Which Tools Are Best for Social Media Automation?

Key Takeaways

• LinkedIn offers a built-in scheduled post feature, but posts planned there are not visible in third-party scheduling platforms like Hootsuite, Vista Social, or Postoplan.
• Social media scheduling tools (Buffer, Hootsuite, Vista Social, Postoplan, Social Media Poster) allow teams to plan content months in advance, manage comments across platforms in one place, and analyse post performance at a glance.
• AppSumo is recommended as a source for lifetime deals on social media tools, often replacing monthly subscriptions of €50–€100 with a one-off payment of $60–$400.
• Vista Social is Thorsten Jekel's personal tool of choice, acquired via AppSumo; it supports multi-format scheduling including Instagram Reels and LinkedIn posts.
• Social Media Poster is highlighted as a German-law-compliant alternative with an excellent feature set and a personally known founder (Robert Hecht).
• LeadDelta (Chrome add-on) synchronises LinkedIn contacts into a table, allows CSV export, and enables tagging contacts to trigger Zapier workflows — for example, automatically creating a contact in the Daylite CRM.
• Analytics inside scheduling tools help identify which content resonates most with the target audience — personal, authentic posts (e.g., working from a campervan) often outperform highly practical tips.
• Reposting older content is encouraged: audiences rarely notice or complain, and popular topics are consistently asked about regardless of how often they have been shared.
• The LinkedIn Newsletter reaches contacts both on the platform and directly in their email inboxes; Thorsten gained over 1,500 subscribers quickly and recommends sending it on a fixed weekday.
• AI-generated content should be used carefully: low-effort AI text is recognisable and off-putting; if AI is used, it should be prompted with personal style examples to produce genuinely relevant output.

Einführung

Nice to have you with us again for another episode of Digital 4 Productivity and the current focus on social media. So, if you haven't listened to last week's episode yet, feel free to listen to it, because I went into the basics, especially in the business-to-business area, and explained the basic ideas about social media, the differences between content graph and social graph systems and how they can be successful on LinkedIn, for example, and especially in the business-to-business area.

Overview of the topic of automation in social media

Yes, in this episode I would like to go a little deeper into add-ons and automation. It's an important topic to leverage the potential you have with LinkedIn even more efficiently. Always with the warning: please don't overdo it. Because if you look at your own behavior, aren't you annoyed by the messages on LinkedIn, where you realize that this is a standard message? It's a bit like email too. For example, if you are on first-name terms with someone in real life and you receive a "you" email with a very generic text, then you also realize: Okay, here I am again from the standard marketing pot. Maybe or certainly not what you want to be. That's why you shouldn't overdo it.

There are already options for automation within the platform. As I mentioned last time, in LinkedIn you always have the option of either posting directly when you post something or posting the whole thing as a scheduled post via this original icon and this has the advantage that if you want to forward things or if you are perhaps waiting for the plane and you post several things, then it is not the case that you post five things on Monday afternoon and then nothing the rest of the week before, but you can spread it out evenly over the whole week.

The small disadvantage of this is that you generally don't see all the things that are directly planned in LinkedIn itself as planned posts on the planning platforms that go beyond this, because they are planned in the LinkedIn platform, whereas if you are on Hootsuite or social media, Vista Social, for example, or Postoplan or other things, then they are in their platform and not on the social media platform. So the important thing is that you can do it in the platform.

What automation tools are available and what are their strengths?

Then there is the possibility that there are platforms like Buffer, like Hootsuite, like Vista Social, like Postoplan, like the social media poster, where they can schedule things.

They have the great advantage that they can easily create content months in advance as part of a calendar and even create content as a team, which can be coordinated and then posted automatically at certain times. You have the additional advantage that you usually have the comments across all platforms in one interface with these tools. This means you don't always have to go into each platform to edit the comments. In addition, this is a very important topic, not only this automatic scheduling, but you can also evaluate which posts are particularly popular at a glance rather than on the platforms. In other words, which ones were seen by how many people, which ones were commented on particularly strongly. And you should always look at this on a regular basis to revise your content strategy. Do more of what is well received by your target group. And that is not necessarily always what they say the target group needs. Let me give you an example: the posts that go the most for me are when I'm out and about somewhere in our campervan, working on the move and I take a photo showing how I work on the move.

