We love social media because it gives businesses an opportunity to build their brand and connect one-on-one with customers. Different from writing newsletters, B2B content or other promotional materials for your business, writing for social media can be a bit of a challenge for brands to tackle. Engaging your social audience means having the right words, at the right time, in the right place.
Here are some tips for writing social media content to effectively capture the attention of your followers and users that stumble on your profile!
How to Write for Social Media
1. Keep it casual.
As a brand on social media, it’s important to establish and maintain an authentic voice—one that reflects your company’s values, showcases your personality, and resonates with your followers. Drop the jargon and write just as you would speak to connect with social users that might be new to your product, service or industry. Find a way to be authoritative, yet conversational in getting your message across to your ideal customer.
Depending on your brand, your voice may differ slightly from platform to platform however, consistency is key. When you’re writing for your blog, your content should demonstrate your authority online, but also remain relevant and easy to read for your readers. Instagram is a great platform for thoughtful captions. Your Facebook posts should convey consumer-friendly, actionable messages with a casual tone. Twitter gives you fewer characters to work with, so your tone might be more direct, yet still reader-friendly. When you’re writing for LinkedIn, you’ll want to write a little less casually to engage with a business-oriented community.
2. Stay short and simple.
When it comes to writing social media content, short and to-the-point is most effective if you want to catch the attention of users scrolling through their feed. Be precise and purposeful with your words to show users that you value their time. If you have a story, news or tip to share with your social media audience, include a link to your blog or external source and briefly introduce it in your post.
Blog posts written for social sharing are a great opportunity to elaborate on a topic, while also giving readers the option to skim if they choose to. Make your content digestible for people using mobile devices with short paragraphs, descriptive headings, and bullets or lists.
3. Make it personal.
Communicate with your readers and followers on a personal level to keep them engaged in your content and coming back for more. Understanding your target audience’s needs, wants, challenges, behaviors and demographics can help you connect with potential customers through personalized messages and relevant content. Speak their language so that your message appeals directly to them. Sometimes, asking an open-ended question is a great way to get a conversation started in the comments!
4. Don’t forget a CTA.
Be sure to include a call to action (CTA) at the end of your social content to encourage your followers to take the next step. That may be to share the post with friends, shop your new product collection, head to your website or register for an event you’re hosting. A strong CTA invites users to further engage with your brand and learn more about what you have to offer!