2. Writing Effective Social Copy
⢠Less is more
⢠Give context
⢠Rewrite the headline
⢠Use synonyms
⢠Eliminate implied words â 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
3. Less is More
⢠If people have to rewrite your content to make it fit, it wonât
get shared
⢠If you want it to be shared, aim <100 characters
â Tweets <100 characters get 17% higher engagement rate
â Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook* - can be longer form (3-5 sentences)
8. Use #s and abbreviations
⢠w/ instead of âwithâ
⢠7/20 instead of âJuly 20â
⢠Bday instead of âbirthdayâ
⢠5 instead of âfiveâ
⢠b/c instead of âbecauseâ
⢠2pm instead of â7:00 p.m.â
⢠thru instead of âthroughâ
⢠econ instead of âeconomicsâ
⢠ur instead of âurâ
Just make sure itâs legible by the masses...
9. Include a Call-To-Action
The call to action is not a clichĂŠ, it's a necessity.
Donât be afraid to ask for the sale, the download, the
RT.
10. 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
11. 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.
12. Images Enhance Your Story
Images do get more shares and overall engagement
(2xâs 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
13. 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
14. 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 .
http://amzn.to/1rN2bYe
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Follow her on Twitter: @tracysestili
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