Why are cat videos more popular than videos with business tips?

This seems to satisfy the longing of many people who don't dare to break out of the hamster wheel and work on the go, so it has a very wide reach in this area. When I post a super mega killer trick for using ChatGPT or other tools, I realize that there are often a lot fewer likes on it, where I say it actually makes a lot more sense. A bit like cat videos go better than business tips. You have to make sure that you find a sensible balance so that, on the one hand, they don't miss out on the target group, they can't force anyone to convert, but on the other hand, they also provide relevant content. So a healthy mix between, let's say, cat videos and tooltips. Yes, logically, it also has to match your positioning.

Yes, which tool should I use, I'm often asked and I always like to cut that short by saying that you should ideally subscribe to the AppSumo platform newsletter. AppSumo is an internet-based platform that regularly offers great lifetime deals. And these lifetime deals often mean that you can get access to platforms that normally cost 50 to 100 euros a month for a one-off payment of between 60 and 200 or 400 dollars.

So you have a slightly higher initial investment in terms of a one-off contribution, but you can save a lot of money over time. Some of you know that I'm married to the controlling professor. So if I don't look after the money, my wife does.

My recommendation - Vista Social

And before I get a yellow card from my wife, I regularly check AppSumo. Personally, I'm currently working with Vista Social. That's the program I once got via AppSumo. It even has the charm of being able to prepare different formats for different platforms. For Instagram, for example, I can upload reels, these short videos. I can also see what they look like in the preview, prepare them there and then play them on Instagram at certain times, for example. I can also do the whole thing for the LinkedIn platform and so on.

This means that you also have editing options here that go slightly beyond what you have in the normal platform. A special word about Social Media Poster. Social Media Poster is a German company. This means, firstly, that this solution has the huge advantage of being very Germanized.

Secondly, it has the huge advantage that it adheres very, very consistently to German laws. I think it has an excellent range of services and what's really, really great is that I know the owner, Robert Hecht, personally. I don't get any commission here, but I'm always a big fan of working with systems where I know the people involved, especially with mission-critical systems.

The Daylite CRM system

As you may know, I work with Daylite as a CRM system and there are a few criteria for me, for example the fact that it is also capable of working offline, that I have a good app on my iPhone or iPad that I can work with even without an internet connection. And I know Alf Ruppert, who is responsible for this system in Germany, and if I have a question, I just give him a call. In other words, there are no really good systems and no really bad ones. There are more suitable systems. When in doubt, I'm a great friend of AppSumo - if you say you want to do something as cheaply as possible, take a look at AppSumo. They always have good deals there. I was on the phone with a friend of mine just last week and he said: "Gosh, what do you recommend?

And then I just had a look at AppSumo to see what kind of deal was available and then I said: Wow, that looks good. Take a look at that. Is the user interface one that appeals to you? Are the functions on the platform you're using covered? Because if you're not on Snapchat, for example, and you're not planning to go on that platform, then it might be less important to have a platform with Snapchat than one with LinkedIn. In other words, not every platform can serve every social media network and you should always make sure that you have a platform that can cover your platform as far as possible. What you can also do with these things, I think that's really, really great. You can also say there, okay, you're going to post things again. And many people say that: People will notice if I post something again after six months. Believe me, no one has ever complained to me when I post the same thing again. And I'm always amazed that I'm asked again and again about things that I feel I've posted so often on social media.

Classic topic: How can I transfer my iPhone or iPad to my Windows Surface so that I can show it on the projector in training sessions? Classic topic: I think I've already made 500 posts about this and I still get asked again and again, because of course your post can get lost in the jumble of different messages. So it's better to post something two, three or four times, as long as you post the same things over and over again every day. So you can also reuse all these things. Also wonderful. And you can also export these comments and so on.

