Social Media Setup for a New Business: The 30 Days Before Launch

A buyer who hears about a new company in Riyadh, Dubai or Cairo will often check its social profiles before they visit the website or send a WhatsApp message. On launch day those profiles have one job: to show that a real, organised business is behind the name. An empty grid, a handle that differs on every platform or a bio that says “coming soon” makes a new company look smaller than it is.

Many of the problems in new accounts start in the final week before launch: pages created from a founder’s personal account, an ad account opened by a freelancer in their own name, a handle that was already taken on TikTok. This plan counts back 30 days from the launch date and puts the decisions in the order that avoids those mistakes. It covers setup, not the ongoing monthly content plan, which is a separate decision.

Before day one: decide which accounts the business actually needs

Do not open an account on every platform simply because it exists. Each active channel needs content, replies and someone accountable for it. Start from who buys and where they look. The table below is our working starting point, not market data:

Treat the table as a judgement call, not a rule. Check how your own buyers behave, and use current audience data for your market rather than assumptions. The “reserve only” column matters: securing the name now costs nothing, and losing it to someone else is hard to reverse.

Days 1–7: ownership, logins and handles

The first week has nothing to do with design. It decides who will control the accounts five years from now.

Set up the access foundation

• One company mailbox for social accounts, on the company’s own domain (for example social@yourcompany.com), not a founder’s personal Gmail. When people leave, the mailbox stays.
• A password manager shared between at least two senior people, and two-step verification switched on for every account from the first login.
• A simple access register: platform, handle, login email, who holds admin rights, date created. It is quick to start and makes recovery far easier if an account is ever locked.

Choose one handle and claim it everywhere on the same day

Check availability across all platforms before you commit, then register all of them in one sitting. A good handle matches the website domain, is short enough to say on the phone, and avoids characters people confuse, such as an underscore next to a full stop. Where the exact name is taken, use the same suffix on every platform rather than a different workaround on each one. The handle is what will appear on vehicles, signage, business cards and exhibition walls, so settle it before the brand identity files are finalised (our startup branding launch kit lists what those files should include).

The display name can carry both languages. Showing the Arabic and English name together helps people searching in either script find the right profile.

Create business structures, not loose accounts

Each major platform now has a business layer above the individual profile. Set it up first, then attach the profiles to it:

• Instagram: switch the account to a professional account. Instagram’s own guide lists the path as Settings and privacy, then Account type and tools, then Switch to professional account, choosing a category and then Business (Instagram for Business).
• Meta (Facebook and Instagram): create the Facebook Page and a business account for the company in Meta’s business tools (Meta now calls it a business portfolio; older guides say Business Manager, as Zapier notes), and connect the Page, the Instagram account and the ad account to it. Meta changes these screens and names often, so follow the current steps in the Meta Business Help Centre.
• TikTok: TikTok’s Business Center lets you link an existing TikTok account (for ad delivery, or for wider account management) or create a new Organization Account, which TikTok describes as created and owned by the Business Center, “independent of any individual’s personal account”, and suited to brands that want long-term control of their main profile (TikTok Business Help Centre). Business Center Admins have full access, including adding members and partners and turning two-step verification on or off; Standard members work only on what they are given (TikTok roles and permissions).
• Snapchat: a business Public Profile is created from Snapchat Ads Manager through Profile Manager, and Snapchat notes that you can have only one Public Profile per email and username (Snapchat for Business).
• LinkedIn: a Company Page is created from the For Business menu by entering the company name, industry and website, then adding a logo, cover image and description (LinkedIn Pages). Our LinkedIn Company Page checklist covers admin roles and branches in detail.

Days 8–14: make every profile look like the same company

Once the accounts exist, fill them in completely and consistently. A buyer who moves from Instagram to LinkedIn should see the same logo, the same description of what you do and the same contact route.

