Social media for painters and decorators: a practical guide

Most decorating work comes from recommendations and local searches. Facebook is where people ask who did their neighbour's hallway, Google is where they check reviews, and Instagram is where they judge the quality of your finish.

Anyone can show a freshly painted wall. What sets a good decorator apart is the preparation, and people love watching it: filling, sanding, caulking, masking and cutting in.

• Monday: a finished room, before and after from the same angle.
• Tuesday: a prep clip, such as filling and sanding a cracked ceiling.
• Wednesday: a colour note: the paint, shade and finish used, and why.
• Thursday: a customer review, shared with permission.
• Friday: a tip, such as why you use different finishes on walls and woodwork.
• Seasonal: exterior work in spring and summer, interiors before Christmas.

If a customer picks a colour from your feed and it looks different on their wall, you have a problem. Photograph in daylight, turn off filters, and name the exact paint, shade and finish in the caption. If a colour changes a lot between morning and evening light, show both.

• Hold the paint card against the wall in the photo.
• Shoot the same corner at the same time of day for before and after.
• Never adjust the colour of a finished room in editing.
• Say which finish you used: matt, eggshell, satin or gloss.

UK: HSE says textured decorative coatings on ceilings and walls, often known by trade names such as Artex, may contain asbestos. They were originally white but are often painted over. HSE says large-scale removal by steaming or gelling needs to be notified, and that removing coatings covering asbestos insulating board is higher risk and needs a licensed contractor. People working on buildings from before 2000 are more likely to come across asbestos. Do not post videos of sanding or scraping old textured ceilings.

US: the EPA says anyone paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes, childcare facilities or preschools built before 1978 must be certified, and their employees trained. That includes sole traders. If you are certified, say so; if a job involves older paint, show the containment and clean-up rather than dry sanding.

This is general information, not legal or safety advice. Rules differ by country, state and council and they change, so check with the regulator, your trade body or a lawyer before you rely on them.

Sources: HSE: Asbestos, locations and materials, checked 15 October 2026; HSE: Introduction to asbestos, checked 15 October 2026; US EPA: Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, checked 15 October 2026

Decorating prices vary with the room, the condition and the finish, so explain how you price rather than posting one number nobody pays. In the UK, the CMA says any price in a social media post must be the total, with unavoidable charges such as VAT normally included, and that if the final price cannot be worked out in advance you must explain how it is calculated.

In the US, the FTC tells homeowners to get written estimates from several contractors and expect a contract with the contractor's licence number and dates. A post showing what your written quote includes answers those questions before they are asked.

1. Explain whether you charge by the day, by the room or by the job.
2. Say whether paint and materials are included or charged separately.
3. Show a sample written quote with the customer details removed.
4. Say how long your quotes are valid and when you take payment.

Sources: CMA: Providing clear and accurate information about prices (summary), checked 15 October 2026; FTC Consumer Advice: How to avoid a home improvement scam, checked 15 October 2026

Ask every customer for a review the same way when you finish. Google bans incentives for reviews and selectively asking happy customers, the FTC's 2024 rule bans fake reviews and rewards for reviews with a particular sentiment, and the CMA names reviews that hide an incentive as a banned practice. Only show trade body logos you can prove: the ASA has ruled against a firm that showed logos without documentary evidence of membership.

Disclosure: this guide is published by Zolyp, an AI social media manager. Zolyp plans a calendar around your content pillars, writes and designs each post, and schedules it to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You start in review-everything mode, so nothing goes live without your approval. You can add your own photos or pull from your brand gallery, so posts show your real work rather than stock images. Everything in this guide works just as well done by hand.

• Week 1: pick two finished rooms you have permission to share.
• Week 2: post a prep clip and a colour note.
• Week 3: post a tip and a review.
• Week 4: update your Google photos and plan next month around the season.

Sources: Google Maps user-generated content policy: fake engagement, checked 15 October 2026; FTC: Federal Trade Commission announces final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (14 August 2024), checked 15 October 2026; CMA: Short guide for businesses publishing consumer reviews and complying with consumer protection law, checked 15 October 2026; ASA ruling on Hanson Roofing and Building Ltd (30 October 2019), checked 15 October 2026