Socialhand makes a reel, a carousel and posts for all 8 platforms, free. If you like them, plans start at $97 a month.