Copywriting is the foundation of bringing your social media strategy to life, but getting it right can sometimes be challenging.
With millions of users scrolling through their feeds, crafting compelling copy that grabs attention and drives engagement is not just important, it’s crucial. Whether you’re promoting a product, sharing valuable insights, or building your brand, mastering the art of copywriting for social media can really support your success.
Lead with a hook
How will you stop the scroll, be heard through all the noise and get someone to read your post? Those first few words need to spark something in the person reading it, which means they won’t just skim by. Use immediacy, intrigue and excitement, for example:
“Unpopular opinion: ______ (bold statement or perspective)”
“Struggling with _________ (issue)? Here’s how we can help!”
“Calling all _________ (audience description), here’s what you should do when _______”
Be concise
We often see posts that try to tell too many stories and fit in tons of information. These tend to become long essays that aren’t very engaging. When sitting down to write your social post, make sure you’re just making ONE point; if there are two interesting stories, create two posts instead!
Talk like a human
By that, we mean talk as if you’re talking to your friends. You never refer to yourself in the third person when talking to your friends; why do you do that for your business? If in doubt, read it out!
Use short paragraphs to make your content easy to read.
Be clear
Be clear on what you want to achieve from the post and how it links back to your social media objectives. If you don’t know what you are asking from your audience in the post, they’ll likely scroll on by in seconds.
Stop with the jargon
You know what those acronyms mean, but your audience might not. If you’re going to use acronyms, make sure on the first mention, your write it in full and then put the abbreviation in brackets. For example, BAU (Business as Usual).
Speak to your target audience
You’ve spent time on your audience personas, so why are you still speaking to a generalised audience? Make sure your content addresses their pain points and give them something to engage with.
And while you think about your audiences, if you are speaking to different audiences on different social media channels, make sure you tailor your copy on each to reflect that.
The call to action (CTA) doesn’t always need to be at the bottom
And in a world of the dreaded ‘see more…’ we recommend having that CTA as early as possible in your post. That way, it won’t get lost!
Use emojis
Emojis can add life to your copy (we wrote a whole blog on how they can help you convert), but please use them sparingly, so you don’t effect the experience of people who use screen readers!
AI is your friend
Yes, it’s true. The rise of ChatGPT and other AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools can help you write your copy and make it more engaging. We also find it helpful to look for a different angle on a post when you’re in a creative rut.
Just make sure you’re reading it through and adjusting it to reflect your brands tone of voice.
Have fun
Copywriting should be fun, and if you’re having fun writing it, your audience will likely have fun reading it!
We hope you found our 10 copywriting for social media tips helpful! If you’d like to talk further about copywriting for social media get in touch at hello@socialfirefly.co.uk
Sarah has been working in social media marketing since 2013 and joined the Social Firefly team in January 2022. Working with some of our biggest clients she makes content planning and creation look easy while delivering on some of our best performing strategies. Outside of work, she's a keen photographer, dedicated swimmer, a certified foodie, dog auntie and travel lover.