Writing for Social Media

This post appeared in the May edition of mStoner’s monthly newsletter, Intelligence. Click here to subscribe.

Keep it short, snappy, and to the point. Grab your reader’s attention. This is how you write for social media. Writers who are used to long-form writing often find themselves paralyzed by the 140-character limit of a tweet.

Find yourself facing that problem? Some quick tips for writing for social media:

• Have a goal. It’s much easier to keep it simple if you have a focus. Know why you’re on social media and what your audience expects from you. For example, SUNY focuses on sharing stories from their 64 campuses on Twitter.
• Be focused. Don’t give all the details of your subject matter. Pick an interesting tidbit, write a short message, and leave it at that. This will help you focus your writing and keep it brief. Include a compelling call to action and hyperlink to a full article or story for readers to learn more. SUNY highlights thought-provoking and surprising details to grab follower’s interest.
• Keep your message well under the limit. If you have a 140-character limit (hello, Twitter!), don’t use it all up. Shoot for half of the limit. The shorter your post, the likelier people are to read it and follow your hyperlink. (Did we mention that you should embed hyperlinks to move people to action?) Shorter posts are also easier to retweet.
• Make your verbs exciting. Use compelling action words, and don’t be afraid to be clever or add a little humor to make your content more engaging. Pro Tip: always err on the side of clarity and be aware of the multiple ways your message may be interpreted.

Want to learn more? Check out the following resources:

• 10 Best Practices for Better Social Media Writing, by Stephanie Strazinsky
• 5 Tips for Writing Impactful Content, by Rachel Strella
• The Elements of a Great #highered Twitter Account, by Andrew Careaga
• The Art and Science of a Hashtag Strategy, by Patrick Powers