Writing Social Media Posts 101: The Basics You Can’t Ignore

Althea owns a small business where she sells essential oils and nutritional supplements. Although she has some local in-person customers, she does most of her business online. Lately, she’s been feeling that her social media strategy needs a boost to better promote her brand and increase sales.

Althea is a skilled photographer who enjoys combining her photos with Canva graphics to create unique, eye-catching images for her social media posts. “But the writing part?” said Althea. “That’s where I get stuck. I grew up in the Philippines—English is my third language! So I need some help.”

If you are like Althea and you’re using social media to promote your business or brand, you need to know how to write clear and engaging posts. Sometimes this can feel overwhelming, especially if English is not your first language. Don’t panic! By following some simple guidelines, you can create social media posts that will connect with your audience.

1. Keep your message short and simple

Social media users tend to scroll past everything that doesn’t instantly grab their attention. If your post is too long, they will probably skip it. So write shorter sentences using simple words and break up long paragraphs into smaller chunks to make it easier to read.

Instead of this…	Try this…
My company specializes in high quality, all-natural essential oils that will calm your anxiety, boost your immunity, and balance your hormones.	Breathe in nature, breathe out stress!

2. Use a friendly, conversational tone

Social media is not the right place for formal writing! Complicated words and unfamiliar jargon are likely to confuse your readers. It’s better to use plain language so you’ll sound like you’re speaking to a friend.

Instead of this…	Try this…
If you plan to order large quantities, please include the amount in your correspondence so that we may prepare a sufficient amount in a timely manner.	Placing a large order? Please email us with the amount so we can fill your order ASAP.

3. Include a call to action (CTA)

What do you want your audience to do next? Visit your website? Like your post? Share your post? Leave a comment? Whatever it is, a clear CTA will encourage engagement.

Here are some examples of commonly used CTAs:

• “Click the link learn more!”
• “Click the LIKE button if you agree!”
• “Leave a comment below with your thoughts.”

 

4. Use hashtags wisely

Hashtags can help more people find your posts, so choose relevant ones that match your business and your audience. But don’t overuse them—three to five hashtags per post is usually enough. Anything more than that will look desperate or spammy.

Althea, for example, could use some of these hashtags to promote her business in general: #EssentialOils, #StressRelief, #Aromatherapy. Then she could use the names of individual essential oils—#Lavender, #TeaTreeOil—if she is promoting something in particular.

A note on capitalization…Many social media users only use lower-case letters when writing hashtags. But if you capitalize each word #LikeThis, your hashtags will be more accessible to English language learners and people with reading disabilities.

5. Add images or videos

Posts with visuals get more engagement. A high-quality image, infographic, or short video can really make your post stand out.

If your image includes text, keep it brief and easy to read. Also, if you are purchasing ads on certain social media platforms, they limit the amount of text you can place on your image.

6. Check your grammar and spelling

Misspelled words, poor grammar, and odd phrasing can make your social media post look unprofessional. Before you post, read through it carefully to make sure there aren’t any errors. You can also submit your post to TextRanch—we’ll check for mistakes and fix them!

7. Post regularly

Imagine visiting the social media page for a business and you see just one post from April of 2017. You’d probably assume that the business was no longer operating.

So don’t post just once and then disappear. Create a schedule and stick to it. Whether you choose to create new posts daily, weekly, or twice a week, your audience will keep coming back.

Writing social media posts in English doesn’t have to be difficult. Keep your message clear, friendly, and engaging. With practice, you will get better at writing posts that attract attention and grow your business. Now, go ahead and create a grew new post!

Are you struggling to write a social media post and could use some feedback from a native English speaker? Or do you just want someone to look over your post and to make sure everything is okay? Click the blue button below! Our TextRanch editors will be happy to help.

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