It’s no secret that if you work in communications, you most likely need to be a skilled writer too, especially if you’re managing social media channels. But writing effective copy is not always as easy as it seems. Many communications professionals struggle with finding the right words or simply just can’t get it right.
Writing, however, is not an abstract activity reserved only for those blessed with the creative power to craft narratives. It is a skill much like any other and can be taught and improved with the right advice. Here are 10 simple tips to follow for writing better, stronger, and more persuasive copy for social media.
The starting point when writing any copy regardless of format and length should always be your target audience. Consider their pain points, what they find useful, and what will help them solve their problems.
Are you writing for a busy policymaker or for your membership base? Adapt your language and tone specifically to your audience.
Maybe you’ve heard this one before, it’s almost a law when it comes to copywriting. Choose the active voice over the passive – it makes your writing more lively and personal. The passive voice hides who is speaking and makes your sentences more lengthy and hard to read.
Always bet on short paragraphs and short sentences. Most people scan your text and it’s essential to keep it simple and digestible for your readers.
You need to grab the reader’s attention right from the start and if he has to read lengthy complex sentences that confuse him, you’re on the wrong track. So, just keep it simple.
Every time you’re tempted to write “things”, “something”, “kind of”, and other similar vague words, stop and think of a more specific word to use. General words leave your readers to guess what you wanted to say and that is not your goal.
Plus, they make your writing sound unconvincing as if you’re lacking the vocabulary to express yourself better. Do yourself a favour and be specific.
Jargon and abbreviations can be confusing even if you’re writing for an audience that’s familiar with industry-specific terms. It’s always better to spell out abbreviations and find a synonym for the jargon to avoid any confusion.
It’s frustrating to read a text that’s riddled with jargon, which makes it hard to understand. Make it easy for your readers, remove jargon and abbreviations.
We all love adding adjectives and adverbs to make our writing “prettier” but don’t go overboard with those. You need to grab the reader’s attention right from the start and if he’s distracted by long words and sentences he doesn’t understand…well, you’ve lost him.
Don’t lose too much time on narrative and intro, get straight to the point with short, clear sentences and words your reader understands easily.
When you’re writing, you should know the exact meaning of every word and be especially careful if English is not your native language. It’s easy to confuse the meaning of two different words when they sound the same but you need to make a habit of proofreading and double-checking whenever you’re hesitant about the meaning of a word.
Be sure to have all your ducks in a row and avoid contextual mistakes. These make your writing untrustworthy and cause your readers to doubt your competence and capabilities.
Once you’re done writing, step back and read your copy out loud. If a sentence or a word sounds off, then you most likely need to edit it. Your ears can detect problems your eyes just won’t see. Cut out unnecessary words, break up sentences, rethink the structure.
No one writes good copy right from the first try. Give yourself time to edit properly and polish up your post.
Make sure there are no typos, no misspellings, no wrong dates and numbers in your copy. Your readers might have some tolerance for human error but if it happens often, you will lose your credibility. Copy riddled with typos implies you’re a sloppy writer and don’t put much effort and care into your writing. Why should your readers grant you their attention then?
Always proofread your copy before posting or submitting it for review.
Having a call to action doesn’t mean you need to be salesy. It’s important to point your readers to an action they need to take for your copy to be effective and serve its persuasive purpose.
Take a moment to consider what is really the purpose of your post. What do you want your readers to take from it? Find out the right answer to these questions and turn it into a compelling call to action.