How To Write Better For Social Media

These days, there are endless options for promoting your business or organization, with one of the most popular being to post about what you’re doing on social media.

You’re expected to be a social media marketer, even if you have zero experience with content or social media marketing. Social media is a pillar of digital marketing, and can help you drive traffic, find leads, and rank higher in search.

I come from a non-writers’ background and that is one of the reasons I took “Digital Storytelling” course. While learning, the article “The Non-Writers’ Guide to Writing Better Social Media Copy” by “Eric Goldschein” was very helpful for me to understand the basic rules of writing better for social media.

You could outsource the job but rather than adding another expense, you might find you enjoy writing. With so many options for writing social media copy – Facebook updates, tweets, Instagram captions, etc. Here are some tips to get started and write better.

1. Write the way you talk – Imagine you describing your business to your friends. That tone, the choice of language, and that level of simplicity should be your goal. By tapping into this, your content will come across as more natural, and will be easier to read.
2. Write consistently – Do it often. Write as much as you can. You’ll get better at writing
3. Write first, then edit heavily – For many people, the hardest part of writing is simply starting out. You might have an idea for a post or an update, but you don’t know how to begin, or what it should look like.
   The best way to get through writer’s block is to write yourself out of it. Your first draft of your copy should never be the final one. Get all the important information you need to say down on “paper.” Some bloggers even use voice-to-text to get their initial thoughts out.  
   Once you have a draft, go back and edit, revise, and rewrite entire sections until you’re satisfied.
4. Read your competitors’ feeds – You need to read. A good place to start is the feeds and blogs of your competitors, peers, and others in your industry. You will get a sense of what good writing looks like and discover topics that you too can discuss.
5. Provide value with every post – Every social media post will have a different goal. Boost website traffic, Newsletter signups, shop, etc.
6. Conduct hashtag and keyword research – Keyword and /or hashtag research is a great way to drum up topics but don’t let terms drive all your content. Use keywords as your guide, but write naturally.
7. Write to your target demographic – You content must speak to the demographic you are trying to capture.
8. Write short for engagement and long for traffic – There is no definitive rules as to how long your posts should be. Above all, they should be well-written.
9. Add Visual elements to your posts – Add photos, infographics, videos, GIFs and other visual media to the body pf your posts.

You won’t become a better social media marketer overnight, and your business won’t reap the benefits of your new tactics after a single post. This is a long-term play, and there are no shortcuts – but the payoff will be worth the investment, since you’ll be able to apply your new skills as a writer to other aspects of your business.