Offer Post Checklist: What Every Offer Post Should Include

An offer post is a social media post that announces a specific deal, such as a discount, a bundle or a seasonal price, and asks people to act on it. It should include the deal in numbers, what it applies to, who qualifies, the closing date, any limit on stock and one clear action.

• Section 8 of the CAP Code, published by the ASA, lists significant conditions for promotions, including a prominent closing date (8.17.4), proof of purchase (8.17.5) and restrictions such as location or age (8.17.7).
• The ASA's advice on promotional terms and conditions says that on social media, significant information must be included in the initial post, and that rule 8.18 expects as much as practicable in space limited ads.
• The ASA's advice on promotional closing dates says most promotions are likely to need a closing date, shown clearly and prominently in the ad; without one, rule 8.17.4.c expects proof that consumers are not disadvantaged.
• ASA advice on January sales (14 December 2022) says "subject to availability" is rarely sufficient on its own and "was" prices should be the established usual selling price.

What are the parts of an offer post?

An offer post has six parts: the deal, what it covers, who qualifies, when it ends, any limit, and one action. Miss one and readers either distrust it or cannot use it.

Each part answers a question the reader asks in the first few seconds. The deal answers "what do I get", what it covers answers "on what", who qualifies answers "is this for me", and the closing date answers "how long do I have". The limit answers "will it still be there", and the action answers "what do I do now". If any of these is missing, the reader has to message you to find out, and most will not bother.

Part	What to write	Hypothetical example (a bakery in Leeds)
The deal	A number, not an adjective	20% off
What it covers	The products or services included and excluded	All celebration cakes; not cupcakes
Who qualifies	Any restriction on who can use it	Orders collected in store
When it ends	A date and, if it matters, a time	Ends Sunday 23 November at 5pm
Any limit	How many, or how many per person	40 cakes; one per order
The action	One step and where to take it	Order on our website

The example is invented to show wording, not a real offer or a result. Notice that every cell can be checked by the reader. That is what keeps the post from sounding like a sales pitch.

How should you state the deal itself?

State the deal as a number tied to something specific, such as "20% off celebration cakes" or "two haircuts for the price of one on Tuesdays". Avoid words like "huge" or "massive", which the reader cannot check.

If you show a saving against an earlier price, that earlier price must be real. The ASA's January sales advice says a "was" price should be the established usual selling price, judged by factors such as how recently and how long it was charged, and that you should hold evidence the saving is genuine. It also says "up to" and "from" claims need a significant proportion of items at the lowest price or the maximum discount, so "up to 50% off" on one item in a hundred misleads.

Bundles and add ons deserve the same plainness. Say exactly what comes together, such as "a full service plus a filter change", and the price or saving for the whole bundle. If the offer only applies to new customers, say so in the first line, because existing customers who find out later feel cheated. A clear deal is the single biggest reason a post does not sound pushy.

Which conditions must be in the post rather than behind a link?

Any condition that would change someone's decision belongs in the post itself. A link to full terms is fine for the long version, but not instead of the important conditions.

The ASA's terms and conditions advice is direct about social media. It says significant information must be included in the initial post, that the initial ad should always indicate that terms and conditions apply, and that for online promotions such as social media posts the significant conditions must be in the ad itself. It reports a ruling where asking people to request terms by Instagram message was not consistent with them being easily accessible.

The CAP Code lists what usually counts as significant. That includes the closing date, any proof of purchase requirement, geographical, personal or technological restrictions such as location, age or needing internet access, and any limit on availability. Rule 8.17.9 also asks for the promoter's full name and correspondence address, which a business usually covers through its profile name and a link to its website. The advice adds that if there are too many significant conditions for the space, social media might not be the right place to promote that offer, which is a good reason to simplify the deal.

Does an offer post need a closing date?

Usually yes: the ASA says most promotions are likely to need a closing date. If you leave it out, you need to be able to show that no one is disadvantaged.

Put the date where people see it, on the picture and in the first line of the caption. The ASA's closing dates advice says significant conditions, including a closing date, should be presented clearly and prominently in the ad, and that a date only in separate terms is unlikely to be acceptable. Write it as a day and date, such as "Sunday 23 November", because "this weekend" means different things to someone who sees the post on Monday.

