Text content writing

Every social post you publish reflects on your brand. If you’re sloppy, your company will look sloppy too. Even worse, it could undermine your success on social media. That’s why it’s important to write well on social media. Social media copywriting requires some unique skills. You need to be able to cram as much value into as few words as possible. You also have to be consistent and engaging at all times. Plus, every network is unique. What works on Facebook might flop on LinkedIn. This makes becoming a master social wordsmith even more difficult.

What Is Content Writing?

Content writing involves the creation of text content to educate or entertain readers. It may drive sales as well, but that’s not its primary purpose. With content writing, you want to educate or entertain readers by creating high-quality and valuable content. Examples of content writing include:

• Blog posts.
• White papers.
• E-books.
• Tutorials.
• Email newsletters.
• News articles.
• Evergreen articles.
• Case studies.
• Social media posts.

Consistency Counts (So Build A Social Media Style Guide)

Keeping your social copy clean and within brand standards can be a challenge.

Developing a simple style guide can help with this. A basic style guide can be one or two pages long, and should include the following:

• Mission Statement: This can be twofold: why does your business exist, and why are you on social media?
• Audience/Persona Summary: Briefly describe your core audience on social media. Who are you writing for, anyway?
• Social Media Brand Voice: Describe what your social brand voice should sound like (casual, serious, professional, irreverent, etc.).
• Tone: Describe your social tone (helpful, funny, authoritative, etc.)
• Branding: List requirements for brand spellings (and other copy-related branding elements).
• Message Types (By Network): Not all content needs to go on every network. Create some guidelines on which types of messaging are appropriate on which of your social networks.

Basic Social Media Writing Tips

Understand Active Vs. Passive Voice. Using active voice helps produce more engaging copy. Most writers are familiar with active and passive voice. If you’re not sure what the difference is (and were afraid to ask) though, then never fear. There’s no shame here. Let’s walk through each one:

Hear the difference? The first example puts the subject (“I”) in the driver’s seat. It’s more action-oriented. The second example, however, sounds a bit more flat, factual, and lacking action.

Put Your Audience First. It’s rude to only talk about yourself. So, write in a way that puts your audience at the center of the story instead. How do you do this? Simple. Say “you” more than you say “us.”

Write Stuff People Want To Share. This requires understanding why people share content. Delivering value to their audience. People want to share things their audience will find valuable. This could mean content that’s helpful, entertaining, or otherwise worth paying attention to. Try writing posts that convey a clear benefit. If you create how-to content, consider writing copy that hints at what the linked article will help readers do. You can also create unlinked social messages that include a useful tip in your post copy or image copy.

To express and define themselves. When sharing posts, people often think, “How does sharing this reinforce my identity?” Use surveys or create personas to understand your typical audience member. From there, figure out how they identify themselves. For example, if you sell construction equipment, your audience might see themselves as “tough” or “hard-working.”

To feel connected to others. Social media is about building connections and relationships. People naturally want to share posts that shows they’re part of something bigger themselves. They also like to share posts likely to start a conversation (so they can converse with other people). One way to do this is to write messages that encourage tagging and sharing.

To make themselves feel valued. People want to share posts that are likely to get likes, shares, and positive comments. It feels good to share something your friends like, right? You might also consider writing messages showing appreciation for your audience.

To express beliefs or support causes. People love sharing opinions on social media. You probably don’t need to be told that, either. If it’s appropriate, take a stance on something or show your support for a cause. You don’t have to get too controversial (although sometimes a little bit of controversy is okay).

Make Sure You Have Clear Message-Match Between Your Posts And Destination Pages. If your post is linking to an external page, then your post messaging needs to match your landing page messaging. In short, your social media content needs to follow through on the promises your posts make. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Double-check that links are accurate.
• Only link to substantive pages with good information.
• And make sure your post copy is relevant to your destination page.

Make Sure Your Copy Matches Your Visual Content. If you’re writing image copy, consider connecting it with your post copy too.

Be Clear And Concise. Avoid complex language and use short sentences. People skim on social media, so punchy posts tend to work better than long-winded paragraphs. Try to limit yourself to just one or two sentences, if possible. This isn’t a firm rule, but it may be a useful guideline to keep yourself from rambling. Struggling to keep your posts short? Try working through this simple exercise. Start by reading this example post:

“Here is our latest blog post about a very awesome topic you’ll enjoy.”

This isn’t that bad, right?

Well, there are a lot of wasted words we could do without. Let’s try minimizing stop words (is, a, etc.) and see how it sounds. We could also make the end of the sentence more specific, focusing on one detail to use fewer words.

“Here’s our latest blog post about blogging.”

Hear the difference? The second example says essentially the same thing. It just does it with fewer but more specific words, and sounds much better as a result.