The Chrome add-on LeadDelta

Another tool that I have been using successfully for years as an add-on for the Chrome browser, and it's not even the tool, but rather the exemplary idea behind it, is a tool called LeadDelta. The idea behind this tool is that when I start LeadDelta and look at my dashboard, it synchronizes all my LinkedIn contacts. Then I have them in the tabular overview and I could even just export them as a CSV if I wanted to. That's good, because you can't always export the contact data from every network, for example. Incidentally, you should also do this regularly, because there are always situations where social media platforms go south or change or disconnect things.

For example, when I look at Xing as the German LinkedIn alternative, they disconnected the groups at some point. So it's a good idea, if you've saved the group members in some way beforehand, that you can perhaps search for them on LinkedIn and contact them again. I'm also a big fan of being on social media, of course, but you should always be a bit careful about building your houses on rented land, but rather on your own. That's your website, your own CRM system. That's where the contacts should be. Because if, as we've already seen here, platforms like Xing lose importance at some point, it's not as if all your contacts are suddenly gone. And that's the idea, that they then have the opportunity to access them. And that's where LeadDelta helps. Because with LeadDelta, they also have the option of tagging contacts, i.e. providing them with a digital sticky note, a bit like Outlook categories, you can imagine. And then there is the option of attaching workflows to these tags using the Sapier service, which then do the following, for example: If I attach a tag to a contact in LinkedIn, it's called Create in Daylite.

This contact is then created in my Daylite CRM system. This means that if LinkedIn disappears from the market, I still have the contact data in my CRM system with the LeadDelta tag. That means I also know, oh, he came from LinkedIn, for example. I even have the option of transferring the whole thing to my newsletter system. You always have to be a bit careful here, because I'm a big fan of not automatically adding people to newsletters. And especially if you perhaps take the opportunity to also do LinkedIn newsletters, which I highly recommend, then have your own newsletter in parallel. If you do this, you should be very careful not to send something on both channels on the same day. Then it's more like I'm saying it's too annoying again. So I make sure, for example, that I usually send out my LinkedIn newsletter on Friday, that I usually send out my normal newsletter on Tuesdays or at least, let's say, in stages. If I have events, for example an online event on Thursday, such as the Lunch and Learn, then I often send out an email newsletter on Tuesday and then another LinkedIn newsletter on Wednesday or Thursday.

The newsletter on Linkedin really makes sense!

Incidentally, the LinkedIn newsletter should also come regularly, similar to how they do with other communication things. For me, it usually comes on Fridays. That means you can adjust to it to a certain extent, a bit like with posts. I know that Karin Burger, for example, says she always looks forward to Karl-Theodor zu Gutenberg's post on Sundays because she knows it always comes on Sunday mornings, when she's still in bed, looks at it and comments on it. So there's a certain kind of regularity, just like with the podcast. I have to say, ashes on my head. I sometimes have weeks here where I'm a bit behind. I'm sorry, but that's because I'm simply on the road too much with clients and I usually like to record podcasts at home in the studio, where I have a much better microphone than on the road. When things get really tough, I sometimes record on the go. Again, I'm saying relevance before frills, but I try to give you as pleasant a listening experience as possible. And you see, I'm not perfect there either. And the important thing is simply that it's better done than perfect.

The LinkedIn newsletter has the huge advantage that it is also delivered to your contacts' email inboxes. This means that they not only have visibility on LinkedIn, but they also have visibility in their email inbox. So it's very interesting, a good thing that really works. I was able to gain over 1,500 newsletter subscribers there in a very short time. Again, relevance before fair prominence. You can't automate this externally, as you know. You can do that in LinkedIn. The important thing is that it's always a bit hidden where the whole thing is. I have saved it as a bookmark so that I can create these newsletters there again at any time. Yes, last but not least or to summarize: Please don't succumb to the temptation to only put AI-generated junk in there. Also, please don't write AI-generated comments for such things, but as a human being I realize that the worst thing is always when I read something in a world that is something, then I say: Guys, please don't use ChatGPT in the 3.5 free version. Then please take the O version and please make a reasonable prompt that you upload a book of yourself and say: Orient yourself to the style and all these things.