1. Profile picture. Use the logo mark or a simplified version, tested at the size of a phone notification. Long wordmarks become unreadable in a circle.
2. Category and location. Pick the most specific category the platform offers and add the city. These details help people judge relevance in a second.
3. Bio in both languages. A workable formula: what you do, for whom, where, and what to do next. For example, a hypothetical HVAC installer might write “Air-conditioning supply and installation for villas and offices in Riyadh. Free site survey: message us on WhatsApp” with the Arabic version above or below it.
4. One clear action. Decide whether the main link goes to the website, a landing page or WhatsApp, and make sure someone is ready to answer when it is used. Add the contact buttons each platform offers.
5. Covers. Design the Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube covers as one set. Keep text away from the edges, because covers crop differently on mobile and desktop; check each platform’s current recommended size on the day you design.
6. Highlight covers. On Instagram, plan four or five Highlights that answer a newcomer’s questions: About, Services or Products, Locations, How to order or Contact, and later Reviews. Design the covers in the brand colours with simple icons, and prepare at least two or three Stories for each so no Highlight launches empty.

Choose the Arabic register deliberately. A company selling to Egyptian consumers may write captions in Egyptian Arabic, while the same company addressing Saudi or Emirati buyers, or any B2B audience, usually reads better in clear Modern Standard Arabic. Decide this once and write it into the brand guidelines, or every new writer will choose differently.

Days 15–23: build the content bank

A profile with three posts looks like a business that started yesterday, even if it has been operating for years before going online. Prepare enough content that the profile looks established on launch day and stays active for the first month after it. In our experience a first grid of roughly 9 to 12 posts is enough for most new businesses; treat that as a guide, not a platform requirement.

The first grid: around 9 to 12 posts before launch

• Who we are: one post on the company, its founders or its background, written as facts, not slogans.
• What we offer: one post per main service or product line, explaining who it is for.
• Proof that the business is real: premises, team, vehicles, equipment, licences or partner brands, using real photography wherever possible.
• How to work with us: process, coverage area, working hours, how to request a quotation.
• Common questions: a carousel answering the three questions the sales team already hears most.

Design these as one set so the profile reads as a coherent page, and preview the grid as a whole before anything goes live. Platforms adjust how profile grids crop images, so check the current crop on a live profile before finalising designs.

The first 30 days after launch

Plan and design the first month of posts before launch day, not after it. The weeks after launch are when the founders have the least time to approve content, and when an inactive profile is most visible. Every post should be approved by the business owner or the person they nominate before it is scheduled.

For an example from the same stage of business, see our work with OX Conditioning, an air-conditioning startup, where RX handled social media design and Facebook campaigns.

Days 24–30: teaser, tracking and the people who answer

The final week connects the profiles to the launch itself.

• Teaser sequence. A short run of posts and Stories over the final week, often three to five: a reveal of the name or logo, what is coming, where and when, then the launch announcement. Keep teasers specific; “something big is coming” says nothing to a buyer.
• Pinned posts. Decide which two or three posts are pinned at the top of each profile on launch day, usually the launch announcement, the main offer and how to contact you.
• Tracking. Install the Meta pixel, TikTok pixel and any other tags on the website, confirm the ad accounts have verified billing, and run a test so that the first paid campaign is not delayed by a payment or review issue.
• Message handling. Name who answers comments and direct messages, in which hours, and write ready replies for prices, locations, working hours and quotation requests in both languages.
• A final test. From a phone that does not follow the company, search for the brand name in Arabic and English on each platform, tap every link and button, and send a test message.

Using creators at launch: check the licence first

Launches in the Gulf often use paid creators or influencers. The licensing rules sit with the creator, but the business choosing them should check before it pays anyone.

In Saudi Arabia, individuals who provide advertising content through social media need the Mowthooq (also spelled Mawthooq) licence issued by the General Authority for Media Regulation (GAMR), and Gulf News reported in December 2024 that the Ministry of Commerce had warned businesses not to promote visiting celebrities who do not hold it (Gulf News). In the UAE, creators need the Advertiser Permit; its grace period has passed, and a federal decree-law created the National Media Authority to replace the UAE Media Council as regulator (UAE Legislation).

Ask every creator for their licence or permit details before you agree terms. Our guide to what brands must check before paying a creator covers the checks in full. These are summaries of published sources, not legal advice; check the current rules before a creator campaign goes live.

Launch-day readiness check

If several rows are still open a week before launch, it is usually better to move the public announcement than to launch to profiles that are half-built. RX handles this setup as part of its social media and content service: account setup and optimisation, covers and Highlights, the first content bank and the bilingual copy, with the company keeping ownership of every account.