Writing copy for social media – four handy tips
Whether you are using Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, the words you use are crucial to the success of your business.
It is also vitally important to remember the key to gaining followers (or likes) is not through blatant self-promotion.
According to Social Media Today, the first rule is to:
Engage your audience and encourage them to join the conversation
For example, on a Facebook post, add in:
“Tell us your ideas…”
“Sound off in the comments and tell us what you think.”
“What are you looking forward to/excited about?”
- Appeal to people’s emotions
If you are using a visual social media platform as Instagram, you have a very short space of time to get your followers’ attention.
Therefore, you need to use your captions to elevate your images and videos by conveying a message that evokes emotions.
For example, punchy copy beneath a photo of some cute puppies is always likely to get someone’s attention!
- Capitalise on people’s desire to learn
If you are using LinkedIn then you need to appeal to people who constantly want to learn about industry news and updates, so your copy should seek to fulfil this need by doing the following:
- Sharing industry news
- Sharing quotes from industry leaders/influencers
- Sharing industry statistics
- Bring out the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) in your followers
FOMO can be a great way for your social media copy to grab people’s attention, especially if it uses the following elements:
- Exclusivity – Copy reflecting exclusive access or first “dibs” on an offering
- Urgency – Copy communicating an offering available for a limited time only
- Scarcity – Copy communicating limited availability on an offering
Finally, by writing great copy and adopting these four social media copywriting strategies, you should stand out from the competition; thus giving your audience a reason to stop and consume your content.
