We’ve all been there. You’re scrolling through your favorite social platform and read tweets or an Instagram caption from a brand that makes you say “whoever wrote that deserves a raise”. Ultimately, this is the goal of every social media copywriter: write content that’s so amazing and makes such an impact on your company’s bottom line that a raise is justified. Writing effective social media copy sells your brand, inspires your customers to engage, and eventually (or even better, right away) creates a conversion.

How can I write better social media copy?

Read on to learn our tips to elevating your brand’s social media copy.

Know Your Audience

The number one element to good copy is knowing who you’re talking to. You need to be sure your tone and word choice fit the target audience while simultaneously clearly conveying what you are trying to get across. You’re not going to speak in teenage slang terms if your target market is ages 44-65. You’re not going to use words like “loquacious” if you’re trying to speak to kids in middle, or industry terms like “dynamic content” if you’re speaking to someone in the medical field. Before you start developing your copy, it is best to define and research the exact person you are trying to reach.

Maintain Your Brand Voice

This is important no matter what platform your copy will appear on, and is key to making sure your messaging is consistent across every touchpoint in which consumers will encounter your brand. There is no worse outcome for an advertising campaign than to have mixed messages floating around, or worse, your consumers not recognizing that the messaging is coming from the same brand. Each digital platform, and every traditional advertising platform, have different needs in terms of copy, but your overall tone of voice needs to evoke the same feeling.

Always Include an Easy to Follow Call To Action

Your call to action (CTA)  is what will drive your readers to make the conversions you’re aiming for. The best CTA is based off what you want your reader to do (learn more, shop now, enroll, etc.) and is preceded by why they should want to take that action.

Don’t Overuse Exclamation Points

Nothing kills your copy like the excessive use of the exclamation point. We know you’re excited to share a great new product, promotion, or other offer, and that is great. You should be excited! You shouldn’t, however, be unprofessional. Exclamation points can feel like you’re shouting at your audience, feel abrasive, and distract the reader away from the message you are trying to convey.

Don’t Be Too Wordy

Yes, you want to be sure you get your point across. You don’t, however, want the reader to fall asleep before they reach your CTA. Successful copy gets to the point and gets the reader to “learn more” or “shop now”, preferably in three (short) sentences or less, based on social platform.