Social media glossary
Short, practical definitions of the terms you meet when planning, scheduling and automating social media, including the new vocabulary of AI agents.
Planning and publishing
- Social media scheduler: software that publishes posts at a set time.
- Content calendar: the plan of what goes out, where and when.
- Approval workflow: the steps a post goes through before it is published.
- Cross-posting: sharing one piece of content on several networks.
- Carousel post: a post with several images or videos people swipe through.
- Evergreen content: content that stays relevant for months.
- Content repurposing: turning one piece into many formats.
AI, data and measurement
- MCP (Model Context Protocol): the standard that lets AI assistants use tools such as a scheduler.
- AI agent: an AI that takes actions, not just answers questions.
- Social media API: the programmatic way software talks to a network or a scheduler.
- UTM parameters: tags on links that tell analytics where a visit came from.
- Engagement rate: interactions relative to reach or followers.
For a practical take on these terms, see our blog and the guide to MCP for social media.
Glossary
- AI agentAn AI agent is an AI system that can take actions with tools, not just answer. What makes it an agent, examples, and how agents manage social media posts.
- Approval workflowAn approval workflow is the process a post goes through before publishing: draft, review, approval. How it works for teams, agencies and AI-written posts.
- Carousel postA carousel post is a single social media post with several images people swipe through. Limits on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn, and how to make one work.
- Content calendarA content calendar is a schedule of what you will publish, where and when. How to build one for social media, with a simple weekly example.
- Content repurposingContent repurposing turns one piece of content into new formats for other channels, like a blog post into a carousel. Examples and a simple workflow.
- Cross-postingCross-posting means publishing the same content on several social networks. When it works, when it backfires, and how to adapt one post for each platform.
- Engagement rateEngagement rate measures how much people interact with your posts relative to your audience or reach. The common formulas and how to use them well.
- Evergreen contentEvergreen content stays useful long after it is published. What counts as evergreen on social media, examples, and how to reuse it in your calendar.
- MCP (Model Context Protocol)MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT use outside tools and data. How it works, simply.
- Social media APIA social media API lets software read or publish content on a network like Instagram, LinkedIn or X. How publishing APIs work and why tools rely on them.
- Social media schedulerA social media scheduler is a tool that publishes posts to social networks automatically at a set time. What it does, who needs one and what to look for.
- UTM parametersUTM parameters are tags added to a URL that tell your analytics where a visit came from. The five parameters explained, with social media examples.
Frequently asked questions
What does MCP stand for?
Model Context Protocol. It is an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT connect to external tools, such as a social media scheduler, and use them on your behalf.
What is the difference between a content calendar and a scheduler?
A content calendar is the plan; a scheduler is the software that publishes it at the right time. In Postika, the calendar is the scheduler's main view.
What is an approval workflow?
The steps a post goes through before publishing, such as draft, review and approval. In Postika, posts created by AI wait in a pending-approval state by default.