How to Do a Good Job Writing Social Media Copy

Nancy Hart reports:

"Posting on social media sites is quick, but that doesn’t mean your writing shouldn’t be thoughtful. Readers can dismiss poorly written copy as spam, and businesses can miss their target audiences if their messages are unclear...Know what your message is, and deliver it succinctly...Focus on the key words you wish to convey and ask yourself whether the message is understandable and effective. Be careful with abbreviations; make sure they are commonly understood and use them sparingly...Journalists are taught about the inverted pyramid in school, and many news articles that appear in newspapers and online employ this technique, which values putting the most important information at the top. Supporting details follow, and relevant background information comes at the end. The inverted pyramid allows you to get to the point quickly, so readers -- even those who stop reading before the end -- know the key facts right away. Use the inverted pyramid style with social media, sticking with the big facts -- the point -- immediately so your message is clear, even to the most impatient online readers...Proper spelling and grammar are important in communicating with your audience, even if you’re limited by character counts and space. As with all written communication, poorly written copy and obvious typos can turn off readers quickly. Write deliberately, and if you’re not expert at grammar, enlist the help of someone who is. Proofread what you’ve written, reading it out loud, which can help you identify dropped or repeated words and basic structural issues...Once you’ve identified your audience, tailor your message to reach them. An older audience, for example, might respond negatively to copy that employs a lot of slang and abbreviations, while a younger audience probably would be more comfortable with such language."