Polls
Quick questions on X, LinkedIn and Reddit: easy to answer, interesting to discuss and worth following up.
Polls are the lowest-effort way for people to engage: one tap. Good polls also start a discussion in the comments and teach you something about your audience.
Five rules apply to every format: hook first, stay consistent, tell a complete story, end with a call to action and design for the phone. Read the five rules
At a glance
| Spec | Recommended |
|---|---|
| X | Up to 4 options of 25 characters · 5 minutes to 7 days |
| Up to 4 options of 30 characters · question up to 140 · 1, 3, 7 or 14 days | |
| Up to 6 options · the question is the post title · 1 to 7 days |
Hook
- Ask something people have an opinion on. Choices between real options work better than yes/no.
- Make it relevant to your audience. The topic should matter to their work or interests.
- Keep the question short. It should be understood in one read.
Design and edit
- Write clear, distinct options. No overlap, no jokes that hide the real choices.
- Respect each network’s limits. Options are short (25 characters on X, 30 on LinkedIn).
- Pick a sensible duration. A day or three is enough for most polls.
Caption and copy
- Add context. Explain why you’re asking.
- Invite explanations. “Tell us why in the comments” turns votes into a discussion.
- On Reddit, follow the subreddit rules. The question becomes the post title, and the subreddit must allow polls.
Timing and cadence
- Share the results. A follow-up post with what you learned gives voters a reason to come back.
- Don’t overdo it. An occasional poll feels fresh; a daily one feels lazy.
What to measure
Impressions and comments show how many people saw and discussed the poll. Read the vote results on the network itself.
XImpressionsLikesCommentsShares
LinkedInImpressionsReachLikesCommentsSharesClicksVideo views
RedditOctapost doesn’t collect metrics for this format.
How Octapost reports these metrics
Do it in Octapost
- Choose the Polls post type, then add the question, the options and the duration.
- The composer checks each network’s limits on options, length and duration.
- For Reddit, pick the subreddit in the account settings.
Creating posts in the composer
Checklist
- The question is short and relevant.
- Options are distinct and within the length limit.
- The duration suits the topic.
- The post explains why you’re asking.
- You plan to share the results.
Sources
Platform guidance changes often. These are the official pages we check this guide against.