How To Write Effective Social Copy

Writing Effective Social Copy

• Less is more • Give context • Rewrite the headline • Use synonyms • Eliminate implied words – to, of, it, that, the, • Use #s abbreviations • Actionable language • Include a call-to-action • Tell the story with an image • Write like you speak • Avoid passive voice

Less is More

• If people have to rewrite your content to make it fit, it won’t get shared

• If you want it to be shared, aim <100 characters – Tweets <100 characters get 17% higher engagement rate

– Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook* - can be longer form (3-5 sentences)

Give Context

Tell people WHY they should click on your content

Rewrite the Headline

Walt Disney World tweeted this in lieu of this

Sometimes blog titles just aren’t good. Write a headline YOU would click on.

Rewrite the Headline

IBM tweeted this in lieu of this

Use Synonyms

Excellent (9) Awesome (7)

Great (5) Top (3)

Use Synonyms to cut down on characters

Use #s and abbreviations

• w/ instead of ‘with’ • 7/20 instead of ‘July 20’ • Bday instead of ‘birthday’ • 5 instead of ‘five’ • b/c instead of ‘because’ • 2pm instead of ‘7:00 p.m.’ • thru instead of ‘through’ • econ instead of ‘economics’ • ur instead of ‘ur’

Just make sure it’s legible by the masses...

Include a Call-To-Action

The call to action is not a cliché, it's a necessity. Don’t be afraid to ask for the sale, the download, the

RT.

Avoid Passive Voice

Passive voice weakens your message. Let your subject perform the action.

Active: Researchers earlier shows that high stress can cause heart attacks. Passive: It was earlier demonstrated that heart attacks can be caused by high stress.

Active: Over 82 billion apps are downloaded each year Passive: Over 82B apps have been downloaded year over year

Active: Passwords are constantly changing, but their story remains the same. Passive: Passwords have evolved, but their story remains the same. Image credit: iamthegrammarpolice.blogspot.com

Use more verbs, less nouns - Actionable

Social media scientist Dan Zarrella analyzed 200,000 tweets that included links and found that those that included adverbs and verbs had higher click-through rates than those using more nouns and adjectives.

Images Enhance Your Story

Images do get more shares and overall engagement (2x’s more on Twitter)

Plus, a picture can say your message in unlimited characters

Tip: You can even make your own graphics easily with Canva.com

Write like you speak

• End a sentence in a preposition to convey a warm and personal feeling

• Use contractions like you do in normal conversation

• Keep it simple

• Humanize your posts, no need to sound like a press release all the time

Image credit: aimhighwriting.com

Tracy Sestili is a social media author, teacher, speaker and strategist.

You can get her latest book, Taking Your Brand from the Bench to the Playing Field on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle. Each chapter has exercises at the end to help you perfect your social media strategy .

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