Avoid Pushy, Overly Sales-Driven Messaging. At least when it comes to writing organic social media content. While social ads need to be written to sell, organic social posts should be written to inform, entertain, or otherwise make a connection with your audience. That doesn’t mean you can’t promote yourself. It just means it’s best to find a way to sell people on the idea of taking an action without directly sounding like you’re making a sales pitch.

Social Media Writing Tips For Each Network

Every social media network is different. Different audiences. Different purposes. Different expectations. Your writing and messaging should be adjusted accordingly. Instead of writing one message for every network, tailor your messaging to each one individually. To do this, it helps to understand the purpose of each network, and what works best on each one:

Facebook Writing Tips

With declining Facebook organic reach, sharp copy is now more important than ever.

• Keep Posts Short. There’s some wiggle room on this one. However, data shows short posts perform best.
• Avoid Promotional Calls-To-Action. Facebook’s algorithm can detect overly promotional language. This means wording like, “Buy Now!” or “Sign up here!” Posts with a hard sales message get demoted in the newsfeed, and with organic reach already in decline, that’s something you can’t afford.
• Write Shareable Article Headlines. If you’re writing blog posts or articles, keep Facebook in mind when crafting catchy headlines. Think short, punchy, and conversational.

Twitter Writing Tips

You can do a surprising amount with just 140 characters. Here are some tips to make the most of your tweets.

• Do More Than Simply Reshare Headlines As Post Copy. This one is okay in moderation. However, it’s better to write copy that adds to the story your article is telling. Instead of reusing the article headline as a social post, the post outlines the story in the article. This helps build interest in clicking the link, and prevents wasting people’s time reading the same text twice.
• Incorporate Hashtags Directly In Tweet Copy. It’s easy to add hashtags to the end of a post. However, consider cleverly incorporating them directly into your tweets instead. 
• Go Easy On Hashtags. Make sure your message isn’t lost in a sea of hashtags. Aim to use two, or maybe three, at the most.
• Be Mindful Of Your Character Limit. You have 140 characters here. Stay under that limit without cutting corners. Conciseness is no excuse for lack of clarity.
• Try Adding URLs In The Middle Of Tweets (Instead Of At The End). This tip comes from Dan Zarrella at Hubspot. This data is a little old at this point, but in 2011, he discovered that “the best area for clicks is about 25% of the way through the Tweet.” As a writer, testing this requires you to consider writing in a way that would let you place a link after just two or three words. Try following this formula: [Short Intro] + [URL] + [Longer Explanation].
• Tag Other Relevant Accounts Within Your Tweet Copy. This helps alert other folks that you’re talking about them. In turn, they’ll be more likely to share your posts. It’s win-win. Be sure to write your posts with other accounts in mind.
• Incorporate Emojis Into Your Tweet Copy. Like it or not, “emoji” is turning into a language all its own. Used creatively, they can add a splash of character to your tweets. 
• Tell A Story In A Tweet. It’s possible to tell a complete story in a tweet.

Google+ Writing Tips

Google+ is different from other social networks and allows for some interesting formatting options. Use that to your advantage.

• Write Compelling Post Headlines. Google+ is unique in that it allows you to write bolded headlines. General best practices for writing headlines applies here.
• Don’t Be Afraid To Tell A Whole Story. Google+ posts can run a bit longer than on other networks. Take advantage of that. Go into more detail than normal if you feel you need to.

LinkedIn Writing Tips

LinkedIn is a professional network. Here’s how to make sure your writing reflects that.

• Be Clear. Avoid using professional lingo if it won’t be understood by your audience.
• Be Concise. Get to the point. Don’t ramble. Busy professionals don’t have time to waste.
• Stay Professional. LinkedIn is a professional network. Don’t forget this when writing your posts. Stick to a professional tone.

Instagram Writing Tips

Instagram is a visual-driven network. However, the written word still has its place there.

• Think About Alignment Between Your Image Copy And Post Copy. Instagram is a visual network, but the written word still has a place there. Write image copy that hooks people’s attention while connecting with your post text.
• Don’t Forget Hashtags. Instagram likes hashtags. Don’t be afraid to use them liberally at the end of your posts.

Pinterest Writing Tips

Pinterest is a highly visual network, but that doesn’t mean you can neglect your writing chops here.

• Write Longer Pin Descriptions. According to a study from Dan Zarrella, descriptions over 200 characters long received more repins. That could be thanks to those pins having more detailed context around what they’re about to entice people to click and share.
• Include Links in Pin Descriptions. If people like the images you pin, they’ll probably want to learn more about where they came from. Adding a link helps, and don’t be afraid to add a call to action, either.
• Include Relevant Keywords in Your Pin Descriptions. Including keywords in pin descriptions can help them show up in searches on Pinterest.