Conclusion

And then, to be honest, you can quickly write it yourself. So I think the topic of AI is a bit like instant soup or Michelin-starred cuisine.

I am a friend of saying that every now and then it has to be with packet soup and in the long run I am more of a friend of star cuisine in the analog and digital world. With this in mind, I hope that I have been able to give you a little impetus on the subject of switching on your brain first, then simply using technology and technology.

Yours, Thorsten Jekel.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between scheduling posts directly on LinkedIn and using a third-party tool?

Scheduling posts directly on LinkedIn keeps them within the LinkedIn platform and they are not visible in external scheduling tools like Hootsuite or Vista Social. Third-party tools store the scheduled content in their own platform, which makes team collaboration and cross-platform planning much easier.

Which social media scheduling tools does Thorsten Jekel mention?

Thorsten Jekel mentions Buffer, Hootsuite, Vista Social, Postoplan, and Social Media Poster as scheduling platforms. Each allows content to be planned in advance, managed as a team, and analysed for performance across all connected social networks.

What is AppSumo and why does Thorsten recommend it for social media tools?

AppSumo is an internet-based platform that regularly offers lifetime deals on software tools. Thorsten recommends it because tools that normally cost €50–€100 per month can often be obtained for a one-off payment of between $60 and $400, resulting in significant long-term savings.

Why does Thorsten use Vista Social as his personal scheduling tool?

Thorsten uses Vista Social because he obtained it via AppSumo at a favourable price and it supports different content formats for different platforms — including Instagram Reels and LinkedIn posts — with preview options before publishing.

What makes Social Media Poster stand out compared to other scheduling tools?

Social Media Poster is a German company, which means it is thoroughly localised for German users and adheres very consistently to German data protection laws. Thorsten also personally knows the founder, Robert Hecht, which he values highly for mission-critical systems.

What is LeadDelta and how does it help manage LinkedIn contacts?

LeadDelta is a Chrome browser add-on that synchronises all LinkedIn contacts into a tabular dashboard. It allows users to tag contacts, export them as a CSV file, and connect tags to Zapier workflows — for example, automatically creating a contact in a CRM system like Daylite when a tag is applied.

Why should social media contacts be backed up outside of LinkedIn?

Social media platforms can change their features or lose relevance over time — as happened with Xing, which disconnected its groups. Thorsten advises storing contacts in your own CRM system so that they are not lost if a platform shuts down or changes its policies.

Is it acceptable to repost the same social media content multiple times?

Yes, reposting content multiple times is perfectly acceptable and even recommended. Thorsten notes that no one has ever complained about seeing the same post again, and that popular topics keep being asked about regardless of how often they have already been shared.

What are the benefits of a LinkedIn Newsletter compared to a standard email newsletter?

A LinkedIn Newsletter reaches contacts both on the LinkedIn platform and directly in their email inboxes, giving it dual visibility. Thorsten was able to gain over 1,500 newsletter subscribers in a short time and recommends sending it on a consistent weekday to build reader habits.

How should AI be used when creating social media content?

AI should be used thoughtfully rather than relied on for generic, low-effort output. Thorsten recommends using a higher-quality AI model with a well-crafted prompt — ideally one that includes examples of your own writing style — so the result feels authentic rather than obviously machine-generated.

Tools & Resources Mentioned

• Hootsuite – Social media scheduling and analytics platform
• Vista Social – Multi-platform social media scheduler with format previews (Thorsten's current tool)
• Postoplan – Social media content planning and scheduling tool
• Buffer – Social media scheduling and engagement platform
• Social Media Poster – German-based, GDPR-compliant social media scheduling tool
• AppSumo – Platform for lifetime software deals; recommended for finding affordable social media tools
• LeadDelta – Chrome add-on for managing and exporting LinkedIn contacts with tagging and Zapier integration
• Daylite – CRM system used by Thorsten Jekel, notable for offline capability and strong iOS/iPad app
• Zapier – Workflow automation service used to connect LeadDelta tags to Daylite CRM entries
• KI / Artificial Intelligence – Further resources on AI use for productivity on digital4productivity.de
• iPad – iPad productivity tips on digital4productivity.de