How to Write for Social Media

Engaging Your Audience in 140 Characters or Less

Introduction Ten years ago, no one would have

guessed that businesses would have

to master the art of writing for social

media. But in this digital age of selfies

and hashtags, learning how to write

for social media has become more

than just a good idea—it's a necessity.

So what can you do to engage your

audience in a short social media post?

1. Establish a Consistent Voice

The voice you use when writing for social media should be

consistent across different social media sites and posts.

Specifically, this voice should be positive and goal-oriented. Of

course, it should also be personable and likable; you don't want

your writing to sound as if a robot could have produced it. Add

the appropriate amount of cheek to suit your audience, based

on your targeted buyer personas, but remember that achieving

your post's goal is more important than getting a laugh.

1. Establish a Consistent Voice

What should your post's goal be, you ask? Well,

generally speaking, a social media post should aim to

educate, entertain, or redirect. You can give your

readers knowledge, give them a smile, or send them to

another page that aims to accomplish either the first or

the second goal.

2. Appeal to Your Readers’ Needs

As with most content marketing

principles, completing this step

will be much easier if you have a

good idea of your

target audience. Linking to posts

or sharing information that will

actually help your readers

achieve something will garner

respect for your business.

Social media sites are great tools for attracting

new visitors to your site and raising brand

awareness, but people are not going to follow

you on Facebook if all you post is how great your

business and its services are.

2. Appeal to Your Readers’ Needs

Your social media pages need to

have value of their own to make

people stick around.

Writing for social media should be a social affair—don't just talk

about yourself! Providing your reader with useful (or

entertaining) information is a great way to develop trust in your

brand. It's okay to redirect readers to your home site sometimes,

but if every post does this, what reason does anyone have to

follow you?

3. Choose the Ideal Length

When it comes to writing posts of ideal lengths,

the secret is that there is no secret.

Disappointing, I know, but true. Determining the

perfect length for a post is one of the many

challenges of writing for social media. Different

sites lend themselves to different lengths, which

means that each post should cater to the site

you are posting it on. A hashtag-heavy, 96-

character post may triumph on Twitter, but it's

likely to annoy your followers on Facebook.

3. Choose the Ideal Length

There are some guidelines about the best

length for each medium, but the general

rule to follow is this: convey your message

and tone as concisely as possible within the

confines of that particular medium. Don't be

long-winded and don't be vague. Say what

you need to say, then stop talking.

4. Keep Your Posts Error-Free

Unless your goal is to lose followers or to lose

the respect of the followers you already have,

you need to make sure your social media

content is completely free of errors. I don't

think I need to explain why it is unacceptable

for a 140-character post to have a mistake in

it. Take yourself and your business seriously by

checking your social media posts before they

go live. If you need to enlist the help of a

proofreading service, do so.

Conclusion

Clearly, writing for social media is not an exact science. A basic understanding of

the principles behind content marketing is required if you are going to master the

perfect attention-grabbing 140-character (or less) post. If you're still feeling

stumped, check out some of Inklyo.com's other helpful information about

content marketing for your business.

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