Keep the date once you set it. CAP Code rule 8.17.4.e says closing dates must not be changed unless unavoidable circumstances beyond the promoter's control apply, and the ASA's advice adds that not getting enough take up is not one of them. If you want a second run, end the first offer as promised and announce a new one later, with its own date.

How do you show limited stock honestly?

Say how many there are, or how many each person can claim, in plain numbers. "While stocks last" alone tells the reader nothing they can act on.

The CAP Code asks that any limitation on availability be sufficiently clear (rule 8.17.8). The ASA's January sales advice goes further, saying you should estimate likely demand in advance and either meet it or give clear availability information, because "subject to availability" is rarely sufficient on its own. For a business, that means counting what you have before you post, not after the rush.

A plumber in Nairobi offering reduced callout rates might write "12 slots between 3 and 7 March", which is both honest and useful. A salon might write "one per client", which stops a single person booking every discounted slot. If stock runs out early, post an update straight away and thank people, so those who missed out do not feel misled.

What should the picture carry, and what should the caption carry?

The picture carries the deal, the item and the closing date; the caption carries the conditions, the action and the link. Together they should make sense even if someone only sees one.

Most people meet an offer as a picture in a feed, so the picture has to work on its own. Keep it to the number, the product or service, and the date, in large text with enough contrast to read on a phone. Put the full conditions in the caption's first lines, because longer captions are often cut short on screen and anything below the cut is easy to miss.

If you want a starting draft, the AI Social Media Post Generator has an offer card format that works from your website and fits the words within each picture's layout. A second check compares every claim with your website, so a price or condition cannot drift from what you actually sell, and you can type your own words on any picture and they are kept exactly. A finished post with its pictures and captions costs 1 credit (about $0.65), and a post that cannot be finished gives its credit back.

Where should the call to action send people?

Send people to the one place where they can claim the offer in the fewest steps. A booking page, a product page or a phone number beats a home page every time.

Pick one action and say it plainly, such as "Order on our website" or "Call us to book", with your real link or number. Two or three actions split attention and make the post feel busier and more demanding. Check the link on a phone before you post, because a broken or slow link wastes everyone's interest.

Make sure the place you send people repeats the offer. If the post says 20% off and the page shows the full price, people will doubt both. This same discipline applies to all your promotional posts: what the post promises, the next screen must deliver.

Questions business owners ask about offer posts

How long should an offer post caption be?

Long enough to carry the deal, the conditions and the action, and no longer. Put those in the first two or three lines, because longer captions are often cut short on screen. Anything after that can be friendly detail.

Can I put "T&Cs apply" and link to the rest?

Only for the minor terms. The ASA's advice says the significant conditions must be in the social media post itself, with the initial ad indicating that terms and conditions apply. Put the closing date, restrictions and limits in the post, then link to the full terms.

Do I need my address in an offer post?

The CAP Code asks for the promoter's full name and correspondence address in promotions material. For a business posting on its own page, readers can usually find these through the profile and the linked website. If the offer is shared by others or run as a competition, include them in the terms.

What if I sell out before the closing date?

Post an update at once saying the offer has sold out, and thank people. If you had stated how many were available, readers will understand. Do not extend or restart the offer quietly, because that can disadvantage those who acted on the original terms.

Should every offer post show a "was" price?

No; show one only when the earlier price is the established usual selling price and you can prove it. A plain statement such as "20% off" or a bundle price is often clearer. Comparisons you cannot support do more harm than a simple offer.

Check your offer post against this list before it goes live

Before posting, read the draft as a stranger who has never heard of your business, and fix any line that leaves a question unanswered.

Can they tell what they get, on what, whether they qualify, when it ends, how many there are and what to do next, in under ten seconds? If any answer is missing or vague, rewrite that line before anything else. A post that passes this test rarely sounds pushy.

Then check the claims against your records. Confirm any "was" price, count the stock, and make sure the closing date is one you will keep. Open the link on a phone and confirm the offer shows there too.

Finally, decide how you will judge the post. Note the enquiries, bookings or sales in the first 48 hours, and compare them with your last offer. Over a few offers you will see which deals, wording and timing your customers respond to, and each new offer post can build on that evidence.